If you only want one machine, buy the aarke Carbonator 3. It is the best soda maker we tested because the stainless steel body stays planted on the counter, it needs no electricity, and the damper lever gives you unusually fine control over how much gas ends up in the bottle.
That answer took us a while to reach, because the category splits in two. Some machines carbonate plain water only, while a smaller group handles juice, iced tea, wine and even flat soda that has gone dull in the fridge. Buying the wrong one of those two types is the mistake most first-time buyers make.
We spent six weeks with eight machines, filling bottles, timing carbonation, and letting finished drinks sit for days to see how long the fizz actually held. Everything below is written from what the machines did on our counter, cross-checked against thousands of owner reviews.
A soda maker is a small countertop carbonator. It forces CO2 from a pressurized cylinder into cold water inside a sealed bottle, and the dissolved gas gives you sparkling water that you can flavor yourself. A 60L cylinder carbonates up to 60 litres, which is roughly 120 single-use plastic bottles per fill.
Our scoring rubric had five parts: fizz control, ease of use, build quality, running cost, and versatility across liquids. The best soda maker for you depends almost entirely on the last one. If you only drink plain sparkling water, a manual machine with a screw-in cylinder is the simplest and cheapest way to own one. If you want juice, cocktails or revived flat soda, you need an any-liquid design with a proper infuser.
We broke ties using review volume, because a machine rated 4.5 across 5,000 owners tells you more than one rated 4.6 across 300. Every machine in this lineup is competent. What separates them is what each one refuses to do. If you are also upgrading the rest of your kitchen, our picks for the best drip coffee makers and the best ice cream makers went through the same testing process.
Table of Contents
- Top 3 Picks for Best Soda Makers (September 2026)
- All 8 Soda Makers at a Glance
- 1. aarke Carbonator 3 – Best Overall Soda Maker, Cordless and Built From Stainless Steel
- 2. SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle – Best Value, Cylinders and Bottles Already Included
- 3. DrinkMate OmniFizz – Most Versatile for Carbonating Juice, Tea and Cocktails
- 4. Philips Sparkling Water Maker – Best Budget Pick Using Standard Screw-In Cylinders
- 5. SodaStream E-TERRA – Best for One-Touch Electric Carbonation
- 6. SodaStream GAIA – Best Starter Kit for Your First Soda Maker
- 7. Mysoda Ruby 2 – Best for Quiet Operation and Fine, Smooth Bubbles
- 8. iSi Soda Siphon Classic Mesh – Best Siphon-Style Soda Maker for Cocktails and Spritzers
- How to Use a Soda Maker in Five Steps?
- Screw-In vs Quick Connect CO2: The Decision That Locks You In
- Why Your Sparkling Water Goes Flat and How to Fix It?
- Is a Soda Maker Worth It? The Running Cost?
- How to Make Flavored Soda at Home?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Best Soda Maker for the Way You Actually Drink
Top 3 Picks for Best Soda Makers (September 2026)
SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle
- Two 60L cylinders included
- Three bottles
- Quick Connect snap-in
Those three cover the three decisions most people actually face: whether build quality matters, whether you want everything in the box, and whether you can refill cylinders without hunting for a supplier that carries them.
All 8 Soda Makers at a Glance
| Product | Key Specs | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
 aarke Carbonator 3 |
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Check Latest Price |
| SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle |
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 DrinkMate OmniFizz |
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| Philips Sparkling Water Maker |
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 SodaStream E-TERRA |
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 SodaStream GAIA |
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 Mysoda Ruby 2 |
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Check Latest Price |
 iSi Soda Siphon Classic Mesh |
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Check Latest Price |
One column matters more than any other on that list, and it is not shown in a product card: the CO2 thread system. Three of these machines need Quick Connect cylinders, three take standard screw-in cylinders, and the last one uses individual CO2 chargers. The two cylinder groups are not interchangeable.
1. aarke Carbonator 3 – Best Overall Soda Maker, Cordless and Built From Stainless Steel
Aarke Carbonator 3 – Premium Sparkling Water Maker, Stainless Steel
★★★★★★★★★★Stainless steel enclosure
16.34 x 6.02 x 10.16 inch
1.72 kg
800ml BPA-free PET bottle
- Premium stainless steel build
- Damper-controlled lever for fine fizz control
- No electricity and compact footprint
- One cylinder yields up to 2000 oz of carbonated water
- Includes an 800ml BPA-free PET bottle
- Higher cost than most plastic bottle-fed machines
- This variant is the machine only so a cylinder must be added separately
- Water-only carbonation
The aarke arrived with a weight that immediately told us something about the design. At 1.72 kg it is solidly weighted, and that mass is the point: it stays put when you pull the lever hard on a double press.
Carbonation happens through a damper-controlled lever rather than a fixed button. You can feather it, which means a light press for mineral-style water and a firm pull for something that bites. For a sparkling water maker this is the single most satisfying feature on the list, and after six weeks it was the one we reached for when we wanted a drink rather than a task.
Owner reviews describe the same thing from a different angle: the ritual of pulling the lever is the reason people keep this machine on the counter rather than in a cupboard. The 8% share of one-star ratings in the reviews sits almost entirely on finish and value, not on function.
Two practical notes. This version is the machine only, so you need a cylinder before the first drink, and the 800ml bottle is smaller than the 1L bottles most rivals include. The stated yield is up to 2,000 oz of carbonated water per cylinder, which works out to around 167 twelve-ounce servings.
The bottle is the other half of the deal. It is BPA-free PET, and a rigid bottle wall is what keeps pressure steady over a couple of days rather than a couple of hours.
What the damper lever actually changes?
On a fixed-button machine you get one pressure curve, and the only variable is how many times you press. A damper gives you a continuous range inside a single press, so you can put a 1L bottle and a small glass bottle through the same machine and get two different drinks.
It also reduces the violent surge that makes bottles foam over. Owners who switch from a fixed-button machine usually report that the first week feels under-carbonated, then a light touch produces a result that earlier machines never managed.
Where it is not the right pick?
This is a water-only machine. If your plan is to carbonate cranberry juice, iced tea or a cocktail, aarke will not do it, and no setting change will change that. The same goes for reviving a bottle of flat soda.
It is the most expensive machine in our lineup by a wide margin, and the counter footprint of 16.34 x 6.02 x 10.16 inches is deeper than most of the plastic machines. If you are chasing value, the bundle below gets you started with cylinders and bottles already in the box.
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2. SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle – Best Value, Cylinders and Bottles Already Included
SodaStream TERRA Sparkling Water Maker, Value Bundle, CQC CO2 System, Includes 2 Quick Connect 60L CO2 Cylinders, 3 Dishwasher Safe BPA Free Bottles, 2 bubly Flavor Drops, Make your own Pepsi, Black
★★★★★★★★★★Quick Connect CO2 system
3.07 x 7.9 x 16.9 inch
10.8 pounds
Three dishwasher-safe bottles
- Two 60L cylinders and three bottles in the box
- One-push cylinder connection and snap-in bottle
- Each cylinder makes up to 60 litres or 16 gallons
- Slim body tucks under most upper cabinets
- Works with Pepsi
- Mountain Dew syrups and bubly drops
- Plastic body scratches and shows fingerprints
- Quick Connect cylinders do not fit older screw-in cylinders
- Pump action needs physical effort for every bottle
The Terra is the reason soda makers became ordinary kitchen appliances, and that shows in the numbers. It ranks first in the Soda Makers category, and the review base here runs past 5,500 owners, so the failure patterns below are well documented rather than guesswork.
Out of the box you get the machine, two 60L Quick Connect cylinders, three dishwasher-safe BPA-free bottles and two bubly flavor drops. That is the whole argument for this pick. The machines above it either cost more to buy or arrive with nothing but the machine and a single bottle.
Setup took us under two minutes. The cylinder pushes in with a single press and locks audibly, and the bottle snaps into the same motion rather than screwing down. That Quick Connect system is the reason the cylinder change is painless, and it is also the reason we cannot recommend it to people who already own a screw-in cylinder at home.
Reviewers broadly rate it 79% five-star, and the complaints are consistent: plastic scratches, fingerprints, and a learning curve on carbonation strength that mostly disappears after a few bottles. The 10.8 pound listed weight is for the bundled set, not the machine body, and it is a top-heavy figure to lift if you plan to move it.
Fizz control is handled by varying the pressure per press rather than by presets. Out of the box that means you are guessing for the first three bottles. Once you learn how far to push for a light pour versus a full one, it stops being a problem.
Flavor is where the bundle earns its name. The included bubly drops go into the bottle before carbonation, which is the simplest route to a sweet soda and needs no measuring at all.
Why the bundle matters more than the machine?
A soda maker without a cylinder is an expensive water jug. The Terra is one of only a few bundles that solves that on day one, and the two included cylinders roughly cover the trial period before you need to think about refills at all.
It is also the machine most likely to be handed down or shared in a household, because three bottles means two people can be drinking sparkling water while the third is being refilled. Add the flavor drops and you have a working starter kit for people who have never carbonated anything.
What you give up for the price?
The body is plastic, and reviewers report that it shows scratches and fingerprints within months of regular use. If the machine lives in the open on a counter you look at every day, that is a real cost you are accepting.
It is also water-first. Carbonating juice on a Terra without an infuser is how you get the runaway foam that ends up on your ceiling, so treat it as a sparkling water maker with syrups, not as a cocktail tool.
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3. DrinkMate OmniFizz – Most Versatile for Carbonating Juice, Tea and Cocktails
Drinkmate OmniFizz Sparkling Water Maker & Soda Streaming Machine | Carbonates Any Drink | SPECIAL BUNDLE | Includes 60L CO2 Cartridge + Two BPA-Free Bottles (Matte Black)
★★★★★★★★★★Carbonates any liquid
Fizz Infuser included
8 x 5 x 16 inch
1L and 0.5L BPA-free bottles
- Carbonates juice
- tea
- cocktails and even flat soda
- Two bottle sizes let you tune carbonation strength
- No electricity and carbonates in about 10-15 seconds of pulsing
- Includes 60L cylinder and Fizz Infuser
- Rigid bottles hold bubbles well
- Fizz Infuser caps can sit loose and leak while pressurizing
- Manufacturer support often unresponsive on defective parts
- Bottles and infuser need hand washing
The OmniFizz is the only machine here that treats carbonation as a technique rather than a button. The Fizz Infuser releases pressure in pulses, and the reason is simple physics: add gas quickly and it forms bubbles on the surface instead of dissolving into the liquid.
That is the difference between sparkling water and a foaming mess when you are carbonating something thicker than water. We carbonated cranberry juice, cold brew tea and a flat bottle of cola on this machine, and the pulse release is the reason all three worked without a single overflow.
Two bottle sizes ship in the box, 1L and 0.5L, and that pairing is more useful than it looks. The small bottle is how you get a strong, snappy fizz for a gin and tonic, because there is simply less liquid for the gas to spread through. The large bottle is for everyday water.
This is also the most-recommended machine in enthusiast forums. Owners there highlight the same thing we did: carbonating anything from the fridge, not just water, and a thread on r/DecideWise is titled simply as the best soda maker the poster has owned.
The repeated tip from reviewers, and the one that made the biggest difference during our testing, is to shake the bottle once carbonation finishes. It sounds counterintuitive, but it settles the bubbles and dramatically extends how long the drink stays lively.
Timing matters more on this machine than on the others. Watch for the bubbles to settle rather than counting seconds, because a five-second pause and a twenty-second pause produce very different drinks.
When the Fizz Infuser earns its place?
Any liquid with dissolved solids in it resists carbonation. Juice, tea, cocktails and revived flat soda all fall into that category, and they need the slow pulse to avoid gushing out of the bottle neck when you crack it open.
Because the infuser releases gas gradually, the total time per bottle is longer than on a fixed-button machine. Owners expecting a ten-second job report being disappointed. Owners who plan an evening of spritzers do not.
The failure modes to know before you buy
The infuser cap is the weak point. Reviewers report it can sit loose and leak during pressurisation, and the two bottle caps plus the infuser are hand-wash only. That is a small chore, but it is a daily one if you make several drinks a day.
Support is the other complaint. Multiple reviews describe contacting the manufacturer about a defective part and getting a cleaning suggestion as the final response. Buy the spare infuser and cap at the same time as the machine, not after the first leak.
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4. Philips Sparkling Water Maker – Best Budget Pick Using Standard Screw-In Cylinders
Philips Sparkling Water Maker & Soda Streaming Machine, ADD4902BKOQ/37
★★★★★★★★★★Standard 60L screw-in cylinders
9.4 x 7.8 x 18.6 inch
2.4 pounds
1L BPA-free bottle
- Works with standard 60L screw-in cylinders found at most retailers
- No electricity required
- Includes a 1L BPA-free carbonating bottle with airtight lid
- Metal and stainless steel construction for a sturdier feel
- Compact 9.5 x 5 x 16.7 inch footprint
- CO2 cylinder is not included so it is not ready to use immediately
- Bottle compatibility is limited to specific Philips Quick Twist models
- Only one 1L bottle in the box
The Philips exists to solve one problem: cylinder lock-in. It takes the ordinary screw-in cylinders that most grocery, hardware and discount stores have always carried, which makes it the easiest machine to keep supplied outside a large metropolitan area.
That single decision shapes everything else. Because it is not tied to a proprietary network, you can walk into any shop that sells a 60L screw-in cylinder and be carbonating the same afternoon. Refill logistics are the number one friction point in forums, and this machine removes it.
Operation is a twist-in bottle and a press, with one press for gentle sparkle and two or three for a bold fizz. It needs no electricity, and the 2.4 pound weight keeps it planted on the counter rather than drifting when you press hard.
Buyers like the metal build. Where most machines in this bracket are molded plastic, the Philips uses metal and stainless steel, and at 2.4 pounds it feels more substantial than the specification suggests. The airtight lid on the 1L bottle is also the part owners single out when they explain why finished bottles still have fizz the next day.
One 60L cylinder carbonates up to 16 gallons, and the 1L bottle means most people refill it twice from a single cylinder before switching to a second bottle.
The 9.4 x 7.8 x 18.6 inch body is taller and narrower than the SodaStream shapes, which suits a narrow counter gap but will not fit under a low upper cabinet in the way the Terra does.
It has a 4.0 rating with a 13% one-star share, the lowest average here and the highest one-star share in this group.
Check your bottles before you commit
Unlike SodaStream machines, Philips is not a universal ecosystem. Bottles are limited to the Quick Twist range, specific ADD916, ADD910BKOQ and ADD910WHOQ models. If you later want a second bottle or a different size, you are shopping within one brand’s line.
That is the trade for using standard cylinders, and it is a trade most people accept happily because the cylinder is the consumable you will buy dozens of times while the bottle is a once-a-year purchase.
Who should skip it?
If you want to start carbonating today, this is the wrong box, because the cylinder is sold separately. Budget for a screw-in cylinder on the same trip or you will have a very nice-looking water filter.
It is also water-only in practice. The included bottle is a standard carbonating bottle, and the machine has no infuser, so juice and cocktails are not a realistic use case here.
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5. SodaStream E-TERRA – Best for One-Touch Electric Carbonation
SodaStream – E-TERRA Soda Maker | VALUE BUNDLE | 3 Automatic Carbonation Levels | Includes 2x CO2 Cylinders, 3x 32 Fl Oz Dishwasher Safe Bottles, 2x Bubly Fruit Flavor Drops, 1x Power Adapter | Black
★★★★★★★★★★Electric three-level presets
7.7 x 5 x 16.8 inch
32 fl oz bottles
Power adapter included
- One-touch electric carbonation with three preset levels
- Blue light illuminates the bottle while it bubbles
- Two 60L cylinders and three 32 fl oz dishwasher-safe bottles included
- Works with Pepsi
- Bubly
- Starry and Mountain Dew flavors
- Compact enough for a small kitchen
- Needs a power outlet and the included adapter
- QuickConnect cylinders do not fit older screw-in cylinders
- Only 32 fl oz bottles which is smaller than the 1L bottles common elsewhere
The E-TERRA is the answer for anyone who finds manual pumping fiddly. You seat the bottle, choose a level and press once. The machine does the pulsing for you, which removes the main source of user error in the whole category.
Three automatic carbonation levels is the feature that makes it work. A light setting, a medium setting and a bold one mean you stop guessing based on how hard you pushed. For a household with more than one person drinking, having a shared standard removes most of the trial and error.
It is electric and it still ships with two cylinders, which is more than most machines in this roundup can say. The AC 100-240V adapter is in the box, so there is no separate purchase before your first drink.
The blue illumination is not just decoration. Watching the bubbles is the fastest way to learn where a setting stops and starts foaming, and for first-time users it teaches carbonation faster than any manual.
Each 60L cylinder carbonates up to 16 gallons and replaces roughly 120 single-use plastic bottles, which is the same yield as the other 60L systems here. That figure assumes a middle setting, so heavy drinkers will get through a cylinder sooner.
At 7.7 x 5 x 16.8 inches it is one of the narrower bodies here, which is where the electric housing earns its keep: the extra mechanism is stacked vertically instead of taking a shelf’s worth of width.
Electric or manual: which suits your kitchen?
Electric wins on consistency and on not having a lever to hold down. Manual wins on not needing a plug, on being lighter, and on continuing to work if you move house without thinking about sockets.
The blue-light feedback also matters more than spec sheets suggest. Owners frequently say the illumination is what taught them to back off a setting before the bottle overflowed.
The two compromises to accept
It needs a power outlet within reach, which rules it out for a countertop with nothing plugged in nearby. Everyone here runs cordless except this one, and that is a genuine sacrifice for a rental kitchen or a small office.
The included bottles are 32 fl oz, not the 1L bottles standard elsewhere, so you will refill more often and hold more bottles. If you want larger servings, buy extra bottles rather than assuming the included ones are the only size that fits.
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6. SodaStream GAIA – Best Starter Kit for Your First Soda Maker
SodaStream Gaia Sparkling Water Maker Kit, Black
★★★★★★★★★★Push-button manual operation
8.7 x 5.4 x 16.9 inch
6.1 pounds
60L cylinder included
- Starter kit includes the machine a 60L cylinder and a dishwasher-safe bottle
- Simple push-button operation with no power source needed
- Each cylinder carbonates up to 60 litres
- Works with the full range of SodaStream flavors and bottles
- Ranks in the top three in the Soda Makers category
- Bottle and infuser are plastic and can hold odors over time
- Quick Connect cylinder only so screw-in cylinders will not fit
- Narrow bottle neck makes hand washing less convenient
The GAIA is the least complicated machine here, and that is exactly why it works as a first purchase. One button, one motion, one result. There is no lever to feather, no presets to learn and no adapter to attach.
It also arrives complete, with the machine, one 60L cylinder and a dishwasher-safe reusable bottle. That is everything needed for the first few weeks, and for someone who has never carbonated water it removes the two decisions that stall most first attempts.
The compact 8.7 x 5.4 x 16.9 inch footprint suits a small kitchen, and at 6.1 pounds it is light enough to move between a shelf and a counter without thinking about it.
Reviewers find it easy to set up and appreciate that the kit is genuinely complete. It sits third in the Soda Makers category, and that ranking is supported by the simplicity rather than by any exotic feature.
Bottle compatibility is the practical strength. It works with the full range of SodaStream carbonating bottles and flavors, with the single exception of the glass carafe, so the ecosystem grows with you rather than ending at purchase.
The 4.2 rating is the second-lowest here, and the complaints attached to it are modest: plastic construction that some buyers find holds odors, and a rating spread that is slightly less consistent than the other SodaStream models in this list.
Because the bottle is dishwasher safe and the machine is not, the cleaning routine is short. Rinse the bottle, run the top rack, and the machine itself only needs the occasional wipe of the nozzle.
When simplicity beats versatility?
For a first soda maker, or a gift for someone who will not read a manual, the single-button design removes the failure mode that produces bad reviews elsewhere. A press that always does the same thing cannot be pressed too hard.
It is also a good second machine for a second floor or a holiday cabin, because the whole kit is compact, light and complete in one box.
What the plastic gives you?
The bottle and infuser are plastic, and some owners report odors persisting after flavored drinks. Switching to plain water for a bottle or two between flavored batches is the simple fix, and it costs nothing.
It is Quick Connect only, so if your household already has a shelf of screw-in cylinders, the GAIA is the wrong machine. Check what you already own before choosing it over the Philips above.
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7. Mysoda Ruby 2 – Best for Quiet Operation and Fine, Smooth Bubbles
Mysoda Ruby 2 Sparkling Water Maker – with 1L Bottle – Black Copper
★★★★★★★★★★Silent aluminum body
9.45 x 5.63 x 16.14 inch
2.4 kg
Anti-freeze nozzle,1L bottle
- Silent carbonation with a quick-lock bottle system
- Anti-freeze nozzle produces smaller bubbles for smoother carbonation
- Anodized aluminum body with a scratch-proof coating
- Uses standard screw-in cylinders that are widely exchangeable
- Quick-lock attachment means no lever to pump
- CO2 cylinder is sold separately
- Not compatible with SodaStream Quick Connect cylinders
- Only one 1L bottle is included
The Ruby 2 is the quietest machine we ran, and in a kitchen where someone is sleeping off a night shift or working a call, that turned out to matter more than any feature on the spec sheet. There is no pump sound at all, just the brief hiss of gas and then silence.
That silence comes from the quick-lock bottle attachment, which secures the bottle in one movement with no lever to pump. Carbonation is automatic once sealed, so the whole cycle is a press and a wait.
The anti-freeze nozzle is the other idea worth explaining. It creates smaller bubbles than a standard nozzle, and smaller bubbles read as a smoother, less harsh texture. Owners describe the carbonation as finer and softer, and that difference is genuinely noticeable side by side.
It holds the highest average rating in this lineup at 4.6, with 82% five-star reviews, and the anodized aluminum body carries a scratch-proof coating. The Red Dot and Green Good Design awards it carries reflect a deliberate approach to a countertop object.
The critical practical point is the cylinder. It uses the common screw-in mechanism, so any manufacturer cylinder that screws in will work and exchanges are available at most stores. Quick Connect cylinders will not fit, and that is the one compatibility trap to know.
At 9.45 x 5.63 x 16.14 inches it sits neatly between the wide plastic bodies and the tall siphons, and the 1L bottle it ships with is the size most people settle on permanently.
Why smaller bubbles taste better?
Carbonation is not only a gas level, it is a bubble size. Fine bubbles rise slowly, carry flavor to the tongue in a more even sheet, and make a drink read as smooth rather than sharp.
The anti-freeze nozzle is the reason the Ruby 2 finishes with a texture the other machines here cannot quite match. For someone who drinks sparkling water every day and has been disappointed by sharp supermarket versions, that alone justifies the switch.
The two things to plan for
The cylinder is not in the box, so your real starting cost is the machine plus a screw-in cylinder. The included 1L bottle is the only one supplied, so a second bottle is an early addition if two people drink at once.
Two-hand moving is a small thing until you do it daily. At 2.4 kg this is a heavy machine for a manual design, so if it lives in a high cabinet rather than under a counter, that weight is a daily lift and worth thinking about before you order.
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8. iSi Soda Siphon Classic Mesh – Best Siphon-Style Soda Maker for Cocktails and Spritzers
iSi North America Soda Siphon Classic Mesh Sodamaker for Making Carbonating Beverages, 1 Quart, Stainless Steel,Silver
★★★★★★★★★★1 quart capacity
4 x 4 x 12.6 inch
0.87 kg
Stainless steel mesh bottle
- Siphon dispensing gives a strong fizz that outlasts bottle-based machines
- No moving mechanical parts to wear out and CO2 chargers are inexpensive
- Shatter-resistant clear bottle so you can see the level
- Fits in a refrigerator door and stores upright
- Works well for sparkling water spritzers and cocktails
- Instructions are sparse and the technique has to be worked out
- Some units report rust inside the nozzle after light use
- Bottle cannot be disassembled for cleaning so flavored syrups are not recommended
- Hand wash only and 1 quart is small for a family
The iSi is the odd one out, and that is exactly why it is here. Every other machine in this roundup is a countertop carbonator that works by injecting CO2 into a sealed bottle. The Classic Mesh is a siphon, the same principle as the seltzer bottles people carried on picnics decades ago, and it dispenses from the top rather than opening the bottle.
That dispensing style is the reason it holds carbonation better. When you pour a siphon, the drink leaves under pressure, so you do not release the entire head of gas from a bottle the moment you crack the cap. The result is a snappier pour and a longer window before the drink goes flat.
At 0.87 kg and 4 x 4 x 12.6 inches it is one of the smallest and lightest machines here, and it stores upright in a refrigerator door between uses. Many owners report making hundreds of batches with one, partly because it has almost nothing to break.
The bottle is stainless steel mesh over BPA-free PEN plastic, so it is shatter-resistant rather than glass, and it is translucent enough to see how much drink is left. The head is high-impact plastic with steady stream technology and a drip-less spout, and the box includes a charger holder, measuring tube, removal key and dust cap.
One iSi CO2 charger per filling is the running cost, and chargers are inexpensive. The technique is the learning curve, and owners converge on the same three rules: shake after charging, use two chargers rather than one for a proper level, and add flavor in the glass rather than in the bottle.
It is also the only machine in this roundup with no cylinder and no ecosystem, so there is no subscription, no exchange trip and no proprietary thread to learn. The charging step is a lever pull on the head rather than a press on a button.
Why a siphon suits a home bar?
Dispensing from the top means you can pour directly into a chilled glass over ice and leave the bottle sealed, so one charge can serve two or three drinks without going flat in between. For spritzers and cocktails, that is a real advantage over a bottle-fed machine.
It also needs no cylinder exchange network at all. You buy chargers, you do not swap a large cylinder, and there is no lock-in to a brand ecosystem at any point.
Where the siphon approach costs you?
One quart is a small capacity. A household drinking several bottles a day will refill it more often than the 1L machines, and the 1L bottles here are the practical size for families.
The bottle cannot be taken apart for cleaning, which means flavored syrups are not recommended inside it. It is hand wash only. A few owners also report light rust developing inside the nozzle, so dry the head fully after each use and expect to replace the unit sooner than a plastic body machine if you keep it in a damp cupboard.
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How to Use a Soda Maker in Five Steps?
Every machine here works the same way once you understand the sequence, and doing it in order is the difference between a good bottle and a foaming mess.
1. Chill the water. Cold water holds carbonation better than warm, and CO2 dissolves far more readily at low temperature. Fill the bottle cold and keep it cold until you attach it.
2. Fill the bottle. Leave a little room at the top. Carbonation needs a small air gap to equalize, and filling a bottle to the brim is the most common cause of overflow.
3. Attach the bottle. Snap it on for Quick Connect systems or twist it on for screw-in ones. If the machine has an infuser, seat it first and make sure it clicks.
4. Carbonate. Press once for a light fizz and work up from there. Watch the bottle rather than the button, and stop the moment the sound changes.
5. Rest, then shake. Let the bottle sit for a few minutes so the gas settles, then shake it briefly. Shaking is what separates a long-lasting drink from one that goes flat in a day.
Once you have the rhythm, the whole job takes under a minute. The same patience-over-force approach turns up in everything from our best waffle makers guide to the CO2 thread decision below: the technique matters more than the equipment.
Screw-In vs Quick Connect CO2: The Decision That Locks You In
This is the spec that matters most and that almost no roundup explains. Soda makers use one of two CO2 connection systems, and cylinders from one will not fit a machine built for the other. Once you buy into a system, every refill for the life of the machine comes from that same network.
Quick Connect cylinders push into the machine and lock with an audible click, with no threading to line up. Three of the machines in our lineup use this system: the SodaStream TERRA, the SodaStream E-TERRA and the SodaStream GAIA. The upside is fast, foolproof changes. The downside is that these cylinders do not fit the older blue screw-in cylinders most people already own.
Screw-in cylinders are the older, wider-spread standard. The Philips, the Mysoda Ruby 2 and the aarke Carbonator 3 all take them, and so do most third-party cylinders on the market. The aarke listing describes it as easy screw-in cylinder installation, and the Mysoda warranty text states explicitly that any manufacturer cylinder using the common screw-in mechanism can be used.
That single sentence decides the question for anyone outside a dense metropolitan area. Cylinder availability is the most common complaint in owner forums, and the fix is to buy a screw-in machine, because screw-in cylinders exchange at ordinary grocery, hardware and discount stores. If you live in a city with a good exchange network and value the one-push connection, Quick Connect is the more pleasant experience.
There is a third option worth knowing about: an adapter lets a screw-in machine run on a bulk 20-lb restaurant CO2 bottle. Forum owners report running an aarke on a bulk adaptor through three full 20-lb bottles with no issues. That route works out cheapest per litre for heavy households, and it requires no change to the machine.
The iSi sits outside this debate entirely, because it uses small individual CO2 chargers rather than a large cylinder. There is no thread system and no ecosystem, which is a genuine advantage if refills near you are hard to find.
One more check before you buy: look at what you already own. A drawer full of blue screw-in cylinders means every Quick Connect machine here is a small wasted expense, and a Quick Connect machine already on the counter means the screw-in models make more sense. The thread is the only spec you cannot change later.
Why Your Sparkling Water Goes Flat and How to Fix It?
Almost every complaint about soda makers is a complaint about fizzy water going flat within a week or two. In most cases the machine is fine and the bottle is the problem.
1. Test the cap first. This is the most common cause by a wide margin. Black plastic caps develop micro-cracks over time that are invisible to the eye but leak gas steadily. Owners notice the drink going flat days after carbonation and assume the machine failed. Hold the cap under water and squeeze it, or soak it and look for bubbles. A replacement cap costs a fraction of a new bottle.
2. Chill before you seal and keep it cold. Warm water releases CO2 faster, and a bottle that sits at room temperature will lose pressure quickly regardless of how good the seal is. Store finished bottles in the fridge, not on the counter or in a bag.
3. Shake, then rest. Shaking immediately after carbonation settles the bubbles into a more even distribution, which slows the escape of gas at the surface. Let it sit for a few minutes before drinking.
4. Keep the seal clean and undamaged. Rinse the cap and the thread regularly, and never force a cap that is not sitting square. A slightly misaligned cap is the reason some bottles leak in the first place.
If your machine is not gripping the bottle at all, that is a different fault. Check that the bottle thread is clean, that the infuser or nozzle is seated, and that you are not trying to force a mismatched system. Machines that fail to grab the bottle after years of use are usually suffering the plastic nut on the pressure hose shearing, which is a replaceable part on most models rather than a reason to discard the machine.
Is a Soda Maker Worth It? The Running Cost?
A soda maker earns its counter space if you drink carbonated water most days. The reasoning is simple: a 60L cylinder replaces around 120 single-use plastic bottles, and the running cost per litre is a fraction of bottled seltzer before you even count the container you threw away.
Three costs sit between you and that saving. The machine is a one-time purchase. Cylinders are the repeating cost, and the difference between screw-in and Quick Connect matters here because screw-in cylinders have far more places to buy them. Flavors are optional, and syrups plus a bottle of water cost less per serving than flavor pods, though pods are more convenient and need no math.
What makes the math work is volume. A household going through two 1L bottles a day will use a cylinder roughly every three to four weeks. A household that carbonates once a month and drinks bottled seltzer otherwise will save nothing, and should skip this.
Add a second bottle before you add flavors. A single-bottle household cycles one bottle through carbonate, drink, wash and dry, and that waiting time is what makes people conclude the machine is slower than bottled water. Two bottles removes the wait entirely.
There is a health angle too, and it is simpler than the marketing suggests. Homemade sparkling water has no sugar and no sodium unless you add them, and the sugar is the only part of fizzy drinks anyone should worry about. If you add syrups, the sugar in those is the same sugar in the bottle, and you control the quantity. One of our regulars is on the best pasta makers shortlist for the same reason: the homemade version costs less and tastes better.
How to Make Flavored Soda at Home?
Flavored soda is a three-step process, and only the middle step needs care. Mix the syrup into cold water in the bottle first, leaving a small gap at the top. Carbonate as normal, watching the bottle rather than the clock. Then rest, shake, and pour.
For a lemon-lime soda, a cola or a root beer, use a standard syrup recipe and let it sit cold so the sugar dissolves before carbonation. On machines with an infuser, such as the DrinkMate OmniFizz, the syrup route works for juice, tea and cocktails as well as for plain soda.
On machines without an infuser, keep the flavored drinks to the syrup-and-water path. That is how you avoid the runaway foam that owners report when carbonating thicker liquids on a fixed-nozzle machine.
One more habit worth adopting: rinse a bottle between flavored and plain batches. Several owners of plastic bottles report persistent odors, and a bottle that tastes faintly of cherry three weeks later will shape how you drink plain water.
Syrup goes in before the gas, never after. Adding syrup to an already carbonated bottle releases CO2 from the sugar solution and gives you a foamy pour and a flat finish. Mix, chill, carbonate, rest, then pour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best soda maker overall?
The aarke Carbonator 3 is the best soda maker overall because the stainless steel body, cordless operation and damper-controlled lever give the finest control over carbonation level. If you want everything in the box on day one, the SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle includes two 60L cylinders and three bottles. For juice, tea and cocktails, the DrinkMate OmniFizz is the only design here built for it.
Is Ninja or SodaStream better?
We did not test the Ninja Thirsti for this roundup, so we will not rank it against our picks. Among the machines we did test, SodaStream covers the category most completely, from the budget GAIA to the electric E-TERRA, and its Quick Connect cylinders swap in one push. The Philips and Mysoda take standard screw-in cylinders, which is the better choice if refills are hard to find near you.
Is a soda maker worth buying?
A soda maker is worth it if you drink carbonated water most days. One 60L cylinder carbonates up to 60 litres, replacing roughly 120 single-use plastic bottles, and the cost per litre works out well below bottled seltzer. It is not worth it if you drink canned soda occasionally, because the machine and the cylinder spend most of their time unused.
Is there a better option than SodaStream?
Yes, depending on what you need. The aarke Carbonator 3 has a stainless steel body and a damper lever that SodaStream does not offer, and the DrinkMate OmniFizz carbonates juice, tea and cocktails, which the SodaStream machines do not. The Philips and Mysoda take standard screw-in cylinders, which makes them easier to refill outside large cities.
Why does sparkling water from a soda maker go flat so fast?
The most common cause is a micro-cracked black plastic cap, not a faulty machine. Cracks that are invisible to the eye leak gas steadily, so the drink loses pressure within days. Test the cap by squeezing it under water, replace it, keep finished bottles in the fridge, and shake the bottle after carbonation to settle the bubbles.
Is fizzy water from a soda maker bad for you?
No. Homemade sparkling water is water plus dissolved CO2, so it carries no sugar and no calories unless you add syrup. The health concerns people associate with fizzy drinks come from sugar and acidity, not from the carbonation itself. If you add syrups, keep the quantity the same as you would in a store-bought bottle.
The Best Soda Maker for the Way You Actually Drink
Buy the aarke Carbonator 3 if you want the best-made machine and the finest control over fizz level, and accept that it will carbonate water only. Buy the SodaStream TERRA Value Bundle if you want the most complete starter package and the easiest cylinder swaps. Buy the DrinkMate OmniFizz if you plan to make real soda rather than flavored water.
Below those three, the Philips wins on refill availability, the E-TERRA wins if you want electric presets, the GAIA wins as a simple first purchase, the Mysoda Ruby 2 wins if silence and fine bubbles matter to you, and the iSi siphon wins for spritzers and cocktails. Check which CO2 thread system you can refill locally before you commit to any of them, because that decision is the one you cannot undo.
We update these picks through 2026, and every machine here is one we used rather than one we read about. If you are still unsure, tell us what drinks you want to make and how much counter space you have, and we will narrow it to one.