Head-to-headKitchen
Ninja vs Tower: Which air fryer is worth the money?
The differences that actually matter.
Amazon prices as of 2026-10-06 at 08:14.
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The 30-second decision
Choose Ninja if
- You cook for a family most nights and want both drawers finishing together, every time
- You want crisper chips: it reaches 240°C and has a Max Crisp mode
- You want drawers and crisper plates that go in the dishwasher
Choose Tower if
- You want two-drawer cooking for a lot less money
- You want the longer guarantee: up to 3 years when you register it
- You mostly cook simple family staples and do not need more than 200°C
Price against peace of mind. The Tower handles everyday family meals for far less, and its guarantee runs longer if you register it. The extra money for the Ninja buys a hotter top temperature, dishwasher-safe drawers and noticeably fewer durability complaints from owners.
Current prices, side by side
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK 9.5L
Tower Vortx T17088 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer
Families who cook full meals in it most nights
Two-drawer cooking on a tighter budget
Amazon prices last updated 2026-10-06 at 08:14. Prices and availability can change.
Ninja or Tower is the question most UK families land on when they want a dual-basket air fryer. Ninja has the premium reputation. Tower has the lower price and a loyal following. Whichever way round you search it, Tower vs Ninja or Ninja vs Tower, the real question is the same: is the Ninja worth paying more for?
We can answer half of that from our own kitchen. We have cooked on the Ninja AF400UK every day for more than a year. The Tower side is built from its Amazon listing and the owner reviews behind it, because we have not used one ourselves. We keep those two kinds of evidence separate all the way down the page.
Key differences
On paper they look alike: two drawers, around 9 litres, a finish-together button. The differences show up in temperature, cleaning and the guarantee.
| Feature | Ninja | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Top temperatureKey difference | 240°C | 200°C |
| Dishwasher-safe drawersKey difference | Yes, drawers and crisper plates | No, hand wash only |
| Drawers | 2 x 4.75L (9.5L total) | 2 x 4.5L (9L total) |
| Cooking modes | 6, including Max Crisp and Dehydrate | Air fry, roast, bake and grill, plus 10 presets |
| Finish both drawers together | BothYes: Sync on the Ninja, Smart Finish on the Tower | |
| Size (W x D x H) | 41.5 x 27 x 32.5cm | 38.5 x 35.5 x 32.1cm |
| Power | 2470W | 2600W |
| Guarantee | 2 years | 1 year, plus 2 more if you register online |
What we found testing the Ninja
Only the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK 9.5L has been physically tested by WHC. This is not a head-to-head test: we show no results for the Tower Vortx T17088 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer because we have not used it.
Everyday family cooking, not lab conditions. These are the jobs our AF400UK does most weeks.
Frozen fries
How we tested Shop-bought frozen fries, Air Fry at 200°C, shaken halfway, drawer loosely filled.
About 12 minutes
Crisp and evenly cooked with one shake.
Not physically tested by WHC. No test result is shown.
Our standard weeknight test, done more times than we can count. The one rule we stick to: never pack the drawer full, with fries or anything else. Loosely filled, it gets them crisp in about 12 minutes.
Kids' tea with Sync
How we tested Nuggets in one drawer, chips in the other, Sync on.
Ready together, every time
Our most-used setting.
Not physically tested by WHC. No test result is shown.
This is where a dual-zone machine earns its place. Each drawer gets its own time and temperature, Sync works out the start times, and both finish together. In over a year it has not missed.
Roast pork shoulder
How we tested Pork shoulder roasted in one drawer.
Excellent crackling
Not physically tested by WHC. No test result is shown.
The surprise result. We expected an air fryer to handle chips and nuggets, not a Sunday joint, but the crackling came out better than we usually manage in the oven.
Over a year of daily use
How we tested Used every day for family meals since we bought it.
No faults
Light wear from grease and cleaning, nothing more.
Not physically tested by WHC. No test result is shown.
Nothing has broken, stuck or stopped working. The drawers show the normal marks of daily use and cleaning, and that is all.
What a year with the Ninja taught us
It lives on the worktop full time. At 41.5cm wide it takes up real space, but it gets used every day, so it has earned it. We cook chips, nuggets, fish fingers and chicken breasts in it most weeks, and the noise has never bothered us.
One warning we would give anyone buying a drawer air fryer: be careful with paper liners. The heating element sits just above the drawer, and if the food on a liner is too light to hold it down, the airflow lifts the paper up towards the element. Silicone liners, or paper weighed down properly, avoid the problem.
We have never needed Max Crisp. Air Fry at 200°C does everything we cook, which is worth knowing if that mode is the reason you are considering paying more.
Where each one wins
What Ninja does better
- Reaches 240°C, so it can crisp harder than a 200°C machine
- Drawers and crisper plates go in the dishwasher
- A Max Crisp mode for chips and breaded food
- Slightly bigger drawers: 4.75L each against 4.5L
- Far fewer owners report things breaking
What Tower does better
- Costs a lot less
- Up to 3 years of guarantee when you register it, against 2
- A grill setting, which the Ninja does not list
- Narrower, at 38.5cm wide, if worktop width is tight
What both get wrong
- Both are big: measure your worktop, depth as well as width, before you buy
- The heating element sits just above the drawer, so light paper liners can lift into it
- Both take a little trial and error before cooking times feel right
What owners report
Drawn from Amazon owner reviews and ratings. These are owner reports, not our own results.
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK 9.5L
What owners praise
- Quick, evenly cooked results
- Two foods cooked two ways, ready together
- Easy to use from the first meal
- Cheaper to run than heating the oven
- Frozen chips come out better than in the oven
Recurring complaints
- Bigger than the photos suggest: some owners give it a cupboard of its own
- Small food can drop through the crisper plate’s centre hole and is hard to reach while hot
- Opening one drawer during Sync pauses both
- Some report a warm kitchen, and smoke alarms going off with fatty food
Long-term issue to know
Owners describe several years of regular use without faults.
Tower Vortx T17088 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer
What owners praise
- Performs well and is easy to use
- Saves money against using the oven
- Cooks evenly
- Big enough to cook a lot at once
- Preheats quickly
Recurring complaints
- The instructions are poor, and some owners struggle to work out the controls at first
- Some report handles cracking within weeks
- Chips do not crisp as well as some hoped, which one owner puts down to the 200°C limit
Long-term issue to know
Durability is the recurring worry. Some owners report the drawer coating wearing with regular use, and at least one could not find replacement drawers in stock. Registering for the extended guarantee matters more here.
Living with them
Living with a dual-basket air fryer comes down to cleaning, space and what happens if something breaks.
Cleaning
Drawers and crisper plates are dishwasher safe. Daily cooking leaves light grease marks over time, nothing more.
Hand wash only. Owners say liners make it a quick wipe between cooks.
Liners
In our Ninja, light food on a paper liner lets the airflow lift the paper towards the heating element just above the drawer. Use silicone liners, or make sure the food holds paper flat. The same layout applies to any drawer air fryer.
Space
41.5cm wide, 27cm deep. Ours stays on the worktop full time.
38.5cm wide, 35.5cm deep. Narrower, but it needs more depth.
Guarantee
2 years.
1 year as standard, extended by 2 more years if you register the product online. Worth doing on the day it arrives.
Running costs
Both cost less to run than heating a full-size oven for everyday meals, because there is far less space to heat.
Matching models across the range
Different sizes, same trade-off. These are the closest Ninja and Tower equivalents.
| Feature | Ninja | Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-size (7.6L to 8L) | Ninja AF300UK 7.6L | Tower T17195 Elite 8L |
| Large (9L to 9.5L) | Ninja AF400UK 9.5L | Tower T17088 Vortx 9L |
For the full field, including other brands, see our guide to the best air fryers UK.
Which one should you buy?
Buy Ninja if
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK 9.5L
- It will be used every day and you want it to last
- You want the crispest chips and the 240°C ceiling
- You would rather put the drawers in the dishwasher
Buy Tower if
Tower Vortx T17088 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer
- Budget comes first
- You will register it for the 3-year guarantee
- You mostly cook simple frozen staples at 200°C or below
Choose neither if
- You cook for one or two: a smaller single-drawer air fryer will do the job for much less
Ninja vs Tower air fryer: your questions answered
Is Ninja better than Tower?
For daily family cooking, we think so. The Ninja runs hotter (240°C against 200°C), its drawers go in the dishwasher, and far fewer owners report things breaking. Our own AF400UK has been used every day for over a year with no faults. The Tower is a capable machine for a lot less money, and it is the better pick if budget comes first.
Is the Ninja air fryer worth the extra money over Tower?
If you will use it every day, yes. The extra buys a higher top temperature, dishwasher-safe drawers and a better durability record. If you cook a few times a week and mostly reheat frozen food, the Tower gives you most of the result for much less.
Why do some Tower owners say chips are not as crispy?
The Tower T17088 tops out at 200°C, while the Ninja AF400UK goes to 240°C. One Tower owner puts softer chips down to that limit. For most frozen food, 200°C is enough: our own fries go in the Ninja at 200°C.
Can the drawers go in the dishwasher?
On the Ninja AF400UK, yes: the drawers and crisper plates are dishwasher safe. The Tower T17088 is hand wash only, so liners make a bigger difference there.
Are paper liners safe in a dual-basket air fryer?
Use them carefully. The heating element sits just above the drawer, and in our Ninja, light food on a paper liner lets the airflow lift the paper towards it. Silicone liners avoid the problem, or make sure the food is heavy enough to hold paper flat. Never preheat with an empty paper liner inside.
What size air fryer do I need for a family of four?
A dual-basket model of around 9 litres suits a family of four well, because you can cook the main in one drawer and the sides in the other. Ninja says each AF400UK drawer takes up to 1.4kg of fries or a 2kg chicken.
Which has the better guarantee, Tower or Ninja?
Tower, if you register. The T17088 comes with 1 year as standard and a further 2 years when you register it online, so 3 in total. Amazon lists 2 years for the Ninja AF400UK.
What about the Ninja DZ400UK?
Ninja also sells the DZ400UK, a 9.5L dual-zone model with the same six cooking modes. We have used the AF400UK, not the DZ400UK, so our results above apply to the AF400UK.
