An air fryer is the better single purchase for chips, frozen food and anything you want crisp, because two shallow drawers and a strong fan do that job better than a box with a rack in it. A benchtop oven earns its space in a household that also toasts, bakes and reheats pizza, and in a small kitchen it can replace the wall oven for most weeknight cooking.
The honest answer for many people is that a benchtop oven with an air fry function does 85% of both jobs, and the last 15% is crisping.
Air fryer
Ninja's AF300 is the reference: two 3.8-litre drawers, 1670 watts, 40 to 240°C, and 1.8kg of chips. It reaches temperature in a couple of minutes with no meaningful preheat, and its two drawers cook two things at once. Owners rate it 4.8 from more than 870 reviews at The Good Guys.
What it cannot do: toast bread flat, bake a cake in a tin taller than a drawer, or take a pizza.
What We Like:
- Crisps better than anything else here
- Effectively no preheat
- Two dishes at once
What We Don't Like:
- No toast, no pizza, limited tin height
Benchtop oven with air fry
Sunbeam's 22-litre Multi Function Oven is the volume seller at around $229 with 4.6 stars from more than 570 owners. Six functions including air fry, grill, pizza, bake and convection, a 12-inch pizza capacity, two rack positions and knob controls.
Its warranty is one year against the Ninja's two, the air fry function is a fan in a box rather than a dedicated basket design, and 1850 watts across 22 litres crisps less aggressively than an air fryer.
What We Like:
- 12-inch pizza, toast, bake and grill
- 22 litres for $229
- 570+ owner reviews
What We Don't Like:
- One-year warranty, and air fry is a compromise
The premium option
Breville's Smart Oven Air Fryer is the machine people buy when the benchtop oven is meant to replace the wall oven: 22 litres, 2400 watts, ten functions, an element IQ system that moves heat where the food is, 50 to 230°C and a 12-inch pizza. Owners rate it 4.7 from 276 reviews at The Good Guys and 4.6 from more than 750 on Breville's own site, which is the larger pool.
It is 480mm wide and costs about double the Sunbeam. The XL version goes to 28 litres and 250°C for around $749.
What We Like:
- 2400W across ten functions
- 750+ reviews on Breville's site
- Genuinely replaces a small wall oven
What We Don't Like:
- 480mm of bench
Side by side
| Air fryer | Benchtop oven | Premium benchtop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Ninja AF300 | Sunbeam BT7200 | Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer |
| Price | $200–250 | $200–250 | $450–500 |
| Capacity | 7.6L in two drawers | 22L | 22L |
| Power | 1670W | 1850W | 2400W |
| Max temperature | 240°C | 230°C | 230°C |
| Toast | No | Yes | Yes, 6 slices |
| Pizza | No | 12 inch | 12 inch |
| Bake a cake tin | Drawer height only | Yes | Yes |
| Two dishes at once | Yes, two drawers | One cavity | One cavity |
| Preheat | Minimal | A few minutes | A few minutes |
| Crisping | Best | Adequate | Good |
| Width | 375mm | 400mm | 480mm |
| Warranty | 2 years | 1 year | 2 years |
| Owner rating | 4.8 (875) | 4.6 (572) | 4.7 (276) |
Owner ratings are from The Good Guys.
What actually differs
Crisping. An air fryer moves a lot of air fast through a shallow drawer. A benchtop oven moves less air around a bigger cavity with the food on a rack. Chips, wings and anything frozen come out better from the air fryer, and it is not close.
Versatility. A benchtop oven toasts, bakes, grills and takes a pizza. An air fryer does none of those properly.
Speed. An air fryer is up to temperature while the oven is still preheating. Over a week of weeknight dinners that adds up.
Capacity, honestly counted. Twenty-two litres sounds like triple 7.6, but a benchtop oven's usable space is one rack's floor area, while the air fryer gives you two drawer floors. For chips the air fryer holds more; for a roasting tray the oven does.
Bench space. All three take 375 to 480mm of width and need clearance above and behind for heat.
Which to buy
Air fryer if chips, frozen food and crisp results are the point, if you cook two things at once, and if you already have a working wall oven.
Benchtop oven if you want one machine to toast, bake, grill and reheat, if the wall oven is old or enormous for the job, or if you are cooking in a flat or a granny flat.
Both is common and reasonable, but if the bench only fits one, most Australian households get more out of the air fryer.
FAQs
Does a benchtop oven's air fry setting work?
It works, but not as well as a dedicated air fryer. It is a fan running hard in a larger cavity with food on a flat rack, so results are closer to a fan-forced oven than to a drawer machine.
Which uses less electricity?
The air fryer, for small loads, because it heats a much smaller space and does not preheat. For a full tray of roast vegetables the difference narrows.
Can a benchtop oven replace a wall oven?
For one or two people, largely yes. A 22 to 28-litre model takes a small roasting dish, a 12-inch pizza and standard cake tins. It will not take a Christmas turkey or two trays at once.
