A multicooker is the right first purchase for most people: it pressure cooks, slow cooks, sautés and steams in one pot, and the cheapest good one costs about the same as a decent slow cooker. A dedicated slow cooker still makes sense if you want a large, simple, cheap pot that you fill in the morning and forget. A standalone pressure cooker only makes sense if you already own a slow cooker and want speed added to it.
The practical difference is not what they cook but how long they take and how many appliances end up in the cupboard.
Multicooker
Instant's 5.7-litre Duo is the reference at around $179: seven functions in one machine, pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yoghurt maker and warmer, in a stainless 18/8 pot with touch controls. Owners rate it 4.9 from more than 50 reviews at The Good Guys.
The warranty is one year. Philips' All-In-One at around $199 gets two years and is rated 4.8 by more than 580 owners, which is far more owners.
What We Like:
- Seven jobs in one pot
- Sear then pressure cook without changing pans
- From about $179
What We Don't Like:
- One-year warranty on the Instant
Slow cooker
Breville's Searing Slow Cooker is six litres and 1350 watts with five browning functions and low, high and warm settings, at around $229. Owners rate it 4.5 from more than 310 reviews.
At the cheap end, Russell Hobbs sells a seven-litre slow cooker for under $80 rated 4.6 from nearly 500 owners, which is the honest benchmark: a slow cooker is a heated pot and does not need to be expensive.
What We Like:
- Simple, cheap, hard to break
- Large capacities at low prices
- Nothing to seal or depressurise
What We Don't Like:
- Six to eight hours, every time
Pressure cooker
Breville's Fast Slow Pro is six litres with a variable pressure dial and a gauge at around $399. It is a pressure cooker that also slow cooks, which describes most "pressure cookers" sold today: the standalone electric pressure cooker has largely been absorbed into the multicooker category.
If you want pressure and nothing else, a stovetop pressure cooker from a cookware brand is cheaper, faster to reach pressure and has no electronics to fail.
What We Like:
- Hours become under an hour
- Variable pressure on the Breville
- Better flavour extraction for stocks
What We Don't Like:
- Seals and sensors are the failure points
Side by side
| Multicooker | Slow cooker | Pressure cooker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Instant Duo 5.7L | Breville Searing 6L | Breville Fast Slow Pro |
| Price | $150–200 | $200–250 | $350–400 |
| Pressure cooks | Yes | No | Yes |
| Slow cooks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sears in the pot | Yes | Yes, 5 browning settings | Yes |
| Steams | Yes | With a trivet | Yes |
| Rice and yoghurt | Yes | No | No |
| Typical stew time | 35–45 min | 6–8 hours | 35–45 min |
| Parts that wear | Seal, sensor | Almost none | Seal, sensor |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
| Owner rating | 4.9 (52) | 4.5 (317) | 4.6 (70) |
Owner ratings are from The Good Guys, with review counts in brackets.
What actually differs
Time. A beef stew takes six to eight hours in a slow cooker and about forty minutes at pressure. That is the whole argument for pressure, and it is the reason multicookers took over.
Texture. Slow cooking breaks collagen down gently over hours and gives a different, softer result. Plenty of cooks prefer it for shoulder cuts and brisket, and pressure cooking cannot reproduce it exactly.
Simplicity. A slow cooker has a heating element, a pot and a lid. Nothing seals, nothing depressurises, and there is almost nothing to fail. Multicookers and pressure cookers both fail at the seal and the pressure sensor, which is what owner reviews across every brand point to.
Cupboard space. One multicooker replaces two appliances. If your kitchen storage is the constraint, that decides it.
Cost. A good multicooker is $180 to $230. A good slow cooker is $80 to $230. Buying both is $260 and up, for a capability one machine already covers.
Which to buy
Multicooker if you are starting from nothing. It does both jobs, browns in the same pot, and takes one cupboard space.
Slow cooker if you already have a pressure cooker, if you want eight litres cheaply, or if you value a machine with nothing to go wrong.
Standalone pressure cooker rarely. The electric versions have become multicookers; a stovetop model is the better buy if pressure alone is what you want.
FAQs
Is an Instant Pot the same as a multicooker?
Instant Pot is a brand that became a category name, the way Esky did. Philips, Breville, Tefal, Russell Hobbs and Sunbeam all make multicookers that do the same jobs.
Can I slow cook in a pressure cooker safely?
Yes. The lid is not sealed for pressure in slow-cook mode, and every machine here is designed for it. Follow the manual on whether the vent stays open.
Do multicookers make good rice?
Adequately. A dedicated rice cooker with fuzzy logic does better, particularly with short-grain rice. For a household that eats rice occasionally, the multicooker is fine.
