Side-by-side comparison based on expert reviews and community consensus.
Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart
Best BudgetInstant Pot Duo Plus 6-Quart
Best OverallPrice
$80-$110
$107-$140
Summary
The #1 bestseller on Amazon with over 100,000 reviews averaging 4.7 stars — the Duo nails the basics at the lowest price of any full-featured Instant Pot. CNET, Good Housekeeping, and Serious Eats all recommend it as the entry point.
The Duo Plus is the sweet spot between simplicity and features — it adds cake, egg, and sterilize settings over the base Duo, plus a bigger LED display and mid-cook adjustments. Good Housekeeping named it their top pick after testing eight models.
Pros
- Amazon's #1 bestselling pressure cooker with 4.7-star average from 100,000+ reviews
- Seven cooking functions: pressure cook, slow cook, rice, steam, sauté, yogurt, keep warm
- Available in 3-, 6-, and 8-quart sizes to fit any household
- Detachable cord makes cabinet storage much easier
- Top performer in Good Housekeeping's rice test — evenly cooked, not mushy
- Adds cake, egg, and sterilize settings over the base Duo model
- Larger, brighter LED display is easier to read than competitors
- Can edit cooking time and pressure level while machine is running
- 25 customizable smart programs with step-by-step instructions for beginners
- Anti-spin inner pot design prevents rocking during sauté
Cons
- Cannot adjust settings mid-cook — must cancel and restart to change time or pressure
- Took longer than other models to release pressure naturally in testing
- Missing cake, sterilize, and egg settings found on the Duo Plus
- More expensive than the base Instant Pot Duo
- WhisperQuiet steam release still makes some noise in real-world use
- Natural pressure release takes longer than some competing models
Our take
The Duo is the Instant Pot that made the category famous, and it's still the one to buy if you just want to cook great food without overthinking it. The price is hard to argue with.
If you're buying your first Instant Pot or replacing an old one, get the Duo Plus. It does everything the bestselling Duo does but lets you tweak settings mid-cook — a small thing that makes a huge difference when you're learning.
Buy
