It's hard to think of a breakfast less fussy than toast, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be fussy about your toaster. There are a few main categories to consider: your basic 2-slice, 4-slice for more capacity, and long slot, which can accommodate four smaller pieces of sandwich bread or two longer slices. The best models offer useful quality-of-life features that let you check progress mid-cycle, add a little extra toasting time, or even consult a countdown timer, so you know exactly when it's time to start buttering. They should also be able to deliver anything from barely warmed to nearly burnt bread, batch after batch. You shouldn't have to avoid any slots, either; results should be even across each slice.
We've tested more than 20 models, and these are our recommendations for the best toasters. For a broader look at what's available, check out our overview of the best toaster brands or, if you want to narrow down your search, see the best 2-slice toasters or the best 4-slice toasters.
We've put our 20 toasters through the wringer to help you make a confident buying decision. But how do we do it? It starts with buying the products ourselves, just like you. We take it a step further with our lab, where we measure a variety of characteristics, like toasting evenness, so that a prospective toaster's performance doesn't come as a shock. You can even compare models and results, making it easy to find the right toaster for your needs.
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Best Toaster
Toasting8.5Toasting Evenness8.2Toasting Range10MaterialAluminumSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting5.1If you want a top-of-the-line toaster with plenty of quality-of-life upgrades, the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is our top recommendation. Its premium design, extra capacity, and special features set it apart from cheaper options. With a sturdy aluminum body and buttons instead of levers to operate the slots, it looks great on your countertop and provides remarkably convenient operation. The buttons include options for bagels and frozen foods, as well as a 'Lift and Look' feature that lets you check toasting progress mid-cycle, and the 'A Bit More' button that adds a little time to the end of the toasting cycle. It also includes a cycle countdown indicator above the shade selector that uses LED lights to indicate approximately when your toast will be ready.
It toasts very evenly, and with a superb toasting range, you can easily make golden-brown sandwich bread or toast denser slices in a single cycle. However, even though it's one of the best-performing 4-slot toasters we've tested, it doesn't brown bread as evenly as most 2-slot toasters, and as a result, some slots produce toast that's darker than others on the same setting. It doesn't compensate very well for the toaster heating up after the first batch, either, so if you're making a lot of toast, you'll want to use a lower setting for the second round to get consistent results. On the plus side, its slots can be lifted high enough to easily grab smaller items, and each pair of slots can be operated independently, which is handy when two people want to use the toaster at the same time.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Toaster
Toasting9.1Toasting Evenness9.1Toasting Range10MaterialChrome-Plated SteelSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting6.4The Smeg 2-Slice Toaster is a high-end unit with a superb overall performance. It has a premium stainless steel body with wide, deep slots that can easily handle bagels and thick sourdough slices. Unlike the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster, this is a fairly simple unit. You won't find a cycle countdown indicator or special features like Breville's 'Lift and Look' and 'A Bit More,' but it has the essentials: buttons for bagels and frozen items, along with a 'Reheat' setting found on the shade selector dial. It also comes in a long list of glossy colors and patterns, so you can find one to match almost any style.
When it comes to toasting, this model provides fantastic performance. It offers an exceptional toasting range, so you can make barely toasted sandwich bread, toast denser breads in a single cycle, or completely char a bagel. No matter what you're toasting, it comes out very evenly browned on both sides. That said, it tends to make darker toast after the first batch, so if you're making toast for the whole family, you'll have to change the settings in between batches to get consistent results. Still, if you're looking for a high-end toaster that delivers superb performance without a lot of complicated features, this one is an outstanding choice.
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Best Mid-Range Toaster
Toasting9.4Toasting Evenness9.0Toasting Range10MaterialStainless SteelSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting9.1If you like the look of our top pick, the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster, but don't need as much capacity, the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice might be a good fit for you. It's a great choice if you want a higher-end look and extra quality-of-life features. Like the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster, it has a sturdy stainless steel body, and it has long, deep slots that are twice as wide as a piece of regular sandwich bread, so it can easily accommodate thicker slices and chunky bagels. It shares most of the larger Breville's special features: the 'Lift and Look' feature lets you check on your toast without interrupting a cycle, and the 'A Bit More' button adds some extra toasting time. It also has a cycle countdown indicator, so you can tell exactly when your toast will be ready.
It has a fantastic toasting range, so you can get anything from very light toast to well-browned multi-grain or rye bread with just one cycle. It toasts the bread very evenly, too, and it's very consistent from slot to slot, though you might notice that the inner face of the toast ends up darker than the outer face. And if you need lots of toast for an occasional brunch party, it'll deliver consistent results even after multiple batches.
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Best Budget Toaster
Toasting9.5Toasting Evenness9.1Toasting Range10MaterialStainless SteelSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting9.7The best toaster we've tested at a budget-friendly price is the Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD, which is typically available for less than $60. This toaster lacks the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice's premium features, like the 'A Bit More' button and the 'Lift and Look' feature, but it's still made of metal, with a stainless steel body. The slots aren't as deep, long, or wide as the Breville's, so they may not fit larger artisan bread slices. However, you might prefer its less bulky shape if you have limited counter space.
It toasts bread evenly and consistently, so the entire surface comes out evenly toasted, and you don't have to switch to a lower setting after the first batch to get the same results. With seven shade settings that range from lightly toasted to charred, it's easy to get perfect golden-brown toast, and it's possible to brown denser breads in a single cycle. It also has modes for bagels, thawing, and toasting frozen items, but it lacks cycle countdown indicators, so there's no way to tell when a toasting cycle will conclude.
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Best Cheap Toaster
Toasting9.7Toasting Evenness9.6Toasting Range10MaterialPlasticSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting9.2If you only care about the essentials, the Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster T2569B is an incredible option available at a very affordable price, usually less than $40. This inexpensive toaster doesn't have cycle countdown indicators or a 'Lift and Look' feature like the Breville the 'A Bit More' 2 Slice, and its plastic body doesn't look or feel as premium as the Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD. In fact, beyond the shade selector, the only features you'll find on this simple toaster are buttons for bagels and frozen items.
With all that in mind, it's a real standout where it counts the most. The slots are wide enough for thick slices and deep enough for taller slices. Its exceptional toasting range means you won't need to push your toast down again to get multi-grain bread or bagels properly browned. It evenly toasts the entire surface of the bread, and both slots perform similarly. It also produces consistent results, even across several batches, so you can prepare a large batch of toast at the same setting without burning it. And, when your carbs are ready, the slots lift high enough to reach smaller items, like English muffins, without burning your fingers.
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Best Long-Slot Toaster
Toasting7.9Toasting Evenness8.0Toasting Range7.7MaterialPowder-Coated SteelSee all our test resultsRepeated Toasting8.3If a slice of your favorite bread won't fit into a regular toaster slot, you might need a long-slot model like the Smeg 4-Slice Toaster. Like the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster, this high-end option has a glossy retro design and comes in lots of different colors. The slots are long enough to fit artisan slices or a couple of pieces of sandwich bread side by side and wide enough for bagels. It has settings for bagels and frozen items, but no cycle countdown indicators, so you can't tell when your toast will be ready. You can easily add more time to the end of a cycle with the 'reheat' function, though.
It has a good toasting range, so you can make barely warmed sandwich bread or golden-brown toast, though you may need to run a second cycle to properly brown denser bread. Your toast comes out very even, too, but you get significantly different results depending on where you place your bread in either slot. If you don't mind a little unevenness between each slice, it's a great choice when you need to make lots of toast for a big family breakfast or brunch, since it produces similar results batch after batch.
Recent Updates
Mar 02, 2026:
We made minor edits for clarity and verified that our recommendations are available and represent the best choices.
Feb 02, 2026:
We rearranged our picks in order to list them by price. We also added the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster as our pick for the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Toaster' and made edits for clarity and conciseness throughout.
Dec 01, 2025:
We've verified that our picks are available and made minor edits for clarity.
Apr 25, 2025:
We've added a link to the Breville website as the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster can be tricky to find through major retailers. We've also made some small edits for clarity, but our picks haven't changed.
Mar 25, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are available, but our recommendations haven't changed.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best options for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all toaster reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no toaster is perfect, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you look for them.