The Best Soda Makers for Curbing Your La Croix Obsession

If you’re addicted to sparkling water as much as we are, at one point or another, you probably considered purchasing a soda maker. Investing in one means you won’t have to lug home heavy cans or worry about recycling them (or empty plastic bottles) as frequently. Not only that, soda water is a healthier alternative to pop, and will help you step away from carbonated drinks mixed with dangerous, high-fructose corn syrups.

If you're in search of a way to create your own sparkling water at home, we've found the best soda makers and machines you can purchase today.

The Best Soda Makers

• Easiest to Use: SodaStream Fizzi One Touch Sparkling Water Maker
• Best Budget: SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker
• Creative Carbonation: Drinkmate Beverage Carbonation Maker
• A Dishwasher-Safe Pick: SodaStream Aqua Fizz Sparkling Water Maker
• Best Tankless Soda Maker: Spärkel Beverage System
• Luxe Looks: Aarke Carbonator III Sparkling Water Maker

What to Consider

There are a few factors to consider before buying a soda maker. First, you need to decide on what you plan to carbonate. Most machines only let you carbonate water. However, some models allow you to carbonate fruit juice, mocktails, or alcoholic beverages, so pay attention to what you can or cannot carbonate with the machine if you want to add bubbles to something other than water. You should also pay attention to whether or not the machine comes with glass or plastic bottles. Some sparkling water fans swear that glass bottles give you a better tasting drink, but glass bottles are more expensive and break easily. On the plus side, they are dishwasher-safe!

Most soda makers use a cylinder filled with gas to inject the carbon dioxide straight into water, while others use sodium bicarbonate tablets — that way, you won’t have to fuss with inserting and refilling tanks. If you don't want to deal with the hassle of recycling and replacing gas cartridges, consider opting for a model that uses carbonation tablets instead.

How We Tested

After researching 25 different soda makers, we settled on six models to test. We narrowed down our results by finding soda makers that are compatible with a wide number of reusable bottles, so if the included bottle gets damaged, you can easily replace it. We also compared how they carbonate your beverages, the cost and availability of CO2 refills, and if the machines are powered by a battery or outlet.

Once we settled on the soda makers to test, we compared how easy they are to set up, operate, refill, and adjust fizziness levels. Then we conducted a blind taste test with the filtered sparkling water produced from each against a poured-out can of unflavored sparkling water. We also compared fizziness levels and taste after the bottles were left in our fridge overnight. Our top soda makers will turn your plain old boring water into a glass of fizzy, sparkling fun.