5 Best Freezers for Extra Food Storage, Tested by Appliance Experts
Upright freezers and chest freezers are great ways to store bulk purchases and preserve excess food.
Reviewed by Eva BleyerKitchen Appliances Lab Reviews Analyst
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If your refrigerator’s freezer is constantly packed—or you buy in bulk to save money—a standalone freezer can give you much-needed extra storage. Your first decision is whether you want an upright or chest freezer. Upright models take up less floor space and are easier to organize, while chest freezers generally offer more usable space, use less energy, and can keep food frozen longer during an outage.
Our top picks:
- Best overall: Samsung Frost-Free Convertible Upright Freezer
- Best value: Frigidaire 25-Inch Chest Freezer
- Best chest: GE Garage-Ready Chest Freezer
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, we’ve tested more than 50 refrigerators and their freezers over the past decade. For this guide, we also sent a dozen standalone freezers to consumer testers to evaluate their performance and ease of use in real-world settings. Our picks below include options for different spaces, storage needs, and budgets, but the Samsung 11.4-Cubic-Foot Convertible Upright Freezer is our best overall option for its versatility and organization.
Best Deal
Pros
- Keeps food evenly cold across shelves
- Drawers, shelves, and door bins keep smaller foods visible
- Freezer is convertible into a refrigerator
Cons
- Interior dominated by drawers; some users may prefer more open shelving space
While most freezers have a few baskets or bins for organization, Samsung's 11.4-Cubic-Foot Convertible Upright Freezer provides superior organization. It houses three adjustable shelves, four crisper drawers, and three adjustable door bins to keep your proteins and frozen veggies in sight.
Samsung’s multi-vent technology evenly circulates air throughout the cavity, maintaining even cooling from top to bottom. It’s also whisper-quiet, and the drawers glide smoothly, even when packed full, making it a pleasure to use daily.
Need more fridge space for entertaining or meal prep? Flip a switch, and it transforms from a freezer to a refrigerator. The bright LED interior lighting makes it easy to see everything at a glance, and the sleek stainless steel finish adds polish to your space. Note that the interior is dominated by drawers, which may feel limiting for those who prefer more flexible open shelving space.
Features at a Glance
| Type | Upright |
| Dimensions | 73" x 23.4" x 27.4" |
| Capacity | 11.4 cubic feet |
Pros
- Compact but roomy
- Easy to defrost
- Lightweight and portable
Cons
- No interior light
Compact, capable, and surprisingly spacious, this Frigidaire chest freezer proves you don’t need a massive appliance to make a serious storage upgrade.
Its 5-cubic-foot capacity hits the sweet spot for smaller homes, apartments, or garages—enough room for frozen meats, meal-prepped casseroles, and a few pints of ice cream, without overwhelming your space. One tester summed it up perfectly: “It doesn’t take up much space but holds a lot of food.”
Despite its modest footprint, it’s built for convenience. The freezer is light enough to move with a helper, and routine maintenance is refreshingly simple. Our testers found the manual defrost process quick and painless—ice melted evenly, drained cleanly, and didn’t create a mess. For first-time chest freezer owners, it’s an approachable, low-hassle option.
While you may notice some ice buildup over time, and the lack of an interior light can make late-night rummaging tricky, those trade-offs feel minor given its strong performance, quiet operation, and efficient use of space.
Features at a Glance
| Type | Chest |
| Dimensions | 25.1" x 21.9" x 33.3" |
| Capacity | 5 cubic feet |
Pros
- Spacious interior
- Reliable performance
- Simple design that easy to operate
Cons
- Limited organization
This GE chest freezer is the kind of dependable, no-drama appliance that quietly earns its keep. With 10.7 cubic feet of storage, it’s spacious enough to hold a season’s worth of soups, stews, and frozen pizzas—or enough bulk buys from Costco to make future you very grateful.
One tester described it as “reassuringly reliable,” especially compared to their past freezers that constantly frosted over. This model stays consistent and frost-free longer, thanks to its simple, well-insulated design that performs smoothly even in garage conditions. It doesn’t have smart features or fancy displays, but you do get a sturdy, reliable workhorse built for years of service.
The interior is mostly open space, save for two small baskets up top for quick-grab items like frozen fruit or ice packs. While it lacks a robust organization system, that trade-off allows you to maximize usable space and customize storage with your own bins or dividers.
Features at a Glance
| Type | Chest |
| Dimensions | 43.75" x 24" x 33.37" |
| Capacity | 10.74 cubic feet |
Pros
- Small but efficient footprint
- Easy to move and set up
- Door is reversible
Cons
- Temperature dial is not easy to access
Not everyone needs a massive freezer. For small apartments, dorms, bar areas, or as a secondary unit for snacks, this Whynter 3-cubic-foot freezer offers a compact design, decent features, and good flexibility. A reversible-swing stainless-steel door, mechanical temperature control, and a slide-out wire basket enhance its convenience.
It checks the boxes for ease of setup, good design, and efficient freezing in a small footprint. Our tester said the freezer was very easy to move without help since it's quite light. It was also very easy to unbox and set up.
The temperature dial is on the exterior back, which might make adjustments less convenient if the unit is placed flush against a wall.
Features at a Glance
| Type | Compact |
| Dimensions | 21" x 19.5" x 33.5" |
| Capacity | 3 cubic feet |
Pros
- Garage-ready
- Easy to organize
- Can fit a lot of food
Cons
- Large door needs ample clearance to swing open
If you're feeding a large family, doing serious bulk-freezing (garden produce, hunting game, large cuts of meat), or want one freezer to cover everything, this GE pick offers an oversized 21.3-cubic-foot capacity. Like other GE models on this list, this model is garage-ready, meaning it has been tested by GE to perform in ambient temperatures from 0°F to 110°F.
Our tester was able to store quite a bit of extra food, such as ground turkey, which helped their household save money. It was also easy to operate and organize, thanks to the freezer's interior LED lighting, shelving, and clear slide-out freezer bins. We appreciate that the freezer has a built-in lock and external thermometer, too.
While it can fit a lot of frozen goods, note that this freezer requires more space for the door to swing open. We also noticed that the door is harder to open in warmer weather, but this is common with freezers placed in garages.
Features at a Glance
| Type | Upright |
| Dimensions | 76" x 31" x 32" |
| Capacity | 21.3 cubic feet |
How we test freezers
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, we've been testing large kitchen appliances like refrigerators and ranges for decades. We've tested over 50 refrigerators (and their attached freezers) in the past 10 years alone.
For this roundup, we tested a dozen standalone freezers through our at-home consumer testing. Using that data, combined with our product experts' extensive research and industry experience, we're able to recommend specific models that tested well and recognize models with the details that stand out most.
When we test a standalone freezer or a freezer attached to a refrigerator, we test for performance by scoring the following factors:
✔️ Ease of use: We examine the control panel for clarity and responsiveness, the readability of the owner's manual, and the ergonomics of handles.
✔️ Organization: Adjustable baskets and flexible storage options make a big difference when accommodating frozen foods, from large cuts of meat to smaller packages.
✔️ Real-world use: Testers use the freezers at home to see how easy they are to set up and defrost, and how they hold up over time.
What to consider when shopping for a freezer
When shopping for a freezer, it’s not just about cubic feet—you’ll want to think about your space, freezing habits, energy costs, and the type of unit that best suits your lifestyle.
✔️ Type: The two main types of freezers are upright freezers and chest freezers.
- Chest freezers open from the top, often offer more usable space per cubic foot, are usually less expensive, and are energy-efficient. But they require bending down to access items and may require more floor space.
- Upright freezers open like a fridge, making items at eye level easier to access, and offer shelving and door storage.
✔️ Placement: If the unit will be in a garage, basement, or unconditioned space, look for “garage-ready” rated models. These are designed to operate in wide ambient temperature ranges without performance degradation. Measure your space carefully—width, depth, height; lid clearance (for chest) or door swing (for upright); doorways the unit must pass through; and clearance for air ventilation behind the unit.
✔️ Capacity: Buying space doesn’t matter if you never use it—a half-empty large freezer uses nearly as much energy as a fuller one. Manufacturers recommend 2.5 cubic feet per person. For example, a 10-cubic-foot freezer is ideal for a family of four.
✔️ Energy efficiency: Look for Energy Star-rated models when available; they generally use less electricity and cost less over time. Check the kWh/year figure or estimated annual electricity cost. Multiply by your utility rate to estimate yearly cost. Remember: Opening the door, ambient heat, and fullness (lots of air gaps = more work) all affect energy usage.
✔️ Maintenance: “Frost-free” and auto-defrost models are more convenient and require less maintenance, but come with a higher upfront cost and may use more energy (though some premium units compensate). Manual defrost models are generally more efficient and cost less, but require you to clear ice periodically. Check for features such as a water drain (in chest models), ease of defrosting, and smooth interior walls for easier cleaning.
✔️ Organization: Look for removable baskets, sliding drawers, adjustable shelves, door bins (in uprights)—these make a big difference in daily usability. For chest freezers, baskets help prevent items from being buried at the bottom.
✔️ Ease of use: Consider how easy the freezer will be to use every day, from accessing food to adjusting the controls.
- Lighting (interior LED) is important, especially if the freezer is in a garage or a dim room.
- Ease of access: Do you have to bend down? Is the door heavy/hard to open? Are the controls easy to reach?
- Build quality: Good insulation, thick walls, solid lid/door hinges, and a tight gasket all improve performance and durability.
- Features and extras: Reversible door or handle options help with placement flexibility (especially in tight garages). Nice extras include external temperature controls, fast-freeze or turbo-freeze functions, door locks (for shared spaces or when kids are around), audible alarms if the temperature rises, and garage-ready certification.
What is the difference between an upright freezer and a chest freezer?
✔️ Upright freezers look a lot like conventional single-door refrigerators with shelves, drawers, and extra storage space on the door. They usually come with an automatic defrost function, which makes them better for short-term storage. Even if you open the door multiple times a day, the automatic defrost function will help prevent ice from accumulating.
Pros:
- Easy to organize and find items
- Takes up less floor space
- Narrow enough to fit through doorways easily
- Available in many finishes
Cons:
- Higher incidence of freezer burn because more air circulates around food, and cold air can escape from the bottom of the freezer.
- Storage on the door tends to be warmer.
- Less usable space than a chest freezer because of the shelves and drawers
- Pricier than chest freezers
✔️ Chest freezers are low-profile, box-shaped freezers with a hinged lid that opens from the top. They have a wide-open space with removable baskets and dividers, offering more usable space than an upright freezer. During power outages, chest freezers will stay colder for longer. They usually need to be manually defrosted to clean out built-up frost. When assessing your space, add a few inches to the chest freezer's depth to account for the clearance the lid needs to open fully.
Pros:
- Easy to fit large and oddly shaped items
- Lower profile allows it to fit under windows.
- They are known for being more energy efficient, maintaining more consistent temperatures, and being less prone to freezer burn because they're designed with a tighter seal that keeps cold air at the bottom, unlike upright freezers, where it can escape from the bottom.
Cons:
- More difficult to organize, find, and reach items at the bottom
- Takes up more floor space than an upright freezer
Both types of freezers come in a range of prices, dimensions, and energy-efficiency levels. They can include features such as automatic defrost, drain plugs, temperature controls, and a flash-freeze function.
How long do freezers last?
Most good-quality freezers last 10 to 15 years or more, depending on usage, maintenance, and ambient conditions. Properly defrosted, with clean coils and good gasket seals, they can last even longer.
Can I put a freezer in my garage?
Yes, but only if the freezer is rated for the garage's ambient temperature range. Extreme heat or cold can affect compressor performance. Look for "garage-ready" certifications or check the manufacturer's "ambient operating temperature" range (e.g., 0°F to 110°F or similar).
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou is the senior director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, where she has led testing and content covering kitchen appliances, cooking tools, and gear since 2019.
Eva Bleyer is the reviews analyst in the Kitchen Lab. She has tested a wide variety of kitchen appliances and gear, from gas ranges to microwaves and more.
Eva (she/her) is the Reviews Analyst in the Kitchen & Cooking Lab. She tests kitchen appliances, cooking tools, and cookware using standardized lab protocols in order to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. With more than 15 years of experience in the food industry—including work as a food stylist, personal chef, and food brand marketing manager—she brings both culinary expertise and practical insight to every review. Eva earned a Bachelor of Science in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University. She completed her culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute (now the Institute of Culinary Education) and holds foundational and intermediate barista certifications from the Specialty Coffee Association.
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