Best Vacuum Sealers (2025), Tested and Reviewed | Bon Appétit

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The best all-purpose external vacuum sealerThe best vacuum sealer for sous vide cookingThe best budget vacuum sealerChamber sealers vs. external sealers: What’s the differenceWhat we looked for in vacuum sealersHow we tested vacuum sealersOther vacuum sealers we tested

The best vacuum sealer machines available today do more than their name implies. Growing up watching daytime TV in the 1990s, I saw a regular feed of commercials for gadgets that promised to keep food fresh longer and turn any home cook’s freezer into a veritable butcher shop full of vacuum-packed meats. And while those older vacuum sealers had their uses, they weren’t as versatile as today’s models, which, in addition to efficiently stocking your freezer, can help you with sous vide cooking, pickling, and more. Suddenly vacuum sealers aren’t just there to keep your leftover cheese from getting gunky. Check out our reviews of the best vacuum sealers below to help you pick the right appliance for your needs.

Sous vide: If you own an immersion circulator, a vacuum sealer is nearly a necessity. While it’s possible to utilize zipper-top bags in water bath cooking, vacuum sealer bags offer an airtight, fully sealed sachet to toss into the pot or tub without a second thought.

Marination: While vacuum sealing meats in their marinades won’t necessarily marinate them any faster (due to the denser structure of these proteins versus, say, porous plants), chamber vacuum sealers, especially, allow for an even distribution of marinade and offer the ability to safely seal and store your proteins in their marinated state.

Food storage: When there’s a big sale on whole chickens or you just returned from the warehouse club stores with a big bag of chops, a vacuum sealer can help you break down and refreeze these bulk buys into manageable portions or reserve pieces you don’t otherwise need right now (hello, soups and stocks). Vacuum sealing canisters or placing portions of value-size pantry items into vacuum sealed bags can extend their shelf life as well.

Freezing and preservation: Vacuum-sealed foods will last longer in the fridge and freezer and won’t suffer freezer burn in the same way over long periods of time. The ability of some vacuum sealers to work with mason jars and canisters also means that things like sauces, jams, and dry goods can be locked away in airtight conditions too.

FoodSaver Elite All-in-One Liquid+

Amazon

FoodSaver

There are lots of FoodSaver models to choose from, but if you simply must have as much tech thrown into your gadgets as possible, then you’ll love the Elite All-in-One Liquid+.

To start, this model can auto-sense when a bag is inserted and clamp down on it while you select which vacuum cycle to run. That makes it virtually hands-free after you insert the bag, though I found that actually inserting the bag correctly so that it registers (with wet or messy hands to boot) took some finesse. The plus of this sealer’s design is that its chamber is elevated up off of the counter, so you can easily use standing-style storage bags or suction moist foods in lengthier flat bags without worrying much about spillage. If the vacuum does cause spillover, the removable, dishwasher-safe drip tray has a sensor to alert you when it’s full. While it doesn’t beep or ding, the lid does pop up when the seal cycle has completed, so you do get some indication of when you can move on, a surprisingly rare feature among edge-style sealers.

In addition to Dry and Moist, it offers a Liquid setting for sauces and soups, which worked for marinating pork but left quite a bit of air in the bag (the instructions say not to use it on anything less viscous than chicken noodle soup). There is also a dedicated Sous Vide setting which, according to a FoodSaver representative, uses gentler suction (which could prevent smooshing of more delicate proteins) and also ensures a stronger seal to avoid accidental leaks for immersion cooking.

Lastly, this model includes a retractable onboard handheld sealer for compatible containers (a “marinating” storage container is included), washable vacuum-able zipper bags (also included), and even a bottle stopper (which is included). Pretty much the only thing not high-tech on this machine is the bag roll storage, which is just a cavity on the back of the unit with a hinged cover. You have to manually feed the bag material in toward the front to make an initial heat seal, but then you can continue to cut and seal bags one after the other.

When you’re done, you have to manually roll the end of the bags out of the way so as not to interfere with the vacuum sealing process. Considering this sealer does so many other things automatically, this stands out as the clunkiest part of the operation.

Specs

Size: 16" W x 6.25" D x 8.5" HModes: Dry, Moist, Liquid, Sous Vide, PulseBag storage: YesWarranty: 5 years

Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Amazon

Anova

When it comes to using a vacuum sealer for sous vide, a chamber sealer is by far the best machine for the job. And when it comes to dipping your toe into chamber sealing for the first time, Anova’s Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer is here to show you the way. The “user friendliness” of this model can’t be overstated. Any function you need it to do has a labeled button or setting for doing it. There’s Normal and Strong vacuum modes for dry and moist foods, as well as specific modes for Infuse/Extract (say you want to make your own flavored oil or vanilla extract), Pickle/Compress (for getting brines and marinades into porous ingredients), and Dry/Cool (for cycling moisture and hot air away from foods quickly). Anova’s instructions and website both offer more info on how to utilize these handy features. In fact, I’m kind of surprised Anova didn’t pull a FoodSaver and include a Sous Vide mode. And while there are plenty of sous vide cooking applications that don’t require sauces and marinades, being able to vacuum seal and store your proteins or vegetables in a liquid and then just toss them into a water bath to cook is a huge plus.

Making your own bags is a bit of a pain. There is no “seal only” function so you have to run a short vacuum cycle each time. That may mean you’ll want to opt for premade vacuum sealer bags, although that means you won’t be able to customize the bag size. If the thought of all that wasted plastic bothers you (unfortunately, plastic bags are an essential part of all vacuum sealers), you can opt for compostable bags, although senior editor Noah Kaufman used them regularly for a year and found they didn’t hold up as well to longer sous vide cooks.

Specs

Size: 13.6" W x 11.2" D x 8.9" HModes: Normal, Strong (plus Infuse/Extract, Pickle/Compress, and Dry features)Bag storage: YesWarranty: 2 years

Nesco VS-12

Amazon

Nesco

While not the most beautiful vacuum sealer on our list, the Nesco VS-12 is a compact powerhouse with multiple modes/pressure settings and a sensitive pulse function. It has a big handle that’s easy to lock into place (and unlock) and a countdown to let you know when the cycle has completed. Given that the clock starts at 9 and occasionally skips a number on the way down, it’s clear that this countdown is not in any measurable time unit. But the actual suction-to-seal time in Dry mode was 23 seconds, which is still pretty quick.

One simple user-friendly feature that even FoodSaver lacked was a clear window to see how much was left on the bag roll stored inside. This machine also seals without running the vacuum, so making bags is easy. Another standout function is its ability to create a double seal—i.e., two parallel seals at the end of the bag, and a bit of added insurance for wet contents or items headed into a sous vide water bath. Yes, the FoodSaver Elite offers more bells and whistles and accessories, but for sheer ease of use and versatility at less than half the cost, this one felt more like the little workhorse I needed it to be.

I tried the wet ingredient test (marinated pork) by combining the Moist and Gentle settings, and still ended up with the liquid drawing up into the vacuum chamber. And while the drip tray is easy to clean, it isn’t removable. The wet test actually worked much better on Pulse mode (which requires you to seal manually once you have removed enough air to your liking), and the VS-12 offered the best mess-free results of any external sealer I tried.

Specs

Size: 15.75" W x 8" D x 4.5" HModes: Dry, Moist, Double, Pulse, plus Normal and Gentle pressureBag storage: YesWarranty: 1 year

The main differences between the two kinds of vacuum sealers we tested are where you put the bag and how the air is removed before the bag is sealed.

External vacuum sealers, sometimes called suction edge vacuum sealers, are the kind you have probably seen for sale at your local big box store or online. They utilize either a roll of bags or precut bags specially designed to fit in their thin air channels. Most external sealers then require you to close a lid to create a seal while the vacuum pump sucks any air out of the bag before using a heat strip to seal it shut. Some models offer “wet” settings as well, which use less powerful suction to (hopefully) avoid drawing any liquid up into the vacuum channel. I say hopefully, because if liquid does get in the channel it can prevent the bag from sealing and just generally make a gunky mess. The external sealer may not remove all of their air in the bag, meaning some pockets or bubbles are still possible. However, for most home culinary uses, this isn’t too much of an issue. External vacuum sealers tend to be smaller and more easily storable, and some offer onboard bag roll storage and bag cutters for all-in-one simplicity. Another significant feature? They usually come with a much smaller price tag than chamber sealers.

Chamber sealers go about things a bit differently and offer some unique applications. But for simply sealing foods in plastic, the process goes like this: You place the entire pouch of food inside the machine before closing the lid. It then removes all of the air inside the chamber. This means the air pressure is lower than the pressure outside the machine. Then it heat seals the bag or pouch in this depressurized state. Once normal atmospheric pressure is returned to the chamber, the bag will contract in on itself creating an airtight seal around your food.

As chamber vac sealers don’t rely on suctioning air through channels in the bag to work, they are better at dealing with wet foods, like meats in marinades or fresh fish fillets. While the bags should be food- and heat-safe, they don’t need to be the channeled bags used by external vacuum sealer models. Some of the added benefits of a chamber sealer include sealing and storing food in a marinade (so it is ready to sous vide straight from the fridge or freezer), making infusions and extracts, compressing food, which lets you do very quick pickles, and cooling and drying out hot and moist foods by speeding up the evaporation of water.

But the downside of chamber sealers is they often have a much larger footprint, meaning you may not want one sitting on your countertop if you’re short on space. They also tend to be more expensive

Both types of vacuum sealers also offer the ability to seal other containers like mason jars or specially designed canisters. Sometimes that means using a hose attachment and an accessory port or, in the case of chamber sealers, can be done by placing a jar with a sealing lid inside the machine without any additional gadgets.

Each vacuum sealer was tested with bags containing dry, moist, and liquid ingredients. These included common proteins and pantry items, as well as fragile and soft ingredients.

For dry products, we used dry pinto beans and dry basmati rice and noted how much air or movement was left in the bag (i.e., they should feel rock-solid). For moist products, we used chicken thighs and salmon fillets and noted any air gaps left by the reduced suction power. For the wet test, we put a pork chop in ¼ cup of liquid marinade and noted whether we could perform a vacuum cycle without spillage into the drip tray. For the fragile items, we used the “pulse” mode (if available) to seal multigrain crackers and soft chocolate chip cookies. We also put these items through a regular dry seal to see how squished or damaged they became.

We also made batches of bags by hand from the roll (as opposed to using premade bags). Finally, we tested any accessories that came with the vacuum sealer when applicable, but did not let that impact the head-to-head testing.

Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro

Amazon

Anova

The box this vacuum sealer comes in says “Made for sous vide” right on the front, and we’d agree this is a great edge sealer for that job. The Moist mode removed air effectively without letting liquid leech too far toward the chamber. With the meat in a marinade, I tried it on Pulse and was similarly able to pull sufficient air out without spilling. It also puts a double heat seal on every bag, ensuring a strong seal for submerging in water. Oddly enough, I found the Dry function a little lacking on this unit, as my rice bag and beans bag were both able to flex and move around a little more than with other sealers. Another slight minus is that this machine doesn’t beep or do anything other than shut off the Seal light when it’s done. To be fair, the Nesco doesn’t beep either, but it does have a countdown to zero to remind you things are all done. On the plus side, making bags is just as easy as with the Nesco and by contrast, Anova’s is much more attractive in a glossy black finish that won’t stick out as much among your more modern appliances.

Specs

Size: 14.75" W x 7" D x 4.25" HModes: Dry, Moist, PulseBag storage: YesWarranty: 2 years

FoodSaver Premier Multi-Use

Amazon

FoodSaver

If sealing bags that stand up (or minimizing liquid leaching into the machine) is not a priority for you, then you could save some dollars by opting for this low-to-the-ground FoodSaver model instead of the FoodSaver Elite. One attribute of the Premier Multi-Use that I prefer to the Elite is that I found batching out bags extremely easy. But this is a loud machine with relatively few presets (compared to the Elite). There is a fixed handheld attachment that sits on the top corner of the unit with the hose coiled up. It’s not as slick as the retractable hose on the Elite, but it does expand the possibilities.

Specs

Size: 16.25" W x 8.5" D x 6.25" HModes: Dry, Moist, PulseBag storage: YesWarranty: 5 years

FoodSaver Handheld+

Amazon

FoodSaver

Two appliances in one sounds like a good prospect, but I found this compact, multi-use machine to be a bit lacking. This very counter-space-friendly unit does not store any bags, but it does come with a cordless, rechargeable handheld vacuum sealer that can be used with compatible zipper-top bags and containers. However, there was too much air left in the bags of salmon fillets and no adjustable suction settings, meaning it isn’t really suitable for wet ingredients. The only real use case I see for this one is for someone fully bought-in on the FoodSaver reusable bags and canisters to store pantry snacks, then this could be a convenient, streamlined expansion allowing for both the frequent use of zipper bags (and containers and wine stoppers like the other FoodSavers) and the occasional vac-packing for the freezer.

Specs

Size: 16.75" W x 5.6" D x 3" HMode: Vacuum SealBag storage: NoWarranty: 5 years

LEM MaxVac 250

Amazon

LEM

Best Buy

With 250 watts of power, this had the fastest vacuum seal function we tested at just 17 seconds, and everything we sealed was sufficiently airtight. But all that power comes at the expense of your eardrums; the LEM has a very loud motor. While it does store bags on board, the bag cutter jammed on the edge of the bag, and the storage feature makes its footprint quite large (as large as a chamber sealer). Aesthetically, it looks like something that might live behind a deli counter rather than next to your espresso maker. What really knocked this vacuum sealer out of contention for the food storage category were that I had to run a short vacuum cycle to seal each bag and the locking mechanism on the lid required so much force to disengage that I felt like I might be breaking it. That said, if you’re a hunter who breaks down and keeps large amounts of meat, the MaxVac 250 would fit the job just fine.

Specs

Size: 17.34" W x 12" D x 4.63" HModes: Vacuum Seal, PulseBag storage: YesWarranty: 1 year

Weston 2-in-1 Liquid and Dry Vacuum Sealer

Amazon

If you’re not in the market for a heavy-duty device like the LEM, but still want to freeze lots of food, consider this model from Weston, which included an integrated date stamp feature that heat seals the month and day or two-digit year right on the bag. With only two modes (Dry and Liquid), this one fell a little short of others by not having a Moist mode for items that fall in between. I used the Dry mode on chicken thighs and salmon and still found some air gaps in places where two pieces of meat met. Aside from the date stamp, this sealer also has storage for two bag rolls. This storage turns what would otherwise be a “flat” sealer into a standing sealer like the FoodSaver Elite. It also features a port for a hose that could seal jars and other compatible containers if you buy the accessories, which are not included.

Specs

Size: 18.25 W" x 10.2" D x 9.75" HModes: Dry, Liquid, PulseBag storage: YesWarranty: 5 years

Avid Armor Ultra Series USV20

Walmart

Avid Armor

Interestingly, Avid Armor’s USV20 chamber sealer and Anova’s Precision chamber sealer are very similar. The size, capacity, bag clip, soft-close glass lid, and carrying handles were all identical.

The one main difference is that the USV20 lacks most of the preset cycles of the Anova. On the negative side, this means you kind of have to figure out all of the tricks your chamber sealer can do—and which settings you need to use to do them—on your own. On the plus side, this means you can dial in precisely how long you want your suction and sealing cycles to run—15–60 seconds for vacuum, and 3–9 seconds for seals. The default (20 seconds/4 seconds) was more than sufficient for well-packed dry goods and nearly 15 seconds faster than Anova’s Normal mode. I found the Avid Armor also performed better than the Anova on moist/wet foods when I ran a longer cycle time as the manual suggests, simply because I could tell it to remove air for 60 seconds rather than the shorter Strong cycle on the Anova. While the Anova makes it easy to hit a button that says Infuse/Extract, the USV20’s Marinate button performs a similar function, running intermittent 60-second cycles without sealing. I also liked that the Avid Armor came with an accessory port to expand into jars and canisters and other vacuum-compatible accessories. Ultimately, I recommend the Anova because it is easier and more straightforward to use, but if you don’t mind tinkering, you’ll be happy with this sealer.

Specs

Size: 14 W" x 12 D" x 8.25" HModes: Auto (but customizable), MarinateBag storage: NoWarranty: 1 year, option to extend