What You Get at Every Multicooker Price Point in Australia

The Spread Is Narrower Than It Used to Be

Multicookers run from about $127 to $367 on Amazon AU right now, and that range has compressed hard since we last checked. The old story in this category was that capacity cost money - a bigger pot meant a bigger bill. That is no longer true. The classic 5.7L Instant Pot Duo, the machine that started the whole pressure-cooking thing in Australia, now sells for less than the 3L mini did a year ago.

An important note on where these prices come from. A lot of the multicooker listings you will find on amazon.com.au are not Australian sales at all - they are dispatched from Amazon UK, with UK stock, UK plugs and a warranty you would be claiming overseas rather than under Australian Consumer Law. We re-checked every listing in this guide and dropped the ones that turned out to be imports, including a couple we had previously recommended. Everything priced below is Australian stock.

What that leaves is a clearer picture than the old tier structure suggested: capacity is now close to free, and the only thing you genuinely pay a premium for is air frying. Let's walk through it.

Quick Picks by Budget

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 5.7LCheck Price →

Under $145: The Compact Entry Point

Instant Pot Rio Mini 3.8L 7-in-1 Multi-CookerA$129Check Price →

This tier used to mean a 3L pot and a compromise. It still contains the small models, but the interesting thing about it in 2026 is what else has fallen into it.

The Instant Pot Rio Mini 3.8L at $129 is the genuine small option - seven functions in a footprint that suits a studio kitchen or a caravan. Pressure cook, slow cook, rice, steam, saute, yoghurt and warm. It is the same smart-program logic as the bigger machines, just scaled down.

The Instant Pot Duo Plus 3L at $139.95 is the step up within the small class: nine functions rather than seven, thirteen smart programs, and a steriliser mode that is genuinely useful if you are doing baby bottles or preserving jars.

But here is the thing that makes this tier strange. Both of those are competing against a 5.7L machine that costs less than either of them (see the next section). Unless you are physically short of bench space or cooking for exactly one person, the small models no longer make financial sense. Buy small because your kitchen is small, not because you are saving money - because you are not.

What your money buys here: A compact, proven multicooker with the core functions and a small footprint. Worth it for space, not for price. If you are unsure how big to go, our guide to what size multicooker you actually need works through it properly.

$127 to $200: The Sweet Spot, and It Now Starts Lower

This is where almost every Australian household should be shopping, and it has become remarkable value.

The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 5.7L at $127 is the classic - the machine that made pressure cooking mainstream here. Seven functions in a 5.7L pot that comfortably feeds four. No air fryer, no Wi-Fi, no bells. Just a reliable, well-built pressure cooker.

Why does this model still sell so well when fancier options exist? Because most people use three functions - pressure cook, slow cook and saute - and the Duo does all three properly. The recipe community is unmatched, replacement seals and pots are cheap and everywhere, and the design has barely changed in years because it did not need to. Our piece on pressure cooking versus slow cooking covers when to reach for each mode.

The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 8L at $176 is the same machine, supersized. If you batch cook on Sundays, meal prep for the week, or regularly feed six or more, the extra 2.3 litres matters. The stainless-steel inner pot is dishwasher safe, same as its smaller sibling. The trade-off is bench space and weight - an 8L unit has a serious footprint and is a genuine lug to move.

The Instant Pot Duo Plus 8L at $199 is the upgraded 8L: nine functions instead of seven, thirteen smart programs, plus steriliser and sous vide modes. Whether the extra $23 over the plain Duo 8L is worth it comes down to one question - will you actually use sterilising and sous vide? Most people will not.

The wildcard here is the Ninja Foodi Everyday Possible Pro 6L at $198, which is a different animal entirely. It is a 10-in-1 multi-cooker built around an oven-safe casserole pot rated to 260C, so it goes from hob to oven to table. If you cook a lot of braises and bakes rather than pressure-cooked curries, that is a genuinely more useful shape than a sealed pressure pot.

What your money buys at this level: Family capacity and proven reliability, for less than the small models cost. This tier is the whole answer for most households. If you want it narrowed further, our best multicookers under $300 ranking does the head-to-head.

$319 to $367: Premium Territory, Where Air Frying Lives

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 11-in-1 8LCheck Price →

Everything up here combines pressure cooking with air frying. This is the tier where a multicooker stops being a clever pot and starts replacing a second appliance.

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 11-in-1 8L at $319 is the cheapest way into pressure-plus-crisp, and it is the biggest pot in this tier at 8L. Eleven functions including air fry, dehydrate, sous vide and grill. The catch is the two-lid design: a pressure lid and a separate crisping lid, and the crisping lid is bulky and has to live somewhere.

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid 13-in-1 6.5L at $334 solves exactly that. One lid handles pressure cooking, air frying, steaming, sous vide and the rest - you flip a switch rather than swap hardware. Thirteen functions, 6.5L. For $15 more than the two-lid model you get a smaller pot and a much better daily experience, and for most kitchens that is the right trade. The non-stick inner pot is easier to clean than stainless but will not last as long.

The Ninja Foodi SmartLid 7.5L at $367 is Ninja's answer to the same problem, and it is the biggest and dearest here. One SmartLid, three modes, fourteen functions, and 7.5L of capacity. Ninja's SteamCrisp method - steaming and crisping simultaneously rather than in sequence - is the real point of difference, and it is genuinely good on things like a whole chicken. You are paying $33 over the Instant Pot Ultimate Lid for a litre more capacity and Ninja's crisping.

A note on Ninja pricing: the Foodi MAX 9-in-1 that this guide used to name at the top of the range is now only available on Amazon AU as UK-dispatched stock, which is why it is gone. If you specifically want a Foodi MAX, buy it from an Australian retailer. Our Ninja versus Instant Pot comparison goes through the two brands properly.

What your money buys at this level: Pressure cooking and air frying in one machine, and in the Ultimate Lid and SmartLid, a single-lid design that makes using both practical rather than annoying. You are spending roughly two and a half times the entry price for one genuinely new capability.

Where the Biggest Jump Happens

The honest breakdown, and it has changed since our last update:

• $127 to $200 - Everything most people need. Family capacity, proven reliability, seven to ten functions. The Duo 5.7L at $127 is the best pure value in the category by a wide margin.
• Under $145, small models - Buy these for a small kitchen, not for a small budget. They cost more than a bigger pot does.
• $319 to $367 - Worth it only if you actually want air frying built in. The Ultimate Lid at $334 has the smartest design of the three.

The biggest jump is no longer about capacity. It is the roughly $150 gap between the top of the standard tier and the bottom of the air-frying tier, and that gap buys exactly one thing: a crisping function. Everything else - capacity, build, reliability, the smart programs - you already had at $127.

So the question is not "how much should I spend on a multicooker". It is "do I want an air fryer inside my pressure cooker". If you already own a decent air fryer, the answer is almost certainly no, and you should buy the $127 Duo and stop. If you do not, and bench space is tight, paying the premium for one machine instead of two is reasonable. Our guide to which multicooker functions are worth paying for digs into the rest of the feature list.

One thing worth noting: even the cheapest multicooker here outperforms a standalone rice cooker or slow cooker on versatility. The entry-level Duo does seven things. A dedicated rice cooker does one. If you are weighing up which appliance to buy first, the multicooker wins on pure flexibility every time - and it now costs about what a good rice cooker does.

Ready to compare them all side by side? Check out our full best multicookers in Australia ranking with detailed scores and live pricing.