When your current freezer can no longer hold all the food your family needs, it is time to get a new one. But how choose the most convenient type for you from the two configurations of freezers available?
It depends on how you want to use this deep freezer plus other case-specific considerations, and this post dives into the details of both chest freezers and upright freezers, their main differences as well as pros and cons, to help you get the best one for you.
Main Differences and Overview of freezers
Configuration
Chest Freezers
Upright Freezers
Highlights
Best if you want big storage capacity and have enough room to place them. These tend to be cheaper as well than upright freezers.
Best if you have little floor space and a bigger budget. These offer you quick access to your food items and are easier to clean and maintain.
Price Range (USD)
99 to 2000
99 to 1500
Capacity (cu ft)
3.5 to 30
1 to 23
Height (in)
36 in most cases
31 to 76
Width (in)
21 to 32 for most models and up to 76 for commercial applications.
20 to 35
Depth (in)
21 to 33
20 to 33
Budget
Tend to be cheaper than a similar capacity upright model.
These tend to be more expensive than similar capacity chest freezers.
Space Efficiency
Up to 20% more usable space than stand up freezers since they don’t have shelves to get in the way.
Perfect for small food packages but not suitable for bulky or big game items.
Energy Efficiency
Use less energy since the cold air does not “fall” when the lid is open. Its seal as well tends to be better since gravity helps to eliminate gaps.
Use more energy than chest freezers since cold air falls when you open the door. Also, they tend to have micro gaps in the door sealing.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Require constant manual defrost to ensure energy efficiency and optimal performance.
Easy to clean and relatively low maintenance required. Self or auto defrost feature is available in most models.
Organization
Harder to organize since no shelves are present.
Easy organization since they come with shelves.
Lifespan
15 to 20 years
10 to 15 years.
Noise Level
Super quiet operation. These are rated in the 25 to 32 dB range.
While noise level is silent, these are noisier than chest freezers and get up to 40 dB.
Configuration
Chest Freezers
Highlights
Best if you want big storage capacity and have enough room to place them. These tend to be cheaper as well than upright freezers.
Price Range (USD)
99 to 2000
Capacity (cu ft)
3.5 to 30
Height (in)
36 in most cases
Width (in)
21 to 32 for most models and up to 76 for commercial applications.
Depth (in)
21 to 33
Budget
Tend to be cheaper than a similar capacity upright model.
Space Efficiency
Up to 20% more usable space than stand up freezers since they don’t have shelves to get in the way.
Energy Efficiency
Use less energy since the cold air does not “fall” when the lid is open. Its seal as well tends to be better since gravity helps to eliminate gaps.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Require constant manual defrost to ensure energy efficiency and optimal performance.
Organization
Harder to organize since no shelves are present.
Lifespan
15 to 20 years
Noise Level
Super quiet operation. These are rated in the 25 to 32 dB range.
Configuration
Upright Freezers
Highlights
Best if you have little floor space and a bigger budget. These offer you quick access to your food items and are easier to clean and maintain.
Price Range (USD)
99 to 1500
Capacity (cu ft)
1 to 23
Height (in)
31 to 76
Width (in)
20 to 35
Depth (in)
20 to 33
Budget
These tend to be more expensive than similar capacity chest freezers.
Space Efficiency
Perfect for small food packages but not suitable for bulky or big game items.
Energy Efficiency
Use more energy than chest freezers since cold air falls when you open the door. Also, they tend to have micro gaps in the door sealing.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Easy to clean and relatively low maintenance required. Self or auto defrost feature is available in most models.
Organization
Easy organization since they come with shelves.
Lifespan
10 to 15 years.
Noise Level
While noise level is silent, these are noisier than chest freezers and get up to 40 dB.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Each type of Freezer
Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of each freezer configuration based on our experience and observations with a variety of models.
Chest Freezers Pros and Cons
Upright Freezers Pros and Cons
Upright Freezer vs Chest Freezer: When to get Which
Depending of your situation you may get more benefit from a stand up or chest freezer. Here is a summary table that can help you decide which one is best for you. Of course you can always get the two and enjoy the benefits from each type.
| Situation | Chest Freezers | Upright Freezers |
|---|---|---|
| Space Available | Require more floor space. If space is not limited, then a chest freezer is a good option. | Require less floor space. If space is limited, then a stand up freezer may be your best choice. |
| Type of food needed to store | Good for storing bulky items or big game if you are a hunter. | More suited for small food items. |
| Power consumption needs | Consume less power in the long run since cold air stays inside the unit when the lid is open. | Consume more power in the long run since cold air “falls” when the door is open. |
| Security needs | Some come with integrated locks to ensure no one can take your food items. | Don’t have locks. Intruders (humans or animals), may open them easily and get your food items. |
| Power availability | If you live in a zone with frequent blackouts, then a chest freezer is a good choice because they store food frozen for longer periods of time when power is out. | If power is stable in your area, then an upright freezer is a convenient choice. A chest freezer as well, is just that upright freezers won’t keep your food frozen as long as a chest freezer. |
| Temperature Stability | Chest freezers are better for maintaining their internal temperature since most cold air remains inside them when you open the lid. If you want to keep your food deeply frozen, a chest freezer is the best choice. | The internal temperature of an upright freezer fluctuates every time you open the door, since all the cold air falls out. This can make your food items thaw and go bad with time. |
| Accessibility to food items | Chest freezers are good for storing food in stacked layers, which may require you to move several food items to find the one you need. You’ll also need to bend over for this. | Thanks to their racks and cabinets, upright freezers provide quick access to food items. Also, these are reachable at eye level so you don’t need to bend forward. |
