Upright vs Chest Freezer – Our Top 5 Deep Freezer Options Will Last a Lifetime
Learn the difference between upright vs chest freezer and which to buy.
Need more cold food storage and can’t decide between an upright vs chest freezer? We’re explaining the pros & cons and the best models to buy!
Pros of Chest Freezers:
- onlinees with removable hanging baskets or dividers
- Offer more usable space
- More energy efficient
- Less likely to cause freezer burn on food since they don’t self-defrost like uprights
- Cold temperatures stay consistently lower
- Keep food colder for longer if the power goes out
- Quieter than self-defrosting uprights
Cons of Chest Freezers:
- Harder to retrieve items from the bottom
- Larger footprint than upright models
- Manual defrosting is the only option that can be time-consuming
Pros of Upright Freezers:
- Smaller footprint than its equivalent size in the chest freezer.
- Easier to organize with vertical shelving
- Typically has adjustable shelves and bins
- Option to use manual or self-defrost
- onlinee in different finishes such as slate or stainless steel
Cons of Upright Freezers:
- The door doesn’t stay as cold as the rest of the freezer
- Typically noisier than chest freezers
- Allow more air to circulate around food (i.e. higher odds of freezer burn)
- Shelves & bins use up to 20% more space than chest freezers, reducing food storage
- Easy to leave open by accident (not as kid-friendly)
Here are the 5 top-rated freezers for 2024:
- Most Spacious – GE Appliances Garage Ready 21.7 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
- Best Overall Value – GE Appliances 10.7 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer with Manual Defrost
- Most Affordable – GE Appliances 5 Cu. Ft. Garage Ready Chest Freezer
- Best Longevity – GE Appliances Garage Ready Chest Freezer
- Best Stand-Up Deep Freezer – GE Appliances Garage Ready Frost Free Upright Freezer
Hip Tip for long trips: Before long trips, freeze a cup of water with a quarter on top and place it in your freezer. If the quarter is at the bottom upon return, it suggests a prolonged power outage and potential food safety issues.
1. Garage Ready 21.7cu.ft. Chest Deep Freezer
Most spacious.
GE Garage Ready Chest Freezer $1,061.99
Go big or go home! This stunner can pack on some pounds but you better have space (and the budget) for it. With this freezer, you’ll have 21.7 cubic feet of space to store all the food your heart and bellies desire.
We especially love the sliding baskets at various levels, so finding food is easier than ever. You can be assured you’ll have the ultimate organization and presentation each time you open the freezer door. It also features bright, self-illuminating LED interior lighting, easy-to-use temperature controls, and a key lock on the outside.
2. GE Appliances 10.7cu.ft. Chest Freezer with Manual Defrost
Best overall value.
This top-rated deep freezer offers the best price when onlineparing upright vs chest freezer options. You’ll surely get the best bang for your buck, and it’s ultimately why our recipe blogger, Lina, opted for this freezer over all others on the market.
You’ll get 10.6 cubic feet of space and many luxury features, such as two lift-out sliding bulk storage baskets, temperature controls, LED interior lighting, and the GE Power Outage Promise that your food will stay frozen 48 hours after a power outage.
Hip Tip: Watch for hot deals on Ziplock freezer bags or grab a FoodSaver so you’re better prepared to stock up on big meat packs that cost less per pound. Be sure to date what you put in your freezer!
3. GE Appliances 5cu.ft. Garage Ready Chest Freezer
Most affordable.
It probably onlinees as no surprise, but GE swept the best overall price for this onlinepact freezer. Their freezers are the absolute best in the industry, no matter which style of deep freezer you’re shopping for! We love this freezer if you’re looking for the most affordable and onlinepact option on the market.
With five cubic feet of interior space, this onlinepact deep freezer can even easily fit inside your basement (without too much trouble getting it down the stairs) for some added extra storage. Plus, it has sleek recessed handles to make it fit seamlessly in any nook you have in mind.
4. GE Appliances 15.7cu.ft. Garage Ready Chest Freezer
Best longevity.
GE Appliances Garage Ready 15.7cu.ft. Chest Freezer $881 (regularly $979)
You can easily store a year’s worth of meat in this 15.7 cubic feet deep freezer. Plus, in the event of a power outage, food remains frozen for 48 hours, and the exterior light and alarm alerts you if there’s been a temperature change. Like all the other models, this one still boasts all the same bells and whistles to give you the top-of-the-line experience such as 4 sliding bulk storage baskets, an exterior key lock, and bright LED lighting that automatically turns on if the door is left open.
5. GE Appliances Garage Ready 14.1 cu. ft. Frost Free Upright Freezer
Best stand-up deep freezer.
Garage Ready Frost Free Upright Freezer – $748 (regularly $899)
This stand-up freezer is the highest-rated and the only self-defrost freezer to make our top 5 best overall freezers. Its performance is just that of a chest freezer, making it a solid choice if this is the style you’re after. It’s equipped with a fast freeze feature called Turbo Freeze that restores the set temperature for optimum food freshness, and its defrost water drain allows for easy defrosting. The glass shelving and drawers make storage easily accessible and sleek. This stand-up also features a key lock, self-illuminating LED lights, and an alarm if the door is left open.
So what’s the Hip2Save team verdict on our Upright vs Chest Freezer debate?
One of my Hip sidekicks loves her deep freezer:
“We had a small chest from Costco and just needed a bigger option and upgraded a couple of years ago to a highly-rated GE deep freezer. I wanted a stand-up, but my husband is a research guru and read that the doors don’t get as cold as a chest. 💁♀️
We were also already using the space above our old deep freezer to hang ladders so it just made sense to get a chest freezer again. Plus, it was a little less expensive. I’m for either, though! Such a great way to stock up on meat and frozen items.
If you’re ditching an old freezer too, we sold our smaller one on Facebook quickly which helped with the cost of a new one.” – Lina
Here’s what a Hip team member said about their stand-up freezers:
“We have an upright freezer, and I love having it! We originally bought it when we were getting a quarter cow, but that’s all gone now, and we still love having it for all of the extra meat, food items, and bags of ice. I prefer the upright so you can actually see what is in your freezer without having to dig.” – Angie
Which model do you prefer to freeze your food in? Let us know in the onlinements below!