Best Soda Water Maker for 2023

The Terra is SodaStream's entry-level model, but it works well and lands at the top of our list as the best soda water maker for most people. The Terra made consistently fizzy water with simple manual pumps. It's very easy to operate and doesn't take up much space on the counter.

The Terra model has one recent improvement over SodaStream's previous models in that you can click the CO2 canister into the back rather than having to load it from the bottom. This saves a step each time you change the canister. Speaking of canisters, SodaStream has an easy exchange program where you can drop off empty cartridges in exchange for full ones at half price ($15).

If I had one complaint about this and some other SodaStreams, it's that the plastic build feels a little cheap and flimsy. That said, they always deliver on the most important task of carbonating water. The Terra clocks in at a reasonable price, too. The basic package can be had for $70 and includes a CO2 cartridge and one plastic carafe. A beefed-up bundle features four plastic bottles (two small and two regular size), one CO2 cartridge and a bottle of lime concentrate to flavor your bubbly water, all for $160, or cheaper if you find it on sale.

Read my full review of the SodaStream Terra.

Spärkel is a lesser-known sparkling water system that bypasses the CO2 canisters and uses granulated sodium bicarbonate and citric acid instead. The process of making a single bottle of soda water is slightly more involved and takes about three minutes, but this machine is also more precise than any other I've tried. 

Once you've filled the back reservoir with water and dropped the powders into the top slot, you clamp down on a full bottle of flat water and hit one of five buttons to determine the carbonation level. I found this pricier device worked well and delivered on the promised settings. (With manual carbonators like the Terra, it can be trickier to get exact levels of carbonation since the hand pumps don't always extract the same amount of gas from the canister.)

A few drawbacks are that the Spärkel is a bit bulkier than the SodaStream Terra or Aarke III. It also won't use a CO2 canister so you'll have to buy refills of the powders from Spärkel through its website, Amazon or another retailer. The powders do create a bit more plastic waste, but still significantly less than buying cans or bottles of seltzer regularly. 

The machine itself is $150 and includes enough powder to make 10 25-ounce bottles of seltzer. A 90-pack of carbonator packs costs $40 and will make about 67 liters of sparkling water. By comparison, SodaStream CO2 canisters can make up to 60 liters of sparkling water (varies depending on how much you pump into each bottle) but cost only $30, or $15 if you use the canister exchange program.

If design and aesthetics are important to you, the Aarke is pretty clearly the best-looking soda water maker on the market. It's built from metal, while most others are constructed from cheaper plastics. It also has something of a vintage malt shop appeal, and it's slim, so you can slide it onto the counter without forfeiting much real estate. 

The Aarke III works well, although in my testing, it was a bit less consistent than the SodaStreams in releasing CO2. At times, I found I'd have to pump the lever a few more times to get the same level of carbonation as the time before. It's a minor annoyance, and if you're picky about your kitchen's look, it's probably one you can live with.

The elegant Aarke carbonator will set you back quite a few more coins than any of the others on this list. The machine alone costs around $230, but can sometimes be found for less, and does not include a CO2 canister. The good news is you can use SodaStream and Soda Sensei canisters with the Aarke, and thus enjoy the benefits of the many sales locations and exchange program to get half-priced refills. 

Read my full review of the Aarke here.

If you're looking to transport yourself to an Italian piazza, a bottle of sparkling water poured from a shapely glass bottle could help. SodaStream's Aqua Fizz has all the functions of the other models but an elevated design. The carafe that accompanies the $160 starter package is glass, and the base that holds them while in use is metal. It's also quieter than other models since the bottles are encased completely while they're being pumped with gas. 

I don't like the look of this model quite as much as the Aarke, but it's a more affordable premium model and the glass carafes, although smaller than the plastic versions, are nice to set on the table for dinner parties.