Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
A bottom-freezer fridge with its door open, sitting in a line-up of fridges in our testing lab. Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi

The Best Bottom-Freezer Fridges of 2024

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

A bottom-freezer fridge with its door open, sitting in a line-up of fridges in our testing lab. Credit: Reviewed / Timothy Renzi

Why trust Reviewed?

Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

Learn more about our product testing
Editor's Choice Product image of GE GDE25EYKFS
Best Overall

GE GDE25EYKFS

4.6
Check Price at Best Buy

The GE GDE25EYKFS has remarkably steady temperatures, useful features, and lots of storage space for a bottom-freezer refrigerator. Read More

Pros

  • Consistent temperatures
  • Lots of storage

Cons

  • Crispers don't hold humidity well
Editor's Choice Product image of Hisense HRB171N6ASE
Best Value

Hisense HRB171N6ASE

4.4
Check Price at Lowe's

Though it requires calibration, this fridge will offer remarkably consistent temperatures and is one of the best values we've seen. Read More

Pros

  • Steady temperatures in both fridge and freezer
  • Great value

Cons

  • Fridge needs to be calibrated before use
  • Only one crisper
Product image of Beko BFBD30216SSIM
Best Counter-depth

Beko BFBD30216SSIM

4.1
Check Price at Appliances Connection

The Beko BFBD30216SSIM is an average fridge with some above-average crispers. Veggie-lovers who need a fridge this size will get the most out of it. Read More

Pros

  • Consistent fridge and freezer temperatures
  • Powerful crispers with interesting tech
  • Unique dimensions

Cons

  • Low overall storage
Editor's Choice Product image of Whirlpool WRB322DMBM

Whirlpool WRB322DMBM

4.3
Check Price at Best Buy

If you’re in the market for a basic bottom-freezer refrigerator with excellent temperature performance, the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM is for you. Read More

Pros

  • Steady temperatures
  • Excellent crispers

Cons

  • Some of the components feel cheap
Product image of Maytag MBF2258FEZ

Maytag MBF2258FEZ

4.1
Check Price at Abt

This is a great bottom-freezer. It has good performance and bright interior lights. It does lack extra features, but that helps keep its price low. Read More

Pros

  • Even temperatures
  • Effective crispers

Cons

  • Some fixtures feel a bit cheap
  • Best Overall GE GDE25EYKFS
  • Best Value Hisense HRB171N6ASE
  • Best Counter-depth Beko BFBD30216SSIM
  • Other Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators We Tested
  • How We Test Refrigerators
  • What You Should Know About Buying a Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator
  • More Articles You May Enjoy

Whether you’re a new homeowner or just in the market to replace a large appliance you bought a decade ago, shopping for fridges, ranges, dishwashers, and the like can be overwhelming unless you’re an avid follower in the space, which—is not many of us.

If you’re looking online, or actually in-store surrounded by rows and rows of fridges that look more or less identical, panic may set in. Don’t just pick one at random; each has its own set of features and functions, not to mention hefty price tags.

Not to worry. In our labs here at Reviewed, our experts have tested hundreds of refrigerators, from French-door to side-by-side to these here bottom-freezer refrigerators. While each style has its own set of technical pros and cons, there's also a subjective element to it, and that's based on what you need in your home.

We do have a list of the best refrigerators we've ever tested. But when it comes to the specific bottom-freezer style fridges, our favorite is the GE GDE25EYKFS (available at Best Buy for $1,299.99) , which is an amazing deal on a fridge with some of the steadiest temperatures we've seen outside high-end models.

The GE GDE25EYKHRFS bottom-freezer refrigerator, set up just outside our fridge testing labs
Credit: Reviewed / Michael Elderbee
Best Overall
GE GDE25EYKFS
  • Dimensions: 69.88" x 32.75" x 37.5" (H x W x D)
  • Depth: Counter-depth
  • Measured capacity: 11.9-cu.-ft. fridge, 4.2-cu.-ft. freezer
  • Finishes: White, black, stainless steel (may cost extra), fingerprint-resistant stainless steel (may cost extra)
  • Special features: Sliding snack drawer, Turbo Cool setting, Multiflow Air System with Electronic Sensors
  • Dispensers: Internal ice maker

The GE GDE25EYKFS is a surprisingly good bottom-freezer fridge. Just from looking at it, it looks like any other budget bottom-freezer: It has standard fixtures and is low on extra features.

Where the GDE25EYKFS pulls away from the pack is with its impeccable performance. It has the temperature control of a significantly more expensive model, keeping temperatures exactly where they need to be and barely allowing them to waver.

This fridge also has a lot more storage space than other bottom-freezers, with a whopping 11.92 cubic feet of storage in the fridge and 4.15 cubic feet in the freezer. Compared to the average bottom freezer, that two extra cubic feet in the fridge and a half a cubic foot of bonus space in the freezer.

Now that we've told you why the GDE25EYKFS is good, allow us to tell you why it shines: its price. As we reviewed this model, its price dropped from a bit expensive (but appropriate) to a downright bargain. You should be able to snag one for under $1500, which is an amazing price for what this fridge offers.

As long as you're not chasing one feature in particular, you simply can't get more for less in this space.

Read our full review of the GE GDE25EYKFS bottom-freezer refrigerator

Pros

  • Consistent temperatures

  • Lots of storage

Cons

  • Crispers don't hold humidity well

$1,299.99 from Best Buy
The Hisense HRB171N6ASE fridge in a modern kitchen.
Credit: Hisense
Best Value
Hisense HRB171N6ASE
  • Dimensions: 69.1” x 31.1” x 29.1” (H x W x D)
  • Counter-depth: Yes
  • Measured capacity: 8.75-cubic-foot fridge, 2.87-cubic-foot freezer
  • Finishes: Stainless Steel
  • Dispensers: None

The Hisense HRB171N6ASE is a high-value, low-cost refrigerator. It has remarkable temperature consistency for its price range and has notable energy efficiency, even compared to other counter-depth fridges.

That isn’t to say this fridge is without its quirks. For starters, we highly recommend everyone making sure their HRB171N6ASE is properly calibrated out of the box, as the unit we received ran a bit too warm. Additionally, there is only one crisper drawer, so those who are looking to store lots of fruits and vegetables might find a better option elsewhere.

Even with those issues, we think the Hisense HRB171N6ASE offers impressive performance for its purchase price. If you’re looking to pick up a counter-depth fridge on a budget, the HRB171N6ASE is a solid bet.

Read our full review of the Hisense HRB171N6ASE bottom-freezer refrigerator

Pros

  • Steady temperatures in both fridge and freezer

  • Great value

Cons

  • Fridge needs to be calibrated before use

  • Only one crisper

Buy now at Lowe's
The Beko BFBD30216SSIM bottom-freezer fridge set up outside our testing labs.
Credit: Reviewed / Michael Elderbee
Best Counter-depth
Beko BFBD30216SSIM
  • Dimensions: 69.69" x 29.76" x 27.56" (H x W x D)
  • Depth: Standard depth
  • Measured capacity: 7.61 cu. ft. refrigerator, 2.90 cu. ft. freezer
  • Finishes: Stainless steel
  • Special features: Internal ice maker, HarvestFresh crispers, EverFresh+, HomeWhiz App
  • Dispensers: None

The Beko BFBD30216SSIM is best for veggie-lovers, or those who need to fill a smaller footprint in their home. Those who want to maximize their overall storage would be better off with a larger fridge.

In terms of performance, this fridge has no issues with temperature consistency. Both the fridge and the freezer were able to keep temperatures exactly where they need to be.

The crisper tech on display here is the real hook, however. This fridge uses blue light to maximize the shelf life of your leafy greens. If you rely on fresh produce, the BFBD30216SSIM will keep your farm-fresh groceries crisper for longer.

Read our full review of the Beko BFBD30216SSIM bottom-freezer refrigerator

Pros

  • Consistent fridge and freezer temperatures

  • Powerful crispers with interesting tech

  • Unique dimensions

Cons

  • Low overall storage

Buy now at Appliances Connection

Other Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators We Tested

Product image of Whirlpool WRB322DMBM
Whirlpool WRB322DMBM
  • Dimensions: 70" x 32.625" x 33.375" (H x W x D)
  • Depth: Standard depth
  • Measured capacity: 9.64-cubic-foot fridge, 3.89-cubic-foot freezer
  • Finishes: Black, white, stainless steel
  • Dispensers: None

While there's a lot to love about this fridge, first and foremost it has excellent performance. Its temperature management system keeps both its fridge and freezer compartments at almost the exact ideal temperature. This temperature barely varied throughout each compartment or over time as the fridge underwent defrost cycles or readjusted after the door was opened. It's hard to find a fridge with more consistent temperatures.

In addition to maximizing the shelf life of your food, the WRB322DMBM has some other perks as well. It has a lot of usable storage space, which, coupled with its LED lighting, makes it significantly easier to find what you're looking for.

In terms of downsides, the WRB322DMBM really doesn't have many. We aren't huge fans of its freezer drawer, which have wire bins that could allow smaller items to fall through, but otherwise this fridge offers a lot for its current price point. If you're looking for a new bottom-freezer, the WRB322DMBM should be at the top of your consideration list.

Read our full review of the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM bottom-freezer refrigerator bottom-freezer refrigerator.

Pros

  • Steady temperatures

  • Excellent crispers

Cons

  • Some of the components feel cheap

$1,399.99 from Best Buy
Product image of Whirlpool WRB322DMBM
Whirlpool WRB322DMBM
  • Dimensions: 70" x 32.625" x 33.375" (H x W x D)
  • Depth: Standard depth
  • Measured capacity: 9.64-cubic-foot fridge, 3.89-cubic-foot freezer
  • Finishes: Black, white, stainless steel
  • Special features: Internal ice maker, internal LED lighting
  • Dispensers: None

An unusual handle—a small smooth piece of metal about the size of your hand—on the freezer door is the first thing that may look different on Whirpool’s WRB119WFBM bottom-freezer fridge.

But, what you should know is that this refrigerator performs well. It’s energy-efficient and consistent with temperature, and its crispers do what fancier fridges can’t always do—retain humidity.

In our tests, the Whirlpool held a very steady temperature with slight deviations of 0.2 degrees in the fridge and 0.1 degrees in the freezer. However, using the recommended manufacturer’s settings this fridge runs warm, so make sure to lower the temperature a bit.

Read our full review of the Whirlpool WRB119WFBM bottom-freezer refrigerator bottom-freezer refrigerator.

Pros

  • Steady temperatures

  • Excellent crispers

Cons

  • Some of the components feel cheap

$1,399.99 from Best Buy
Product image of Maytag MBF2258FEZ
Maytag MBF2258FEZ
  • Dimensions: 70" x 32 5/8" x 33 3/8" (H x W x D)
  • Depth: Standard depth
  • Measured capacity: 9.6-cu.-ft. fridge, 2.2-cu.-ft. freezer
  • Finishes: Black, white, stainless steel
  • Dispensers: None

The Maytag MBF2258FEZ is a simple bottom-freezer, but it makes up for its lack of extra features with solid core performance.

Both the refrigerator and the freezer compartment were able to maintain steady temperatures that were very close to ideal. This even cooling should help maximize the shelf life of your food. It also has some effective crispers, which will keep your leafy greens fresher for longer.

Read our full review of the Maytag MBF2258FEZ bottom-freezer refrigerator

Pros

  • Even temperatures

  • Effective crispers

Cons

  • Some fixtures feel a bit cheap

$1,799.00 from Abt

How We Test Refrigerators

The Testers

A man stands in front of a fridge inside our testing lab.
Credit: Reviewed / Tim Renzi

Our lab automatically controls for temperature and humidity to ensure a consistent testing environment.

Hi there! We're Reviewed's appliance testing team. Between the us, we've spent many years testing major appliances including washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and robot vacuum cleaners.

We have plenty of experience testing these products in the lab, but we've also used them as normal people would in the course of their daily lives, which means that we have a great sense for what appliances are bargains at their price points, and which appliances have really useful extra features (as opposed to the kitchen-sink approach to features).

You can read about our testing methodologies here.

What You Should Know About Buying a Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator

A man stands in front of an open fridge in  with a clipboard.
Credit: Reviewed / Tim Renzi

We test each refrigerator in our temperature-controlled lab, using a standardized battery of tests.

If your refrigerator just died, chances are that you're in a hurry to replace it. But first, there are some things to know before buying a new refrigerator.

These are the main types of full-sized fridges
Credit: Samsung / Maytag

There are four main types of full-size fridges.

There are four major styles of refrigerator: top-freezer, bottom-freezer, French-door, and side-by-side. Top-freezer fridges are the most traditional and the most basic. They're also the least expensive.

If you’re reading this article, it’s because you are considering buying a bottom-freezer fridge, where the fridge door opens to the side, and the freezer door pulls out like a drawer. While many French-door model fridges have a bottom-oriented freezer, their refrigerator compartments are vastly different, so you won’t find French-doors on this list.

What Temperature Should a Refrigerator Be?

Ideally, your fridge should be exactly 37°F and your freezer should be 0°F.

These temperatures are important because food needs to be kept within a very narrow band of temperatures to maximize its shelf life. If your fridge, for example, were to drop to 32°F—just 5°F below the ideal temperature—some food in your refrigerator will start to freeze. On the other end of the spectrum, temperatures of 40°F and higher are dangerous, because that's the temperature at which bacteria really start to proliferate quickly.

If your freezer gets warmer than 0°F, it means your food isn't being truly frozen. Furthermore, if temperatures in your freezer bounce around, that will greatly exacerbate the build-up of freezer burn.

How Long Do Refrigerators Last?

While the lifespan of any appliance can vary wildly due to several factors, you should expect your fridge to last for about 10 years.

Most manufacturers will at least cover the first year in their warranty, but some companies will offer more robust programs that will cover specific parts up to five years, 10 years, or for the lifetime of the product.

How Do You Measure a Refrigerator?

This is a somewhat ambiguous question that we get asked a lot.

If you’re looking to fit your new fridge into an existing enclosure, then getting the right measurements is crucial, and not particularly difficult. The only area people generally get tripped up by is the door: If the front of your fridge is flush with your cabinetry, you won’t be able to open the door properly. Fortunately, this is an easy fix: just make sure enough of your fridge is sticking out past your cabinetry that the door can swing freely.

Measuring the interior of your fridge is a much more complicated issue. Most manufacturers measure the interior of a fridge by essentially flooding it with water and accounting for every empty inch inside the fridge. While it makes a kind of sense, we don’t use these measurements, because they don’t cleanly translate into a usable datapoint. Nobody is storing food in the crevices around their ice maker or hovering in the gap between the shelves and door (if you are, please let us know your technique).

The way we measure the interior of a fridge is to get the measurements of each shelf, bin, or other storage location—the places you can actually put food—and add those together. That way we’re only accounting for the usable storage inside the fridge, and different models’ capacities are more cross-comparable.

How Do You Organize a Refrigerator?

Cold air needs to circulate around your fridge for it to work properly. Stacking shelves to the ceiling will cut off airflow and lead to hot spots around your fridge where food will spoil much faster. On top of that, overstocked fridges often result in lower visibility, which means food will get hidden and forgotten, only to be uncovered later, teeming with new life. Keeping clutter controlled will keep this kind of food waste to a minimum.

The most basic storage options include built-in shelves in the fridge, one or two crisper bins, and some shelving options on the fridge's doors. When it comes to extra storage, bottom-freezer refrigerators have a slight advantage over top-freezers: Their drawer-style freezer provides more storage and is often easier to dig through (and there's a much smaller chance frozen leftovers will fall onto your toes). This design also keeps the freezer much lower to the ground, which is great if you want your kids to get access to frozen treats, though maybe something to avoid if your kids are likely to help themselves to Ben & Jerry’s for breakfast.

How Much Does a Bottom-freezer Fridge Cost?

Bottom-freezer fridges are slightly better alternatives to the basic top-freezer refrigerator in terms of its freezer design. However, if you are aging in place or have back problems and trouble stooping down, a bottom-freezer fridge may not be the choice for you.

Bottom-freezer fridges are mid-range refrigerators when it comes to price. Unless you’re talking higher-end brands like Bosch and Beko, most fall between $1,000 to $2,000—and that’s because they often lack the extra touches you'd see on more expensive side-by-sides or French-doors, such as a through-the-door ice and water dispenser, a flex drawer, or smart features. Brands from LG to Maytag to Whirlpool all carry bottom-freezer refrigerators.

Meet the testers

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews
Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

See all of Jonathan Chan's reviews
Leigh Harrington

Leigh Harrington

Executive Editor, Home

@

Leigh Harrington has more than 20 years experience as a writer and editor for myriad print and digital publications.

At USA TODAY and Reviewed, Harrington oversees large appliances, including refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges, and laundry, and manages Reviewed's overall home content, including areas of focus like home improvement, cleaning, gardening, cooking, and parenting. She focuses on writing, but mostly editing, consumer ed content and product reviews.

Harrington is also an experienced travel writer, and has authored books including Fodor's Boston, 100 Things to Do in Boston Before You Die, and Colorful Boston, an adult coloring book.

See all of Leigh Harrington's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next