Pick by what you cook most. A basket air fryer is built for crisping: Ninja rates its 5-quart AF141 for up to 4 pounds of fries or 5 pounds of wings. A toaster oven is built for toast, bagels and small pizzas. An air fryer toaster oven combines both, at the cost of weight: the Ninja Flip SP151 weighs nearly twice as much as the AF141. The comparison below uses one current model of each, all from the makers’ own spec pages.

Side by side

Ninja AF141 (basket air fryer) Ninja Flip SP151 (air fryer toaster oven) Hamilton Beach 31334D (toaster oven)
Functions Air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate Air fry, roast, broil, bake, pizza, toast, bagel, dehydrate Bake, broil, toast
Capacity 5 qt; up to 4 lb fries or 5 lb wings Air fry up to 4 lb; 12" pizza 4 slices of toast or a 9" pizza
Size (inches) 14.84 L x 11.34 W x 10.55 H Flips up; 50% less space when flipped 16.1 W x 11.9 D x 9 H
Power and weight 1,750 watts; 10.67 lb 1,800 watts; 19.84 lb Not in Hamilton Beach’s listed specs
Heat Up to 400°F Not published 200 to 450°F

Basket air fryer: the crisping specialist

Ninja describes the AF141 as using “400℉ superheated air” that surrounds food, with a 5-quart basket that fits “up to 4 lbs of French fries or 5 lbs of chicken wings.” Its four functions are air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate. There is no toast, bake or broil setting, so it doesn’t replace a toaster oven for bread or pizza.

Ninja lists it at 14.84 x 11.34 inches and 10.55 inches tall, 10.67 pounds and 1,750 watts. The nonstick basket and crisper plate are the parts you clean.

Toaster oven: toast, bake and broil

The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 31334D is a plain toaster oven: it “fits 4 slices of toast or a 9” pizza" and has three functions, bake, broil and toast, with temperatures from 200 to 450°F. Controls are manual, with a 30-minute timer, a stay-on setting, a ready bell and auto shutoff.

Its roll-top door “rolls up and stays out of the way,” so it doesn’t block the counter in front of the oven, and both the door and the slide-out crumb tray come off for cleaning. Hamilton Beach doesn’t list an air fry function for this model.

Air fryer toaster oven: both jobs, more bulk

The Ninja Flip SP151 covers eight functions: air fry, roast, broil, bake, pizza, toast, bagel and dehydrate. Ninja says it can “air fry up to 4 lbs of ingredients, bake a 12” pizza.” That pizza is bigger than the Hamilton Beach’s 9 inches, and the air fry rating matches the AF141’s.

The tradeoff is weight. At 19.84 pounds, it weighs nearly twice as much as the AF141. Ninja’s answer to counter space is the flip design: it says the oven “takes up 50% less space when you flip it up and away” against the backsplash. It draws 1,800 watts and comes with an air fry basket, sheet pan, wire rack and removable crumb tray.

How to choose

  1. Mostly fries, wings and frozen snacks: a basket air fryer. The AF141 is compact at 14.84 x 11.34 inches, but it won’t toast.
  2. Mostly toast, bagels, reheating and small bakes: a toaster oven. Check the pizza size if that matters; the Hamilton Beach fits a 9-inch pizza.
  3. You want both and have room for one appliance: an air fryer toaster oven. Plan for the weight and, for a flip model, clear wall space behind it to flip up.
  4. Measure the spot first. Compare the listed dimensions above to your counter, and leave room to open the door or pull out the basket.

For sizing a basket air fryer to your household, see what size air fryer you need .

Appliances compared

FAQ

Can an air fryer replace a toaster oven?

Not a basket model like the Ninja AF141. Ninja lists its four functions as air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate, with no toast or bake setting. An air fryer toaster oven such as the Ninja Flip SP151 adds toast, bagel, bake and pizza functions.

Can a regular toaster oven air fry?

Only if it has an air fry function. The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 31334D, for example, lists three functions: bake, broil and toast.

Which takes less counter space?

The Ninja AF141 lists 14.84 x 11.34 inches of length and width, and the Hamilton Beach 31334D lists 16.1 inches wide by 11.9 deep. The Ninja Flip SP151 weighs 19.84 pounds, and Ninja says it takes up 50% less counter space when flipped up against the backsplash.

Sources