People buy the wrong appliance because they compare price, not use. In 2026, the smarter move is matching the appliance to what you actually cook at home.
What each one is best at
Air Fryer
- Best for: crispy snacks, chicken, fries, quick roasting
- Strength: fast, less oil, simple
- Limitation: not ideal for large batches unless big capacity
Microwave
- Best for: reheating, defrosting, quick warming
- Strength: fastest for daily convenience
- Limitation: doesn’t crisp like an oven/air fryer
OTG (Oven-Toaster-Griller)
- Best for: baking, pizza, grilling, toast
- Strength: proper oven-style cooking
- Limitation: takes longer preheat + uses more time/space
What to buy based on your lifestyle
If you mostly need reheating + defrosting:
Go for microwave. It saves time every single day.
If you want crispy cooking with less oil:
Go for air fryer. It’s the most used “new-age” appliance right now.
If you bake or want pizza/roasting like a real oven:
Go for OTG.
The best “real life” combo (most common in 2026)
- Microwave + Air Fryer = convenience + crispy cooking
- OTG is great but usually for people who genuinely bake or grill often.
Avoid this common mistake
Don’t buy an OTG thinking it will replace microwave reheating speed. It won’t. OTG is for oven-style cooking, not convenience.
If you want the most value for typical homes today, air fryer + microwave is usually the best pairing.