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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi® — biggest strength: It's a 6-in-1 grill and air fryer with a Smart Cook System and a dual-sensor thermometer, plus a 500°F cyclonic grill grate that produces genuine char indoors.
• SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi® — biggest trade-off: It's heavy at 22.4 pounds, and the air-fry side is a 4-quart crisper basket, so it's a grill first and a fryer second.
• HoninJoy 12QT — biggest strength: Two independent 6-quart zones with separate baskets, heaters and fans, plus Sync Finish, giving you 12 quarts of total capacity and no flavor crossover.
• HoninJoy 12QT — biggest trade-off: It tops out at 400°F and doesn't grill or sear the way the Ninja does — it's a fryer, not a grill.
• Choose SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi® if you want steakhouse-style searing, protein presets and doneness control indoors.
• Choose HoninJoy 12QT if you're feeding a crowd and want to cook two different dishes at the same time in one appliance.
The Ninja Foodi Smart XL is built around one idea: get your protein to the exact doneness you want without hovering over it. The Smart Cook System pairs a Foodi Smart Thermometer with four protein presets and nine doneness levels, so you pick beef, poultry, pork or seafood, choose rare through well done, and the grill continuously monitors internal temperature and shuts itself off when the food is ready. That's a genuinely different workflow from a basket air fryer, where you're checking and shaking and guessing.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants real grilled food indoors, likes the idea of set-and-forget doneness control, and has the counter space for a 22.4-pound, 15.75"D x 16.54"W x 11.1"H unit. Who should skip it: if your priority is bulk air frying for a big household, or you want two foods cooking at once in separate zones, the single 4-quart crisper basket will feel limiting. Touch controls, stainless steel construction, dishwasher-safe parts and a 1-year limited warranty round it out.
HoninJoy 12QT: Who It's For
HoninJoy takes the opposite approach: instead of mastering one cooking method, it maximizes what you can cook at once. The 12QT is a dual-basket design with two 6-quart baskets, and crucially, each zone has its own basket, cooling fan and rapid heater. That means you can run different modes, times and temperatures in each half — crispy fries on one side, roasted vegetables on the other — or hit Sync Finish to have both zones land at the same moment. Sync Cook runs both in the same mode, time and temperature across the full 12 quarts.
The preset list is long: Fry, Bake, Roast, Grill, Dehydrate, Reheat, Preheat, Sync Finish, Sync Cook and Light, all on a digital touchscreen. The temperature range runs from 160°F to 400°F, which covers jerky and fruit chips down low and a 400°F sear up top. A viewing window lets you watch progress without pulling the basket, and the package includes 50 paper liners — waterproof, oil-proof, non-stick — which is a small thing that saves real cleanup time. The baskets and trays are non-stick and dishwasher safe, and there's auto-shutoff and overheat protection built in.
Who should buy it: families, party hosts and meal preppers who want big capacity and two-zone flexibility. At 16.3 pounds and 14.5"D x 15.4"W x 12.4"H, it's lighter and slightly smaller on the counter than the Ninja. Who should skip it: if you specifically want to grill steaks or chicken with sear marks and precise doneness control, the 400°F ceiling and basket format won't get you there.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for precise protein doneness → SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi®. Four protein presets and nine doneness levels with an auto-shutoff thermometer.
• Best for total capacity → HoninJoy 12QT. 12 quarts across two baskets versus a 4-quart crisper basket.
• Best for cooking two different foods at once → HoninJoy 12QT. Independent zones with separate heaters and fans, plus Sync Finish.
• Best for low-and-slow dehydrating → HoninJoy 12QT. It reaches down to 160°F for jerky and fruit chips; the Ninja's dehydrate mode is one of six functions but the HoninJoy's range is explicitly built around it.
• Best for apartment cooking with less smoke → SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi®. Splatter shield, cool-air zone and temperature-controlled grate are designed to cut smoke.
• Best for easy cleanup → HoninJoy 12QT. Non-stick ceramic-lined baskets, dishwasher-safe parts, and 50 included liners.
• Best for lighter, easier handling → HoninJoy 12QT. 16.3 pounds versus 22.4 pounds.
In my opinion, the SharkNinja Ninja® Foodi® is the better buy for most people asking what the "best air fryer" actually is — because it does something the HoninJoy simply can't. It grills. Real sear marks, real smoke control, real doneness control from a thermometer that shuts the unit off for you. That's a capability upgrade, not a capacity upgrade.
I'd recommend the HoninJoy 12QT instead if your house is loud and hungry and you regularly cook two things at once. Twelve quarts and true dual zones are genuinely useful. But if I'm choosing one, I'm choosing the one that replaces my grill and my air fryer.
FAQ
how to best air fryer chicken breast
how to best air fryer potatoes
Potatoes want high heat and space. The Ninja's 4-quart crisper basket handles about 2 lbs with 500°F cyclonic air for a crisp exterior. The HoninJoy gives you two 6-quart zones, so you can roast potatoes in one basket and cook the main in the other and Sync Finish both.
how to best air fryer salmon
Salmon is where the Ninja pulls ahead. Use the seafood protein preset and a doneness level, and the thermometer handles the timing so you don't overcook it. It also grills salmon directly on the 500°F grate for char. The HoninJoy works fine at 400°F, but you're timing it yourself.
how to best air fryer sweet potato
Sweet potato fries need a single layer and a shake or two. Use the Ninja's air crisp function, or the HoninJoy's Fry preset — and here the HoninJoy's viewing window is handy because you can watch browning without opening the basket and losing heat.
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See also: SharkNinja Foodi Pro 5-in-1 vs Cosori Air Fryer Pro, SharkNinja SL400 vs Kitchen Elite 5.5: Best Air Fryer for, LHSHAD Ninja Foodi Air vs Apenkes 100