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Auger & Pulp

Is a Juicer Worth It?

Sometimes no, and it is cheaper to find that out before you buy than after.

By Brijon M. · Last reviewed October 2, 2026

For a meaningful number of people, no. That is not a hedge -- it is the useful answer, and it is cheaper to reach it now than after a $400 machine is sitting in a cupboard. Here are the real costs, and the four situations where we would tell you not to buy.

The four costs

1. The machine

The smallest cost, and the one people fixate on. Under $100 buys a capable centrifugal machine or one masticating model. $100-200 buys genuine cold press. $400-plus buys convenience features. Best value juicers works through where the money stops buying anything you would notice.

2. The produce -- the cost that actually decides it

Over a year of daily juicing, the produce costs more than any machine on this site. Juicing removes the fiber, which is most of the bulk, so a large volume of vegetables becomes a modest glass.

We are not going to put a number on it, because it depends on your produce and your shop and we have not measured it -- and an invented average would be worse than no figure. What we will tell you is how to get your own number in one session: how much celery one cup takes. Do that before you buy a machine, not after.

3. Time

About twelve minutes per session on a slow juicer including cleanup, two to five on a centrifugal machine with a wide chute. Daily, that is roughly an hour a week on a slow machine. Batching reduces the number of sessions rather than the time per session, which is why it is the standard workaround.

4. Waste

A full pulp bin every session. Some of it is genuinely usable -- carrot pulp especially -- and what to do with juicer pulp covers the honest options rather than pretending every batch becomes muffins. If throwing away food bothers you, this is a real ongoing friction and a blender does not have it.

A shopping basket of fresh vegetables
Over twelve months this basket costs more than the machine. That is the number to work out first.

Four situations where the answer is no

  1. 1.You want something filling. Juice is not. The fiber is what makes a drink satisfying, and juicing removes it. If you want breakfast, you want a smoothie -- and you may already own a blender. Juicer vs blender.
  2. 2.Food waste bothers you a lot. Every session produces a bin of pulp. That is inherent, not a machine fault.
  3. 3.Your mornings are genuinely compressed. Twelve minutes a day is real. If you will not spend it, the machine becomes a cupboard object, and that is the most common failure mode in this category.
  4. 4.You are buying because of health claims you read somewhere. We have no nutritional credentials and will not endorse or debunk those claims -- but "somebody online said it detoxifies" is a poor reason to spend hundreds of dollars on an appliance that needs daily commitment.

Four situations where it genuinely is worth it

  • You already buy cold-pressed juice regularly. The machine pays for itself against bottled prices surprisingly quickly, and you control the ingredients.
  • You want a light drink rather than a meal, and you specifically dislike blended texture. That is a real preference and a juicer is the only answer to it.
  • You want to get through a large volume of vegetables in one glass. Juicing concentrates, which a blender cannot do.
  • You cook, and want clear juice for dressings, cocktails or sauces. A blender cannot produce that without straining.

The cheapest way to find out

Before buying anything: blend and strain for a week. Blend produce with a little water, pour through a nut-milk bag or fine sieve, squeeze. It works well on cucumber, watermelon, tomato and soft fruit, and poorly on celery, kale and carrots.

It is messy and it is not a substitute for a juicer. But it tells you, for free, whether you actually enjoy drinking vegetable juice and whether you will do the daily work. That is the question worth answering before you spend.

If you want to test with a real machine, a sub-$100 masticating juicer costs about the same as a dozen cafe juices and answers the question honestly on the right mechanism.

If you decide to try it

1. Cheapest honest test

AMZCHEF ZM1501

AMZCHEF ZM1501 · Under $100 · Our score 7.1/10

If you want to find out whether juicing will stick without risking real money, this is the way. AMZCHEF states 90 RPM, 150 W, a reverse function and under 60 decibels -- genuine masticating mechanics under $100, so you are testing on the right mechanism rather than a machine that cannot do greens. Light build, and warranty terms differ between listings.

Yield
AMZCHEF markets seven spiral masticators for maximum yield; no numeric figure is publishedManufacturer claim: AMZCHEF · checked 2026-10-02
Pulp
Not availableNot sourced
Cleanup time
Not available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourced
Speed
AMZCHEF states 90 RPM, 150 W, with a reverse functionManufacturer claim: AMZCHEF · checked 2026-10-02

What works

  • Masticating mechanics under $100
  • One of very few machines at any price that publishes a decibel figure
  • Reverse function for clearing jams

What does not

  • Warranty terms differ between the brand store and third-party listings - read the one you buy from
  • Small chute, so prep is heavy
  • No yield or cleanup figure published

Skip this if: You expect premium build. At this price the warranty is short and the parts are light - treat it as a trial machine.

A simple juicing machine with fruit on a counter

Representative photo. We have no manufacturer image library, so this is a licensed stock photo of the category, not a photo of this unit.

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we are funded

  • Yield7/10
  • Pulp7/10
  • Cleanup6/10
  • Value9/10
  • Quiet9/10

Read the full AMZCHEF ZM1501 review

2. Best if you think it will stick

Nutribullet Slow Juicer

Nutribullet NBJ50300 · $100–200 · Our score 7.4/10

A step up in build at a still-modest price: Nutribullet states 65 RPM, 150 W, a reverse function and the smallest footprint we found at 17 x 6.25 x 7 in. If the habit forms, this is a machine you can keep for years; if it does not, the loss is survivable.

Yield
Not availableNot sourced
Pulp
Not availableNot sourced
Cleanup time
Not available - no published cleanup time in minutesNot sourced
Speed
Nutribullet states 65 RPM, 150 W, with a reverse functionManufacturer claim: Nutribullet · checked 2026-10-02

What works

  • Cold press mechanics at a centrifugal-adjacent price
  • Reverse function, which is how you clear a celery jam
  • Small footprint at 17 in tall and 6.25 in wide

What does not

  • 1-year warranty against 15 years on the premium verticals
  • 24 oz catch cup forces breaks on bigger batches
  • No published yield, pulp or cleanup figures

Skip this if: You juice for more than one person. A 24 oz container means stopping and emptying mid-session.

A small juicing appliance on a compact kitchen counter

Representative photo. We have no manufacturer image library, so this is a licensed stock photo of the category, not a photo of this unit.

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we are funded

  • Yield7/10
  • Pulp7/10
  • Cleanup7/10
  • Value9/10
  • Quiet8/10

Read the full Nutribullet Slow Juicer review

Questions people ask

Is buying a juicer worth it?
It depends on whether you want a light drink rather than something filling, whether you will spend around twelve minutes a day, and whether the produce cost works for you. For a lot of people the honest answer is no, and finding that out before buying is the point of this page.
What is the real cost of juicing?
The produce dominates -- over a year it costs more than any machine. Then time, at roughly twelve minutes per session on a slow juicer. Then the machine. Then the waste, which is a bin of pulp every session.
How can I test juicing before buying a juicer?
Blend produce with a little water and strain it through a nut-milk bag or fine sieve for a week. It works on soft watery produce, poorly on celery and kale, and it tells you free whether you actually like vegetable juice.
Is a juicer or a blender better value?
A blender, on produce cost alone -- you get more drink from the same ingredients because nothing is removed, and there is no waste. A juicer makes something a blender cannot, which is thin fiber-free juice.
How long before a juicer pays for itself?
If you currently buy bottled cold-pressed juice regularly, quickly. If you do not, the machine never pays for itself in cash terms -- you are buying a drink you were not previously buying, so the correct comparison is enjoyment rather than savings.

Sources

Every figure on this page traces to one of these. Where a source does not publish a number, the page says “Not available” rather than estimating one.