Best Built-In Refrigerators of 2024

To test refrigerators, we outfit each model with thermocouples in a climate-controlled chamber and monitor it for a month, collecting more than 5.4 million temperature readings that identify warm and cold spots. By analyzing these millions of data points, we determine which models will keep your food fresh longer.

We also factor in survey data from thousands of CR members to judge brand reliability and satisfaction. All that data and more inform CR’s refrigerator ratings and each model’s Overall Score.

Built-in refrigerators are designed to blend in. They sit completely flush between other kitchen fixtures and, while they’re available with the ever-popular stainless steel finish, they allow you to install custom paneling to match your cabinetry. Taken together, these two traits provide a chameleon effect that may fool unsuspecting visitors. 

Stand-alone refrigerators are just that: They stand freely (often within a space just wide and tall enough to fit them), but they don’t offer the same cohesive appearance. That doesn’t mean they can’t look suitable next to your counters and cabinets, especially if you choose a counter-depth refrigerator. Stand-alone fridges make up the lion’s share of the refrigerator market and the best refrigerators in our ratings.

Another big difference is cost. Stand-alone refrigerators are a lot more affordable than their built-in counterparts, which are made chiefly by high-end manufacturers such as Dacor, Miele, Sub-Zero, Thermador, and Viking, and range from around $5,000 to well over $10,000.

As with freestanding refrigerators, built-ins come in different configurations, including bottom-freezer, French-door, and side-by-side. But because of their shallow depth—only 24 inches—some built-ins are as wide as 49 inches to maximize storage space. (By contrast, the largest stand-alone refrigerator in our ratings is 37 inches wide.) Some manufacturers also offer built-in column refrigerators and freezers, which are separate appliances that you can place either next to each other or in different areas of your kitchen.

But there’s a trade-off. “With a built-in, what you’re really paying for are the style and premium finishes,” says Breann Chai, who oversees CR’s refrigerator testing. “Compared with stand-alone fridges, built-ins cost a lot more but actually offer less interior storage space.” And features are a mixed bag. Every built-in currently in our ratings has a freezer light, digital controls, and an icemaker. Most have spillproof shelves and air filters. But water dispensers are rare, and shelves that can be adjusted without clearing them first are absent altogether.