The 3 Best Portable Induction Cooktops 2022

For this update, we also reviewed several specialty burners (all priced over $120) designed for precision cooking, cooking along with recipe apps, or working with larger pots and pans. We also tested one double burner and two entry-level commercial burners just for kicks. For our recommendations from those tests, see Other good induction cooktops.

An important note: If you have a pacemaker, most manufacturers recommend consulting your doctor before operating an induction burner. (According to one 2006 study, having a pacemaker doesn’t preclude you from using one, just that people with certain kinds of pacemakers might want to be more careful about how they use the appliance.)

The Duxtop 9600LS has the best combination of settings, consistency, features, and usability in its category. It costs a bit more than our former main pick, the Duxtop 9100MC, but the extra money buys you a slicker control panel, as well as the ability to cook everything with more precision and less frustration. The 9600LS has 20 power settings and 20 temperature settings, the largest range of any burner we tested, and it maintains lower temperatures better than our previous pick. Of all the induction cooktops we tested, this one was also the smoothest at maintaining a target heat or temperature level, so there’s less scorching or spattering and less need to hover over a simmering pot. It has an all-glass interface and a bright LCD screen that’s easier to clean and to read than that of our previous pick, and it takes just a little less room on a counter. It also has several useful features, including a rare 10-hour timer, as well as lock, boil, and warm buttons, which we found were extremely useful for everyday cooking.

Runner-up

Max Burton 6450

This burner isn’t quite as good as our top pick, but it usually costs less and has a smaller footprint.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $89.

We love the Max Burton 6450’s tidy size and shape, which give you an extra inch of space on the countertop over the Duxtop 9600LS without a noticeable decrease in appliance build quality. This burner is the lightest and least obtrusive of our three picks, and it has an all-glass interface with lock, boil, and warm buttons, plus a bright LCD screen that is easy to clean and to read. But the Max Burton has only 15 temperature settings and 10 power settings, which we found acceptable for daily cooking tasks but not as easy to use or as flexible as the Duxtop 9600LS’s 20 temperature and 20 power settings. It was a little harder for us to find the right temperature with the Max Burton, especially when we were stewing or simmering.

Budget pick

Duxtop 9100MC

Although this former top pick is not as easy to cook with as our other picks, it’s a great machine for a good price, and its lack of bells and whistles may be ideal for infrequent or low-tech users.

Our previous top pick, the Duxtop 9100MC, has 15 power settings and 15 temperature settings, which is preferable to the Max Burton 6450’s 15 temperature settings and 10 power settings. However, during testing this burner didn’t maintain a set heat or temperature as smoothly as either the Max Burton 6450 or the Duxtop 9600LS, which means you have to pay more attention to cooking and change the temperature more often with the 9100MC than with either of those other models. In addition, the old-school control panel is as plain as it gets: The panel is not glass, and it uses buttons instead of sensor touch controls. It also omits lock, warm, and boil buttons, and it’s a little bigger and beeps a little louder than our top two picks, too. (Unlike the Duxtop 9100MC, the 9600LS has rounded edges, which make that model just a bit more space efficient.) None of these flaws are total dealbreakers at this model’s lower price tag—and in fact, the 9100MC might be especially good for the tech-averse, the occasional user, or an Airbnb space where a constant stream of guests have to figure out how to use it.