The Best Vacuum Sealers of 2025

Summer is winding down, and soon we’ll have to say goodbye to the warm weather’s garden splendors. Fortunately, the best vacuum sealers offer an opportunity to enjoy the season’s best produce year-round. They’re a great investment if you have an abundant garden, buy in bulk, hunt or fish, or have a favorite farmers market vegetable you want to enjoy in the cooler months. By removing air from food packaging, these devices significantly extend food preservation times, enabling you to store vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat in your freezer safely for months.

We conducted extensive testing of 14 vacuum sealers across diverse food types. The Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer emerged as the best vacuum sealer. Featuring handheld and full-size sealing options, its user-friendly design handles even moisture-rich foods easily. For those seeking affordability, consider the Geryon Vacuum Sealer — this efficient, compact unit performed admirably in our tests and costs less than $50.

A vacuum sealer is also an excellent companion tool for sous vide enthusiasts. For more information, explore our best sous vide machine guide.

Our top picks for vacuum sealers

Best overall: Nesco VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer – See at Amazon

Best budget: Geryon Vacuum Sealer – See at Amazon

Best compact: NutriChef PKVS 12-inch Vacuum Sealer – See at Amazon

Best handheld: Zwilling Fresh & Save Vacuum Sealer Machine – See at Amazon

Best overall

This is a powerful vacuum sealer that’s perfect for meat. Meat can be tricky for vacuum sealers since it has some liquid that can be sucked up into the machine or create air pockets. The Nesco’s powerful vacuum removed virtually all the air when packaging pork chops and ground beef. The pork chops’ seal stayed strong through a sous vide water bath. After 10 months in the freezer, the ground beef showed no signs of frost accumulation.

We like this vacuum sealer’s moderate size. I’d stop short of calling it compact, but it’s not nearly as bulky as other equally powerful machines. Its moderate footprint means you have a lot of versatility when sealing larger amounts or different-size cuts, but it’s still slim enough to store away easily.

It’s a little overpowered for delicate foods. Though it does have a gentle mode, this vacuum sealer crushed avocado slices slightly and nearly pulverized saltines. On the plus side, the avocado was still fresh after sitting on the counter for 10 days. You’ll want to use this model primarily for saving heartier vegetables and meats.

Best budget

This $40 sealer performed better than many models that cost three times as much. The Geryon performed well in all of our sealing tests. Sealing ground beef and pork, the machine got most of the air out, and there were no leaks when we put the pork in a sous vide water bath. The ground beef showed minimal frost collection in the freezer after more than a month.

The Geryon is easy to use: Put items in the bag, place the end in the internal clips, close the lid until both sides click, and press the Vac Seal button. It features gentle and normal modes, plus settings for moist and dry foods. You can also manually seal bags or attach the provided tube for canister sealing, though canisters are sold separately.

The suction was a little too powerful for delicate items, though. Even in gentle mode, it crushed crackers and slightly smushed an avocado. Still, the avocado looked green and delicious 10 days after being sealed. However, the Geryon was one of the fastest, quietest, and lightest units we tested, making it an excellent budget pick.

Best compact

The NutriChef PKVS vacuum sealer has a sleek, modern look, so it’s pretty and compact enough to leave out on the counter. The elegant digital button controls make it different from the other vacuum sealers. The sealer is simple to use — I could operate it easily without even looking at the instructions. Yet, if you need instructions, I found the manual for this sealer to be the most informative. 

The sealer comes with a gentle and normal sealing mode and dry and moist food settings, so you can use it with various foods with different textures and shapes. I tested cuts of meat, raspberries, strawberries, and crackers. Though I used the moist, gentle setting for the raspberries, they still crushed a bit. However, the gentle setting still worked well for the strawberries and crackers.

The sealer also has a built-in cutter to cut the seal roll into a custom-size bag. You can press the Stop button to stop the unit safely during the vacuum seal process. 

An air suction hose (included with the sealer) easily plugs inside the main unit and connects to an included wine stopper. This unique feature purports to preserve the quality and taste of your wine for longer, so it’s a great option if you end up wasting wine after you open a bottle.

If you’re looking for a sealer for various foods and don’t want to deal with constantly moving and storing a sealer, this compact one easily does the job.

Best handheld

The Zwilling vacuum sealer is the simplest vacuum sealer I tested. It works at the click of a button. You just place the sealer over the port on one of Zwilling’s bags or containers, hit the button, and viola. The handheld sealer can fit in a drawer and comes with a charger so that you can operate it wirelessly if needed.

Since the vacuum sealer works by placing the suction over a port, you must use Zwilling’s specially designed bags and containers with the sealer. The glass containers are oven-, microwave-, dishwasher-, and freezer-safe.

The best part of the Zwilling vacuum sealer is the companion app. You scan the bag or container you’re using and input the type of food, date, and storage method. The app will then send you alerts when it’s getting close to expiration. It helps me stay organized and makes me less likely to forget the foods lurking in the back of my freezer.

I use this sealer daily and have tested it with many other items, including salad mixes and fruits I eat daily. It keeps the salad mix fresher for almost three times as long as a standard storage container — about 18 days instead of a few days. The one downside is that this sealer isn’t great for any foods with liquid. When I sealed raw cuts of meat, the liquid would get sucked up into the sealer.

What to look for

Types of vacuum sealers

Most of our picks are external vacuum sealers, but you’ll also find chamber and handheld options. Below is a breakdown of what tasks each is best for:

Best vacuum sealer features

Settings: To store delicate items like crackers and chips, look for a vacuum sealer with a manual pulse. This makes it easier to achieve the right balance between removing air and avoiding crushing fragile foods.

Vacuum sealer bags: The cost of vacuum sealer bags can add up. If cost is a concern, look for models that come with bags and bag rolls. Units with bag cutters and manual seals are great because you can make your own bags. If you want to use your external vacuum sealer for quick pickling, marinating, and more, look for one with a suction hose.

How we test vacuum sealers

I spoke with Chelsea Cole, food blogger and cookbook author of Sous Vide Meal Prep, to learn more about what attributes make for the best vacuum sealer. Then, I tested each model based on the following criteria:

Sealing: I tested each vacuum sealer using several foods: ground beef, salmon, bone-in pork chops, chicken breast, crackers, raspberries, avocados, and strawberries. I evaluated each sealer to see how it handled each food’s different textures, moisture, and shapes. I also put the bone-in pork chops through a sous vide water bath to see how well the seal held up.

Freshness: I put vacuum-sealed ground beef in the freezer and vacuum-sealed produce and crackers in the pantry. I evaluated all food for freshness at the end of the testing period. 

Ease of use: I noted how easy it was to assemble the sealers, whether the instructions were clear and intuitive, and whether the machines were easy to operate. I also considered how heavy they were to move and carry, and if I could easily store them.

Extra features: I tested every sealer’s extra functions as long as I had the proper materials (for example, if the sealer’s starter kit didn’t come with a canister, I didn’t test the canister function). I also determined how useful certain functions were, such as whether the pulse or gentle vacuum functions were necessary for delicate foods like raspberries.

Vacuum sealer FAQs

Is a food vacuum sealer worth it?

Yes, buying in bulk saves you money in the long run, and since vacuum sealing preserves food for longer, you will have less food waste. All the sealers we tested kept food fresh five times longer than when left in its original packaging, which makes vacuum sealers great for meal prep and storing bulk food.

How do you maintain a vacuum sealer?

It depends on the components of your sealer. For instance, our top pick, the FoodSaver 4800, has a drip tray that collects excess moisture. When the sealer indicates the drip tray is full, you must remove it and rinse it with soapy water. In the case of our top chamber vacuum sealer, the Anova requires a gentle wipe-down of the door and interior with a cloth and mild soap after each use.

Do I need a vacuum sealer for sous vide?

No, you can sous vide using zipper-top bags, but a vacuum sealer can help make the process easier. “Although you can use zipper top or silicone bags [for sous vide cooking], a vacuum seal bag is the best way to ensure a successful cook,” said Cole. “It’s the most effective way to get as much air out of the bag as possible and get a good seal.”

How do vacuum sealers work?

Vacuum sealers work by creating a barrier between the air and the food. Air carries gas compounds and bacteria, which alter food’s quality and taste and will eventually cause the food to go bad. Since vacuum sealing removes any existing air from the packaging and keeps other air out, the food lasts longer.

What foods should not be vacuum sealed?

According to the University of Minnesota Extension School, some foods grow harmful bacteria faster in air-free settings and are hard to detect since it doesn’t alter the food’s look or smell. You should avoid vacuum sealing the foods below:

• Raw mushrooms
• Garlic
• Soft cheeses 
• Freshly cooked or steamed produce (only vacuum seal room temperature produce)

Additionally, the University of Minnesota Extension School recommends taking the following precautions when you vacuum seal:

• Vacuum-sealing food does not replace the need to pressure-can or water-bath home-canned foods.
• Wash your hands before and during the vacuum sealing process.
• Do not touch food with your hands. Instead, use clean spoons, tongs, or something else to handle it.
• Be sure to keep utensils, cutting boards, and counters clean.
• Keep vacuum-sealed foods in the refrigerator or freezer. Dry food, like crackers and nuts, can be stored at room temperature.
• Thaw frozen vacuum-sealed food in the refrigerator.

How do I prevent liquid from getting into my vacuum sealer?

Vacuum sealing foods with a lot of liquid can be messy, but there are ways you can do it seamlessly. First, many sealers have a chamber to collect the liquid safely without harming the sealer. If you plan on sealing liquid-heavy foods, invest in a sealer with this capability.

Otherwise, you can try this trick: “Hang your bag off the edge of the counter when sealing so gravity is on your side and use the manual setting,” said Cole. “As soon as you see liquid creeping toward the seal line, hit ‘Seal’ on your vacuum sealer to stop the suction.”