# Air Fryer vs Convection Oven: The Complete Comparison Guide
If you've been standing in the kitchen appliance aisle — or scrolling through product listings at 11pm — wondering whether to buy an air fryer or a convection oven, you're not alone. Both appliances use circulating hot air to cook food faster and crispier than a standard oven, but they differ significantly in size, price, energy use, and the results they deliver.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know so you can make the right choice for your kitchen, your budget, and your cooking style.
How Do They Actually Work?
Before comparing the two, it helps to understand what's happening inside each appliance.
Convection Ovens
A convection oven is essentially a standard oven with a fan built in. The fan circulates hot air around the food, which speeds up cooking and promotes more even browning. Most full-size ovens sold in Australia today include a convection (or "fan-forced") setting. Benchtop convection ovens are also widely available and sit on your kitchen counter.
Convection ovens typically operate at temperatures between 120°F (49°C) and 500°F (260°C), making them versatile for everything from slow roasting to high-heat baking.
Air Fryers
An air fryer is essentially a compact convection oven with a more powerful fan and a smaller cooking chamber. The smaller space means the hot air circulates more intensely around the food, producing a crispier exterior — similar to deep frying, but without the oil.
Most air fryers operate between 180°F (82°C) and 400°F (204°C), which covers the majority of everyday cooking tasks. Their compact size is both a strength and a limitation, as we'll explore below.
Size and Capacity
This is often the deciding factor for Australian households.
Air Fryer Capacity
Air fryers range from compact 2-litre models (ideal for one or two people) up to large 10-litre or dual-basket models that can handle a family meal. However, even the largest air fryers have a smaller usable cooking area than a full-size oven.
For a family of four, a 5–7 litre air fryer is typically sufficient for most meals. If you're cooking for a crowd or want to roast a whole chicken alongside vegetables, you may find yourself doing multiple batches.
Check out our buying guide for recommendations on the right capacity for your household size.
Convection Oven Capacity
A full-size convection oven offers far more cooking space — typically 60–90 litres for a standard built-in model. Benchtop convection ovens are smaller (usually 20–45 litres) but still significantly larger than most air fryers.
If you regularly cook large roasts, multiple trays of biscuits, or full sheet-pan dinners, a convection oven wins on capacity every time.
Cooking Performance
Crispiness and Browning
This is where the air fryer genuinely shines. Because the cooking chamber is smaller and the fan is more powerful, air fryers produce a crispier result on foods like chips, chicken wings, and crumbed schnitzels. The intense air circulation mimics the effect of deep frying without submerging food in oil.
Convection ovens can achieve similar results, but they typically take longer and may not produce quite the same level of crispiness — particularly for smaller, bite-sized foods.
For the crispiest chips and crumbed foods, the air fryer is the clear winner. See our recipes section for tips on getting the best results.
Baking
Convection ovens have the edge when it comes to baking. The larger space allows for more even heat distribution across multiple trays, and the lower fan speed (compared to an air fryer) is gentler on delicate baked goods like cakes, soufflés, and pastries.
Air fryers can bake — and many people successfully make muffins, banana bread, and even cakes in them — but the smaller space and more intense airflow can cause uneven browning or a dry exterior if you're not careful. You'll also need to use smaller baking tins.
Roasting
Both appliances roast well, but again, size matters. A convection oven can handle a full leg of lamb or a large roasting tray of vegetables without any fuss. An air fryer can roast a whole chicken (in a large enough model) or a generous serve of roast vegetables, but you may need to cook in batches for larger quantities.
For roast vegetables specifically, the air fryer often produces a crispier, more caramelised result in less time — a genuine advantage for weeknight cooking.
Reheating
Both appliances are excellent for reheating food, and both beat a microwave hands-down for restoring crispiness to leftovers. Pizza, fried chicken, spring rolls, and chips all reheat beautifully in either appliance.
The air fryer has a slight edge here due to its faster preheat time and more intense airflow. Most air fryers reach cooking temperature in 2–3 minutes, while a convection oven may take 10–15 minutes to fully preheat.
Cooking Speed
Air fryers are generally faster than convection ovens for most tasks, for two reasons:
- Faster preheat: Air fryers reach temperature in 2–3 minutes versus 10–15 minutes for a convection oven.
- More intense airflow: The smaller chamber and more powerful fan cook food faster.
As a rough guide, air fryer cooking times are typically 20–30% shorter than convection oven times for the same food. Chicken thighs that take 35 minutes at 375°F (190°C) in a convection oven might be done in 22–25 minutes in an air fryer at the same temperature.
For busy weeknight cooking, this speed advantage is significant.
Energy Efficiency and Running Costs
This is an important consideration for Australian households, where electricity prices have risen sharply in recent years.
Air Fryer Energy Use
Most air fryers draw between 1,200 and 1,800 watts. Because they cook faster and don't require a long preheat, the total energy used per meal is typically quite low — often 0.2–0.4 kWh for a standard meal.
Convection Oven Energy Use
A full-size convection oven typically draws 2,000–3,500 watts. Even with a fan-forced setting, the larger cavity takes longer to heat and maintain temperature. A typical roast dinner might use 1.5–2.5 kWh.
For everyday cooking tasks, an air fryer uses significantly less electricity than a full-size convection oven. A benchtop convection oven sits somewhere in between, typically drawing 1,200–1,800 watts — similar to an air fryer, but with a longer preheat time.
Over the course of a year, using an air fryer instead of a full-size oven for everyday meals can save a meaningful amount on your electricity bill. This is one of the key reasons air fryers have become so popular in Australian households.
Price Comparison
Air Fryer Prices
Air fryers are available across a wide price range in Australia:
- Budget models (under $80 AUD): Basic single-basket models, 3–4 litres, manual controls. Suitable for one or two people.
- Mid-range models ($80–$200 AUD): Digital controls, larger capacity (5–7 litres), preset cooking functions. The sweet spot for most households.
- Premium models ($200–$400+ AUD): Dual-basket models, smart connectivity, larger capacity. Brands like Ninja and Philips dominate this segment.
Check our compare models page for a full breakdown of the best air fryers at each price point.
Convection Oven Prices
- Built-in convection ovens: $800–$3,000+ AUD, plus installation costs.
- Benchtop convection ovens: $80–$400 AUD, depending on size and features.
If you're comparing a benchtop convection oven to an air fryer, the price ranges overlap significantly. A quality benchtop convection oven and a quality air fryer are often similarly priced.
Ease of Use and Cleaning
Air Fryer
Air fryers are generally very easy to use. Most models have simple digital controls, preset cooking functions, and a pull-out basket that's straightforward to load and unload. Cleaning is also relatively simple — the basket and any accessories are usually dishwasher-safe, and the compact size means there's less surface area to clean.
The main cleaning challenge is the heating element at the top of the unit, which can accumulate grease over time. A regular wipe-down with a damp cloth keeps this under control.
Convection Oven
Full-size convection ovens are more involved to clean, with a larger interior, multiple racks, and often a glass door that shows every splatter. Many modern ovens include a self-cleaning function, but this uses significant energy and takes several hours.
Benchtop convection ovens are easier to clean than full-size models, but still more involved than an air fryer due to their larger interior and multiple rack positions.
Versatility
What Can You Cook?
Both appliances are highly versatile, but in different ways.
Air fryers excel at: - Chips and wedges - Crumbed and battered foods - Chicken wings and drumsticks - Roast vegetables - Reheating leftovers - Quick weeknight meals - Frozen snacks and party food
Convection ovens excel at: - Large roasts - Multiple trays of baked goods - Slow roasting - Dehydrating - Cooking multiple dishes simultaneously - Anything requiring a large cooking surface
For most everyday Australian cooking, an air fryer covers the majority of tasks. If you regularly cook for large groups or do a lot of baking, a convection oven (or keeping your existing oven) makes more sense.
Browse our recipes section for inspiration on what you can make in each appliance.
Which Should You Buy?
Choose an Air Fryer If:
- You cook for one to four people most of the time
- You want faster cooking with less energy use
- You love crispy food without deep frying
- Counter space is limited
- You want a lower upfront cost
- You're looking to reduce your electricity bill
- You already have a standard oven for larger cooking tasks
Choose a Convection Oven If:
- You regularly cook for large groups
- You do a lot of baking across multiple trays
- You want to replace your existing oven entirely
- You need a larger cooking capacity for roasts and whole birds
- You prefer a single appliance that does everything
Consider Both If:
Many Australian households find that an air fryer and a convection oven (or standard fan-forced oven) complement each other perfectly. The air fryer handles quick weeknight meals, reheating, and crispy snacks, while the oven handles larger roasts, baking, and batch cooking.
If you already have a convection oven built into your kitchen, adding an air fryer is a low-cost way to speed up everyday cooking and reduce your energy use for smaller meals.
Our Recommendation
For most Australian households, an air fryer is the better everyday cooking appliance. It's faster, more energy-efficient, easier to clean, and produces excellent results for the foods most people cook regularly. The lower upfront cost and compact size make it accessible for renters, small households, and anyone who wants to reduce their reliance on a large oven.
If you're ready to find the right model, check out our air fryer reviews and buying guide for detailed recommendations across every budget and household size. Our compare models tool makes it easy to find the best air fryer for your specific needs.
For those who do a lot of baking or regularly cook for large groups, a quality convection oven remains the better choice — but even then, an air fryer makes a worthwhile addition to the kitchen.
Final Thoughts
The air fryer vs convection oven debate doesn't have a single right answer — it depends on how you cook, how many people you're feeding, and what you value most in a kitchen appliance. But for the majority of Australian home cooks, an air fryer offers the best combination of speed, efficiency, crispiness, and convenience.
Explore our blog for more comparisons, tips, and recipes to help you get the most out of your air fryer.
