Insignia vs Instant Pot – A Battle of Pressure Cookers!

With over multiple hundred thousand of satisfied customers, the Instant Pot pressure cooker/multi-cooker is crowned as America’s #1 multicooker. It packs the power of 7 kitchen appliances in one and cooks faster as well. This cooker has made kitchen life easier for many.

However, a new player has seemed to enter the game - the Insignia cooker. It’s an almost identical cooker as the Instant Pot, at a much lower price point. And the price tag of almost half of the Instant Pot makes it a considerable choice for many in the first place.

So, Insignia vs Instant Pot, which one should you buy? With this article, we aim to help you solve that riddle.

1. Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooker/Multicooker Review

Of all the Instant Pot products, the Duo series is the most popular and comes with all the basic systems features available in all the other Instant Pot products. Thus, in this Instant Pot vs Insignia comparison, we’re taking the Instant Pot Duo (the 6-quart model) as a point of reference.

First, the Duo is a 7-in-1 electric pressure cooker that is supposed to replace seven kitchen appliances - Pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, saute pan, warmer, and yogurt maker.

In the 6-quart model, the pot is not small. And definitely not so for the 8-quart model, rather a bit bulky I'd say. Still, given its multiple use cases and versatility, I think some counter space is worth sacrificing. Also, we need to consider the fact that it cooks for three to five times faster than a standard stovetop and thus saves you a lot of energy cost.

The IP features a rich control panel with buttons and an LCD screen. With this panel, you tell the cooker what you want to cook and for how long. However, there's a little learning curve associated with getting used to the appliance so you want to try out some tested recipes first, like potatoes or plain rice.

To begin with, you may also take advantage of the 14 pre-loaded settings for cooking ribs, soups, poultry, rice, beans, yogurt, and other things on autopilot and see how they come out. Once you've got a hold, you may experiment.

Build-quality of the IP cooker is top-notch. It features a stainless-steel inner pot with 3-ply bottom for extra-durability. The lid and other major components are also made of stainless steel and are fingerprint-resistant and durable.

2. Insignia Pressure Cooker/Multicooker Review

The brand, Insignia covers a range of products, including several models of electric pressure cookers. Though the brand doesn’t seem to be as committed as Instant Pot to enhancing life in the kitchen, there are some interesting features to their multicooker.

Their 6-quart multi-cooker that we're looking at today, seems pretty identical to the IP's cooker above in terms of looks and functionality. Among the very few differences that can be noticed, the major one has to be the non-stick inner pot instead of the stainless steel made one of the IP, which is more desirable.

The control panel seems a little different as well. But apart from those, it can be hard to differentiate the models for someone who doesn’t know them pretty well already.

The Insignia 6-quart design features 14 pre-set programs. Among those, there's also a program to make a cake which is not there in the IP, but otherwise, the settings look almost the same. It allows setting three levels of pressure and temperature, Keep Warm and Delay Start functions.  

The Insignia is quite a cheaper multi cooker compared to the Instant Pot, and that’s where things get interesting, mostly. It gets the basics right as the Instant Pot model, at a noticeably cheaper price.

However, there were some corners that were cut. Firstly, the Insignia doesn't feature as many safety mechanisms as the IP. According to them, there is a lid lock, automatic pressure release, venting system, protection for the valve, overheat protection, and a gasket to seal the lid.

It’s not an unsafe cooker at all having these bunch of features, but the Instant Pot goes a little further to ensure top-notch safety.

Another thing that might separate these two manufacturers from each other is their approach. Instant Pot is much more committed to improving their cookers and make kitchen life easier by introducing a range of other kitchen appliances. Whereas, there's not much more offering from Insignia in this aspect.

They offer only another 8-quart model of the multi-cooker and that’s it.

So from a brand perspective, the Instant Pot seems to be the much more reliable brand to rely on for long terms.

Insignia vs Instant Pot - Which One to Buy Then?

I'm trying to be unbiased, but because both of the items I used as a point of reference are so similar in construction and features, it's a little harder. Still, this is your decision eventually, so here's my final ruling:

Pick an Instant Pot If

• You’d like to pick America’s one of the tops, if not the top multicooker ever.
• Their emphasis on safety features makes it calming for your mind.
• You would like to work with some of the most prominent and established electric pressure cookers on the market.
• You like the variety that their items can bring.
• You want to be part of a strong online cooking community that offers assistance and advice.

Select Insignia If

• You’re on a tight budget.
• You want to try electric cookers or multi cookers and you're not yet prepared to spend too much.
• The lack of a dedicated yogurt-making preset doesn’t cause much botheration to you.
• You want a pretty much identical product as America’s one of the top multi cookers but at a noticeable lower price point.

InSignia vs Instant pot | Budget vs Premium Electric Cooker Comparison

Wrap Up

If you’re still confused, here’s an even straight-forward summary to decide - 

If you'd like to have a great multi-cooker, almost identical to the Popular Instant Pot cooker, but your budget is low, then the Insignia is a no-brainer. But if you’ve got the money to spend and would appreciate the reliability and originality the Instant Pot offers, then that’s the way to go.