The best food scales for every budget

The picks, one by one

Best overall

Escali Primo Digital Food Scale · about $25

Bon Appétit and Food Network both name it their overall winner. It gave reliable readings in testing, has an 11-pound capacity and a simple two-button design without the premium price of feature-heavy scales.

Bon Appétit reports that it responds quickly, tares readily and stays accurate in repeated use. Its raised platform helps keep the display visible with a large bowl, and the sealed controls and plastic body are easy to wipe clean. It uses 1-gram increments, which work for most cooking and baking, but not fine coffee dosing. The display is not backlit, and its platform may feel small with especially wide containers.

Good to know: The display is not backlit and the scale only measures in 1-gram increments.

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Best value

Greater Goods Compact Digital Kitchen Scale · about $15

Food Network found it accurate, stable and easy to clean, and its reported Amazon price was about $15—well below the Escali. Its thin, compact shape is handy when drawer or counter space is limited.

In Food Network’s tests, it measured accurately and was simple to operate and wipe down. Despite its small profile, it has an 11-pound maximum capacity and supports grams, pounds and ounces, milliliters, and fluid ounces. The slim platform is less suitable for bulky items or wide bowls. Choose the Escali instead if you want a more established all-around pick with a longer track record in expert reviews.

Good to know: Its small platform is less convenient for large items and wide bowls.

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Cheapest that's still good

Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display · about $11

Recent Bon Appétit and The Kitchn reviews recommend it as a budget option, with The Kitchn reporting strong accuracy in testing. At about $11, it is the lowest-priced pick here that still has meaningful expert testing behind it.

It has an 11-pound capacity, a compact footprint and a simple two-button layout. Bon Appétit found its readings accurate most of the time, though it could briefly overshoot or give a slightly off reading after repeated additions or unit changes. The Kitchn also noted that its small, unlit display is harder to read and flour can lodge around the buttons and platform. It is a sensible basic scale for occasional cooking or meal prep, but less appealing for frequent baking.

Good to know: The small, unlit display is harder to read, and flour can collect around the controls.

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How Danilli chose

Food Network tested 10 scales by weighing four nickels together and in different spots, then checking stability and cleaning after a flour-and-oil mess sat for 20 minutes. Bon Appétit tested 16 models over several years, while Tom’s Guide also used calibrated weights and everyday cooking to assess a Danilli read the reviews and tests below and compared current prices; it does not take money from brands to pick a product.

Sources: Bon Appétit · Food Network · The Kitchn · Tom’s Guide

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