Quooker vs Sparkling Water Machine: An Honest Comparison
If you're choosing between a Quooker tap and a sparkling water machine for sparkling water at home, the honest answer is that it depends on how you want sparkling water to fit into your kitchen. A Quooker is a built-in 4-in-1 tap that gives you sparkling water on demand from the same fixture as your boiling and chilled water — a permanent install with a price tag to match. A sparkling water machine sits on your countertop, makes sparkling water in seconds, and costs a fraction of the price upfront. Both produce great sparkling water. The right choice comes down to your kitchen, your habits, and how much you want to commit upfront.
This post is written by the team behind CO2 YOU. At CO2 YOU, we make sparkling water machines and we also sell cylinders that fit Quookers - so wherever you land, we can help.
Quooker vs sparkling water machine - the short answer
A Quooker is a kitchen renovation decision.
A sparkling water machine is a kitchen appliance decision.
They produce broadly the same end result — cold, sparkling water at home — but the way they get there, the price point, and the lifestyle around them are different enough that they're really solving slightly different problems.
If you're renovating and you want one tap that does everything, get a Quooker. If you want sparkling water at home without rebuilding the kitchen first, a sparkling water machine like The Bubbla is the more proportionate answer.
The rest of this post unpacks why.
What is a Quooker tap?
A Quooker is a UK brand of 4-in-1 tap. It connects to a tap delivering 100°C boiling water alongside chilled still and chilled sparkling water, with the sparkling function powered by a separate CO2 cylinder housed in a unit beneath your sink.
It is a serious purchase. A Quooker tap with sparkling water capability - including the tank, the filter system, and installation - typically lands somewhere between £2,000 and £3,500 in the UK, depending on the model. It needs to be plumbed in, sized to your worktop, and connected to mains water, so it's a kitchen renovation decision rather than a single appliance buy.
What is a sparkling water machine?
A sparkling water machine is a countertop appliance, usually around the size of a kettle, that you fill with tap water, attach to a bottle, and pull a lever. Out comes sparkling water in a few seconds. The carbonation comes from a CO2 cylinder housed inside the machine, which you replace when it runs out.
The Bubbla - our sparkling water machine - is designed to do exactly this: tap water in, sparkling water out, no plumbing, no install, no permanence.
How much does each one cost?
This is where the two diverge sharply.
A Quooker setup with sparkling water capability comes in at roughly £2,000–£3,500 in the UK before installation, depending on which tap and which filter combination you choose. After install, the running cost is the CO2 cylinder, which you replace every couple of months depending on use, plus the filter cartridge, which is replaced annually.
The Bubbla, our countertop sparkling water machine is £120, or half price when you sign up to a gas subscription - closer to the price of a good coffee grinder than kitchen renovation.
The ongoing running cost is the CO2 cylinder, replaced every couple of months depending on use, delivered to your door on subscription.
Both setups use a 60-litre cylinder, so the ongoing carbonation cost is broadly similar - the difference is almost entirely the upfront. One important thing to note is a Quooker tap uses a Quooker cylinder, but The Bubbla uses a screw-in cylinder. CO2 YOU sells both options, but you need to make sure you buy the right one for the right machine.
Kitchen fit and install: who's the right buyer for each?
A Quooker fits people who are renovating their kitchen anyway, want one tap that does several jobs (boiling, chilled still, chilled sparkling), have the under-sink space for the tank, want zero countertop footprint, and are happy to commit £2,000 or more upfront for a permanent install.
The Bubbla fits people who want a handy sparkling water machine at home without making physical changes to their kitchen, are renting accommodation, or aren't ready to commit to a built-in install, want a smaller upfront cost, don't mind having a small appliance on the worktop, and want a set up they can move with them or upgrade later.
For most UK homes, The Bubbla is the more proportionate answer - same end result, a fraction of the upfront commitment, and zero installation.
Using CO2 YOU cylinders with your Quooker
One thing worth knowing if you already own a Quooker, or are about to: CO2 YOU sells a Quooker-compatible cylinder that fits directly. The cylinder is delivered to your door on the same doorstep subscription we use for The Bubbla — when the current cylinder runs out, the new one arrives and we collect the empty in the same trip.
For Quooker owners, that means lower ongoing cylinder cost and no need to remember to restock. If you've got questions about which cylinder you need or how the subscription works, our customer care team can help.
For more on this, our Quooker CO2 alternatives guide goes into the cylinder options in more detail.
The verdict
If you're mid-renovation and the integrated boiling-and-sparkling function of a Quooker earns its place in the kitchen you're building, a Quooker can make sense. If you want sparkling water at home without renovating first, The Bubbla is the more proportionate answer — same end result, a fraction of the upfront cost, and a doorstep cylinder subscription that lands without you having to think about it.
For most UK homes, that's the right call.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Quooker worth it just for sparkling water?
For most people, no. A Quooker makes sense if you're going to use the boiling, chilled, and sparkling functions together — replacing a kettle, a filter jug, and a sparkling water source in one fixture. If sparkling water is the only function you actually want, a countertop machine like The Bubbla gives you the same end result at a fraction of the upfront cost, with no install required.
Can you use CO2 YOU cylinders with a Quooker?
Yes. CO2 YOU sells a Quooker-compatible CO2 cylinder that fits directly. At CO2 YOU, you can use the same doorstep delivery subscription whether you own a Quooker or The Bubbla - same 60-litre volume, same delivery model, and our customer care team can help if you're unsure which is right for your setup.
How much does a Quooker cost compared to a sparkling water machine?
A Quooker setup with sparkling water comes in at roughly £2,000–£3,500 in the UK before installation, depending on the tap and filter combination. The Bubbla costs as little as £60 upfront with cylinders sold separately or on a subscription. The ongoing cylinder cost is broadly similar across both setups.
How long does a Quooker CO2 cylinder last?
A Quooker CO2 cylinder produces around 60 litres of sparkling water - the same volume as a Bubbla cylinder. How long that lasts depends on how much sparkling water you drink. For a household drinking roughly a litre a day, that's around two months per cylinder.
Do you need to install plumbing for a sparkling water machine?
No. A countertop sparkling water machine like The Bubbla needs no plumbing - you fill the bottle from the tap, attach it, and pull the lever press the button. It doesn’t require any wires or being plugged in. It plugs into nothing on the wall. A Quooker, by contrast, plumbs in under the sink and needs to be installed by a professional.Want sparkling water at home without renovating the kitchen first? The Bubbla pours fresh sparkling water from tap water in seconds - no install, no plumbing, just better water.
