With a world of choice and information at our fingertips, shopping has almost gotten more difficult than ever as we’re presented with more and more options for each purchase. If you love smoothies, then you need a bullet blender in your life, and when it comes to bullet blenders, there really are just two machines that you need to know about.
Here, we compare the Magic Bullet vs Nutribullet side by side to make it easier for you to decide which one will be best suited to your needs. After all, what’s right for one person, isn’t necessarily right for another, so you need to make this decision for yourself.
Luckily, while both a Magic Bullet and a Nutribullet ultimately have the same end-use, they’re actually quite different machines. Let’s dive straight in and see what they are.
Magic Bullet vs Nutribullet: Direct Comparison
Essentially, both of these blenders are going to achieve the same thing, which is to make delicious and healthy smoothies, frozen drinks, dips, and sauces. However, after using both blenders side by side, it’s pretty easy to see how different they are.
Breaking it down one by one, we’ve compared the two in terms of their motor speed, blades, capacity, extras, and affordability, so you can judge for yourself which you think is better.
1. Motor Speed
The first thing we looked at was the power of the motors or motor speed. Household blenders can vary in the amount of power they consume by many hundreds of watts. Usually, the power they draw is a good indicator as to how powerful and fast the machine can blend.
The faster the blades spin (RPM) will not only decrease your blending time but will also result in a much smoother finish as the ingredients are blitzed around more quickly and thoroughly. That being said, it’s also worth checking out consumer reviews when it comes to performance as the power of the motor is not always directly equal to its performance.
Magic Bullet
The Magic Bullet has a 250-watt motor, which, in the realm of countertop blenders, isn’t that much at all. You need to consider what you will mainly be using the bullet blender for, before deciding that higher power equals better.
A 250-watt motor will sufficiently blend the majority of ingredients for a smoothie, and the RPM will not be so fast as to ruin certain foods, like ice, rice, and potatoes, by turning them into mush. If you like chunky salsa, then a lower RPM will be your friend.
Nutribullet
The Nutribullet, on the other hand, has a massive 600-watt motor. This more powerful motor will come in handy if you like your smoothies ultra-smooth. It will also blend them in record time (against the Magic Bullet), and make light work of all your ingredients such as nuts, oats, flax, raisins, and goji berries.
2. Blades
The blades used in a blender are important as different blades are better at chopping and blitzing different ingredients. You need to make sure that your blender has blades that can achieve what you want them to do.
Not only are there different types of blades but also different quality and durability levels. Some blades will require higher maintenance and need sharpening from time to time, and some will need replacing.
Magic Bullet
The Nutribullet comes with pretty much the same blades as the Magic Bullet except the cross blade is called an extractor blade. You don’t, however, get the ice shaver blade as an optional extra. Probably because the RPM is too fast and will just make the ice mushy rather than shave it.
Nutribullet
This blender comes with two stainless steel blades, which don’t ever need to be sharpened (low maintenance, which is great!). A cross blade for chopping, grating, and crushing, this blade will be good for ingredients like onions, tomatoes, meat, and cheese. It is great for getting the best nutrition out of fruits by crushing the seeds and pits.
You also get a flat milling blade, which is perfect for grinding coffee beans, spices, and nuts. You can use this blade to whip up some cream and make deliciously frothy milkshakes.
If you go for the larger, 26-piece version of the Magic Bullet, you will also get an ice shaver blade used for making snow cones.
3. Capacity
The capacity of your blender is important as you want to make sure that it will hold enough for your needs. As a single-serve blender, it’s even more important to have the capacity right. This is so that if it’s too small, you’ll effectively have to make everything twice, which would be pretty annoying!
Magic Bullet
Rather frustratingly, the capacity information for the Magic Bullet is lacking from the manufacturer’s website, potentially because the capacity itself is rather lacking. This personal blender comes with a “tall cup” that holds 16 ounces, as well as a short cup with a capacity of 10 ounces.
Nutribullet
The Nutribullet has a much more generous capacity. The larger cup holds 24 ounces, while the smaller cup holds 18 ounces. This shows that even the smaller cup holds more than the large cup of the Magic Blender.
4. Extras
This is important as we like to get value for our money. This is also the reason why we always like to see what comes in the box together with the product. What added-value items does the manufacturer provide to make your life easier, or enhance the usefulness of their product?
Magic Bullet
The Magic Bullet blender comes with two mixing cups: a larger cup, which is more appropriate for smoothies and drinks, and a smaller cup, which is great if you just want to grind coffee beans or make a small amount of salsa or dip to go with your chips and movie.
This also comes with the two resealable lids, a comfort lip ring to make drinking your smoothies more comfortable, a flip-top takeaway lid, a mug with another comfort lip ring, and a book of 10-second recipes.
In the larger 26-piece version, you get another large mixing cup, four further mugs with colored lids, a recipe book, and the ice shaver blade. This package is indeed a really great deal with loads of added extras. It’s really handy having a second larger cup, especially for making yourself and your partner morning smoothies while in a hurry.
Nutribullet
The Nutribullet comes with one large mixing cup that is equipped with a comfort lip ring. It also comes with a smaller cup with a handle and lip ring attachment. If you buy this device, you get to enjoy the benefits of its mobile app, which comes stacked with recipes and, when used correctly, is akin to having your own personal nutritionist.
There are also options to purchase larger packages and extra mixing cups for the Nutribullet, so we would definitely recommend this.
5. Affordability
The affordability of any product is always important. The amount of use you will get out of the product in question and how long the product will last you are important factors to consider when looking at the affordability, as well as your budget.
Sometimes, even a large price difference, when spread over many years, can suddenly seem insignificant if it means that you’ll get more use out of it somehow.
Magic Bullet
The Magic Bullet, with its smaller motor, is much more affordable compared to the other product. Even if you don’t think you’ll get a lot of use out of this bullet blender, it’s such a small investment that it will be easier to make the investment worthwhile. It will also be easier to work into your monthly budget.
Nutribullet
The Nutribullet is more expensive, which is understandable due to its better-performing motor. Then again, it may not be worth the investment for some people.
The Results
Below, we discuss which of the two types of bullet blender wins according to the different categories that we tested them in.
Magic Bullet
- Motor speed: 250 watts
- Blades: Three blades available in total (a cross blade, flat blade, ice shaver)
- Capacity: 16- and 10-ounce mixing cups
- Extras: One extra cup, resealable lids, comfort rings, takeaway flip-up lid
- Affordability: More affordable
Nutribullet
- Motor speed: 600 watts
- Blades: Two blades available in total (extractor blade, flat blade)
- Capacity: 24- and 18-ounce mixing cups
- Extras: Lids, comfort rings, and app
- Affordability: More expensive
1. Motor Speed
This was a tough one to judge straight out of the door as it really does depend on what you want to get out of your bullet blender. The Nutribullet is the clear winner when it comes to smoothie making so if this is your primary objective then the Nutribullet will be faster and better at this particular task.
The Magic Bullet, however, is a much better all-rounder so if you want a small blender for a variety of functions (we do love a good chunky salsa) then this will be the better option.
2. Blades
You don’t get the ice shaver blade as standard with the Magic Bullet so we felt it was fairer to judge them with their standard blades. The standard blades are the same, so in this case we also call a tie.
3. Capacity
The capacity of the Magic Bullet is perfectly acceptable for many people and is applicable for many uses. We personally think the larger capacities are much more user-friendly. We like a 24-ounce cup for our morning smoothies and, if you’re making a second smoothie for a partner, then 18 ounces is still pretty decent.
4. Extras
At first glance, we had the Magic Bullet down as this category winner, but then we used the Nutribullet app (which is fantastic, by the way), and it made us rethink the options. We then decided to also take into consideration that two larger capacities cups may still be better than three smaller ones.
The handle that comes with one of the lids on the Nutribullet is pretty cool too, so we changed our minds and awarded the best extras winner to the Nutribullet.
5. Affordability
Unless you know for sure that you will get a lot of use out of a bullet blender, then the investment required for the Nutribullet Blender just may not be worth the risk. You may have great intentions to have healthy smoothies every day, but are they realistic?
If there is a chance that the blender will end up sitting in the back of the cupboard, going unused, then perhaps you should start with the lower investment of the Magic Bullet.
The Advantages and Drawbacks of Using Either One
Magic Bullet
Pros
- Versatile, personal blender
- Space-saving design
- Great quality blades
- Dishwasher-safe cups
- Free recipe book
- Comes with more extras
Cons
- Doesn’t blend as smoothly as Nutribullet
- Smaller capacity cups
- Only one speed
Nutribullet
Pros
- Best for smoothies
- Space-saving design
- Great quality blades
- Dishwasher-safe cups
- Good capacity mixing cups
- Free nutrition app
Cons
- Easy to over-blend some ingredients
- Quite expensive
- Only one speed
Final Verdict
When looking at the Magic Bullet vs Nutribullet, it really does come down to personal preference when it comes to deciding which one is the best. They both chop, mix, and blend, fresh, frozen, and dry ingredients, and they both will help you maintain a much healthier lifestyle overall—a diet that is free of additives and preservatives!
On closer inspection, however, we found that these bullet blenders are actually pretty different. The Magic Bullet is a fantastic kitchen companion when it comes to helping out with a larger variety of chopping and mixing tasks.
Depending on the ingredients you put in it, however, it may not blend a smoothie to be completely “bitless.” Then again, some people don’t mind the odd bit of pulp. If you are looking for a single-serve blender that can achieve more than just smoothies, then this may be the machine for you as the versatility it offers is great.
On the other hand, if you tend to head straight to the smooth orange juice section, then the Nutribullet is going to be your perfect partner. With a much more powerful motor behind it, the Nutribullet will help you achieve a much smoother smoothie, and in record time too! Don’t forget to use the free app to help you stay on track to a healthier lifestyle.
For argument’s sake, in a battle between these two bullet blenders, the Nutribullet wins the battle on paper, but which will win a place in your kitchen?