Best Countertop Dishwasher (6 Picks for Small Kitchens and Renters)

A countertop dishwasher sits beside the sink, borrows water from the faucet and drains back into the sink. There is no plumber, no cabinet to rip out and nothing for a landlord to approve.

That makes it the most practical dishwasher for apartments, studios and rentals. The catch is size, so the right one depends on your plates, your faucet and how much counter you can give up.

This page looks only at countertop machines in depth. For fridges, freezers and built-in 18-inch models as well, see our compact Energy Star appliances roundup.

The short version: The Midea MDC22P1AWW is the best countertop dishwasher for most small kitchens. It is quiet, ENERGY STAR certified and has eight cycles, including one for baby bottles. If your faucet cannot take an adapter, get the Midea MDC17P4CWW with its own water tank. Before you buy any of them, measure your largest dinner plate.

Our Picks at a Glance

• Best overall: Midea MDC22P1AWW Countertop DishwasherJump to review ↓
• Best for flexible scheduling: BLACK+DECKER BCD6W Compact Countertop DishwasherJump to review ↓
• Best for large dinner plates: SPT SD-2224DS Countertop DishwasherJump to review ↓
• Best for tall glasses and bottles: Danby DDW631SDB Countertop DishwasherJump to review ↓
• Best with a water tank: Midea MDC17P4CWW Countertop Dishwasher with 5L TankJump to review ↓
• Best step up: SPT SD-9263SS 18-Inch Portable DishwasherJump to review ↓

Five of these sit on the counter. The sixth is a wheeled 18-inch machine for anyone who has floor space but no plumbing.

Countertop Dishwashers Compared

Model	Water source	Capacity	Size (W x D x H)	Water per cycle	Programs
Midea MDC22P1AWW	Faucet hookup	6 place settings	21.7 x 19.7 x 17.2 in	2.0 gal	8
BLACK+DECKER BCD6W	Faucet hookup	6 place settings, 10-in plates	21.7 x 19.5 x 16.9 in	2.0 gal	7
SPT SD-2224DS	Faucet hookup	6 place settings, 10.25-in plates	21.65 x 19.69 x 17.24 in	2.85 gal	7
Danby DDW631SDB	Faucet hookup	6 place settings, 12.4-in tall tub	21.65 x 20.65 x 17.25 in	3.1 gal	8
Midea MDC17P4CWW	5-liter tank or faucet	2 place settings	16.5 x 17.5 x 18.4 in	About 1.3 gal	5 plus extra dry
SPT SD-9263SS	Faucet hookup, on the floor	8 place settings	17.64 x 23.63 x 35.63 in	2.6 to 5 gal	6

1. Midea MDC22P1AWW Countertop Dishwasher: Best Overall

Midea is one of the biggest names in compact dishwashers, and this is the one to start with. It does the core job well and keeps the extras useful rather than gimmicky.

At 52 dBA it is one of the quieter countertop machines. That matters in a studio, where the dishwasher and your bed may share one room. Our studio apartment kitchen ideas cover more ways to make that shared space work.

The cycle list is where it pulls ahead. Baby-Care is made for bottles and pump parts. Mini-party is a short wash for a few glasses after guests leave. ECO is the everyday setting.

The inlet hose, drain hose, faucet adapter and quick-connect fitting all come in the box.

Who should buy it: Singles, couples and new parents in apartments who want the most capable all-rounder for the space.

2. BLACK+DECKER BCD6W Compact Countertop Dishwasher: Best for Flexible Scheduling

The BCD6W has been on the market for years, which counts for something with a small appliance. Parts, manuals and owner tips are easy to find.

What sets it apart is timing. The delay start runs up to 24 hours, three times the 8-hour limit on the SPT and Danby. You can load it after dinner and set it to run at night or while you are at work. That helps if your power company charges less at off-peak hours, or if you share a faucet you need in the evening.

Its Soak program loosens dried-on food first, which helps with oatmeal bowls and egg pans left from breakfast. For heavier pans, our guide on how to clean stainless steel pans covers what a dishwasher cannot.

At 16.9 inches tall, it is also the shortest faucet-hookup model here.

Who should buy it: People who want the dishwasher to run while they sleep or work, and anyone with tight clearance under the cabinets.

3. SPT SD-2224DS Countertop Dishwasher: Best for Large Dinner Plates

SPT (Sunpentown) is a specialist in compact appliances. Its countertop dishwashers are less common on big-box lists, but they are built around one thing: fitting real dinnerware.

This model takes dishware up to 10.25 inches across. That extra quarter inch can decide whether a dinner plate stands up or lies flat. Check your own plates against our guide to dinnerware sets if you are about to buy new ones anyway.

The tub is stainless steel. Steel holds heat after the final rinse, and that helps dishes dry by residual heat. It also resists stains from tomato sauce and curry better than plastic.

SPT gives exact faucet sizes for its adapter, which fits standard aerators with 15/16-inch outside threads or 55/64-inch inside threads. That makes it easy to check before you order.

Who should buy it: Anyone with 10-inch or larger dinner plates who wants a stainless tub without paying for a portable machine.

4. Danby DDW631SDB Countertop Dishwasher: Best for Tall Glasses and Bottles

Danby is a Canadian company that focuses on compact appliances, and this is its most capable countertop model. The number to notice is inside: a 12.4-inch-tall tub.

Many countertop models, including Danby’s own white DDW621, are about 11.6 inches tall inside. That extra inch is what lets wine glasses, tall tumblers and sports bottles stand up without hitting the spray arm. It also helps with baby bottles, and there is a Baby Care cycle for them.

The silver finish and stainless interior look more like a regular appliance than white plastic, which matters when it is always on show.

It is a little deeper than the others at 20.65 inches. Measure from the wall to the counter edge before you order.

Who should buy it: Wine drinkers, smoothie makers and parents with tall bottles who are tired of laying glasses on their side.

5. Midea MDC17P4CWW Countertop Dishwasher with 5L Tank: Best With a Water Tank

This is the answer to the most common search about these machines: a countertop dishwasher with no hookup. You fill the tank with a jug, press start, and it washes with what you poured in.

Pull-down faucets, sprayer heads and faucets with no threads all work fine, because you never touch the faucet. It also suits RVs and dorms.

The drain hose still needs to reach a sink or a bucket. Plan its spot with that in mind.

A cycle holds about four dinner plates with cups and side bowls, so it suits one person or a couple. At the end, the door pops open to let steam out. Plastic still dries best on a rack, and our dish drying rack ideas for small kitchens show compact options that fit beside it.

Who should buy it: Renters with a pull-down faucet, RV owners and solo cooks who run a small load every day or two.

6. SPT SD-9263SS 18-Inch Portable Dishwasher: Best Step Up

This one stands on the floor, not the counter, and hooks to the faucet the same way. Many people shopping for a countertop dishwasher really need more capacity. Eight place settings is enough for a family of three or a couple who cooks every night. Full-size dinner plates, a stockpot lid and a mid-size saucepan all go in.

The trade is floor space and weight. It needs a spot about the size of a small base cabinet, and at 114 pounds you will not move it often. Our small kitchen layout ideas can help you find one.

Who should buy it: Couples and small families in rentals who cook daily and have a free corner of floor near the sink.

How Does a Countertop Dishwasher Connect to a Faucet?

Most models use a quick-connect adapter. You unscrew the aerator, the small mesh cap at the tip of your faucet, and screw the adapter on in its place. A hose carries clean water from it to the dishwasher, and a drain hose empties into the sink.

To run a cycle, snap the hose on and turn the tap to warm or hot. When the cycle ends, turn the tap off and unclip the hose.

Will It Work With My Faucet?

It works with most standard threaded faucets. It usually does not work with pull-down or pull-out sprayers, many touch-free faucets, or faucets with no threads at the tip.

Unscrew your aerator and check for threads, and note whether they are on the outside (male) or inside (female). Hardware stores sell small adapters that bridge most size gaps.

If your faucet will not take an adapter, a water tank model is the clean fix. That is far easier than swapping a faucet in a rental.

Can You Use the Sink While It Runs?

Not the faucet. It is tied up for the whole cycle, which can run close to two hours on a normal setting. You can still use the sink basin, as long as the drain hose sits where it will not get knocked loose.

A cutting board that fits over the sink helps here. You keep a prep surface while the hose and drain do their work below.

Faucet Hookup vs. Water Tank: Which One Do You Need?

This is the first choice to make, and it decides the rest.

	Faucet hookup	Water tank
How it fills	From the tap through a hose	You pour about 5 liters in by hand
Faucet needed	Standard threaded faucet	Any, or none nearby
Typical capacity	6 place settings	2 to 4 place settings
Ties up the faucet	Yes, during each cycle	No
Best for	Daily use, two or more people	Pull-down faucets, RVs, dorms

A faucet hookup model suits most kitchens, since it holds three times as much. A tank model wins when the faucet will not cooperate, and many can switch to a faucet hookup later.

How Many Dishes Really Fit?

“Six place settings” sounds like dinner for six. In practice, it is closer to one day of dishes for two people.

A place setting is a standard test set: a dinner plate, side plate, bowl, cup, saucer, glass and utensils. Real kitchens add mixing bowls, a pot and food storage tubs, which fill space fast.

Measure Your Dinner Plates First

Plates that are too big are the most common reason people return a countertop dishwasher.

Most 6-place countertop models take plates up to about 10 inches across. Many modern dinner plates are 10.5 to 11 inches. Measure yours across the widest part, rim included.

If yours are too wide, lay them flat and accept fewer per load, pick the SPT, or switch to smaller plates. Our guide to what ceramic dinnerware is helps if you are choosing new plates.

What About Pots and Pans?

Small saucepans and lids fit. A 10-inch skillet usually fits only if nothing else is in the rack.

Some cookware should not go in any dishwasher. Nonstick coatings wear faster, and you can read why in our explainer on what nonstick cookware is. Cast iron rusts. Good knives dull and their handles crack, so keep them on a magnetic knife strip and wash them by hand.

Do Countertop Dishwashers Dry Well?

They dry glass and ceramic well. Plastic is another story.

Most countertop machines use residual heat. The final rinse is hot, and that heat helps water evaporate after the cycle ends. Glass and ceramic hold heat, so they dry. Plastic does not, so tubs and lids come out wet.

Rinse aid helps water sheet off instead of beading. A bottle of Finish Jet-Dry rinse aid goes into the same dispenser a full-size machine uses. Opening the door a crack after the cycle lets steam out, which is what the auto-open door on the Midea tank model does for you.

Plastic containers can finish on a rack or a towel. Our tips for organizing food storage containers also help you keep the lids sorted after washing.

How Long Does a Cycle Take?

A normal cycle on a countertop dishwasher runs about two hours. Heavy cycles run a little longer. Quick or rapid cycles can finish in about 40 minutes, but they use less heat and suit lightly soiled dishes.

Long cycles are not a fault. Lower heat and longer soaking use less energy than a short, hot blast. Use delay start so the time does not matter: start it before bed and empty it in the morning.

Water and Energy Use in Plain Terms

A certified 6-place countertop dishwasher uses about 2 to 3 gallons of water per load. That is less than one minute of a kitchen faucet running, since most faucets flow at up to 2.2 gallons a minute.

Energy use is low as well. The ENERGY STAR models here are rated around 155 kWh a year. At roughly 16 cents per kWh, that is about $25 a year.

What you are doing	Water used
Countertop dishwasher, normal cycle	About 2 to 3 gallons
Water tank model, one cycle	About 1.3 gallons
18-inch portable, normal cycle	About 2.6 to 5 gallons
Kitchen faucet running for 5 minutes	Up to 11 gallons

So a full load usually beats hand washing under a running tap, but a half-empty one does not. For more ways to trim your bill, see how to reduce kitchen energy use in a small apartment.

Where Will It Go? Counter Space and Placement

Place it right next to the sink, so the roughly 5-foot hoses reach the faucet and basin without stretching.

Check these four numbers before you order:

1. Width and depth: Most 6-place models need about 22 by 20 inches of counter.
2. Height under cabinets: Most are about 17 inches tall. Standard upper cabinets sit about 18 inches above the counter, so there is little room to spare.
3. Door swing: The door drops down and forward. With it open, the machine can need over 30 inches of depth.
4. Power: Plug it straight into a grounded outlet. Do not use an extension cord with a water appliance.

Our ideas to make more counter space in a small kitchen and to store small appliances in a small kitchen can free up the room. In a narrow kitchen, our galley kitchen ideas show how to keep the main prep zone open.

Planning a bigger change? A porcelain sink with a drainboard gives clean dishes a landing spot.

Tips for Renters

A countertop dishwasher is one of the best renter-friendly kitchen upgrades because it changes nothing permanent. A few habits keep it that way:

• Keep the old aerator. Put it in a labeled bag under the sink so you can put it back when you move out. Our guide to organizing under the kitchen sink has a spot for it.
• Skip rolling carts. At about 45 pounds empty, it needs a solid counter.
• Disconnect between uses. Unclip the hose after each cycle. Then the faucet is free and nothing leaks while you are out.

How to Keep It Running Well

Clean the filter at the bottom of the tub every week or two, since a small filter clogs fast. Once a month, run an empty hot cycle with a dishwasher cleaner. Our guide on how to clean a dishwasher walks through each step.

Is a Countertop Dishwasher Worth It?

For most people with no built-in dishwasher, yes. It saves time, uses less water than a running tap and moves with you. It is worth it if:

• You cook at home most days and wash dishes daily.
• You have about 22 by 20 inches of counter beside the sink.
• Your plates are 10 inches or smaller, or you can lay them flat.

It is not worth it if:

• You cook a few times a week and wash by hand in minutes.
• That counter space is your only prep area.
• You need to wash large pots and sheet pans most of the time.

Cooking for one? A countertop machine handles one person’s dishes with room to spare, and our guide to cooking for one without wasting food keeps the pile small.

Countertop vs. Portable vs. Built-In Dishwashers

Type	Where it sits	Capacity	Hookup	Best for
Countertop	On the counter beside the sink	2 to 6 place settings	Faucet or water tank	Studios, rentals, 1 to 2 people
Portable 18-inch	On the floor, rolls on wheels	About 8 place settings	Faucet	Rentals with floor space, 2 to 3 people
Built-in 18-inch	Under the counter, plumbed	About 8 place settings	Permanent plumbing	Owners doing a remodel

A built-in needs a plumber, a free cabinet bay and permission if you rent. If you own and are planning work, our small kitchen remodel ideas on a budget cover where an 18-inch built-in fits.

What About a Baby Bottle Washer?

A bottle washer is smaller and handles only bottles. A countertop dishwasher with a Baby Care cycle, like the Midea MDC22P1AWW or Danby DDW631SDB, washes bottles and everything else.

What to Spend

Countertop dishwashers with a faucet hookup usually sell for about $250 to $400. Water tank models fall in about the same range, even though they are smaller, because the tank and pump add parts. An 18-inch portable usually runs about $550 to $700. A known brand with parts and support is the safer buy for something that sits next to water every day.

Which One Should You Buy?

If your faucet has a standard threaded tip and your plates are 10 inches or less, get the Midea MDC22P1AWW. It is quiet, efficient and covers almost every need.

If your plates run larger, the SPT SD-2224DS gives you that extra quarter inch. If tall glasses and bottles are the issue, choose the Danby DDW631SDB. If you want to run it overnight or at off-peak hours, the BLACK+DECKER BCD6W has the longest delay timer.

If your faucet is a pull-down sprayer, skip the adapter hunt and buy the Midea MDC17P4CWW with its own tank. And if you have floor space but want more capacity, the SPT SD-9263SS portable is the step up.

Whichever you choose, measure the counter, the cabinet clearance and one dinner plate first. For more ways to make a tight kitchen easier to live with, browse our small kitchen hacks and eco-friendly alternatives to common kitchen appliances.

Related Guides

• Best Compact Energy Star Appliances for Small Kitchens
• How to Clean a Dishwasher
• Dish Drying Rack Ideas for Small Kitchens
• Most Energy-Efficient Small Kitchen Appliances
• Countertop Organization Ideas for a Small Kitchen
• Small Kitchen Ideas on a Budget
• Best Small Kitchen Appliances for Cooking for One

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a countertop dishwasher worth it?

It is worth it if you wash dishes by hand every day, have no room for a built-in dishwasher and can spare about 22 by 20 inches of counter next to the sink. It uses about 2 to 3 gallons per load and saves real time. It is not worth it if you cook rarely, use very large plates or need that counter space for prep.

Do countertop dishwashers need a faucet?

Most do. A standard countertop dishwasher screws onto the kitchen faucet in place of the aerator, fills through a hose and drains back into the sink. Water tank models are the exception. You pour about 5 liters into the tank by hand, so no faucet hookup is needed, but the drain hose still has to reach a sink or bucket.

How much water does a countertop dishwasher use?

An ENERGY STAR certified 6-place model uses about 2 to 3 gallons per normal cycle. Small water tank models use about 1.3 gallons, since that is all the tank holds. A kitchen faucet can run up to 2.2 gallons a minute, so a full load in a countertop machine usually uses less water than washing the same dishes under a running tap.

Can you put pots and pans in a countertop dishwasher?

Small ones, yes. A 1- or 2-quart saucepan and lids usually fit in a 6-place model, and the heavy or intensive cycle handles stuck-on food. Skillets over about 10 inches, stockpots and sheet pans do not fit. Keep nonstick, cast iron, carbon steel and good knives out of any dishwasher and wash them by hand.

Is a countertop or portable dishwasher better?

A countertop dishwasher is better for very small kitchens and single people or couples, since it sits on the counter and holds about 6 place settings. An 18-inch portable dishwasher rolls on wheels, holds about 8 place settings and handles full-size pots better. It needs floor space about the size of a small cabinet and weighs over 100 pounds.