Head-to-head · Best Blenders for Smoothies

Breville Fresh & Furious vs Vitamix 5200

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Vitamix 5200 comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.4 vs 4.8). The gap is mostly about households committed to long-term daily smoothie and soup making who want decade-of-use durability — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #3 in Best Blenders for Smoothies

Breville Fresh & Furious

4.4

$199.95as of Jun 7

The Breville Fresh & Furious is America's Test Kitchen's best midpriced blender and a smoothie specialist: its 60-second green-smoothie program makes some of the best green smoothies TechGearLab has tasted. It blends soft fruit beautifully but can leave grit with berries and isn't meant for nut butter or grinding. At around $200 with presets and an LCD, it's the value-feature pick for people focused mainly on smoothies.

Strengths

— Dedicated 60-second green-smoothie program produces "one of the best green smoothies" TechGearLab tasted
— America's Test Kitchen's best midpriced pick at about half the flagship's cost
— Five speeds plus auto-clean and ice-crush programs on a clear LCD

Watch-outs

— Berry and oat smoothies can leave a slightly gritty texture
— Not built for nut butter or grinding — it's a smoothie specialist
— Lid can pressurize during blending and be hard to remove

$199.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Blenders for Smoothies

Vitamix 5200

4.8

$469as of Jun 7

The Vitamix 5200 is the best-overall smoothie blender and America's Test Kitchen's longtime favorite. Its 2-peak-HP motor and tall 64 oz container produce the smoothest results of anything we researched, with TechGearLab calling it "a smoothie maker's dream." Best for households committed to daily blending who will amortize the high price over a decade-plus of use. The trade-offs are price, footprint, and noise.

Strengths

— Top of the pack for smoothie texture in TechGearLab testing — no flakes, chunks, or unblended greenery
— 2-peak-HP motor and 64 oz tall container pull a deep vortex that pulverizes berry seeds and kale stems
— Variable 1-10 dial gives the widest control range in this lineup, from salsa to liquefied frozen fruit

Watch-outs

— $449 is by far the most expensive pick
— Tall container won't fit under most upper cabinets while docked
— No preset programs or auto-iQ shutoff — you run it manually

$469 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Breville Fresh & Furious

The smoothie specialist: its green-smoothie program out-tastes the Ninja BN701 on greens, but it leaves more grit on berries than the Vitamix 5200 or Vitamix Explorian E310 and isn't built for the heavy-duty work those handle. Pricier than the Ninja BN701, cheaper than the Vitamix picks.

Vitamix 5200

The smoothest and most durable pick, and the priciest. The Vitamix Explorian E310 delivers nearly identical texture for less money in a smaller 48 oz jar; the Breville Fresh & Furious and Ninja BN701 are roughly a third the price but leave more grit with berries and greens.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Breville Fresh & Furious	Vitamix 5200
Power	1100W	1491W (2 peak HP)
Capacity	50 oz	64 oz
Speed Control	5 speeds + Pulse	Variable 1-10 + Pulse
Programs	Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Ice Crush, Auto-Clean	None (manual)
Container Material	BPA-free Tritan	BPA-free Tritan
Display	LCD with timer	—
Warranty	3-year limited	7-year full
Footprint	17.7 in tall	20.5 in tall docked
Dishwasher Safe	—	Self-cleaning

← See the full ranking of best blenders for smoothies