AeroGarden vs Click & Grow– I’ve been wanting to do this review for over a year now, but wanted to make sure I had adequate experience with both systems to give a real life review. I’ve used both systems long enough now to be able to give you all the details!

While I may not having growing an outdoor garden mastered yet, I feel confident in my countertop garden skills now that I’ve been using the AeroGarden and the Click & Grow Smart Garden. Both offer a great indoor gardening experience, though there are some unique features that may have you choose one over the other.

They are products I’ve used daily for some time. you can see how I use the fresh herbs in our dinners and my breakfast bowls. I hope this real life review and comparison helps you understand which each brand has to offer and which one is the better fit for you, or the person you are gifting one to. They both make excellent gift ideas!

Both AeroGarden and Click & Grow offer a line of indoor gardens ranging from small 3-pod models up to larger models that can grow several dozen plants at once. Both hydroponic systems use non-GMO seeds and are free from pesticides and other chemicals. Both brands use LED lighting systems on automated 24-hour cycles. For the purpose of this review, I’ll be reviewing the products I own: The AeroGarden Harvest Elite (6 podsystem) and the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 (9 pod system).

I picked out 7 categories to compare the two indoor gardening systems: System Cost, Pod Cost, Plant Selection, Light, Noise, Ease of Use, and Overall Impressions

AeroGarden vs Click & Grow: System Cost

AeroGarden offers models beginning at $79.95 for their three pod model and $845.95 for the FarmXL 24 pod model.

Click & Grow offers indoor gardens beginning at $139.95 for their three pod model and up to $2,499.95 for their Wall Farm Indoor Vertical Model. Use code AHS for a discount!

The six pod AeroGarden Harvest Elite is currently $140.47 at time of publish and the nine pod Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 is $229.95.

Pod Cost

The price of the plant pods are comparable for both systems. For AeroGarden the price per pod ranges between $1.91 to $4.65 while the price per pod for Click & Grow ranges from between $1.85-$3.32.

Plant Pod Selection

Both companies offer a similar and wide range of non GMO seed pods, including herbs, leafy greens, fruiting vegetables like cherry tomatoes and small peppers, and flowers. Aerogarden offers slightly more, but you’re likely to find what you need with either choice. Both companies also offer “grow anything” pods where you can add your own seeds of choice.

From personal experience, I believe it’s best to stick to herbs and leafy greens. Small fruiting plants like cherry tomatoes are fun, but in my experience the yield is not worth the counter space they take up. Conversely, I use the fresh herbs all day everyday and feel like I get a ton of value from my countertop garden.

Light

The Aerogarden Harvest Elite uses a high performance, full spectrum 20 watt LED high efficiency grow lighting system on an automated 15 hours on, 9 hours off growing schedule. The Click & Grow sets to automatic 16 hours on, 8 hours off schedule using full spectrum LED lights as well.

The AeroGarden light bar moves up and down, allowing you to adjust the light height based on the needs of your plant. The Click & Grow comes with a set of arm extensions to offer the same convenience.

Through personal observation, it appears the AeroGarden is more of a cool tone of light while the Click & Grow lights appear slightly warmer.

Noise

The AeroGarden has an interior electric pump to circulate the water in the tank that runs on a 30 minute cycle, 25 minutes off, 5 minutes on. It does not run at all during the time period that the lights are off. When it runs, it sounds like a soft trickling sound. I don’t find it bothersome.

The Click & Grow uses a wick system to draw water from the reservoir and transfer it into the seed pod. This system is completely passive, so it uses no electricity or pumps to move the water. As a result, there is no noise at all as your plants grow.

AeroGarden vs Click & Grow: Ease of Use

Both systems come with very clear and easy to follow directions on how to set up. It takes less than 15 minutes from unboxing to ready to go.

In the beginning, the Aerogarden needs to be watered on roughly a weekly basis. It is a simple process of lifting the cover to the reservoir and pouring in water. As the plants grow, watering frequency jumps to roughly every 4-5 days, depending on the size and needs of your plants. You’ll also need to add plant food into the water, a capful of liquid that comes with your purchase, about every 2 weeks. Some reviews mention the need to clean out the reservoir monthly because of the root systems that develop, but I’ve never had to do this. I cleaned out the tank completely when I switched to new pods after about 4 months of use with no issues.

The Click & Grow is essentially a set it and forget it system. In the beginning it will need water about every 2-3 weeks, jumping up to about every 7-10 days as the plants grow. You simply pour water into the reservoir through the corner opening. Since the plant pod already contains fertilizer, you don’t have to worry about supplemental plant food.

The root systems stay contained within the seed pods so the roots won’t grow and tangle together. However, because the roots do not grow as large and strong as the Aerogarden, the plants tend to not grow as large or as quickly as the Aerogarden.

AeroGarden vs Click & Grow: Overall Impressions

For general appearance, the Click & Grow system has a more modern and sleek design while the AeroGarden looks a little more industrial and mechanical look to it with its front display. If aesthetics are important to you, Click & Grow is the clear winner.

If you are interested in growing herbs, I don’t think you can go wrong with either system. If you want to grow more substantial plants like tomatoes or peppers, I feel Click & Grow offers more space for such plants.

Perhaps its because I got my AeroGarden first, but I have a soft spot for my little herb growing machine. It’s worked well for me for so long and I appreciate its durability and consistent results. I also notice that the plants grow heartier in this system because of the larger and stronger root system that develops. I would definitely recommend it.

However, if you are looking for complete ease or gifting a system to someone, it’s hard to deny that the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 seems to win out overall. It’s sleek design and almost completely hands off system of management makes it hard to beat.

Do you have any questions about the systems that I didn’t cover? Please ask in the comments, as it might be the same question another person has and I’d love to answer it for you!

Do you have experience with either system? What are your thoughts? Have you had success and/or troubles with either? I had two people send me that they had a mold problem arise with their systems, but I haven’t experienced that myself to comment on.