For many households, there comes the point in your life when you run out of room in the freezer. While some people may choose to finish off all their frozen goods in order to make room for more, others choose to instead expand their freezer capacity. If space permits, this often means adding an extra freezer to your home.
Upright freezers are a popular choice when it comes to adding a second freezer to your home. They’re compact, affordable, and offer the convenience of extra freezer space. This means you can stock up on frozen foods or meat when it’s on sale, without having to worry about freezer space.
Keep reading to learn more about upright freezers and how to choose the best model for your home. We’ll also highlight the best-selling small upright freezers in Canada right now.
Why Buy an Upright Freezer?
Dedicated freezers are an excellent way to save money by buying food in bulk (or on sale) and then freezing it for a later date. If you’re shopping around for a dedicated freezer, there are many benefits to opting for an upright freezer instead of a chest freezer. This is especially true if you want to optimize floor space in your home.
Compared to chest freezers, upright freezers take up less floor space due to their vertical design. They’re also much easier to organize and access due to their shelves and drawers. It’s easy to forget about frozen food that’s hidden at the bottom of a chest freezer.
Another benefit of upright freezers is that they are much easier to clean and defrost when needed. Nowadays, many upright freezer models will come with auto-defrost functions. This means you never have to think about defrosting your freezer manually, as you would with most chest freezers.
The 5 Best Small Upright Freezers in Canada in 2026?
We’ve researched the top-selling upright freezers in Canada in order to provide you with a list of the best compact models to choose from. Here they are
Midea MRU05M2AWW Upright Freezer
If you’re looking for a mid-sized upright freezer, the Midea MRU05M2AWW is one of our favourites. With a storage capacity of 5.3 cubic feet, it can fit much more food than most compact upright freezers. It offers similar specs to the Midea freezer above, but with a higher storage capacity due to its height of almost 56”.
While it doesn’t have any storage compartments on the door, the MRU05M2AWW comes with 4 removable shelves. This means you can keep your frozen foods nicely organized and visible. You can also adjust the selves to fit larger items when needed. The door can be from either side, depending on your space requirements.
The MRU05M2AWW has an easy-to-use thermostat that can be adjusted to suit the needs of your frozen goods. Overall, it’s an excellent mid-sized upright freezer that won’t take up too much space in your home.
Midea MRU03M2ABB Upright Freezer
With its capacity of 3 cubic feet, the Midea MRU03M2ABB is perfect if you need just a bit of additional freezer space. Measuring just over 21 inches wide, it’s perfect for fitting into small spaces, such as a small apartment or dorm room.
Despite its small size, the MRU03M2ABB still has a removable shelf and drawer. This means you can organize your frozen goods to keep track of them. Both can be removed if ever you need to fit a larger item into the freezer. For added security, the freezer comes with a child lock feature.
The MRU03M2ABB can easily be adjusted in many ways to suit your needs. For example, its door hinge is reversible, so you can open it from either side, depending on where it’s placed. Its front legs are also adjustable, so you can adapt them to uneven surfaces. Lastly, the freezer’s internal temperature can be adjusted to your needs.
Danby Designer DUFM101A1WDD1 Upright Freezer
If you’re looking for a compact upright freezer with a higher capacity than the Midea above, the Danby Designer is an excellent choice. With a capacity of 10.1 cubic feet and several storage compartments, this freezer is convenient for small families or people with increasing freezer storage needs.
What we particularly appreciate about the Danby Designer is its sleek white design. At just 20” wide and 33” tall, the Danby can easily fit into most homes. Its door hinge is reversible, which makes it even easier to adapt to your space requirements.
The Danby Designer is also convenient for its many storage compartments. With 3 adjustable quick-freeze shelves and 4 freezer door shelves, you can easily keep track of your frozen goods. With its compact size, ENERGY STAR certification, and manual defrost system, your electricity bill won’t take a huge hit.
Overall, if you’re looking for a manual defrost upright freezer with a large storage capacity, the Danby Designer is for you.
Frigidaire EFRF314-AMZ Upright Freezer
The Frigidaire EFRF314-AMZ is another compact upright freezer worth considering. With its stainless steel door, the freezer is more stylish than most. Measures 21 by 22 by 33 inches, the EFRF314-AMZ is small yet boasts a capacity of 3.2 cubic feet. It’s perfect for adding extra freezer storage space to small spaces.
What we particularly like about the EFRF314-AMZ is its interior design. While it doesn’t have a drawer like the Midea, the EFRF314-AMZ has 2 removable shelves to help you organize your frozen goods. It also has a bright LED light, so you can properly see the contents of your freezer.
Unlike many mini upright freezers, the Frigidaire has an internal thermostat. This means you can make sure your foods are frozen at the optimal temperature.
Whynter CUF-210SS Mini Upright Freezer
If you’re looking for a very small upright freezer, the Whynter CUF-210SS is for you. Made from stainless steel, the Whynter boasts a stylish and modern design. While it’s pricier than other compact upright freezers on the market, its high-quality build and energy efficiency make up for it.
With its Energy Star certification, manual defrost, and very compact size, the CUF-210SS will not cost much more than a lightbulb in terms of electricity. In terms of storage, the Whynter has a storage capacity of 2.1 cubic feet. It also comes with 2 removable shelves, allowing you to fit larger items in the freezer if needed. It also has a key-protected lock to keep your frozen goods safe.
It has an adjustable thermostat to ensure optimal temperature at all times. The main downside is that since it doesn’t have an auto-defrost function, you’ll have to defrost it manually.
What To Consider When Buying an Upright Freezer?
Here are a few factors to consider when choosing the best upright freezer for your needs:
Dimensions & Capacity
While upright freezers are excellent space-savers due to their vertical design, they’re not small appliances. If space is a concern in your home, be sure to look at the freezer’s dimensions. The freezer’s height is also important if you have tall ceilings and want to maximize potential freezer storage space. You’ll have to make sure that the freezer has at least an inch of free space surrounding it to allow for airflow.
An upright freezer’s storage capacity will typically be measured by cubic feet (abbreviated as cubic ft. or cu ft.). This is basically the volume of the freezer’s interior. If interior space is a concern, we highly recommend looking at this number instead of how the freezer is marketed. Some upright freezers marketed as “Large Capacity” may not be as large as you think.
Energy Efficiency
In Canada, the best way to know if an upright freezer is energy efficient is to look for an ENERGY STAR® certification label. There are three types of ENERGY STAR labels: Standard, Save More, and Most Efficient. An upright freezer with the “Most Efficient” signifies that it’s very efficient.
Another way to recognize energy efficiency is whether the upright freezer has an auto defrost function or not. Upright freezers with auto defrost functions use twice as much energy as those with manual defrost systems.
Manual Defrost or Auto Defrost
Freezers are prone to frost buildup and upright freezers are no exception. Frost buildup is not something that should be ignored as it can impact the operation and efficiency of a freezer. For that reason, it’s recommended to occasionally defrost your upright freezer.
Some upright freezers come with auto-defrost features, while others require manual defrosting, which can be a lengthy process. Auto defrost freezers can save you a lot of time, but they are generally less energy efficient than manual defrost freezers.
Noise Level
A potential downside of upright freezers is their noise level when operating. This is especially important if you’ll be putting your freezer near an office or bedroom. To get an idea of how much noise an upright freezer makes, look for its decibel rating or dB rating. Decibel ratings for an upright freezer can range from 30 to 50. The quieter models will have a lower dB rating.
Temperature Range
An upright freezer’s temperature range is another detail worth looking into as it will determine what you can effectively store inside of it and for how long. Most upright freezer models range from -10° F to 10° F. This is perfect for freezing foods for extended periods of time. Some of the more affordable and compact freezers will have a smaller range.
Be careful not to confuse a freezer’s internal temperature range with its exterior temperature compatibility range.
Upright Freezer FAQs
Unless the model is certified as garage ready, an upright freezer should only be placed in garages that are dry and temperature-controlled. Freezers in general are not designed to withstand temperatures that are too cold (below -18° C) or too hot (above 43° C). For that reason, you should avoid placing your freezer in the garage if it’s close to a heat source or in direct sunlight.
If your garage is too hot, it will require a lot of electricity to maintain your freezer’s internal temperature. If your garage temperature is too cold, your freezer’s internal temperature regulator could get confused and shut off. Garages that are not temperature controlled also tend to be humid, which can be equally straining on a freezer.
That said, if you want to avoid unexpectedly high electricity bills or freezer mishaps, you should only put your upright freezer in a garage that’s temperature controlled.
If you want to save on electricity, placing an upright freezer in a cooler location is ideal. For the same reason, it’s also recommended to avoid placing upright freezers near a heat source such as a heater, fireplace, or direct sunlight. Any source of external heat will increase the energy consumption of your freezer. This is why you’ll often find upright freezers in basements or garages.
While garages are a popular location for upright freezers, the basements might be your best choice. This is because many garages are not temperature-controlled and, for that reason, experience temperature fluctuations. These temperature fluctuations can be hard on your freezer (or any appliance for that matter).
According to Consumer Reports, you want to make sure that your freezer is not exposed to temperatures below -18° C or above 43° C as this can cause damage to your freezer.
The amount of electiry used by an upright freezer will largely depend on its volume, the cooling technology it uses, and whether it has an auto defrost function or not. Upright freezers with auto defrost functions use twice as much electricity than manual defrost upright freezers.
To give you an idea of how much electricity an upright freezer uses, we used Hydro Quebec’s household appliance electricity calculator. According to Hydro Quebec’s calculator, running a modern upright freezer in Quebec can cost around $30 to $40 per year, depending on whether it has an automatic defrost function or not. Upright models with automatic defrost functions use more electricity. Older upright freezer models also tend to be less energy efficient-efficient. If you’re looking for an energy-efficient upright freezer, look for one that’s Energy Star certified.
According to Energy Star, an Energy Star certified freezer uses just under 400 kWh of electricity, costing you about $50 to run. Chest freezers use less electricy, using about 215 kWh of electrcity and costing you $30 per year.
When shopping for an upright freezer, you’ll come across models that advertise Energy Star certification. But what exactly does Energy Star certification mean for upright freezers?
According to Natural Resources Canada, an upright freezer that is Energy Star certified uses 10% less energy (on average) than a standard upright freezer. Not only does this save you money on your electricity bill, but it also lowers your carbon footprint.
