4 Dishwasher Brands With Better Reviews Than Bosch

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Buying a new appliance can be daunting. Price and style matter, but customer rating is a big way to determine if an appliance is worth the purchase. Bosch is a popular appliance brand that's known for its high ratings and quiet dishwashers, with some as low as 39 decibels. Some dishwasher brands aren't worth buying, but there are some on the market with even better ratings that are still pretty quiet.

To determine which dishwashers are better rated than Bosch, Chowhound looked at the best-selling Bosch dishwasher at Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, and Costco (a surprisingly great place to buy kitchen appliances). Then we searched dishwashers by rating and lined up the standard 24-inch built-in models with higher customer ratings than the best-selling Bosch at that store. Since Bosch dishwashers have so many reviews, we couldn't consider review numbers — too few dishwasher brands are as regularly reviewed as Bosch. 

At Lowe's, the best-selling Bosch is the 800-Series Top Control Dishwasher with 4.5 stars and a $1,549 price tag. Home Depot's is the 800-Series Top Control Tall Tub Pocket Handle Dishwasher, also with 4.5 stars and a $1,500 price tag. And Costco hasthe 800-Series Top Control Towel Bar Handle Dishwasher with 4.3 stars and only a member-accessible price tag. (This dishwasher could be sold out depending on location; in that case, it's the Bosch 500 Series.) And at Walmart, it's the 800 Series Bar Handle Dishwasher with 4.6 stars and a $1,900 price tag. Still, there were four other brands with dishwashers that beat the 800-Series, according to customers.

Maytag's Dual Power Filtration Dishwasher came in just ahead of the Bosch 800-Series on The Home Depot's customer ratings. With nearly 13,000 reviews and 4.6 stars, the popularity speaks for itself. This dishwasher retails for just $830, too, making it a more affordable option compared to Bosch. It isn't as quiet as the Bosch kitchen appliances, though, at 50 decibels. But the dual power filtration and PowerBlast features mean you don't have to rinse these dishes before they're washed, which is excellent if you're in a rush or truly want a hands-off dishwashing experience. The interior is 7.25 cubic feet, making this dishwasher a large-capacity tub that can fit a few extra dishes. It also has a third rack.

"It has two dry cycles to choose from to ensure your dishes get dry after washing. The control panel is easy to understand and use," one five-star review said. Despite being louder than other dishwashers on this list, many highly-rated reviews mention that you don't even notice the noise. With so many reviews, of course, a few people did post drawbacks, including the fact that rust can start to form after you've owned it for a while.

The Frigidaire Front Control Dishwasher is the least expensive dishwasher on this list, retailing for just $480 at full price at Lowe's, and has 4.6 out of five stars from customers. It has three spray arms for more effective cleaning, plus sensor technology that understands how dirty your dishes are — meaning you don't need to pre-rinse them if you don't want to. The dishwasher has Sanitize and MaxDry options, too, allowing you to get your dishes fully sanitized with no remaining moisture when you unload them. It is, however, the loudest dishwasher on the list at 54 decibels.

"While it may not have the high-end features or ultra-silent operation of premium brands, it consistently handles tough messes and dries well, making it a reliable choice for families," one review said. Another review wrote that they "love the style, price, and overall usability" of the dishwasher.  Ultimately, it seems that with a price tag under the $500 mark, this dishwasher is worth the purchase, as long as you're not expecting all the bells and whistles.

At Lowe's, the KitchenAid Top Control Dishwasher with Third Rack is one of the most-loved dishwashers, according to customers, who have given it a cumulative rating of 4.7 out of 5. Its full-price is $1,449, and it features five wash arms and more than 50 wash jets, targeting every stain on dirty dishes. The dishwasher also has self-cleaning capabilities, so you don't have to clean the filter by hand. It's also one of the quietest on the list at 44 decibels.

"I would not buy any other brand than a KitchenAid dishwasher," one reviewer wrote, adding that the dishwasher dries even plastic items thoroughly. Other customer reviews noted the dishwasher's low noise level and added that it gets dishes completely clean. Another review mentioned that the dishwasher's top rack creates even more room in the appliance and is designed well, with its own separate cleaning jets. Finally, customers like that the door can be set to open automatically once the cycle is finished and the dishes are dried, which helps prevent condensation from forming.

Costco might be known for its wholesale grocery prices, but it has some top-rated appliances for sale, too. The Whirlpool Stainless Steel Dishwasher with Leak Detection has a price tag that's only available for members to see, but it's available at Home Depot for $950. (It's not as highly-rated at Home Depot but is still a chart-topper among the stores we looked at.) At Costco, it has 4.4 stars, coming in with just a slightly higher rating than the Bosch 800 Series. The dishwasher is fairly quiet at 47 decibels, so it falls in the middle of the pack on this list. It has a third rack for utensils and an optional delayed start, so you can set when you want it to run. The hidden control panel keeps it looking sleek, and the fingerprint-resistant stainless steel means you don't have to constantly wipe it down. Plus, with more than 1,600 reviews, it seems to be a Costco fan favorite.

"It isn't silent, but it's very quiet ... The quick wash is very efficient," one reviewer wrote. Another said, "I really like the top rack for knives and lightly soiled stirring spoons, etc., which are sometimes hard to fit in other places ... It's fantastic, dishes are very well cleaned." A few reviewers did caution that the drying cycle doesn't always dry dishes completely, and the dishwasher can start to rust once you've had it for a while.

Finally, it's worth mentioning the Thor Kitchen 45-Decibel Dishwasher, with a full-price cost of just over $1,700 at Walmart. You can find it for around $1,300 full price at Home Depot and Lowe's, but it's not as highly-rated.) The dishwasher runs pretty quietly at just 45 decibels, and only uses 3.5 gallons of water per cycle. Energy Star-certified dishwashers use four gallons or less, so the Thor Kitchen appliance is one of the most water-efficient models on the market. Thor is a more niche brand, so it's not as widely reviewed as other common brands and doesn't have the same extensive customer review list. With that said, the small number of reviews are extremely high. The appliance has 4.9 out of five stars from customers at Walmart, giving it a near-perfect rating (it has a 4.6 at Home Depot and a 4.7 at Lowe's).

The dishwasher doesn't have any one- or two-star ratings at Walmart, and it has only two three-star ratings — the rest are four and five stars. Customers love that the dishwasher has lights inside, so homeowners can easily see inside the appliance. "The lights, the third rack, and how quiet it is are some of our favorite features," one user wrote. Visually, people enjoy the high-end look. "Upon arrival and installation, I immediately noticed the difference in quality. The stainless steel was better, the handles were heavier and more dense," another user wrote. Others mentioned the interior top rack being a great bonus.