Next to a black KitchenAid Refrigerator is a person chopping produce on a cutting board. Next to the cutting board is a bowl of salad

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French Door vs. Side-by-Side: Which Refrigerator is Best?

If you’re deciding between a French door or a side-by-side fridge, it’s important to understand that both offer loads of fresh food storage innovations in addition to modern exteriors and features.

Keep reading to determine whether a French door or a side-by-side fridge is right for your home. This guide will preview their pros and cons and how they compare for price, size, layout and features.

SIDE-BY-SIDE VS. FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

A black KitchenAid Side-by-Side and French Door Refrigerators A black KitchenAid Side-by-Side and French Door Refrigerators

Side-by-side refrigerators, including these KitchenAid Refrigerator models, come with a classic style and configuration with top-to-bottom freezer and refrigerator compartments next to each other. 

French door refrigerators feature one continuous refrigerator space with two doors above a freezer drawer. This configuration, including these KitchenAid® French Door Refrigerators, has a pantry-style layout.

Two other differences among these configurations are the amount of available space and the shape of each individual compartment. Side-by-side fridges are designed to provide two tall, narrow compartments whereas French door models have shorter yet wider spaces. Both typically come with a variety of features like exterior ice and water dispensers, adjustable shelves and door bins and you may be able to upgrade to higher-end finishes.

A kitchen. In front of a large window is a potted plant. Next to the plant is a black KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with one door open. Inside the opened door are condiments, produce, beverages and other various items. Also in the kitchen are shelves filled with items like bowls and tea cups. Below the shelves are a counter with a sink and some potted plants and a KitchenAid Dishwasher underneath it A kitchen. In front of a large window is a potted plant. Next to the plant is a black KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with one door open. Inside the opened door are condiments, produce, beverages and other various items. Also in the kitchen are shelves filled with items like bowls and tea cups. Below the shelves are a counter with a sink and some potted plants and a KitchenAid Dishwasher underneath it

THE PROS AND CONS OF FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS

This refrigerator design is popular thanks to its contemporary look and pantry-style layout that’s spacious and offers easy access. The top compartment is a wide refrigerator that can help keep fresh items at eye level, where you’re most likely to see them. Frozen food is stored below in a pull-out drawer. Furthermore, French door models typically offer some of the largest refrigerator capacities on the market.

Still unsure whether a side-by-side or French door fridge is better for your kitchen? If so, consider these pros and cons of French door refrigerators:

A stainless steel KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with the doors opened. The fridge's contents include juice bottles, produce, jars, two trays of food and more A stainless steel KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with the doors opened. The fridge's contents include juice bottles, produce, jars, two trays of food and more

PROS OF A FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR 

LARGER REFRIGERATOR CAPACITY
French door refrigerators typically offer more dedicated refrigerator storage space at the expense of freezer space, so you can store more of your favourite fresh foods.

GREATER ACCESS TO FRESH INGREDIENTS
Store fresh items at eye level so you can easily find them when your culinary inspiration strikes.

WIDE SHELVES AND COMPARTMENTS
Store items like long platters with ease thanks to the wide refrigerator and freezer compartments.

CUSTOMIZABLE INTERIORS
This style often comes with adjustable shelves and compartments. Select KitchenAid® models may also have slide-away shelves for taller items or pull-out trays to store large platters or trays.

EXTERIOR ICE AND WATER DISPENSERS
This feature is often available on both French door and side-by-side models. Select models may also have a second icemaker located in the freezer.

NARROWER DOORS
If your kitchen has an island or limited space, a French door fridge’s narrow doors provide greater space for you to move freely even when the fridge door is open.

A black KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with the bottom freezer slightly pulled out. The contents of the freezer include poultry, produce, containers and boxes of food A black KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator with the bottom freezer slightly pulled out. The contents of the freezer include poultry, produce, containers and boxes of food

CONS OF A FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR 

SMALLER FREEZER COMPARTMENTS

  • If you regularly store a lot of frozen items, you should consider a side-by-side fridge for its generally larger freezer capacity.

LESS FREEZER ORGANIZATION

  • Many freezer drawers only come with a limited number of shelves, making it challenging to organize items compared to a freezer on a side-by-side model. Select KitchenAid® fridges are equipped with freezer organization solutions like 3- or 2-tier freezer drawers with storage dividers to organize your frozen foods.

PRICE 

  • The more advanced features you will want the more you will have to pay. However, more streamlined options can fit a variety of budgets.

DISCOVER KITCHENAID FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS

KitchenAid French Door Refrigerators come with an intuitive layout, innovative features and premium touchpoints. 

Select models also have the ExtendFresh™ Temperature Management System, which separately monitors the refrigerator and freezer temperatures. 

Discover select models with the FreshChill™ Temperature-Controlled Full-Width Pantry where you can manually adjust and set the temperature based on what you’re storing. 

You can also explore our 5-door refrigerator. This industry-first model offers optimized storage with two additional soft-close refrigerator drawers that are accessible without opening the main refrigerator compartment.

In a kitchen are a potted plant in front of a large window, a stainless steel KitchenAid Refrigerator and a counter above cupboards and a KitchenAid Dishwasher. On the counters are potted plants, a coffee maker and containers. There are also shelves filled with various items like a water pitcher and more In a kitchen are a potted plant in front of a large window, a stainless steel KitchenAid Refrigerator and a counter above cupboards and a KitchenAid Dishwasher. On the counters are potted plants, a coffee maker and containers. There are also shelves filled with various items like a water pitcher and more

THE PROS AND CONS OF SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATORS

This classic refrigerator style is designed with vertical storage and offers plenty of shelf space in both the refrigerator and freezer compartments. Additionally, freezers tend to have a bigger layout in side-by-side vs. French door models. 

This provides greater flexibility for organizing your most  popular fresh and frozen items so they are at eye level while storing less commonly-used items on the lower shelves. You’ll typically find in-door or external ice and water dispensers, along with other desirable features like adjustable shelves and door bins, that can help keep everything neat, tidy and organized.

When shopping, consider these pros and cons of a side-by-side refrigerator:

A KitchenAid Side-by-Side Refrigerator. The contents include produce, fresh herbs, water bottles, beverage bottles, a milk jug and various other food and beverage items A KitchenAid Side-by-Side Refrigerator. The contents include produce, fresh herbs, water bottles, beverage bottles, a milk jug and various other food and beverage items

PROS OF SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATORS

VERTICAL STORAGE

  • Store both fresh and frozen items at eye level and enjoy flexible storage options.

LARGER FREEZER CAPACITY

  • You’ll generally have more freezer space in a side-by-side vs. French door fridge.

ADJUSTABLE INTERIORS

  • Similar to French door models, you’ll often find adjustable shelves, door bins and more for customizable storage options.

EXTERIOR ICE AND WATER DISPENSERS

  • This is a common feature found on both side-by-side and French door models. Select KitchenAid® models even have the In-Door-Ice® System that creates additional interior room in the refrigerator since the ice bin mounts onto the inside left door.

LOWER-ENTRY LEVEL PRICE POINTS

  • Similar features and capacity may cost less vs. a French door fridge.

REDUCED DOOR SWING CLEARANCE

  • Like French door styles, side-by-side refrigerators have narrow double doors that make them a smart fit for tight spaces.

A stainless steel KitchenAid Refrigerator with the freezer door opened. On the inside of the freezer door is the ice holder filled with ice. The contents of the freezer include boxes of various food items A stainless steel KitchenAid Refrigerator with the freezer door opened. On the inside of the freezer door is the ice holder filled with ice. The contents of the freezer include boxes of various food items

CONS OF SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATORS

HAVING TO BEND FOR FRESH ITEMS

  • Some fresh items will be stored on lower shelves, so you may have to bend more often to reach something than you would with a French door model.

NARROWER SHELVES

  • Sure, you’ll get to enjoy more vertical storage, but you’ll lose some width, making it more challenging to store certain wide or oversized items.

WHICH OFFERS MORE ROOM, A SIDE-BY-SIDE OR FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR?

Side-by-side refrigerators may feature a bit more capacity than French door models. Overall, though, they are comparable: 

  • French door refrigerators usually range from 20 to 27 cu. ft. in capacity.
  • Side-by-side models typically range from 21 to 28 cu. ft. in capacity.

BROWSE SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATORS FROM KITCHENAID

KitchenAid has a full suite of side-by-side refrigerators with features that can keep your food fresh and organized. 

Select models may come with the following: 

  • Preserva® Food Care System
    • A feature comprised of two independent cooling systems designed to help maintain food’s freshness.
A hand pulls open a crisper drawer in a refrigerator. Inside the drawer are a head of lettuce, artichoke, radicchio, grapes and other produce. In the closed crisper drawer above are cheeses in their packages and other various items A hand pulls open a crisper drawer in a refrigerator. Inside the drawer are a head of lettuce, artichoke, radicchio, grapes and other produce. In the closed crisper drawer above are cheeses in their packages and other various items
  • FreshFlow™ Air Filter
    • To help reduce odours
  • Produce Preserver
    • To help delay produce from over-ripening

IS A FRENCH DOOR OR SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATOR RIGHT FOR YOUR KITCHEN?

A woman opens the door to a KitchenAid Refrigerator. We can not see what's inside the refrigerator or freezer A woman opens the door to a KitchenAid Refrigerator. We can not see what's inside the refrigerator or freezer

A French door refrigerator may be right for you if you consistently keep lots of fresh ingredients on hand, or if you often need space for oversized or wide dishes or platters. A side-by-side model might make more sense if you value freezer capacity and want to keep commonly used fresh and frozen items visible and more accessible.

Both refrigerator types come in either freestanding or built-in installation styles as well as standard- or counter-depths. They can both provide more overall capacity vs. other configurations while allowing you to enjoy premium features and finishes. The decision whether a side-by-side or French door refrigerator is right for your kitchen depends on which layout best enables, or even enhances, your making process.

GO WITH A FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR VS. A SIDE-BY-SIDE IF:

  • You store wide or large items
  • You want a contemporary, modern look
  • You typically store more fresh ingredients than frozen

GO WITH A SIDE-BY-SIDE VS. A FRENCH DOOR IF:

  • Your preference is for a streamlined exterior with only two doors.
  • You store almost as much frozen food as fresh food.
  • You want to store both fresh and frozen items at eye level

Make sure to explore each configuration and style in greater detail with this handy Refrigerator Buying Guide from KitchenAid.

SHOP ALL KITCHENAID® REFRIGERATORS
KitchenAid has a complete lineup of refrigerators in each configuration and with a variety of features. Shop French door refrigerators or side by side models today.

SHOP KITCHENAID® REFRIGERATORS

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