AeroGarden vs Click & Grow: Which is the better smart garden?
By Linus T.
Updated Jan 2024
The names, AeroGarden and Click and Grow may strike you as familiar names. After all, they're two of the top brands in the indoor gardening space today. While both lines have impressive features and functionality, aspiring plant parents need to know which one is best for them. To help you decide, we dive into the details that set the AeroGarden and Click and Grow apart.
In this AeroGarden and Click and Grow comparison, we're looking at the following:
On our list
1. Price
2. Available Plant Pods
3. Pod Price
4. Plant Yields
5. Smart Garden Fertiliser
6. Ease of Use and Control Panels
7. LED Growing Lights
8. Noise Level
9. Watering System and Nutrients
10. Water Level Sensors
Click & Grow Smart Garden 3
Click & Grow's Basic
The perfect garden for growing herbs and flowers all year round.
AeroGarden Sprout
AeroGarden's Basic
The perfect solution to having fresh and flavourful herbs and salad greens at your fingertips any time of year.
1. Price
When it comes to price, the Aerogarden and Click and Grow are rather similar.
Click and Grow's indoor gardens start at US$99 for the Smart Garden 3 and can go up to nearly US$2,999 for the Wall Farm Indoor Vertical Garden, a unit with three shelves fully stacked with watering and lights. AeroGarden's lineup of products starts from US$99 for the Sprout, the smallest unit available, to US$1,049 for the Farm 24 series where you can grow 24 different varieties all year round.
2. Available Plant Pods
Click and Grow Wall Vertical Garden
There is a wide selection of veggies, herbs, fruits and flowers you can grow all year round in both systems.
Aerogarden offers over 120 seed kits for you to enjoy growing fresh Italian herbs, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant flowers to name a few. On the other hand, Click and Grow has 75 varieties of plants pods such as herbs, leafy greens, flowers and many more. Both brands also sell pods without seeds in them for you so you can experiment with growing any plants you'd like!
3. Pod Price
AeroGarden Harvest Elite
Prices for refill pods are cheaper with AeroGarden.
Though AeroGarden's starting price for a three pod is slightly more expensive at US$13.95 as opposed to Click and Grow's US$9.95, AeroGarden's pods are more affordable in the long run when you step up to the 9-pod kits. It'll only cost you US$21.95 when you purchase AeroGarden's pods whereas you're paying a few dollars extra for Click and Grow's US$23.95.
4. Plant Yields
Click and Grow Smart Garden 3
The number of yields you get depends on which model you've purchased.
The AeroGarden Sprout has room for up to three plants. For 6-pod plants, you can choose between the Harvest and Harvest Elite Gardens. The Bounty family of smart indoor gardens has nine pods available. There's also a 12-pod and 24-pod Farm family line to grow plenty of fresh produce for your family.
The Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 is the smallest indoor garden of the brand with three pods. The Smart Garden 9 has a nine pod capacity. If you're keen on growing an abundance of produce, the Smart Garden 25 or the Wall Farm Indoor Vertical Garden might be for you.
Click & Grow Smart Garden 3
Click & Grow's Basic
The perfect garden for growing herbs and flowers all year round.
5. Smart Garden Fertiliser
The two brands differ based on the fertilisers they use.
AeroGardens require liquid fertilisers whereas Click and Grow smart gardens contain slow-release fertilisers in their plant pods. Plants in AeroGardens need to be fed every two weeks. However, plants growing in the Click and Grow gardens don't need added fertilisers since all the nutrients are already in the "smart soil" and as its named, these will be released slowly over the next several months.
6. Ease of Use and Control Panels
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9
The AeroGarden and Click and Grow smart gardens are designed to be easy to use.
Click and Grow gardens have a foolproof interface. Unfortunately, only the Smart Garden 9 PRO has a touch control feature. There's even a mobile app available to control the settings of the Smart Garden 9 PRO. Set up is also painless. Once you've added the seed pots to the pod slots, filled up the water tank and plugged it into the wall socket, you're ready to watch your plants grow.
If you're new to plant parenthood, the AeroGarden Sprout's control panel settings are the easiest to manage. Other AeroGarden products, especially the AeroGarden Harvest has more control customisable options but may prove to be tricky if you're a beginner grower.
7. LED Growing Lights
AeroGarden Farm 24XL
Both the indoor smart gardens have LED plant lights that have a built-in timer and an adjustable light stand arm.
That said, the Click and Grow lights showcase a warmer tone compared to the AeroGarden lights which have a cooler tone. The Click and Grow plants lights run on a built-in cycle of 16 hours on and 8 hours off while the AeroGarden lights run on a built-in cycle of 15 hours on and 9 hours off. The schedule for on and off can be customised for both brands using the respectively connected apps on higher-end models.
8. Noise Level
Click and Grow Smart Garden 27
If the noise level is a priority for you, the Click and Grow would be a better option. The AeroGarden makes a quiet bubbling sound whenever the water pump runs which may annoy people. Because there's no pump in the Click and Grow, there's no operating noise so it stays completely silent.
9. Watering System and Nutrients
AeroGarden Farm 12
The AeroGardens and Click and Grow smart gardens both have a water tank at their base yet, they differ based on the watering system and the nutrients in the growing plants.
The AeroGarden consists of a water reservoir and water pump which circulates the base of all the AeroGarden units to feed the plant roots nutrients. To prevent water stagnation, the pump runs automatically twice per hour for five minutes. When it comes to the liquid nutrients, it's highly recommended to follow the instructions to know how much water needs to be added. Miscalculation risks stunted plant growth.
As the Click and Grow operate on a self-operating system, you'll only have to refill the water every three to four weeks. No added nutrients are required for the growing plants since the smart soil is tasked to maintaining the perfect pH level and provide optimal configuration of water, nutrients and oxygen.
AeroGarden Sprout
AeroGarden's Basic
The perfect solution to having fresh and flavourful herbs and salad greens at your fingertips any time of year.
10. Water Level Sensors
Click and Grow 25
You'll find low-water alerts in the AeroGarden and Click and Grow units.
The AeroGardens beep when the system's low on water. For models that are connected to WiFi, you'll also receive app notifications when your garden is running low on water.
Click and Grow's Smart Garden 3, Smart Garden 9, Smart Garden 9 PRO and the Smart Garden 27 has a water float indicator that monitors the overall water level. When you're unable to bob the indicator up and down with your finger, it's a sign to refill the water. Water has to be added manually to the Click and Grow 25 and the Wall Indoor Farm Vertical Garden.
Final Thoughts
Right off the bat, the AeroGarden and Click and Grow are meant for someone who has a love for homegrown plants and herbs but wants the simplicity of technology to maintain them.
The Click and Grow smart gardens are the choice for you if you're a beginner and want something easier to use. The cons are that as you gain more experience in your journey, the refill pods become more expensive and there are limited customisation options.
Pick any of the AeroGardens if you're an experienced grower seeking a more comprehensive list of things to grow, customisable settings and LED height adjustments. Keep in mind that it makes a soft humming sound because of the water pump!
Either way the two indoor gardening brands get the job done and is a fun way to grow herbs, vegetables, and fruits in the comfort of their own homes.
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