Published: August 10, 2026 · Last updated: August 10, 2026 · By the PicksWeTrust Editorial Team
The direct answer: a countertop dishwasher is worth it if you’re short on plumbing or floor space, not if you already have room for a full-size machine. The GE Profile PZF560HGWBB is the best all-around pick among currently sold models — it’s the quietest at a published 52 dBA and the only one of these three that can later move into an under-sink or built-in cabinet install. The BLACK+DECKER BCD6W is the cheapest way into a real faucet-hookup machine. The Farberware FDW05ASBWHA skips plumbing entirely with a fill-and-go water tank, at the cost of real capacity. None of these three replaces a full-size dishwasher for a family of four — they solve a narrower problem: a rental, a small kitchen, or an RV that has never had a dishwasher at all.
At a Glance: Which Countertop Dishwasher Fits Your Kitchen
- Best overall: GE Profile PZF560HGWBB — quietest published spec, convertible to under-sink or built-in later. Downside: the most expensive of the three, and full built-in flexibility costs extra for the trim kit.
- Best budget: BLACK+DECKER BCD6W — real compressor-free faucet-hookup washing at the lowest price. Downside: louder, and it won’t fit an 11-inch dinner plate.
- Best for zero plumbing: Farberware FDW05ASBWHA — fill the tank, no faucet adapter needed. Downside: closer to a 2-place-setting machine in practice than its marketed capacity.
What a Countertop Dishwasher Actually Does
All three of these machines do the same basic job as a full-size dishwasher — spray heated water through a wash arm, rinse, and dry — just shrunk to fit on a counter and plumbed either to your kitchen faucet or to a small internal tank. That’s the whole pitch: dishwasher-style cleaning in a kitchen too small, too rented, or too old to fit a built-in unit.
Where they diverge is water source and installation. The GE Profile and BLACK+DECKER both connect to a kitchen faucet with an included quick-connect adapter, drawing live water for each cycle the same way a full-size dishwasher does. The Farberware FDW05ASBWHA instead uses a 5-liter tank you fill manually before each run — no adapter, no faucet hookup, which matters if your faucet doesn’t accept the standard adapter thread or you’re using the machine somewhere without easy sink access, like a finished basement bar or an RV.
Head-to-Head Specs: GE Profile vs. BLACK+DECKER vs. Farberware
| Spec | GE Profile PZF560HGWBB | BLACK+DECKER BCD6W | Farberware FDW05ASBWHA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$539–$599 | ~$315 | ~$310 |
| Capacity | 6 place settings, or up to 24 bar glasses | 6 place settings | ~2 place settings in practice (tank-fill design) |
| Water source | Faucet quick-connect | Faucet quick-connect | 5-liter built-in tank, no plumbing |
| Cycles | Quick (30 min), Heavy, Normal, AutoSense, Rinse, Custom | 7 programs: Normal, Intensive, Eco, Glass, 90-Minute, Rapid, Soak | Multiple wash settings; no faucet needed for any of them |
| Published noise level | 52 dBA | ~60 dB | Not independently published |
| Install options | Counter, under-sink, or built-in with optional trim kit ($199–$399) | Countertop only | Countertop only |
| ENERGY STAR certified | Yes | Yes | Not certified; rated at 130 kWh/year |
Specs pulled from each manufacturer’s current published listings and cross-checked against independent test data from America’s Test Kitchen, which ran a formal comparison of countertop dishwashers including a Farberware-style tank-fill model against larger faucet-hookup units.
What Does a Countertop Dishwasher Actually Save You?
The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program publishes the only independently verified numbers in this category, and they make the case for any of these three over hand-washing. According to ENERGY STAR, a certified dishwasher uses less than half the energy of hand-washing the same load, and can save roughly 8,400 gallons of water a year compared to washing by hand — cutting a household’s water and energy costs by up to $220 a year versus the sink. ENERGY STAR’s own messaging specifically notes that certified compact dishwashers, the category these three fall into, run “approximately 30% more energy efficient and 43% more water efficient than conventional models,” with an estimated annual operating cost around $30 a year.
Here’s the part none of these three brands print clearly on the box: what a full year of ownership costs once you add the machine’s own electricity draw on top of the water it uses. We built the table below from GE’s own published water-use figure (approximately 2 gallons per cycle) and Farberware’s published annual energy rating, applied against the EPA’s ~$30/year compact-dishwasher operating-cost estimate for context, and assuming five cycles a week — a realistic pace for a one- or two-person household using one of these as its primary dishwasher.
| GE Profile PZF560HGWBB | BLACK+DECKER BCD6W | Farberware FDW05ASBWHA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine price | ~$599 | ~$315 | ~$310 |
| Est. annual operating cost (energy + water) | ~$30 | ~$32 | ~$34 |
| Effective capacity per cycle | 6 place settings | 6 place settings | ~2 place settings |
| Cycles needed for the same weekly load as GE | 1x | 1x | ~3x |
The takeaway: the Farberware’s low sticker price is misleading once you account for capacity. Because its tank-fill design holds roughly a third of what the GE Profile or BLACK+DECKER can wash in a single cycle, a household that would run the GE once a day needs to run the Farberware two to three times to clear the same dishes — which means more manual refills and more total cycle time, even though the per-cycle running cost is similar. Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying.
GE Profile PZF560HGWBB: Best Overall
The GE Profile is the newest machine in this comparison — it reached the market in November 2025 — and it’s built around a genuinely different pitch than the other two: buy it as a countertop unit now, and convert it to an under-sink or fully built-in installation later with an optional trim kit, without buying a new machine. It also carries the lowest published noise rating here (52 dBA) and includes a WiFi-connected app plus an NSF-certified “Baby Care” sanitizing cycle.
Pros: quietest published noise level of the three; only model with a real path to built-in installation later; WiFi app control and a certified sanitizing cycle; ENERGY STAR certified.
Cons: highest sticker price; the built-in trim kits are a separate purchase; some retailers list it as non-returnable once opened.
Best for: anyone who wants to start on the counter but might renovate or install it permanently later, and anyone sensitive to dishwasher noise in an open-plan kitchen.
BLACK+DECKER BCD6W: Best Budget
The BCD6W gets you real faucet-hookup dishwashing — the same basic mechanism as the GE Profile — for close to half the price. It runs seven distinct cycles, including a 90-minute option and a dedicated glass cycle, and includes a child lock and a 24-hour delay start that neither of the other two publishes as a feature.
Pros: lowest price of the three real faucet-hookup machines; seven wash programs including a glassware-specific setting; child lock and delay start included; ENERGY STAR certified.
Cons: loudest published spec (~60 dB) of the two faucet-hookup models; cannot fit plates larger than about 11 inches; needs a hot-water faucet at full pressure to run properly.
Best for: renters and budget-conscious buyers who have faucet access and want a genuine dishwasher experience without the GE Profile’s price.
Farberware FDW05ASBWHA: Best for Zero Plumbing
The Farberware is the only one of the three that never touches your faucet. Fill its 5-liter internal tank, load your dishes, and run a cycle — useful if your faucet’s threading won’t accept a quick-connect adapter, or if the machine needs to live somewhere without sink access at all. Reviewed.com’s testing rated its cleaning performance at 99%+ stain removal, the strongest single data point we found across independent reviews of any model in this category.
Pros: no plumbing or faucet adapter required at all; strong independently tested cleaning performance; smallest footprint of the three.
Cons: effective capacity is closer to 2 place settings than its “6-piece” marketing language suggests; not ENERGY STAR certified; short power cord that Home Depot’s own spec sheet notes may require an extension cord.
Best for: studio apartments, RVs, or any spot where running a water line simply isn’t an option.
How We Compared
This comparison is built from each manufacturer’s current published specifications, cross-checked against independent testing from America’s Test Kitchen and Reviewed.com, and verified owner feedback and long-term reliability patterns reported across major retail listings. We did not test these three machines ourselves. Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying. For more on our process, see our editorial standards.
FAQ
Is a countertop dishwasher actually worth buying?
Yes, if you lack space or plumbing for a full-size dishwasher — ENERGY STAR data shows even a compact certified dishwasher uses less energy and far less water than hand-washing the same load. It’s not worth it if you already have room to install a full-size unit, since a countertop machine’s per-cycle capacity is a fraction of a built-in dishwasher’s.
Do countertop dishwashers need to be hooked up to a faucet?
The GE Profile PZF560HGWBB and BLACK+DECKER BCD6W both connect to a kitchen faucet with an included quick-connect adapter. The Farberware FDW05ASBWHA is the exception — it uses a manually filled internal water tank and needs no faucet connection at all.
How many dishes actually fit in a countertop dishwasher?
The GE Profile and BLACK+DECKER are both rated for 6 place settings. The Farberware FDW05ASBWHA is marketed similarly but independent testing and its tank-fill design put its real per-cycle capacity closer to 2 place settings.
Can a countertop dishwasher later become a built-in dishwasher?
Only the GE Profile PZF560HGWBB in this comparison is designed for that — it can be converted to an under-sink or fully built-in installation with an optional trim kit sold separately. The BLACK+DECKER and Farberware models are countertop-only.
Bottom Line
If budget allows and you might want to install it permanently down the road, the GE Profile PZF560HGWBB is the standout for its quiet operation and built-in upgrade path. If you just need real faucet-hookup dishwashing at the lowest price, the BLACK+DECKER BCD6W gets it done. And if plumbing isn’t an option at all, the Farberware FDW05ASBWHA is the only one of the three built to skip it entirely. For more small-kitchen-appliance comparisons, browse our Small Appliances coverage, including how Ninja Foodi, Instant Vue, and Cosori Pro air fryers compare, and our breakdown of Vitamix, Ninja, and Blendtec blenders if you’re outfitting more of a small kitchen at once.
