Do You Need a Smart Dishwasher?

As enticing as WiFi-enabled capabilities sound, most people could probably hold off on buying a smart dishwasher. “It isn’t really who ‘should’ buy one,” says Jennifer White Boehm at Mintel, a market research firm, “but who wants to.” The smart dishwashers available today don’t offer functions that are particularly essential, nor do they address the pain points most people have with dishwashers (such as the inability to fully dry dishes).

But if you have a flexible budget—and you don’t mind a smart-home app sharing data about your dishwasher habits with the manufacturer—a smart dishwasher is something to consider. “The price point for these dishwashers is higher,” Boehm said, “so if you’re looking for a specific look, you have the funds, and you’re particularly enamored with the technology, these appliances would appeal to you.” If you’re enthusiastic about smart-home tech or already own other smart appliances, a smart dishwasher might fit right into your digital household. That said, different brands may use different apps to operate their appliances. Consider coordinating your smart appliances so they’re operable from the same app.

A smart dishwasher might be right for you if you’re particular about how you like your dishes washed or if you want to be extra careful with fine china or glassware. The remote-start feature might also come in handy if you often find yourself leaving the house—or the kitchen, for that matter—forgetting to start the dishwasher.

Looking forward, Boehm says we can expect smart-appliance developments geared toward energy management. Brands “are stepping into energy consumption and helping families manage their overall utility bills,” she says. For now, dishwashers may have WiFi, but they’re not game changers—at least not yet.

While most dishwashers offer a similar set of smart functions, such as the ability to monitor the appliance’s current cycle on your phone, there are some key differences. For instance, not all smart dishwashers allow you to start a cycle remotely. While lab testers don’t assign a specific rating to dishwasher smart features, they do assess their capabilities to see what different models can do.

You can monitor your dishwasher remotely. The main function of WiFi connectivity in a dishwasher is to allow you to monitor the machine from your smartphone, smartwatch, or tablet. It can show you what cycle you’ve selected (normal, heavy, quick wash, or others) and the time remaining, and send push notifications to let you know when a cycle is done. It’s a handy way to check on dishes, and you may prefer using your phone to stooping down over the dishwasher, especially if you don’t want to keep going back to the kitchen.

The smart dishwashers we’ve tested may not have the highest Overall Scores, but a handful of them wash and dry well and have especially strong scores for energy efficiency and noise. Here are the six top-rated dishwashers that come with WiFi.