24 tabletop and cabinet egg incubators, scored on price per egg, humidity control, egg turning, features and warranty.
An egg incubator holds fertile eggs at about 99.5 °F for the three weeks a chicken egg takes to hatch, turns them so the embryo doesn’t stick to the shell, and keeps the air at the right humidity. These rankings cover tabletop incubators from 7 to 56 eggs and upright cabinets that hold hundreds, from Brinsea, Harris Farms, Rcom, Farm Innovators, Little Giant, Hatching Time, GQF, VEVOR and others. Reptile and lab incubators, brooders and stand-alone egg turners are left out.
Capacity is the first choice. Capacity is given in standard chicken eggs; most incubators hold more quail and fewer duck or goose eggs with other trays. Buy for the batch you will really set, since a half-empty incubator costs the same to run and a crowded one hatches poorly.
Humidity is where incubators differ most. The cheapest models are just water trays you top up by guesswork. Most mid-priced models show a humidity reading so you know when to add water. Fully automatic models have a pump or humidifier that holds the humidity you set, so you never open the lid during incubation.
Turning matters next. An automatic turner saves turning eggs by hand three to five times a day. The better ones stop on their own a few days before hatch, the lockdown period when eggs must sit still; with others you remove the eggs from the turner yourself.
Prices were last checked November 9, 2026. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon or the retailer's site at the time of purchase apply. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The most automated small incubator here, for keepers who want alerts on their phone. The plain Maxi 24 EX does the same incubating for less.
Amazon $449.99A low-cost 20 egg incubator with automatic turning, a fan and a candler, for a first hatch on a budget.
Amazon $79.99Tabletop incubators that hold up to 24 chicken eggs, for a first hatch, a classroom or a few eggs from a backyard flock.
Top rated: Brinsea Maxi 24 EX Connect $449.99
Incubators that hold 25 to 99 chicken eggs, for breeders and keepers who hatch a few dozen at a time.
Top rated: Brinsea Ovation 56 EX $585.71
Upright cabinet incubators that hold 100 chicken eggs or more on turning racks, for small farms and hatcheries.
Top rated: Hatching Time CT180SH $1,199.99
The most automated small incubator here, for keepers who want alerts on their phone. The plain Maxi 24 EX does the same incubating for less.
Amazon $449.99The best small fully automatic incubator for most backyard keepers: 24 eggs with pump humidity and alarms at a lower price per egg than any other automatic dome.
Amazon $283.99A Korean-made fully automatic tabletop incubator for breeders who want a set humidity and alarms. Its price per egg is high.
Amazon $439.99The smallest fully automatic incubator here, for hatching a few rare or show eggs with no water to manage. It costs a lot per egg.
Amazon $240.81A low-cost 20 egg incubator with automatic turning, a fan and a candler, for a first hatch on a budget.
Amazon $79.99The most capable tabletop incubator here, for breeders hatching several dozen eggs with no water to manage. It is expensive for its size.
Amazon $585.71A fully automatic 28 egg incubator for keepers who want humidity handled for them. It costs more per egg than the Maxi 24 EX.
Amazon $440A low-cost way to hatch three dozen eggs with automatic turning and a candler. The short warranty is the trade-off.
Amazon $131.89A small fully automatic cabinet for breeders who want cabinet controls without the floor space. Tabletop incubators hold 60 eggs for far less.
Amazon $849.99A 41 egg foam incubator with automatic turning and a humidity readout at a low price per egg. The 4250 adds a candler for the same money.
Amazon $131.89The larger Hatching Time cabinet, for hatcheries that want automatic humidity at 180 eggs a batch.
Amazon $1,199.99A fully automatic 120 egg cabinet for small farms and breeders who want humidity handled for them.
Amazon $999.99The cheapest cabinet here by far, for hatching in volume on a budget. Expect to manage humidity yourself and to rely on the seller for support.
Amazon $459.90The long-standing American cabinet incubator for keepers hatching hundreds of eggs. It needs you to set humidity by pan and vent.
Amazon $1,389.99Each incubator is ranked against others of the same size group, and scored on its price per egg, how it controls humidity, how it turns the eggs, its features and its warranty.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per chicken egg held, against others of the same size | 25% |
| Humidity control | automatic control, a humidity readout, or water trays alone | 25% |
| Egg turning | automatic turning, and whether it stops on its own before hatch | 15% |
| Features | fan, temperature alarm, phone app, clear view, candler, hatch countdown and hatching baskets | 20% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 15% |
How we rank explains each factor in full.
