Ninja vs. Vitamix

Smoothies: Fruit Is a Tie, Greens Are Not

For smoothies made from frozen fruit, juice, and yogurt, both blenders do the job. The Ninja’s stacked blades chop through frozen chunks quickly, and its Auto-iQ smoothie program pulses and pauses on its own so you can walk away.

The gap appears with fibrous ingredients like kale, spinach stems, ginger, and seeds. The Vitamix’s narrow jar pulls ingredients down into a vortex, and the result is consistently smooth. RTINGS found the Ninja’s main pitcher did not produce a completely smooth blend with large fibrous batches, even after extended blending. America’s Test Kitchen also noted that the Vitamix makes creamier, less frothy smoothies.

That matches my experience. Green smoothies come out completely smooth in my Vitamix, while the Ninja leaves small flecks of leaf behind.

Nut Butter and Thick Blends

This is where the Vitamix’s tamper earns its place. You can push thick mixtures into the blades while the motor runs, which is how you get smooth almond or peanut butter, hummus, and frozen “nice cream.” America’s Test Kitchen praised the 5200’s almond butter. The Ninja struggled in the same test and left a gritty result, because its stacked blades sit up the center of the pitcher and thick mixtures tend to bridge above them.

If thick blends matter to you, this difference alone justifies the Vitamix.

Hot Soup

The Vitamix can turn cold ingredients into steaming soup. Run it on high for several minutes and the blade friction heats the contents. You can also blend hot soup straight from the stove. The Ninja BN701 cannot heat food, so soups have to be cooked on the stove first.

Ice and Frozen Drinks

Here the Ninja holds its own. Crushing ice is what the stacked “Total Crushing” blade is built for, and testers consistently rate the BN701 as excellent for snow-like ice, frozen margaritas, and slushies. The Vitamix crushes ice well too. For a household that mostly makes frozen drinks, the Ninja gives you the same result for much less money.

Controls and Ease of Use

The Ninja is the easier blender to hand to anyone. Press the smoothie or frozen drink button and it runs a timed program, then stops. The Vitamix 5200 has no presets. You choose a speed on the dial, flip to high, and stop it yourself. That takes a little practice, but the variable dial gives you far finer control over texture, from chunky salsa to silky purée.

Cleaning

Both are easy to clean, in different ways. The Ninja’s pitcher and blade assembly go in the top rack of the dishwasher. Be careful handling the stacked blade, which is sharp and lifts out of the pitcher. America’s Test Kitchen also found that the blade shaft occasionally detached while pouring.

The Vitamix jar is not dishwasher-safe, but it cleans itself: add warm water and a drop of dish soap, then run it on high for 30 to 60 seconds and rinse.

Size, Noise, and Kitchen Fit

Measure your cabinets before buying the Vitamix. At about 20.5 inches tall with its classic jar, the 5200 will not fit under standard 18-inch upper cabinets. The Ninja, at roughly 16 to 17.5 inches, will.

Both are loud, as every high-powered blender is. In independent measurements, the Vitamix was a few decibels louder at full speed.

Warranty and Longevity

The warranty is the clearest signal of how long each blender is expected to last. Vitamix covers the 5200 for 7 years. Ninja covers the BN701 for 1 year. If you blend daily, you can replace a Ninja several times over the life of one Vitamix. Over seven years, that narrows the price gap considerably.

One note on availability: the BN701 was out of stock on SharkNinja’s own site when we checked, though it remained widely available from other retailers. Check current availability before buying.

Which Should You Buy?

• Buy the Ninja BN701 if you mostly make fruit smoothies, protein shakes, and frozen drinks, want dishwasher-safe parts and one-touch presets, need it to fit under your cabinets, or want to spend about $100.
• Buy the Vitamix 5200 if you blend leafy greens, make nut butter, hummus, or soup, want precise texture control, and would rather buy one blender for the next decade.

For more on the Vitamix, read our Vitamix 5200 review, or compare it with the cheaper Vitamix E310. For more options at every price, see our guide to the best blenders.