Refrigerators are made in a few different body types; top- freezer, bottom- freezer, side-by-side, french door, freezerless, built-in, and compact. As convenience and style goes up, so does price and storage. You get what you pay for, so make sure it suits your home and your style.

Top-freezer - Not ideal for busy families who entertain often and are always rushing. Theses models offer roughly 16-22 cubic feet of interior capacity. With the fridge area being located below the freezer, bending over and aching backs are something that will come along with buying a top-freezer refrigerator. These usually range between $350 and $700.

Bottom-freezer - More convenient than top-freezer types because the main fridge is located at eye level. No bending over. Also, there’s plenty of freezer space for those who like to buy in bulk and/or store frozen items for long time periods. These range from about $750 to $1,200.

Side-by-side - With more interior space and convenience, side-by side refrigerators are very popular. These are most suitable for smaller spaces, and are great for grabbing things quickly with the two doors making everything super accessible to anyone reaching in. These range anywhere from $700 to over $1,800.

French-doors - If you entertain often this is a great pick for you. This body offers plenty of space to store large items such as platters and trays. These refrigerators offer ample door storage so you can quickly grab whatever you need while cooking. These are usually available in three-door options with bottom freezer compartments, and four-door options with dual freezer compartments. This style has skyrocketed over the last few years, and for good reason. Because of the storage and convenience of this fridge, they range from $1,600 to over $2,000.

Freezerless -  A perfect secondary option for places other than the kitchen, such as the basement or garage for your ultimate convenience. These refrigerators have a generally thin design, making them very easy to squeeze into any desired location.

Built-in - Made to blend in with the rest of your kitchen, instead of being installed as a separate unit. These usually don’t have as much depth as a free-standing unit, but can be wider. They generally have unfinished tops and sides, but custom made panels provide stylish options.

Compact - Small units made for tight spaces. These are ideal for dorms, offices, bedrooms, and smaller units can even be stored on top of counters. Glass door options are also available so you can see when you need to restock. These small units save space in your main refrigerator and are super convenient. 

Door-in-door - French doors open to reveal a door-in-door design in the upper refrigerator compartment. These save tons of energy because you only open one panel to access commonly used items.

Door &/ or temperature alarms alert you when the door has been open for longer than a few minutes.

Dual cooling provides separate cooling systems for freezer and fridge, keeping your ice from tasting like garlic bread.

Quiet operation helps keep your kitchen quiet and calm, despite what’s going on in the rest of the home.

Child locks prevent children from getting into the fridge.

Ice and water dispensers prevent you from constantly refilling ice trays throughout the week, and ensures there’s always clean, filtered water available at the press of a button.

Air filters maintain the right moisture levels for all your items you store.

In-door televisions are perfect to watch cooking shows or catch up on the news while preparing meals.

Extended warranties are highly recommended to be bought when purchasing a new refrigerator.

Programmable control pads allow you to set the specific desired temperature, check filter condition, lock the water/ice dispenser along with many other handy tools.

Dual ice makers provide ice for the door and ice in a separate bin usually located in the pullout freezer drawer.

Before you start browsing for a new refrigerator, you need to make sure it fits the space you have available. Measure the space to find the height, width, and depth your new refrigerator will occupy. Double check your measurements, just to be certain. Also take into consideration how wide your doorways are that the refrigerator will have to go through when being installed.

Allow extra space to ensure proper airflow around the refrigerator once it’s installed.  Measure for door opening and hinge space, as you want to make sure that the doors won’t be cut short, denying access to the contents of your fridge. Another factor in determining the desirable size of your refrigerator is devoting 4-6 feet of storage per adult in the household. Other factors include how much fresh food vs frozen food you buy, and use those factors to determine how much freezer and fridge space you actually need.