Aerogarden Bounty vs Letpot Max: Which Indoor Garden is Better?

my LetPot Max on the left, growing cucumbers, and my Aerogarden Bounty Elite on the right, filled with cherry tomatoes

Aerogarden vs Letpot

I get asked all the time which indoor garden brand or model I recommend.

While I do my best to answer every Instagram DM, typing out a full explanation on the app can be a bit tricky. So I thought it was about time to start a review series!

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a ton of indoor gardens as I’ve turned my NYC apartment into a mini science lab (and it’s been so fun!).

With so many brands popping up in the last few years, it’s a great time to be a consumer. More options mean more affordable hydroponic setups and better features across the board.

Today, I’m diving into a comparison of two popular options: the Aerogarden Bounty vs the Letpot Max.

Aerogarden Bounty vs Letpot Max

Both the Aerogarden Bounty and LetPot LPH-Max are fantastic options.

Aerogarden offers the bounty in several versions, including the Bounty Basic and the Bounty Elite. The Elite has slightly improved specs (a 10w higher strength light) and more features.

LetPot offers just the Max, no additional variations – much simpler!

For this article, I’ll try to discuss the Bounty generally, but if you have the option I do recommend the nicer features on the Bounty Elite over the Bounty Basic.

In my opinion, both the Aerogarden Bounty and LetPot LPH-Maxes are particularly great as secondary machines – perfect for when you’ve already gotten the hang of indoor gardening with easier plants like herbs and salad greens.

(For your first indoor garden, I recommend either the Aerogarden Harvest or LetPot Air.)

If you’re ready to step up your gardening game and grow larger vegetables like peppers or cherry tomatoes, the Bounty and Max are great choices to expand your indoor garden setup!

Quickly jump to:

To give you an idea of which indoor garden is better for you, I’ll analyze the Aerogarden Bounty and Letpot LPH-Max across the following categories:

• Design & Build
• Plant Capacity
• Seeds
• Tech Features
• Size – Which is More Small Home Friendly?
• Price and Value
• Ease of Use
• Comparison Summary
• My Opinion

Aerogarden Bounty vs Letpot Max

Comparison Chart

TL;DR:

• For more planting space and smart features, get the LetPot LPH-Max
• For a classic brand that comes with seeds, stronger lights and is ready to plant right out of box, get the Aerogarden Bounty Elite

Design & Build

Both machines are sleek, modern and look high-tech.

They’re designed slightly differently.

The Aerogarden Bounty has a large reservoir that sits on a base, where it connects to the grow light and touch screen.

All the components are made from strong, durable plastic that feels heavy duty and stable.

The grow deck is made from two connected pieces, so that water can be fed directly to each grow space.

beans are a fun vegetable to plant indoors

The LetPot Max does not have a base. Instead, the garden bowl has an integrated touch screen on the front.

The components feel thinner and a bit flimsier to me. The grow deck is made from one single piece, and water is only pumped inside the bowl (not to each grow space).

The single piece makes it easier to clean, and I haven’t noticed a difference in water flow with just the pump.

Personally, I like the look of the Aerogarden Bounty Elite better, but think the LPH-Max is more functional.

Often, when I’m refilling the tank of my Bounty Elite, water droplets will drip onto the touch screen and my first Bounty Elite base broke as a result.

Aerogarden customer service replaced the garden for me, for free, as it was within warranty.

Plant Capacity

The Aerogarden Bounty has 9 grow spaces.

On the other hand, the LetPot Max comes with two garden decks – one with 21 grow spaces and another with 2 larger grow spaces.

This provides more flexibility in what you can grow. For larger vegetables, I often leave some spaces empty and don’t fill every pod.

With the Letpot Max, you have the option to grow up to 21 plants, or you can use the second deck to focus on just 2 larger plants.

This modular approach gives you the freedom to tailor your garden to your needs.

I personally use the 21-pod tray for starting a bunch of seeds, and then I transplant the seedlings outside once they’re big enough.

I’ve grown cucumbers in the Letpot Max…

Seeds

One major difference between the two systems is that Aerogarden includes pre-seeded pods with your purchase, so you can start growing right away.

The included seed pack is usually 9 varieties of herbs.

On the other hand, LetPot doesn’t provide seeds, just blank pods and sponges, which means you’ll need to buy your own seeds to get started.

If you’re interested in heirloom varieties, I’ve put together a guide to my favorite seed companies here.

Keep in mind that seed selection plays a huge role in having a successful indoor gardening experience!

Tech Features

LCD Monitor

Both the Aerogarden Bounty Elite and LetPot Max come with a touchscreen monitor for easy control, but I personally prefer the Bounty Elite’s screen.

I find its buttons more intuitive and user-friendly.

With the LetPot Max, you have to toggle through various options to adjust settings or turn the lights off.

The Aerogarden Bounty has dedicated buttons for both actions, making it a bit more convenient.

WiFi and Mobile App

Both models feature built-in WiFi connectivity and a dedicated app for remote management, which is a fantastic bonus.

However, when it comes to the app experience, I prefer the LetPot Max’s mobile app.

It offers a more streamlined interface and gives you greater control over the system.

Grow Light

Regarding lighting, the Aerogarden Bounty series has slightly more powerful LED lights.

The Bounty comes with a 40 watt light while the Bounty Elite has a 50 watt light. The stronger the light, the faster and larger vegetables you can grow.

Meanwhile, the LetPot Max light is 36 watts.

That said, in my experience, I haven’t noticed a significant difference in plant growth or harvest size between the two.

One standout feature of the Aerogarden Bounty is its sunrise/sunset function.

This gradually dims and brightens the lights over a 30-minute period, providing a soothing and natural lighting experience.

It’s a charming touch that adds a little extra to your indoor garden setup.

…and also grown cukes in the Aerogarden Bounty!

Nutrient Scheduling

The LetPot LPH-Max, however, has its own unique feature with its auto-feeding system.

The grow bowl has a compartment where you add nutrients, and the garden automatically dispenses them, making the LetPot Max incredibly hands-off and easy to maintain.

Water Capacity

Additionally, the LetPot Max boasts a larger water tank at 7.5 liters, compared to the Bounty Elite’s 4.5 liters.

This means you won’t need to refill it as often, making it another win for low-maintenance gardening!

Size: Which is More Small Space Friendly?

The LetPot Max has a more squarish design, measuring approximately 10″ long by 15.5″ wide.

In contrast, the Aerogarden Bounty Elite has a slightly narrower, rectangular shape, measuring about 11″ long by 16.5″ wide.

While both have similar footprints, the LetPot Max offers a larger plant capacity.

I think it’s an excellent choice for those who want to maximize the number of plants without sacrificing too much space.

The Indoor Gardening Guide

Grab your copy here

 

Trellis

The Aerogarden Bounty comes with a trellis system, providing support for taller plants like tomatoes, beans, and peppers.

This is a great feature if you’re looking to grow more robust vegetables.

The Letpot LPH-Max doesn’t include a trellis, but it offers an optional, modular trellis system for purchase. I actually have it, and it works beautifully!

I love that you can place multiple trellises on top of each other.

Though it’s an added cost, the stackable design allows you to adjust the trellis as your plants grow taller, making it much more versatile and functional in the long run.

Price and Value

Both Aerogarden and LetPot frequently adjust the prices of their indoor gardens, so comparing them directly on price alone can be tricky.

The Letpot LPH-Max has an MSRP of $251.99, but you can use my coupon code to take an extra 15% off!

 

The Aerogarden Bounty Elite retails for $299.95 and often goes on sale for around $250.

I have a guide here to help you find the “real” sale prices for all of Aerogarden’s indoor gardens.

Overall, the LetPot Max is slightly cheaper.

Given its similar size and features, I’d say the LetPot Max wins when it comes to value.

However, if you factor in the cost of seeds and the optional trellis accessory, both gardens end up being fairly comparable in price.

In general, Aerogarden’s indoor gardens tend to be a little pricier than other brands.

But, they are the original makers of indoor hydroponic gardens and have built a strong reputation over the years.

Aerogarden is known for excellent customer support and high-quality, durable products, so the extra cost may be worth it for those who value reliable customer service and a long-lasting investment.

I’ve had to contact customer service a couple of times over the years, whether to replace seed pods that didn’t sprout or parts that needed replacing.

They’ve always been great at resolving the issue!

I’ve also had a great experience with LetPot’s customer service.

In general, I think competition from LetPot and other brands have forced Aerogarden to slightly decrease their prices.

And in general, more brands in the indoor gardening space has meant lots of innovation!

the Aerogarden Bounty is a great size to grow all sorts of medium sized vegetables, from mizuna to shishito peppers to cherry tomatoes

Ease of Use

The Aerogarden Bounty is essentially pre-assembled, making it a breeze to set up.

With simple buttons and an easy-to-read touchscreen, you can go from unboxing to growing your new garden in just about 10 minutes.

Plus, Aerogarden includes pre-seeded pods with all their indoor gardens, so you can start planting right away without the need for extra prep.

And, Aerogarden includes their proprietary liquid plant food, a pH balanced nutrient solution that works really well, no matter the quality of your tap water.

I really like their hydroponic nutrients and have repurchased larger bottles of it several times.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know about Aerogarden’s Nutrients

The LetPot LPH-Max is also simple to assemble, but it does require you to purchase seeds separately if you want to plant immediately.

The nutrients that come with the garden are a 2-part dry formula, where you’ll need to mix together parts A and B. While these hydroponic nutrients work fine, they’re not my favorite.

What’s unique about the Letpot Max is its higher end features.

It offers more advanced controls, like a separate nutrition slot so the garden will automatically drip out nutrients to your plants.

It also has a hose so you can hook the indoor garden up to an external reservoir, and further cut down on water refills.

If you prefer a low maintenance garden, the LPH-Max is unbeatable.

Finally, I really like the dual optionality with the LetPot LPH-Max.

You can start with the 21-pod tray to seed-start a bunch of plants and then transplant to another garden (either indoors or outdoors) once they’re big enough.

Afterward, you can switch to indoor growing with fewer plants, offering greater flexibility depending on your needs.

I love using the LetPot Max to start seeds, since the 21-pod tray can fit a ton of baby plants all at once. Then I transplant to my Lettuce Grow, other indoor gardens or outside

My Opinion

I have both indoor gardens and I absolutely love them!

Both the Bounty Elite and LetPot Max have served me well over the years through all kinds of gardening experiments.

I’ve successfully grown bush beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and larger greens like mizuna, swiss chard and romaine lettuce in both systems.

I’ve also grown a variety of hot peppers, including Thai chilis, shishitos and jigsaw peppers – but I find it easier to grow peppers in a larger system like the Aerogarden Farm.

I’ve written an in-depth Ebook on how I start, run and maintain my indoor apartment garden here.

It covers everything I know about indoor hydroponics and is my cheat-guide covering everything from seed starting to harvest!

You can pick up a copy here.

Aerogarden Bounty Elite vs LetPot LPH-Max

Overall, I don’t think you go wrong with either of these systems!

That said, I do have a personal preference.

I prefer the Aerogarden Bounty’s look and design.

I find its grow bowl a bit easier to clean, think the build quality feels sturdier, and I appreciate the stronger wattage lights.

Overall, the Bounty Elite feels like a more polished system to me.

If you want to grow cherry tomatoes or small peppers, I think the Bounty Elite would be great.

On the other hand, the LetPot LPH-Max has been a bit more versatile and functional and I’d say I use it more frequently due to its 21-plant tray.

It’s my go-to garden for seed starting.

I use it to start a bunch of seedlings for all my other gardens, as it’s the only indoor garden I have with so many planting spaces.

I also use it to start seedlings for my Farmstand, then move them to the larger hydroponic tower when they’re about 1 month old.

It’s my hack for easily and cheapily creating seedlings for the Lettuce Grow towers!

I also really like the larger water capacity of the LetPot Max, which reduces the need for frequent maintenance.

That’s a huge plus when you’re managing multiple gardens!

Have you tried both? Which do you prefer?

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