Hand Washing Doesn’t Have to Be Boring—Shop Our Favorite Soap Dispensers (2025)

A soap dispenser might be a small everyday item that sits next to your bathroom sink, but it can noticeably enhance your everyday routine. Not only do soap dispensers add a decorative flair to your countertop, but they’re also typically made with durable materials like ceramic and metal. Plus, we think upgrading from single-use soaps to a stylish reusable dispenser is a great way to reduce waste.

To help you find the best soap dispenser, I used my experience researching and using a variety of soap dispensers from top brands, considering design, durability, ease of use, and value. Whether you’re looking for a bathroom-friendly pump or an automated option for your kitchen, we’ve got you covered.

Our Favorite Soap Dispensers

The best soap dispensers are simple, but they don’t have to be boring. With smooth-working pumps, durable materials like glass, stainless steel, and ceramic, and eye-catching details like bright colors, visually interesting texture, and even opaque containers, there’s a ton of variety. But the best combine these three most critical components: value, durability, and ease of use.

I love the Jasai Clear Glass Soap Dispenser, for example, because it’s versatile in its style and looks attractive anywhere it’s used. But it also looks elevated and offers an impressive 18-ounce capacity, making it easy to use (and refills aren’t needed often). If you prefer something value-rich and stylish in a different way, with earthy stoneware and neutral hues, Ikea’s Elkoln Soap Dispenser is another option that fits the bill and is surprisingly durable.

Best Automatic Soap Dispensers

Automatic soap dispensers are the best option for you if you’re looking for a cleaner, more effortless hand washing experience. With the wave of a hand (or just the act of placing your hand near the sensor), these soap dispensers automatically deliver just the right amount of soap for quick cleaning.

Best of all, automatic soap dispensers cut down on germs. Because you don’t need to physically touch the pump to start washing your hands, you won’t come into contact with any left-behind germs or bacteria lingering on the pump. And since you can choose between models that use disposable or rechargeable batteries, it’s easy to keep these dispensers powered in your bathroom or kitchen.

My favorite automatic soap dispensers are those made by simplehuman—both the simplehuman Touch-Free Automatic Rechargeable Sensor Pump and the more affordably-priced simplehuman Touch-Free Sensor Liquid Soap Dispenser are incredibly easy to set up and use, and they work consistently (I’ve had my dispenser for five years now!). But other options can work just as seamlessly at even lower price points.

Best Soap Dispensers for Kitchens

Kitchen soap dispensers and bathroom soap dispensers have a lot of overlap. After all, both perform the exact same function; you just may find that one sees more action in your home than the other, depending on how busy your kitchen is compared to your bathrooms.

In my experience, kitchen soap dispensers tend to be less decorative and stylish than their bathroom counterparts. While they can be eye-catching, they’re more often made with durable stainless steel or ceramic and are designed with functionality first (and aesthetics second).

If you’re looking for a stainless steel model, I’ve used the OXO Stainless Steel Soap Dispenser in my own kitchen and love that it does its job consistently and smoothly. Even after years of daily use, mine looks like new (though it’s worth noting the steel can rust, if you’re not on top of cleanings!) Another pick I’ve tried and love is Le Creuset’s Stoneware Signature Soap Dispenser, which comes in an array of colors—including options to match your own Le Creuset cookware or your kitchen’s decor.

Best Foaming Soap Dispensers

If you’re someone who loves a bubbly, foamy hand soap, you’ll want to choose a more specialized kind of dispenser: a foaming soap dispenser.

Featuring the same components as any other soap dispenser, foaming models come in traditional manual pump and more modern touchless automatic pump styles. If you want to keep it simple, a basic foaming soap dispenser will do the trick.

I personally like the Yamazaki Home Tower Foam Soap Dispenser, which blends seamlessly into any room and works in a fuss-free manner, with a pump that’s smooth and durable. The Grove Co. Foaming Hand Soap Dispenser is another great pick, and it’s made of glass if you prefer a plastic-free option.

While foaming soap dispensers do have a slightly different pump design than your average dispenser. They tend to have wider mouths, since foaming soaps generate larger, bubblier amounts of soap. Otherwise, when it comes to capacity and materials, they come in a wide range of choices and styles to suit every bathroom and kitchen.

How We Picked the Soap Dispensers

Soap dispensers are pretty simple products, and most work in a similar manner. But there are functional differences between traditional pump dispensers (which are operated by hand) and newer automatic dispensers (which are typically touchless). As someone who’s tried both traditional and automatic models, I included highly-rated and well-reviewed options of both dispenser types, including touchless soap dispensers I’ve used myself.

In addition to choosing soap dispensers based on functionality and pump style, I also sought out stylish products that look great in bathrooms and kitchens of every aesthetic. I included options that are sleek and modern, classic and able to fit anywhere, and colorful and visually interesting to double as accents—and all offer a combination of consistent performance and solid value for their price.

How to Choose the Best Soap Dispenser

Look for an Eye-Catching Yet Durable Material

Materials like glass, stoneware, metal, and ceramic are commonly used for the bottle portion of soap dispensers. Of course, there are also plastic options, which tend to be cheaper, but won’t have as heavy or durable of a base compared to other materials.

The choice is partly about aesthetics, as glass, ceramic, and metal options can all have vastly different looks. You’ll also want to think about the finish, as clear glass options like West Elm’s Sculptural Glass Soap Pump and Grove Co.’s Foaming Hand Soap Dispenser make it easy to see when it’s time for a refill.

However, options like the Ikea Elkoln Soap Dispenser have an opaque bottle, so you won’t know when it’s empty just by looking at it. It’s a minor inconvenience, but might be a dealbreaker for those who want an easy, quick way to check the current soap level.

In addition to a stylish soap dispenser, you’ll also want to think about how durable the material is. After all, you’ll be touching the dispenser constantly, and the pump in particular will be under a lot of pressure (literally!).

I recommend opting for a dispenser with a stainless steel pump, since the material is rust-proof and durable. Most of the options on this list have stainless steel pumps, including the Yamazaki Home Tower Foam Soap Dispenser.

Pick an Easy-to-Use Pump

In addition to choosing a soap dispenser with a durable pump, you’ll also want one that’s easy to use. Since the pump is the most-touched component of any soap dispenser (yes, even the touchless kind), it’s often the first piece to break, in my experience.

Most dispensers have a manual design, meaning you use one hand to pump the soap into the other. Manual designs are great for a majority of spaces and offer a classic look. They give you control over the amount dispensed, too.

Automatic models, which dispense a small amount of soap when motion is sensed, are more expensive but very practical for both sanitation and convenience. These touch-free options, like simplehuman’s Touch-Free Automatic Rechargeable Sensor Pump and Secura’s Automatic Liquid Soap Dispenser, prevent the spread of germs onto the pump.

Additionally, automatic pumps can be helpful for households with kids, since they don’t require the hand strength or coordination needed to push down on a manual pump.

Consider Capacity

Lastly, you’ll want to make sure your soap dispenser offers plenty of room to store soap. While storage capacity is really a matter of preference (after all, every soap dispenser will need to be refilled at some point), it’s a good idea to think about how frequently you’ll need to refill your dispenser before hitting “buy now.”

Some soap dispensers, like the Jasai Clear Glass Soap Dispenser or The Polished Jar Handcrafted Raw Concrete Soap Dispenser, can hold as much as 18 or 16 ounces of soap. Others, like the Simplehuman Touch-Free Sensor Liquid Soap Dispenser, offer a smaller capacity of just 8 or 9 ounces. The smaller the capacity, the more frequently you’ll need to refill your dispenser.

While capacity isn’t a detail that’ll make or break a soap dispenser, you’ll want to think about how much action yours gets in a given week. Dispensers in the busiest bathrooms or that see a lot of traffic in the kitchen will likely be easier to maintain if you opt for a larger capacity.

Why Trust The Spruce?

Heather Adams is a senior editor at The Spruce who’s used a wide variety of different soap dispensers in her home, from touchless foaming models in the kitchen to stylish glass pump dispensers in the bathroom. Her favorites are those that always deliver a smooth, fuss-free pump of soap, with enough capacity to prevent frequent refilling.