AeroGarden vs Click and Grow vs Lettuce Grow: Pods, Light, Upkeep

AeroGarden vs Click and Grow is the comparison most people make before buying their first indoor garden, and Lettuce Grow is the name that comes up once they want more than herbs. The three brands look similar in photos but grow plants in three different ways. AeroGarden grows plants in water with a liquid plant food you add. Click & Grow grows them in a soil-like pod that already holds the nutrients, fed by wicks with no pump. Lettuce Grow sells a vertical tower that pumps water to dozens of live seedlings, indoors under its own lights or outdoors in the sun.

The short answer: Click & Grow is the least work, AeroGarden grows the widest range of crops on a countertop, and Lettuce Grow grows the most food but needs floor space and more care. Below we compare how each one works, what you are tied to after you buy, and which suits which home, using the brands' own specifications. We did not run our own grow trials.

Best All-Rounder

AeroGarden Bounty

Nine plants up to 24 inches tall under a 40 W light, so it grows herbs, salad and small tomatoes or peppers, and AeroGarden's Grow Anything pods let you sow your own seed.

Check price on Amazon

Least effort

Click & Grow Smart Garden 9

Nine pods with nutrients built in, no fertilizer to add, and a tank refill typically every 2 to 3 weeks.
Most food

Lettuce Grow Farmstand

A 24-plant vertical tower that grows outdoors in sun or indoors with Glow Rings, with levels you can add later.

AeroGarden vs Click and Grow vs Lettuce Grow at a Glance

	AeroGarden	Click & Grow	Lettuce Grow
How plants are fed	Water plus liquid plant food you add	Nutrients built into Smart Soil pods	Water plus plant food, pumped up a tower
Water movement	Pump	Wicks, no pump	Pump on a timer
Plant sites in the models here	6 (Harvest) or 9 (Bounty)	3 or 9	24 on Amazon, up to 36 per Lettuce Grow
Light	Built in, 20 W or 40 W	Built in LED, extends as plants grow	Sun outdoors; Glow Rings indoors, sold separately
Refill	Reminder on the panel or app	Typically every 2 to 3 weeks	About weekly indoors, per Lettuce Grow
Starting plants	Pre-seeded pods or your own seed	Pre-seeded pods or your own seed	Live seedlings shipped to you
Space	Countertop	Countertop or windowsill	About 2 by 2 feet of floor
Weekly effort	Low	Lowest	Highest: water, nutrients and pH

How Each System Grows Plants

AeroGarden: Water and Liquid Plant Food

An AeroGarden is a small hydroponic system. Pods sit in a deck over a water bowl, a pump circulates the water, and you add AeroGarden's liquid plant food when the control panel tells you to. The Harvest holds 6 plants up to 12 inches tall under a 20 W full spectrum LED with an automatic timer. The Bounty holds 9 plants up to 24 inches under a 40 W LED, adds WiFi and Alexa control and a three-step water level indicator, and comes with a 6 inch trellis. Because it is true hydroponics, an AeroGarden behaves like the bigger systems on this site: roots in water, nutrients in solution, and results that depend on light and feeding.

Click & Grow: Nutrient Pods and Wicks

Click & Grow takes the work out. Each pod is filled with what the company calls Smart Soil, which holds the seed and the plant food, and wicks draw water from the tank to the pods. There is no pump, so the garden is silent, and there is nothing to measure or mix. The listings say the Smart Garden 3 light runs 16 hours on and 8 off by itself, a full tank lasts about 2 to 3 weeks, and basil reaches full size in 1 to 2 months with a pod lasting 2 to 3 months. Strictly speaking it is not hydroponics: the roots grow in a growing medium, not in nutrient solution, which is why Click & Grow markets it as easier than a hydroponic system.

Lettuce Grow: A Vertical Tower With Live Seedlings

The Farmstand is a different class of product: a floor-standing tower with a reservoir in the base, a pump on a timer that sends water to the top, and plant ports on every level. Lettuce Grow lists a 20.5 gallon tank for the original Farmstand and a 9 gallon tank for the smaller indoor Farmstand Nook, which has built-in LEDs. The original needs a spot with at least 6 hours of direct sun outdoors, or Glow Rings indoors, and a GFCI outlet for the pump. The Amazon kit includes the tower, pump, timer, plant food for 130+ plants, a pH test kit and pH Down. Instead of seed pods, Lettuce Grow ships pre-germinated seedlings, and its site lists more than 200 live seasonal varieties.

Smart Gardens Compared

Specifications are from the makers' Amazon listings. Where a listing does not give a figure, the table says so.

Garden	AeroGarden Bounty All-rounder	AeroGarden Harvest Compact	Click & Grow 9 Least effort	Click & Grow 3 Smallest	Lettuce Grow Farmstand Most plants
Garden
Plant sites	9	6	9	3	24, expandable
Max plant height	24 in	12 in	Not stated	Lamp extends	Tower, open top
Light	40 W LED	20 W LED	LED, watts not stated	LED, 16 h on	Sun or Glow Rings, sold separately
Feeding	Liquid plant food	Liquid plant food	In the pod	In the pod	Plant food plus pH checks
In the box	Seed pods, plant food, trellis	Seed pods, plant food	9 pods: tomato, basil, lettuce	3 basil pods	Pump, timer, food, pH kit
Price tier	$$	$	$$	$$	$$$
Buy	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon	Check price on Amazon

All-rounder

AeroGarden Bounty

Plant sites: 9
Max plant height: 24 in
Light: 40 W LED

Show specifications

Feeding: Liquid plant food
In the box: Seed pods, plant food, trellis
Price tier: $$

Check price on Amazon

Compact

AeroGarden Harvest

Plant sites: 6
Max plant height: 12 in
Light: 20 W LED

Show specifications

Feeding: Liquid plant food
In the box: Seed pods, plant food
Price tier: $

Check price on Amazon

Least effort

Click & Grow 9

Plant sites: 9
Max plant height: Not stated
Light: LED, watts not stated

Show specifications

Feeding: In the pod
In the box: 9 pods: tomato, basil, lettuce
Price tier: $$

Check price on Amazon

Smallest

Click & Grow 3

Plant sites: 3
Max plant height: Lamp extends
Light: LED, 16 h on

Show specifications

Feeding: In the pod
In the box: 3 basil pods
Price tier: $$

Check price on Amazon

Most plants

Lettuce Grow Farmstand

Plant sites: 24, expandable
Max plant height: Tower, open top
Light: Sun or Glow Rings, sold separately

Show specifications

Feeding: Plant food plus pH checks
In the box: Pump, timer, food, pH kit
Price tier: $$$

Check price on Amazon

Head to Head

AeroGarden vs Click and Grow

Pick Click & Grow if you want herbs without thinking about it. You add water every two or three weeks and nothing else, and there is no pump to hum or clean. Pick AeroGarden if you want to grow more than herbs. The Bounty's 24 inch height and 40 W light suit cherry tomatoes and peppers, AeroGarden also sells kits such as its Salsa Garden with cherry tomato and jalapeño, and because the plants are fed through the water you can adjust feeding as they grow. The trade-off is a little more upkeep: adding plant food when the panel asks and rinsing the bowl between crops.

Click and Grow vs Lettuce Grow

These are hardly competitors. Click & Grow is a countertop herb garden; the Farmstand is a vertical garden for a household's salad. Choose Click & Grow for a few herbs in a kitchen with no outdoor space. Choose Lettuce Grow if you have a sunny balcony, patio or a room with space for a tower, want lettuce in quantity, and are willing to check pH and add nutrients each week.

AeroGarden vs Lettuce Grow

Both are true hydroponic systems with a pump, so the skills carry over. The difference is scale and where they live. An AeroGarden is self-contained, with its light built in, and grows a handful of plants anywhere. A Farmstand grows two to four times as many plants, uses free sunlight outdoors, and can move indoors with Glow Rings for winter. If you already like your AeroGarden and want more food, the Farmstand is the natural next step; so is a hydroponic tower garden from another brand.

Pods, Seeds and Running Costs

Pre-Seeded Pods Are the Easy Start

AeroGarden and Click & Grow both sell pre-seeded pods, and both include a starter set. The Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 listing says there are 75+ pod types, and Click & Grow offers a free replacement if a pod does not sprout within 21 days. AeroGarden's site sells more than two dozen pod kits, according to Bob Vila's March 2025 report on the relaunch. Pods are the main ongoing cost of both systems.

Growing From Your Own Seed

Neither countertop brand locks you in completely. AeroGarden's Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit holds 6 coir grow sponges, grow baskets, labels and a 3 oz bottle of liquid nutrients, and fits all AeroGarden models. Click & Grow's seedless Grow Anything pods contain Smart Soil with plant food that lasts up to 4 months; you add the seeds. Third-party sponge kits made for AeroGarden are also widely sold. Lettuce Grow's model is different: you buy seedlings from them, already started, which saves weeks of germination but costs more per plant than seed.

Electricity

The light is the main power draw. On a 16 hour day, the Harvest's 20 W LED uses about 0.32 kWh a day, under 10 kWh a month, and the Bounty's 40 W LED about 19 kWh a month. The arithmetic is ours, from the listed wattages; multiply by your own electricity rate. A Farmstand grown outdoors uses only its pump, while one under Glow Rings indoors uses more than either countertop unit.

Weekly Upkeep

Click & Grow: top up water. AeroGarden: top up water and add plant food on the reminder. Lettuce Grow: top up a big reservoir, add nutrients and test and adjust pH; the kit includes a pH test kit and pH Down for that. If you want to check nutrient strength in any hydroponic system, a pH pen and a TDS or EC meter take the guesswork out.

Empty Pods for Your Own Seeds

Both countertop brands sell seedless pods, which cut the running cost and widen what you can grow.

1For any AeroGarden

AeroGarden Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit

Six coir sponges, baskets, labels and a 3 oz bottle of nutrients; seeds not included.

Check price on Amazon
2For any Click & Grow

Click & Grow Seedless Grow Anything Pods

Three Smart Soil pods with plant food that lasts up to 4 months, ready for your own seed.

Check price on Amazon

What Happened to AeroGarden?

Scotts Miracle-Gro bought AeroGarden in 2020. In November 2024, Texas Standard reported that Scotts would shut the brand down early in 2025, with manufacturing of new units ending and support continuing. Then the decision was reversed. Bob Vila reported in March 2025 that AeroGarden would relaunch in spring 2025, with gardens and seed kits on sale again, seed pod kits back on Amazon, and a commitment to keep updating the app so the smart features of existing gardens keep working.

For a buyer, that means an AeroGarden bought today still has pods, plant food and app support, and if pods ever became hard to find, a Grow Anything kit or a third-party sponge kit keeps any AeroGarden running on ordinary seed and hydroponic nutrients.

Alternatives to AeroGarden, Click and Grow and Lettuce Grow

Open-Sponge Countertop Gardens

Brands such as LetPot, iDOO and Ahopegarden sell countertop units with empty sponges and baskets and A and B nutrients, so there is no proprietary pod at all. They behave like an AeroGarden and suit people who want to grow from seed from day one.

Other Towers

If the Farmstand appeals but the price tier does not, compare the vertical systems in our best hydroponic tower gardens guide, which covers towers with and without lights.

Build Your Own

A Kratky jar or a small DIY hydroponic system under a shop light does what a countertop garden does for less, with you supplying the timer and the nutrient mix. Our hydroponics for beginners guide compares the options.

Let Fish Do the Feeding

Every system on this page runs on bottled plant food. An aquaponics kit feeds plants with fish waste instead; see our aquaponics kits and the aquaponics vs hydroponics comparison.

AeroGarden vs Click and Grow FAQ

Is AeroGarden still in business?

Yes. AeroGarden, owned by Scotts Miracle-Gro since 2020, announced in late 2024 that it would close, then reversed course and relaunched in spring 2025, according to Bob Vila's report. Gardens, seed pod kits and app updates continued after the relaunch, and seed pod kits returned to Amazon.

Can you still buy AeroGarden pods?

Yes. Pre-seeded AeroGarden pod kits are sold again after the 2025 relaunch, on Amazon and on AeroGarden's own store. You can also use the Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit with your own seeds, or third-party sponge and basket kits made to fit AeroGarden decks, which removes the dependence on branded pods.

What grows best in an AeroGarden?

Herbs and salad leaves are the easiest: basil, parsley, mint, chives and lettuce grow quickly under the built-in light. A taller model such as the Bounty, which takes plants up to 24 inches, can also handle cherry tomatoes and small peppers, especially with the trellis that comes in the box.

Which is cheaper to run, AeroGarden or Click and Grow?

It depends mostly on pods. Both brands sell pre-seeded pods, which are the main running cost, and both sell seedless pods for your own seed, which cost far less per plant. AeroGarden also needs liquid plant food; Click & Grow pods include the nutrients. Electricity is small for both, under 10 kWh a month for a 20 W light.

What is the difference between the Lettuce Grow Farmstand and the Nook?

The original Farmstand grows indoors or outdoors, with a 20.5 gallon tank, and needs Glow Rings to grow indoors. The Farmstand Nook is a compact indoor model with built-in LEDs and a 9 gallon tank, so it does not depend on window light. Lettuce Grow says both usually need refilling about once a week indoors.

Is a Click & Grow really hydroponic?

Not in the strict sense. Hydroponic roots sit in a nutrient solution, while Click & Grow roots grow in a soil-like pod that holds the nutrients, with wicks supplying plain water. That is why it needs no plant food or pump. AeroGarden and Lettuce Grow are hydroponic: the nutrients are dissolved in the water you add.