Cookies help us deliver the best experience on our website. By clicking Accept you are agreeing to the placement and use of cookies as described in our privacy policy.
Gardyn vs. Click & Grow
Click & Grow is the most thoughtfully designed countertop garden in the category. The Estonian brand has spent over a decade refining a single product idea: a self-watering, self-fertilizing little box that grows three to nine plants on a counter. The Smart Garden 27 stacks three of those boxes on a birch plywood shelf, getting you up to 27 plants on what looks like a piece of well-made furniture.
Gardyn comes at the same goal differently. Click & Grow asks: how do we make a small herb garden look beautiful on a counter? Gardyn asks: how do we feed a family of four from a 2 sq ft footprint? Same category, very different ambitions. Here is how the choice plays out.
| Features | Gardyn Home 4 | Click & Grow |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $899 | $899 |
| # of plants you can grow | 30 | 27 |
| Energy use per month | 47 kWh | 87 kWh |
| Grow indoors | ||
| Vertical or stackable | ||
| Full-spectrum LED lights | ||
| Automated or self-watering | ||
| Automated lights | ||
| Can grow microgreens/baby greens | ||
| Can grow in 2 sq ft | ||
| Can grow plants over 2 feet tall | ||
| Constructed with food grade, UV-stabilized, recyclable, BPA-free plastic | ||
| Modular design that allows for easy plant arranging | ||
| Water level sensors | ||
| Humidity sensors | ||
| Temperature sensors | ||
| Light intensity control | ||
| AI-powered monitoring, optimization, and plant coaching | ||
| Wifi enabled | ||
| Membership option that gives access to free plants and food each month, Kelby Assist, Vacation Mode, exclusive plants, and support from our live growing experts. | ||
| Timelapse videos of plant growth | ||
| Live view of plants |
Gardyn vs. Click & Grow — let’s start with Click & Grow
The Smart Garden 27 is three Smart Garden 9 PRO units stacked on a three-tier birch plywood stand. Each tier grows 9 plants for a total of 27, and the whole thing currently retails at $599.95 (down from $799). It is roughly 47 inches tall and a little over two feet wide, designed to live on a kitchen counter, pantry shelf, or wall-mounted bracket. Each tier has its own water reservoir, light bar, and passive watering system. Click & Grow’s smaller Smart Garden 3 ($99.95) and Smart Garden 9 ($229.95) are also available standalone.
Click & Grow uses what they call Smart Soil pods, a proprietary pre-seeded format with peat and nutrients sealed into a small capsule. The plant pod library covers around 70 varieties, all certified pesticide-free. The Smart Garden 9 PRO and 27 have an app for light schedule control; the basic Smart Garden 3 and 9 do not. There are no cameras, no plant-level sensors, and no AI plant assistant on any model. The pricing is honest, the design is excellent, and the system reliably grows herbs and small greens for someone whose ambition stops there.
The Gardyn Home 4
Gardyn’s Home 4 is part of an innovative indoor hydroponic garden series from US-based Gardyn. Featuring patented Hybriponics™ technology, it’s revolutionizing indoor food cultivation, ushering in an era of fresh vegetables and herbs grown with minimal space, effort, and maintenance. All you need to get started is a power outlet, a home Wi-Fi connection, and the Gardyn smartphone app. How’s that for easy gardening?
Getting the green thumb of approval with Gardyn
On the surface, both The Gardyn Home 4 and Smart Garden 27 offer similar indoor garden functionality, supported by optional subscription/membership options to keep you fully stocked and supported year-round. However, for serious indoor gardeners, Gardyn’s comprehensive slate of innovative features offer you significantly more flexibility and support for your growing efforts.
Where the Gardyn really starts to pull ahead is in its technology. With its Home 4, take advantage of the features that’ll put your indoor garden front and center (and setting it apart from competition):
- Sensors to measure humidity and temperature to provide optimal plant care
- Vacation mode and timelapse modes to ensure plant growth even when you’re not at home
- Intuitive Kelby Assist that’ll give you recommendations for how to nourish your plants
Both the Gardyn Home 4 and the Click & Grow Smart Garden 27 provide home indoor gardening solutions to get you growing in no time.
For someone who is looking for a simpler home garden solution, Smart Garden 27 may be a fine option. However, Gardyn Home 4 offers significantly more functionality, and is a more complete option for anyone who is look for further remarkable benefits for intrepid indoor gardeners:
More capacity, more plant variety
Gardyn Home 4 grows 30 plants from over 100 varieties, including vining crops and tall lettuces that hit Click & Grow’s per-tier light ceiling. The yCube library covers leafy greens, herbs, fruits, edible flowers, and microgreens.
Cameras and AI, not just an on-off schedule
Click & Grow’s PRO app controls when the lights turn on. Gardyn’s app monitors every plant continuously through two onboard cameras, sends Kelby AI alerts when something needs attention, and offers Live View and time-lapse videos. Members can chat with Kelby in the app for plant-specific care advice.
Smaller kitchen? Studio 2 fits easily in a corner
If the Smart Garden 27’s countertop form factor appeals but you want smart features, the Gardyn Studio 2 grows 16 plants in 1.4 sq ft for $549. Same Hybriponic™ tech, same Kelby AI, same app, in a footprint roughly half the size of the Smart Garden 27.
One reservoir, not three
The Smart Garden 27 has three separate water tanks, one per tier. Gardyn has a single 4+ gallon reservoir at the base that handles all 30 plants for 7 to 10 days unattended. Fewer refills, fewer chances for one tier to run dry while another stays full.
The Verdict: Gardyn Home 4 vs. Click & Grow
Click & Grow makes the best countertop herb garden money can buy, and the Smart Garden 27 stretches that form factor to its useful maximum. If your goal is fresh herbs and small greens, your kitchen has the counter space, and you genuinely prefer a horizontal shelving aesthetic, it is a fine choice and you will not regret it.
If your ambition is bigger — full lettuces, vining tomatoes, a real grocery-replacement harvest — or you want cameras and AI watching your plants, Gardyn Home 4 is the better fit at $899. And if your space is tight, Gardyn Studio 2 at $549 gives you the same smart features in a smaller footprint than the Smart Garden 27.
- 30 plants in a single floor-standing column, vs. 27 plants across three countertop tiers with fixed light heights
- 100+ plant varieties including full lettuces, vining tomatoes, and cherry varieties, vs. ~70 Smart Soil varieties under 12 inches
- Two onboard cameras and Kelby AI per-plant monitoring, vs. basic light scheduling app on Click & Grow PRO models
- One 4+ gallon reservoir running 7-10 days unattended, vs. three separate tier tanks to monitor
- 60-day risk-free trial vs. 30-day return on Click & Grow
- Frees up counter space by living on the floor in 2 sq ft
Discover an automated, smart, and sustainable approach to gardening. Get started today.
Start growing today
Start growing today
About Hydroponic
About Gardening
60-day risk free trial.
As low as $23/mo.
2-year warranty.