Which Worm Compost Bin Should You Buy? The Ultimate Guide to the 9 Best Worm Composters in 2024
If you're interested in composting with worms at home but aren't sure which worm composter to buy, our guide to the 9 best indoor and outdoor worm composters details each bin and outlines key considerations to know before you press "Buy Now".
As worm farming and worm composting have exploded in popularity in recent years, a variety of worm composters have come to market. If you’re looking to start vermicomposting, or even upgrade your current bin, the number of options can make purchasing the right bin a challenge.
To help, we’ve compiled the internet’s most comprehensive guide to the best worm composter. The bins covered in this list include the best-selling and most popular bins available in the U.S. for home worm composting, including:
- Urbalive Worm Farm
- Urban Worm Bag
- Can O Worms
- Maze Worm Farm
- Vermihut Plus
- Worm Factory 360
- The Hungry Bin
- Subpod
- The Worm Buffet
In reviewing these worm compost bins and creating this overview, we outline the important factors in making a purchase decision:
- Key features for each worm compost bin
- Pricing and size
- Worm and waste capacity
- Customer feedback and star ratings from actual customers
- A summary of customer likes and dislikes for each bin
Disclaimer – we (Brothers Worm Farm) sell and/or use many of the worm bins in this list but will not make any recommendations in this guide. You can purchase many of the worm compost bins online from our shop. If you have any specific questions about the bins in this list, please feel free to reach us at highfive@brotherswormfarm.com and we’re happy to help!
The Most Important Factors in Choosing a Worm Composter
The right worm composter for you will depend on several factors specific to your home or garden. You’ll want to think about where you will keep the bin, how much waste you want to process and why you are worm composting. More specifically, we recommend thinking through the following before buying a worm composter online:
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Location - will the bin be indoor or outdoor?
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Purpose - are you looking to grow worms, produce worm castings for your plants or garden, or just process organic waste?
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Worm Composter Size - how much waste do you want to process each week? Are you a family of 1 or 2 or a family of 5?
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Available Space - Is space for placing the bin at a premium for you?
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Weather - what’s the weather like in your area?
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Budget - how much do you want to spend?
In our opinion, the most important consideration in purchasing a worm composter is whether you will keep it indoors or outdoors (or even outdoors buried in your garden).
With the above in mind, our ranking of important features and considerations when choosing your worm bin is:
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Indoor or Outdoor
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Size (e.g., will the bin easily fit where you need it to in your home)
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Cost
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Your level of expertise in worm composting
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Desired worm population and waste capacity (e.g., how many worms can a bin support and how much waste, on average, can you process in it per week)
Also, here are 2 Pro tips we (and many others!) learned the hard way:
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If you are new to worm composting, it's important to choose the best worm type for vermicomposting and then taking your time to ramp up your worm population. It's important to be patient and recognize that it may take time to build your vermicomposting skills and worm population to the point that your system can compost all of the organic waste you (or your family) are producing. We don't recommend buying a worm compost bin solely based on its size or the worm population/waste capacity it supports!
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All of the bins below have unique features that manufacturers have designed based on their expertise and customer feedback. Although many of these features are nice additions and have some utility, many of them are not critical to worm composting success. For example, spigots are generally not used/needed in these bins because if water is collecting in the base you are likely over-watering your worms. Spigots also tend to get clogged with other debris (e.g., castings or bedding) from your bin. So we recommend basing your decision mostly on whether you will keep the bin indoor or outdoors, your space constraints, and budget (and not on fancy features that may or may not be useful).
Alright, with the boring details out of the way, let’s dive in to the fun stuff!
Indoor Worm Compost Bins: Summary, Price, Dimensions, & Customer Reviews
Outdoor Worm Composters: Summary, Price, Dimensions, & Customer Reviews
If you are considering an outdoor worm composter, our post on outdoor worm composting is a must read.
Worm Composter Reviews & Customer Feedback
With all of the caveats and supporting information out of the way, let's deep dive into each bin and see what customers think.
Following is a summary of each bin in this guide, along with feedback from customers on what they like, dislike, and say about their experience using the bin to compost with worms.
Urbalive Worm Farm
The Urbalive Worm Farm is unique in the indoor worm composter category because it's the only bin that looks right at home, inside your home. Winner of the acclaimed Reddot design award, the Urbalive is stylish, available in 3 colors (gray, ivory, lime), and has plenty of features to go along with its beautiful design.
What Customers Like:
- Stackable tray design is ideal for small spaces, and it expands to 4 trays when more capacity is needed
- Looks great inside the home
- Ease of assembly, lightweight and durable
- Customer Service
What Customers Don't Love:
- At $189 it's the most expensive model in this class
What Customers Say:
- "Very easy set-up and sturdy"
- "Most attractive worm compost bin I've seen"
- "Small footprint great for indoor use"
- "I absolutely love this worm farm"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-intermediate worm composters looking for a compact but expandable indoor worm compost bin to process organic waste and harvest worm castings.
Urban Worm Bag
The Urban Worm Bag is unique in the indoor worm bin category because it's the only indoor bin that utilizes a continuous flow through (CFT) design. CFT is an approach used by many commercial worm farms to maximize and simplify the production of worm castings.
In a CFT system, organic waste is added to the top of a bin in layers, and as new waste is added worms will migrate up and leave behind worm castings in the layers below. Castings are then harvested from the bottom of the bin while the worms are happily living and feeding near the top of the bin.
What Customers Like:
- Large composting capacity for processing organic waste in 1 bin (or bag, in this case)
- Continuous flow through (CFT) approach makes feeding worms and harvesting worm castings both easy and efficient
- Breathable fabric helps control moisture in the bin
- Easy to set-up and use
- Customer Service
What Customers Don't Love:
- Can get heavy and harder to move as castings and worm populations grow
What Customers Say:
- "Really well-designed worm bin"
- "Larger than I thought"
- "Very happy with quality and service"
- "Love this bag!"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-advanced worm composters looking for an indoor worm compost bin with a focus on producing and harvesting worm castings.
Can O Worms
The Australian-made Can O Worms is a familiar option in the indoor worm compost bin space since it was one of the first bins available for at-home worm composting. As a result, it has a variety of added design features not available in other indoor bins.
What Customers Like:
- Easy to assemble and solid construction
- Stackable tray design is ideal for small spaces and can expand to 4 trays when more capacity is needed
- Unique, circular design good for small spaces
- Good ventilation throughout the base, trays, and lid
What Customers Don't Love:
- Circular design is great in some situations but less space-efficient in others
- Legs can be a little wobbly
- A few report the spigot dripping or needing to be replaced
What Customers Say:
- "Marvelous little vermicomposter"
- "Have had mine for decades"
- "This is a great worm bin"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-intermediate vermicomposters looking for a compact but expandable indoor worm compost bin to process waste and harvest castings. Add a few points if a circular design works better for your situation.
Vermihut Plus
The Vermihut Plus is a well-liked, budget option that ships with 5 trays so it offers good waste processing capacity while using a small footprint. As a long-time option in the at-home worm compost bin industry, it offers several design features and add-ons not available in most other indoor bins.
What Customers Like:
- Ships with 5 trays and stackable tray design is ideal for small spaces
- Easy to assemble
- Good design for airflow
- Customer service
What Customers Don't Love:
- Trays sometimes difficult to pull apart during assembly
- Pieces don't fit together tightly after assembly
- Smaller than expected
What Customers Say:
- "Nice bin for the price"
- "Great product and customer service"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-intermediate vermicomposters looking for a compact but expandable indoor worm compost bin to process waste and harvest castings.
The Maze Worm Farm
The Maze Worm farm is a relatively new entrant to the at-home worm composter market. It is Australian-made, is very compact with the smallest space footprint among the worm bins in this guide, and offers a few design innovations not available in other, similar bins.
What Customers Like:
- Small yet sturdy with nice quality construction
- Stackable, attractive design
- Expandable design allows worms to migrate from tray to tray, making harvesting of worm castings easy
- Easy slide tray in base replaces the spigots in most other bins
What Customers Don't Love:
- Inside of package is sometimes dirty due to coconut coir that ships with the Maze Worm Farm
What Customers Say:
- "Looks great - I keep it in the kitchen"
- "Small and manageable to move around"
- "Very nice, sleek contemporary design"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-intermediate worm composters looking for a smaller worm bin option with simple, easy-to-use features.
Worm Factory 360
The Worm Factory 360 is one of the original at-home worm bins. It is a budget option that ships with 4 trays (expandable to 5-6 trays), so it offers good waste processing capacity and the ability to expand your worm population over time.
What Customers Like:
- Simple to assemble and includes helpful starter items
- Low maintenance
- Stackable, expandable design allows worms to migrate from tray to tray, making harvesting of worm castings easy
What Customers Don't Love:
- Shipments sometimes missing key items
- Difficult to get support
What Customers Say:
- "Easy to get started"
- "So far so good!"
- "Sturdy"
Recommended For: Beginner-to-intermediate vermicomposters looking for a simple, expandable vermicomposting system.
The Hungry Bin
The Hungry Bin is an outdoor worm composting bin that uses a continuous flow through (CFT) system to simplify the process of processing waste and collecting worm castings. It's unique in the outdoor worm compost bin space because it can be easily moved around and used indoors (garage, porch, etc) as well.
What Customers Like:
- Tapered, CFT design with no trays to manage
- Easy to assemble, can be moved around
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- CFT design makes adding food scraps and harvesting castings a breeze
What Customers Don't Love:
- At $345 it's the most expensive bin in the outdoor space
- Ventilation could be better
What Customers Say:
- "This system works great and collecting the vermicompost is easy"
- "No fuss and low maintenance so far"
- "I've had this for 2 years and it's by far the best composting system I've had"
Subpod
Subpod is an outdoor, in-ground worm compost solution that's Australian-made and newer to the U.S. market. Unlike the other, enclosed bins in this guide, Subpod uses an open approach that allows worms to crawl and roam in the surrounding areas of your garden.
Organic waste is placed on the surface (e.g., topsoil) in Subpod, and worms return there to feed before leaving again to aerate soil and leave castings in your garden. Although a newer product in the U.S. market, it has quickly become a popular option due to its simple approach and unique design that integrates with ground-level or raised gardens.
What Customers Like:
- Simple, modern, modular design can be added to over time
- Odor-reducing lid with a design that makes it easy to add organic waste
- Has a steel bed add-on option for a different look and above-ground implementations
- Since it's in-ground, worms can move around for safety during extreme weather events
What Customers Don't Love:
- Can be expensive, especially with with steel bed add-on
- Full installation can take a few hours
What Customers Say:
- "Well-designed and easy to assemble"
- "Works really well and is an easy way to start worm composting"
- "Great for urban and small gardens!"
The Worm Buffet
The Worm Buffet is an outdoor, in-ground worm compost solution that's also Australian-made and uses an open approach that allows worms to crawl and roam in the surrounding areas of your garden. Organic waste is placed on the surface (e.g., topsoil) inside the Worm Buffet, and worms return there to feed before leaving again to aerate soil and leave castings in your garden.
This approach makes it easier to care for your worms and process waste than simply tossing worms in your garden. The Worm Buffet is smaller than other outdoor, in-ground options, but it is an affordable solution that's a great option for those looking to process smaller amounts of waste and get started vermicomposting outside in their yard or garden.
What Customers Like:
- Small footprint can fit in most yard or garden settings. Multiple Worm Buffets can be added if needed
- Low/no odor and easy to install
- In-ground set-up is easily hidden and gives worms options during extreme weather
What Customers Don't Love:
- Smaller size limits amount of waste that can be processed
What Customers Say:
- "The plants nearby love it!"
- "Great size, no smells, and easy to install"
- "I ended up going back for a 2nd"
Can You Use Indoor Worm Composters Outside?
One common question we receive from customers is whether the indoor bins above can be used outside. We do not recommend it but it can be done - with a few caveats. If keeping an indoor worm bin outside is your only option, keep the following in mind:
- Keep the bin in a covered area (porch, garage, etc). All of the indoor bins have holes or gaps for ventilation. When it rains, water will enter through these areas and flood the bin. Worms love water but they can't swim so a flooded bin will kill them quickly!
- Keep the bin out of direct sunlight and in the shade.
- If extreme weather (below 50 degrees and above 90 degrees) is on the horizon, move your bin indoors until the coast is clear.
However, our recommendation is to use these worm composters indoors for a few reasons:
- Worms like and thrive in the same temperatures (60-80 degrees Fahrenheit) humans do, and having your bin indoors ensures the worms will be safe and comfortable from weather conditions (e.g., extreme temps, rain, snow, etc). They will also breed and eat (i.e., process) better when they are comfortable.
- Critters, including birds, squirrels, vermin, etc., will be attracted to the worms as well as the organic waste you place in the bin.
- You are more likely to care for the worms routinely if you see the bin and it is not hidden away outside.
- You won't need to move the bin around due to weather.
Many people are hesitant to keep bins in their house due to fears of odors, bugs, or "worms crawling around all over the place". In our experience, these fears are misguided - when properly managed worm bins have a slight earthy smell and don't attract many bugs.
The keys to an odor-free, mostly bug-free worm composter are to keep the outside of the bin clean and only feed in amounts the worms can process quickly (i.e., a few days). There may be a few insects here and there but for the most part they stay in the bin and aren't a problem in the rest of your home anymore than they are when attracted to your garbage can in your kitchen or pantry.
Regarding worms escaping a bin and crawling all over the house - worms will almost never leave a bin if the bin conditions are good. If worms escape, it is a function of either temperature (too hot or cold), moisture (too much or little), or rotting food leading to anaerobic conditions in the bin.
You'll have to trust us here - when you manage a bin correctly worms simply have no reason or desire to leave (save a few stragglers from time to time). If worms do leave the bin, it's a problem inside the bin and not an issue with the bin's design or manufacturer!
Final Summary on the Best Worm Composter
So which bin is right for you? It really depends on where you want to keep the bin (indoor or outdoor), how much space you have, and budget. All of the bins listed in this guide have been used successfully for at-home worm composting and are liked by customers. They all contain features that will make your job easier than if you build a worm bin from scratch.
We recommend thinking through where and how you will care for your worms, what your end goals are (processing castings or consuming the largest amount of waste possible), and use those answers to inform your purchase.
If you have any questions about the bins or information in this guide, feel free to reach out to us at highfive@brotherswormfarm.com and we're happy to help. In the meantime, good luck and happy farming!
