We compare dated manufacturer information and show our calculations. We have not physically tested these systems. Merchant links are ordinary links; no affiliate account or paid ranking is implied.
Home 4 or Studio 2?
| System / shown configuration | Purchase price | Listed sites | Growing method | Manufacturer electricity estimate | Your costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardyn Studio 2 | $549.00Advertised hardware price | 16 | Hydroponic | 26 kWh/month | Budget this model → |
| Gardyn Home 4 | $899.00Advertised hardware price | 30 | Hydroponic | 47 kWh/month | Budget this model → |
At the advertised prices, Home 4 is $350 more than Studio 2. That buys a different configuration, not a verified number of extra meals. We have not tested these systems or independently measured harvests.
Choose the smaller model only if its exact dimensions and crop choices suit your use. Choose the larger model only if you also want to maintain and replant the extra positions. Neither decision should rely on our assigning a financial value to food you have not grown.
A power-bill comparison you can change.
At the US average residential rate for July 2026, $0.1831/kWh (EIA, as cited in Gardyn’s electricity guide ↗), the manufacturer’s monthly electricity estimates work out to:
$57.13 / year
26 kWh × 12 × $0.1831
$103.27 / year
47 kWh × 12 × $0.1831
The annual difference in this scenario is $46.14. These are calculations from manufacturer estimates, not our measurements or your utility quote. Use your own rate and adjust usage if you have better evidence.
Can you use Gardyn without membership?
Gardyn’s own support guidance says the device continues to work without an active membership. Default lighting and watering schedules remain available, and the grower takes more responsibility for interpreting plant needs.
A paid plan may bundle guidance and credits. Compare its exact term and included benefits with your intended purchases. Pruning, tank care and harvesting do not disappear because you subscribe. We leave the membership price editable rather than selecting a plan for you.
Before entering replacement spending, subtract only credits or supplies your chosen plan actually covers. Check shipping, trial end dates and what happens to unused credits. Buying the device and choosing a subscription are two separate decisions.
How much would membership add to your budget?
Use the total charged over your chosen term, not a financing instalment or an old review’s monthly price. We have not verified a current plan checkout quote, so we do not present a historical subscription rate as today’s price.
| Assumed monthly fee | 12-month cost | 36-month cost |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | $240 | $720 |
| $30 | $360 | $1,080 |
| $40 | $480 | $1,440 |
Compare two budgets: your quoted plan plus purchases outside its benefits, and no plan plus your intended supply orders. Charging both the plan and its included plants twice would overstate costs. Assuming no plan means no supplies would understate them.
Gardyn’s support guidance, rechecked October 18, 2026, confirms that app lighting and watering controls remain available without membership. The first pairing includes a 30-day Kelby trial; advanced guidance after the trial requires membership. Check the current offer before buying.
What does a first-year scenario include?
Using Home 4 at $899, the $103.27 power allowance above, no membership and hypothetical annual allowances of $100 for replacement plants and $30 for other costs gives $1,132.27 before any unentered delivery or tax. The equivalent Studio 2 scenario is $736.13.
Those supply allowances are examples, not brand quotes. They are useful for checking the calculator, not claiming a typical ownership cost. Open the model budget, enter your delivered quote and decide on your own supply route.
Budget Gardyn Studio 2 ↗What do reviewers and owners say?
Read our sourced roundup for reported pros, cons, disagreements and practical questions before buying. This is research, not our own hands-on test.
Read the Home 4 review roundup →Sources and what remains unknown.
Product specifications and advertised prices were checked on October 17, 2026. Prices and packages can change. Monthly energy values are manufacturer estimates, not measurements by Indoor Garden Scout. Where facts are unknown, we leave them unknown.
- Gardyn advertised model prices ↗
- Gardyn monthly electricity estimates ↗
- Gardyn operation without membership ↗
- Gardyn membership benefits and credits ↗
Calculations are our own arithmetic from the stated inputs. Hypothetical examples are labelled and exclude unentered costs, time and harvest value. Check the exact order, current policies and care instructions before buying.