Get the Bounty buy on Amazon if you have the counter space and can spend the extra $80 or so. Get the Harvest buy on Amazon if you’re tight on space or budget and you’re okay growing six plants instead of nine. That’s the short answer.
The longer answer is that the Bounty’s 30-watt LED is genuinely faster than the Harvest’s 20-watt, and with nine pod slots instead of six, you’re not just getting more plants - you’re getting better light coverage per plant because the same watts are spread over more square inches of growing area. That matters for basil. That matters for tomatoes. It’s less theoretical than you’d think.
But the Harvest is no slouch, and the gap between them isn’t as dramatic as the price difference might suggest. I’ve grown with both sitting on my kitchen shelf over the past year or so, and I can walk you through what the tradeoff actually looks like in real time.
The Light Question
This is where it gets worth paying attention. The Harvest runs a 20W LED with an automatic on/off timer. The Bounty runs 30W. That’s a 50% power increase, which is not negligible. On paper, more light means faster germination and faster growth, and that’s exactly what happens.
Basil in the Harvest was ready to harvest in maybe 27-30 days from germination. Same basil variety in the Bounty came in closer to 21-24 days. It’s not a typo. The light difference compounds over time because faster-growing plants capture more of the available photosynthetically active radiation (the PAR stuff that actually matters for growth). The Bounty’s brightness also means better light penetration down to the water level, which helps root development and nutrient uptake early on.
I kept careful notes on my last round - mostly because I was bored and my partner complained I was taking too long to explain it - and the Bounty’s greens were noticeably denser and greener by week two, before either one was even close to being harvest-ready. The Harvest wasn’t producing anything sad or yellow. It just wasn’t as aggressive.
The practical upshot: if you’re growing herbs, the Bounty saves you about a week per cycle. If you’re growing lettuce or pepper-adjacent stuff (longer crop windows anyway), the difference is smaller in percentage terms but still real. The Bounty’s light also handles deeper water bowls better, which matters if you’re mixing tall and short plants in the same system - the tall stuff doesn’t shade out the short stuff as easily.
Pod Count and Space Trade-Off
The Harvest holds six pods. The Bounty holds nine. That’s worth thinking about even if the light situation weren’t different, because growing more things at once changes the economics of the whole setup.
With six pods, you’re committed to growing six plants every cycle, or leaving some empty (which is fine, but defeats part of the purpose). With nine pods, you get more flexibility. You can do a full rotation of herbs one cycle, then mix in some lettuce and mint the next. You can dedicate one corner to something slow-growing while cycling through faster herbs in the other slots.
The actual footprint difference is bigger than you’d expect from reading the specs. The Bounty is wider and taller - I’m guestimating maybe 24 inches wide by 20 inches tall with the light arm, versus the Harvest at roughly 18 by 16 inches. On a standard kitchen shelf, that matters. I have one dedicated hydro shelf, and the Bounty took up most of it. The Harvest leaves breathing room for a water pitcher or whatever else you’re storing.
If your counter space is already tight, the Harvest is the obvious call. If you have a dedicated shelf or corner and you like the idea of running more stuff simultaneously, the Bounty’s footprint is worth the trade-off.
Growth Speed in Real Numbers
I grew the same herb kit in both systems over a six-week window (not a scientific test, just what I was doing anyway). These are my actual dates:
Genovese Basil: Harvest got to full harvestable size in about 28 days. Bounty in 22 days. Both tasted identical. Bounty’s plants were noticeably bushier.
Curly Parsley: Harvest took 35-40 days to get thick enough to harvest more than a few leaves. Bounty was 29-32 days. This is where the light difference got most obvious - parsley is slower-growing than basil anyway, so the 30W advantage stacked on top of parsley’s natural slowness made a bigger percentage difference.
Mint: Both were fine. Both grew aggressively. The Bounty’s mint was thicker-stemmed. Growth speed was similar because mint is almost impossible to slow down indoors.
The “germinate up to 5x faster than in soil” claim on the Harvest’s marketing materials is technically honest (soil growing is slow), but it doesn’t compare the two AeroGardens to each other. If you’re upgrading from the Harvest and expecting 5x faster growth from the Bounty, you’ll be disappointed. Expecting 25-30% faster on herbs and maybe 15-20% on slower crops is more realistic.
Price Per Plant Slot
Here’s where the Bounty starts making financial sense, kind of. The Harvest runs about $149-160 depending on sales. The Bounty Basic (the version you should buy, not the Bounty Pro) is around $225-240. That’s roughly $25-30 per pod slot on the Harvest, versus $25-27 per slot on the Bounty. So there’s almost no difference in cost-per-growing-space.
Where it matters is that the Bounty’s higher speed means you’re cycling through crops faster, which means more harvests per calendar year. If you’re someone who goes through basil the way I go through basil (constantly, and in probably an unsustainable quantity), the Bounty’s faster turnaround saves you from buying grocery-store basil during the gaps. Over a full year, the Bounty pays for itself through reduced grocery spending if you actually use what you grow.
The catch: that only works if you’re actually using the extra speed advantage. If you’re the type who buys a system and then grows four herbs and ignores it for two months, the Bounty’s light advantage is wasted.
Noise, Maintenance, and Annoying Details
Both systems are quiet. The pump makes a gentle hum - nothing like a space heater or fan. My partner doesn’t complain about the noise. She complains about the light glow at night (both systems), but that’s a separate issue (get blackout curtains, is my advice, or stop ignoring her).
Maintenance is identical. Both have that “add water” reminder light. Both use the same nutrient bottles. Both have the same water change schedule (every two weeks). The Harvest’s water capacity is smaller, so you’ll refill it slightly more often, but we’re talking maybe once more every two weeks. It’s not material.
One actual annoyance with the Harvest: the light arm is slightly flimsy if you’re adjusting it constantly. I’ve gone in and out of adjusting pod height more times than I should, and I can feel the little bit of wobble. The Bounty’s light assembly is beefier. Not a reason not to buy the Harvest, but worth noting.
Pod costs are the same for both (per pod), and AeroGarden’s pricing on seed pods is a ripoff regardless of which system you own. A six-pack of herbs runs about $20-22, which is objectively gouging for plastic and seeds. I’ve started buying the seed-only refill packs and stuffing them into repurposed pods. Works fine.
The Real Decision Tree
Buy the Harvest if:
- You’re new to hydroponics and want to test the concept without committing big money
- Your counter space is genuinely limited
- You grow slower herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint) mostly
- You want the most compact system that still has real growing potential
Buy the Bounty if:
- You have the space and you’re already growing herbs at home consistently
- You use basil fast enough that the speed advantage matters
- You want to experiment with mixing herb and vegetable crops in the same system
- You’re the type who actually reads product release notes and thinks about maximizing your setup
Honestly, the real-world difference is smaller than the specs suggest. Both will grow you fresh basil. Both will make a dent in your grocery bill. The Bounty is incrementally better, and for some people that increment is worth $80. For others, the Harvest is plenty fine.
I kept both systems running for a few months and only gave one away because I literally didn’t have room. If I had the shelf space, I’d keep both. The Bounty is my recommendation if you’re buying just one and you have the room, but I’d feel fine putting a Harvest on a wedding registry or telling a friend it was a solid starter system.
This article is part of our The Complete AeroGarden Guide — a complete resource for countertop hydroponic growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow vegetables (like tomatoes or peppers) in either system?
The short answer is yes, but with limits. Tomatoes and peppers get tall and need the adjustable light arm, which both have. The Bounty’s 30W is more forgiving if you’re growing something that likes light-intensity - peppers especially. The Harvest will grow them, but slower and sometimes with fewer fruits per plant. If vegetables are your main goal, the Bounty is worth the upgrade.
What about the Harvest Lite? I saw that mentioned in reviews.
The Harvest Lite buy on Amazon is a lighter-duty version with a 20W light just like the regular Harvest. It’s cheaper (usually $120-130), but it’s missing some features like the water-level indicator and the illuminated control panel. If you’re buying new, get the regular Harvest. The Lite is for people who specifically want bare-minimum and don’t mind missing the reminders.
How long do the lights last before you have to replace them?
Both systems claim 30,000 hours, which is roughly 3.4 years of continuous use. I haven’t killed a light yet (I’ve owned systems for about three years), so I can’t confirm from personal disaster. The lights are replaceable, and replacement bulbs run about $40-60, which is painful but not the end of the world.
Is the Bounty worth it for someone who already has a Harvest?
Only if you have the space and you’re already using your Harvest constantly. If your Harvest is gathering dust, the Bounty won’t change that. If your Harvest is running year-round and you’re constantly harvesting, the speed upgrade saves you real time. That’s the honest answer.
Can you mix and match seed pods between the two systems?
Yes. The pods are the same design and fit in both. The only difference is you’ll have empty slots in the Harvest if you’re upgrading from it. Not a problem - just grow fewer plants or use the empty slots for water-stability (some people swear it helps, some don’t care).
