Are Instapots and pressure cookers interchangeable, or is the former better?

They are not interchangeable. An Instant Pot is a countertop electric pressure cooker that adds slow cooking, saute, steaming and other modes, while a stovetop pressure cooker or pressure canner is a separate pot that sits on a burner, and only the stovetop canner type is the method the US Department of Agriculture recommends for canning low-acid foods. The two overlap on pressure cooking but differ in how they are powered, what they can safely do, and how they are sized.

What an Instant Pot actually is

An Instant Pot is an electric appliance with a heating element built into the base and a sealed lid that locks on top. The Best Pressure Cookers for Canning and Fast Meals guide lists the Instant Pot Duo 6 Qt as a 7-in-1 unit: it pressure cooks, slow cooks, sautes, steams, makes rice, makes yogurt and keeps food warm. It measures 12.6 inches wide, 13.0 inches deep and 12.2 inches tall, and it weighs 14.6 pounds. The maker lists 1000 watts at 120 V 60 Hz.

That combination of functions is the point of the appliance. The Duo carries 13 one-touch programs and a stainless steel 18/8 inner pot with a tri-ply bottom, so the same vessel sears food and then holds pressure. The maker states it cooks up to 70% faster than slow cooking methods. None of that changes the basic fact: it is a countertop electric cooker, not a pot you set on a gas flame.

What a stovetop pressure cooker and canner is

A stovetop pressure cooker is a heavy pot with a locking lid and a pressure regulator or dial gauge, heated by a burner underneath. The Presto 01781 is a 23-quart pressure canner and cooker built from heavy-gauge aluminum, and the maker states it works on regular and smooth-top ranges. It measures 17.5 inches wide, 13.5 inches deep and 15.5 inches tall, and it weighs 12.0 pounds. It carries a deluxe pressure dial gauge that registers the full range of processing pressures.

The T-fal 22-quart aluminum pressure canner is the other stovetop pick in the guide. It measures 15.39 inches wide, 19.33 inches deep and 16.26 inches tall, and it weighs 14.77 pounds. The maker states it is compatible with gas and electric coil cooktops and lists three PSI settings. Both of these are pots first: the heat comes from the stove, and the lid and gauge control the pressure inside.

Canning is where the two part ways

The Presto maker states that pressure canning is the only method the US Department of Agriculture recommends as safe for canning vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood. That statement is attached to a stovetop canner with a dial gauge, not to a countertop electric cooker. The T-fal maker makes the same claim for its canner, describing pressure canning of low-acid foods as the USDA-recommended method, with boiling-water canning for high-acid foods like fruits, jams and pickles.

Jar capacity shows what these pots are built for. The Presto maker lists a capacity of 26 half-pints, 20 pints or 7 quarts. The T-fal maker lists up to 24 half-pint jars, 16 wide-mouth pint jars, 18 pint jars or 7 quart jars per batch. The Instant Pot Duo is a 6-quart appliance the maker describes as sized for up to 6 servings. That is a cooking capacity, and the maker publishes no jar capacity for it. This site has not compared any Instant Pot model for canning.

Sizes, footprints and what fits where

The electric picks in the guide cluster around 6 to 8 quarts. The Instant Pot Duo is 6 quarts at 12.6 by 13.0 by 12.2 inches and 14.6 pounds. The Midea 12-in-1 is 8 quarts at 11.6 by 11.1 by 11.6 inches, and the maker does not publish a weight. The Cosori 6QT is 6 quarts at 11.9 pounds, and the maker does not publish width, depth or height. The Midea maker describes the 8-quart pot as enough for a family of 8.

The stovetop canners are larger in volume and heavier in footprint. The Presto is 23 quarts and the T-fal is 22 quarts, and both are wider and deeper than any of the electric units. Neither stovetop maker publishes a weight in the product text, though the guide lists 12.0 pounds for the Presto and 14.77 pounds for the T-fal. If counter space is the constraint, the electric units are the smaller objects; if batch size is the constraint, the canners hold far more.

Which one fits your kitchen

Choose an electric unit if you want one appliance on the counter that pressure cooks, sautes, steams and slow cooks. The Midea maker lists 12 functions and a REALSAFE system with pressure limit, over temperature and overpressure release. The Cosori maker lists 9 functions in one machine and 12 safety features, plus a ceramic coating inner pot and a dishwasher-safe lid. The Instant Pot maker lists over 10 safety mechanisms and a dishwasher-safe lid and inner pot.

Choose a stovetop canner if you plan to put up jars of low-acid food. The Presto includes a canning and cooking rack plus a 76-page instruction and recipe book, and the maker states it doubles as a boiling-water canner for fruits, jams, jellies, pickles and salsa. The T-fal includes two canning racks and a step-by-step canning guide. Neither stovetop maker publishes an electric cord or wattage, because there is none: the stove supplies the heat.

The honest summary is that the Instant Pot is a pressure cooker in the broad sense and a multi-function countertop appliance in practice, while a stovetop pressure cooker or canner is a single-purpose pot built around a burner and, in these two cases, around jars. They are not substitutes for each other. A kitchen that cooks under pressure often and cans occasionally may want both, and a kitchen that only wants faster weeknight meals can stop at the electric unit.