Which is the Best Commercial Soap Dispenser in 2025?

First published 11/11/22

Last updated 04/02/25

Soap dispensers, especially those with the ability to use alcohol gel, are a very popular addition in most facilities. They are not only used in the washroom, but also for temporary hand wash / hand sanitiser stations in places like building entrances, meeting rooms, office spaces and corridors to increase hand hygiene and have massively grown in popularity since Covid 19.

When you’re looking for a soap dispenser, it is not only important that it follows its technical requirements, but also that it looks good and fits in with your building’s aesthetic. Thankfully, modern soap dispensers take this into consideration and design is as important as any other feature.

Which is the best soap dispenser?

The title best soap dispenser will ultimately come down to the unique requirements of your facility. Capacity, operation and soap type all need to be considered. We go into individual requirement below in which we look at which features suit which facility the most. However, below is a list of the 10 most popular soap dispensers in the past year:

Vivo Halo Series ABS Plastic 1LTR Liquid Soap Dispenser / Ruby window
Dolphin Stainless Steel Liquid Hand Soap Wall Mounted Dispenser / Brushed
Prestige 1000ml Vertical Top Liquid Hand Soap Dispenser / 100mm Spout / Chrome
Dryflow Horizontal Stainless Steel Liquid Soap Dispenser / 1200ml / Brushed
Dryflow Vertical Stainless Steel Liquid Soap Dispenser / 1200ml / Brushed
Dolphin Horizontal 1200ml Liquid Hand Soap Dispenser / Brushed
Mediclinics Horizontal Surface Mounted 1200ML Push Button Liquid Soap Dispenser - Brushed Satin
Prestige 1000ml Vertical Top Liquid Hand Soap Dispenser / 127mm Spout / Chrome
Dolphin Wall Mounted Brass Liquid Hand Soap Dispenser / Chrome
The Splash Lab 400ml Bulk Fill Pump Action Wall Mounted Soap Dispenser / Brushed Satin

What size soap dispenser do you need?

Most soap dispensers come in a range of capacities, ranging from 300ml to 1.5L. In a high-traffic facility, you’d probably be looking for something with the largest capacity, so you haven’t got to constantly refill it.

Refillable soap dispensers with a bulk-fill capacity are probably the most cost-effective option available as you can bulk buy the hand soap and simply keep dispensers topped up. If a dispenser uses a cartridge you have to wait until all the soap has completely run out before changing the entire unit. Additionally, the cartridge then has to be disposed of, which is not as good for the environment.

Bulk-fill soap dispensers are pretty easy to refill. Most have a lock for added security and the key is supplied with each dispenser. You just buy the soap in large quantities and fill up as and when required.

For a large soap dispenser a capacity in the range of 1L to 1.5L is the most popular. The list below is all the large soap dispensers we have in our range.

Large capacity in small spaces

If space is an issue, but you still require a large capacity dispenser, then you might want to consider a large-capacity recessed model. Whether that be a 1L bottle underneath the sink such as the counter top models of IFS739-100 (2ml per shot washing 500 pair of hands per refill), right up to a generous 1.5L bottle in the Dryflow® Bi-Tap Soap & Water Sensor Tap, which is a soap dispenser and automatic water tap in one unit and sits on the sink. This can also incorporate an over the sink high speed hand dryer so everything you need is in one place.

Volume per shot

The Dryflow® Bi-Tap Soap & Water Sensor Tap also comes with adjustable settings to choose the amount of soap you want to be released each time. You can set it to 0.5ml, 1ml, 1.5ml or 2ml: that’s the equivalent of 3000, 1500, 1000 or 750 pairs of hands washed per refill. The IFS91651 also has the option to set the dispense to 1, 2 or 3 shots per sensor activation.

It is worth keeping in mind the “amount per shot” from each dispenser. For example, a 500ml dispenser with a 1ml shot per dispense is going to last the same amount of time as a 1L capacity dispenser with a 2ml shot of soap per dispense. This means there is still ample capacity in lower-use facilities to minimise frequent refilling in a soap dispenser that ranges from 300ml.

Dispensers for liquid soap and alcohol sanitiser gel

We have previously written about whether soap dispensers can also be used for hand sanitiser highlighting there are a number of things you need to consider and have in place before you can add an alcohol-based gel to a regular dispenser. Essentially, the alcohol can corrode the valve if it isn’t suitable, and the alcohol-based gel can evaporate if the unit isn’t suitable and sealed enough.

Your current dispensers may be suitable for both (just get in contact if you’re unsure), however to be on the safe side you may want to go for new units that are designed to work for both a liquid soap or alcohol gel sanitiser, so you get a 2-for-1 product.

The below units are suitable for both liquid soaps and alcohol gels.

Manual, elbow operated or automatic?

Most soap dispensers are manual, where you have to touch them to release the soap. The hands are of course washed after the soap is dispersed, which should in theory remove any germs from cross contamination from dirty hands touching the dispenser. But sometimes the hand washing process is not as thorough as it should be, so providing a non-touch dispenser is a way to ensure enhanced hygiene.

There are of course other ways to activate a manual dispenser, one way being to use your elbow to press the button. There are also lever operated models like IFSDJP0034 or IFS03016.L which are made for this purpose and used in hospital settings for “scrubbing up” before medical procedures.

Hands free soap dispensers

Most hands free, sensor operated hand soap dispensers are battery operated which has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages of a battery-operated model is it can be placed anywhere in a building without needing to be connected to a mains supply. They can even be placed on stands and freely be moved about like the IFS72SPRPLUS.

However, if the batteries run out and no one has checked them, they won’t work. This will not happen to a manual dispenser or an infrared motion sensor one that has been wired into the mains. There are a couple of models that have the option to run on batteries or can be plugged in. These include the IFSGAJ002A-ANON which comes with both options as standard. The IFSDJ0037A can have a transformer added as an optional extra on request.

All in all, a no-touch option provides the most hygienic product to minimise cross contamination, they just require marginally more upkeep. More and more washrooms are transitioning to be completely hands free for this very reason – from the flush, to the sinks to the hand dryers.

Which is the best soap for your soap dispenser?

The dispensers mentioned so far have all been suitable for liquid soap. However, there are some very good foam-soap dispensers to also add to the mix, which do have some advantages. A great one is the IFS04W which has a 900ml capacity and deposits 0.4ml of soap per press. That means 2250 pairs of hands washed if only one squirt is used per wash. For a liquid dispenser of the same capacity but deposits 1ml of liquid per shot, you are looking at 900 pairs of hands if just one squirt was used - under half the capacity.

To summarise, the “best” soap dispenser will be determined by your unique requirements and the users of your facility. It could come down to making sure you have a large capacity in high-traffic locations to minimise the need for constant refiling.

You may also need something that is dual purposed so that you can decide to use a liquid soap or a hand sanitising gel as and when required. If you’re going for completely no hand touch, it could be that you need to go for an automatic option, or at least something that an elbow can be used on.

Finally, which is the right type of soap for you? This will have an impact on what dispenser you choose. A foaming soap one that could be more cost effective? Or a liquid soap one that may encourage more scrubbing of the hands and removal of germs?

There are a few factors to consider when choosing the best soap dispenser but hopefully this post has highlighted enough to think about and pointed you in the right direction. If you need any further assistance, we’re always on hand to chat about the best products for you. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

For more information or for help in finding your ideal washroom product, please contact us on 0114 3540047, use our contact page.

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