A rice cooker offers a focused workflow: measure the ingredients using its system, choose the appropriate setting and follow its serving and care instructions. A multicooker may add pressure cooking, slow cooking or other modes. More functions can be useful, but only if they match your routine and are comfortable to operate.
Write down a normal week's meals. If rice is the recurring task while everything else cooks in a pan, a dedicated rice cooker may be enough. If you regularly want beans, stews or other dishes suited to the multicooker's permitted methods, its broader range may deserve consideration.
Capacity depends on the mode
Do not compare the two appliances only by the volume of their inner pots. Minimum and maximum quantities can vary with ingredients and settings. Pressure-cooking fill limits, for example, are not the same as the brim of the pot, and expanding foods may have a lower permitted limit.
Read the manual before buying so the controls and restrictions are part of the decision. A pressure lid, valve or sealing ring adds handling and cleaning steps that a simpler rice cooker may not have. Never assume one manufacturer's release instructions apply to another model.
For rice, check the supplied measure, pot markings and menu instructions. A multicooker setting labeled rice does not mean every variety uses the same water amount or method. The dedicated rice cooker also needs its own correct measurements; neither appliance eliminates the instructions.
Count the time around the timer
A cooking countdown may not include heating, pressure buildup, release or other stages. Compare the complete routine rather than a single number in a recipe. If you want dinner ready after a class, understand which parts require your presence and what the appliance is permitted to do unattended.
Cleanup should be equally concrete. Check the inner pot, lid parts, seals and condensation areas. Replacement parts need to match the exact model, not merely look similar.
Choose the appliance that makes your most frequent meals easier without adding unwanted complexity. A focused machine is not a compromise if it does the job you need, and a multifunction model is not a saving if its extra modes remain unfamiliar and unused.