If you're looking for a coffee maker, the hardest part isn't finding one that makes coffee. It's finding one that makes the kind of coffee you actually want to drink, without taking over your kitchen, eating up your morning or costing more than you're comfortable spending.
That's why we've tested a wide range of coffee makers, from simple capsule machines and filter brewers to fully automatic bean-to-cup models and more hands-on espresso machines. Whether you want a quick coffee before work, barista-style espresso, fresh filter coffee for a few people or the flexibility to make hot and iced drinks, we've picked the machines that impressed us most for different coffee-drinking needs.
Every coffee maker in this guide has been tested by us in our own kitchens. We assess not just the taste of the coffee, but how easy each machine is to use and clean, how much space it takes up, how noisy it is and what drinks it can make. We also consider the price and what you're getting for your money, so you can find a machine that fits both your coffee habits and your budget.
Not sure which type of coffee maker you need? Don't worry. We've explained what each machine does and who it's best suited to, so you can quickly narrow down the options and find the right fit for your morning routine.
Added the Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie Evo to the main lineup as our best capsule coffee maker, alongside several recently tested machines in the Also Tested section.
Meet the expert
Cat has been a tech journalist for over 10 years and is an SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) certified barista, so you can trust her to recommend the best coffee maker for your kitchen, whatever your budget and level of experience.
The best coffee makers
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The best espresso maker
✅ You want optimum flavor from your beans: This machine guides you through the process of dosing coffee and choosing the ideal grind size for a perfectly extracted shot. It might take a while to get it just right, but it’s worth the time,
✅ You want tasty cold brew without the wait: The latest version of the Barista Touch Impress does a good job replicating the smooth taste of traditionally-made cold brew.
❌ You only use dairy milk: The AutoMilq system works best with plant-based milk, though steaming dairy milk manually is fine.
❌ You have small kitchen counters: This machine is quite bulky, and you need to be able to access the back to refill the water tank.
The original Barista Touch Impress held the top spot in this guide for over a year, but this updated version with added cold brewing functionality is even better. This machine is sold under the brand name Sage in the UK and Breville everywhere else (for rather complicated reasons), but either way, it's the best coffee maker I've used to date and comes highly recommended.
It's a particularly great coffee maker if you want to learn how to make espresso manually, guiding you through each step of the process and helping you understand the effect of every decision along the way. Want to know the effect of increasing the grind size? Taste the resulting espresso and find out. Curious about brew temperature? Try tinkering and see what happens.
This machine also has a supremely satisfying lever-operated tamper. After you've ground your beans straight into the filter basket, pull down the arm on the left-hand side of the machine twice to compress it into a perfect puck. The machine can even adjust the amount of coffee it grinds (the dose) depending on your chosen beans and grind size.
Cold extraction works well too, producing a mellow and well-rounded espresso that's much better than one brewed hot and then watered down with ice.
Milk preparation is superb as well. You can prepare any kind of milk with a manual steam wand, but automatic steaming systems on coffee machines are usually optimized for full-fat dairy. If you try to texturize oat or soy milk on auto mode, you will often be left with a drink that's hot, but flat. That's not the case with the Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction, which turns any kind of milk into silky foam.
It's a superb package for any coffee-lover, regardless of your level of experience, and is the machine I'd recommend to anyone.
Read our full Sage/Breville Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction review
The best filter coffee maker
✅ You really enjoy drip coffee: The Luxe Brewer Thermal will do your beans justice, and keep your batch brew hot for hours without stewing it on a hotplate.
✅ You like authentic cold brew: The Luxe Brewer Thermal does it the traditional way by steeping the grounds for 24 hours. It's easy and makes virtually no mess.
❌ You want a traditional-looking batch brewer The Luxe Brewer Thermal has a distinctly modern look with its brushed metal finish and clean lines.
❌ You want the cheapest option: There are definitely cheaper drip machines available, although they don't offer the same performance.
Drip coffee machines are getting smarter – sometimes a little too smart, over-complicating what should be a pretty simple process – but not the Luxe Thermal Brewer, which is branded as Sage in the UK and Breville in the rest of the world.
This super modern-looking filter coffee machine gives you just a handful of options to tinker with, including brew temperature, pre-infusion temperature, and pre-infusion time (all of which can have a noticeable effect on your brewed coffee) but otherwise keeps things super straightforward. Just add water, coffee grounds, and you're good to go.
What elevates the Luxe Thermal Brewer above other drip machines is an array of thoughtful design touches, such as a water tank that can be removed for easy filling (no more spilling water on your counter while pouring it in from a pitcher), and an insulated carafe that's the best I've ever used. Even when only half-full, it kept my coffee at a perfect drinking temperature for over four hours. No need to keep your drink stewing on a hotplate.
Another great feature is the cold-brewing mode, which lets your coffee steep for 24 hours and beeps to let you know when it's done. It's incredibly easy, and there's no mess. The delayed start timer is an excellent feature too, letting you wake up to a piping hot brew every morning. It's not the cheapest machine of its kind, but I believe it's the best.
Read our full Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal review
The best all-in-one coffee maker
✅ You enjoy variety: If you can't choose between drip, cold brew, and espresso, the Ninja Luxe Café does it all.
✅ You want ease of use: It might look complicated, but this coffee maker is surprisingly straightforward to master.
❌ You want to brew big pots of coffee: You're limited to 18oz at a time. If you want to make a pot, the Ninja DualBrew Pro could be a better option.
❌ You want to steam plant milk: Automatic milk frothers tend to be optimized for dairy, and this one is no exception.
Can't choose between espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew? No problem, the Ninja Luxe Café does it all – and does it well, guiding you through the process of making your ideal drink like your personal, patient barista. It even impressed the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) tutor, when mentioned it when I was taking my exam.
It's an impressive-looking machine, and our tester was surprised how easy it was to master. The Luxe Café suggests a suitable grind size and dosage for the drink you want to make, and the result was consistently well extracted coffee with minimal effort. Espresso turned out beautifully, though we found the choice of four different settings to be unnecessary for filter coffee - regular and cold brew would have been fine.
The automatic milk frother worked well with our tester's 2% milk, creating creamy microfoam for lattes and cappuccinos. It wasn't so well suited to oat milk though, which we've found tends to be the case with auto milk systems. In all other respects, the Luxe Café is hard to fault, and if you want a machine that can produce drip coffee, cold brew, and espresso drinks all in one, you need look no further.
Want to save on a Ninja coffee machine? Visit our Ninja Kitchen coupons page for the latest deals on cooking essentials.
Read our full Ninja Luxe Café review
The best budget coffee maker
✅ You're on a budget: This is the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee maker I've tested, and Philips hasn't cut corners to achieve its affordable price tag.
✅ You want to upgrade from coffee pods: The Philips Baristina is just as convenient as a capsule coffee maker, but without the hassle of having to recycle the pods
❌ You want to experiment with different coffees: The Baristina doesn't offer any way to customize the grind size, so you'll have to stick with coffees that work well with its default settings. There's nothing you can do to change the extraction rate.
❌ You love a latte: The Baristina doesn't have its own steam wand, though you can buy it bundled with a standalone Philips milk frother for a little extra cash.
The Philips Baristina is an excellent little coffee maker, particularly if you're making the switch from capsules to whole beans, and want to keep things as simple as possible. It's compact, smart-looking, and remarkably affordable at $449.99 / £299.99 / AU$599. In fact it's the cheapest bean-to-cup machine I've tested, and Philips hasn't skimped on quality to his that bargain price point.
The Baristina uses what Philips calls a "one-swipe" system. Push the portafilter handle into place, pick your drink (espresso or lungo, with the option to increase the dosage for a stronger brew) and the Baristina will do the rest. Just step back and watch while it measures and grinds a dose of coffee into the filter basket, tamps it down, then propels it over to the brew group and pulls your shot.
At the end, pull out the handle, clean out the basket, rinse the brew group by holding a button for a few seconds, and empty the drip tray. It's a million times easier than cleaning an automatic coffee maker where all the messy parts of coffee-making happen inside the case.
For me, the biggest downside of the Philips Baristina is the inability to adjust the grind size. On one hand, this is one less thing for new users to worry about, but on the other it means that there's nothing you can do to change the extraction rate. If it's too fast or slow, you'll need to try a different coffee until you find something that works with the Baristina as-is. There's no steam wand for preparing milk either, though you can buy the Baristina bundled with a separate Philips milk frother if you're into your lattes.
All in all though, this is a superb little entry-level coffee maker at a bargain price, and one that's easy to recommend.
Read our full Philips Baristina review
The best automatic coffee maker
✅ You want consistent café-style drinks at home: The Aromis 8000 Series delivers reliably excellent espresso and milk drinks, so every cup is as good as the last.
✅ You like variety and easy adjustments: With over 50 drinks and the ability to personalize recipes via the app or touchscreen, you’re never stuck with just one style.
✅ You want cleanup to be quick and simple: Milk carafes and the brewing unit are designed for easy, thorough cleaning, making daily upkeep straightforward.
❌ You want to mix and match hot and iced drinks: The brew group needs to cool down before making cold milk drinks, otherwise your iced latte may come out warmer than expected.
❌ You’d prefer a single, all-in-one milk system: Having two separate milk carafes (for hot and cold drinks) means there’s a bit of extra cleaning to do compared to simpler milk setups.
If you want café-style drinks at home with almost no effort, the Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series is the most hands-off, premium bean-to-cup machine we’ve tested yet. Its vast menu of over 50 hot and cold drinks and huge, bright touchscreen means new and interesting brews are easy to find, and we consistently enjoyed excellent coffee, shot after shot, throughout our review.
What makes the Aromis so practical is its approach to milk drinks and cleaning. You get two separate milk carafes — one for hot foam, one for cold — and both disassemble into three pieces, making them far easier to clean than any system with fiddly tubes or hidden chambers. The maintenance hatch is also thoughtfully designed: it’s hinged, so you won’t misplace it, and the brew unit lifts out in one go for a proper rinse. These touches make it genuinely low-fuss to keep hygienic, even if you’re making milky drinks every day.
Customization is another strong point. The mobile app (with its Barista Assistant) lets you tweak recipes and save your preferences, so your morning espresso is always just how you like it — whether you want a punchy pick-me-up or something smoother.
There’s one quirk to be aware of: if you rush from a hot espresso straight to an iced milk drink, the brew group needs to cool down first, or you’ll end up with a warm ‘iced’ latte. But for most users, the Aromis’ premium build, straightforward maintenance, and sheer breadth of drinks genuinely justify its price. It’s the ideal choice if you want barista-level drinks at the touch of a button, without the daily cleanup or learning curve.
Read our full Philips Café Aromis review
The best coffee maker for K-Cups
✅ You want to use ground coffee and K-Cup pods: The Ninja DualBrew Pro has an adaptor that lets you choose either.
✅ You drink coffee slowly: The hot plate can keep your drink warm for up to four hours.
❌ You sometimes want espresso: Although it has an 'espresso' setting, the DualBrew Pro can't compare to a shot pulled using an actual pressurized espresso machine.
❌ You're tight on space: This is larger than most drip coffee makers, so measure your counter first to make sure it will fit.
The Ninja DualBrew Pro is a two-in-one drip coffee maker, able to use either coffee grounds or K-Cups. We found the control panel a little more complicated than most other coffee machines we've tested, but we got the hang of it after the first few brews, and the rest of the DualBrew Pro is no harder to use than any other filter coffee machine.
We appreciated the indicator lights, which let you know how far along the brewing process the machine is, the mess-free design that closes the brew basket once it's done, and the well extracted coffee it produced every time, whether we used grounds or a cup. The cold brew setting was particularly impressive, producing a delicious drink that didn't taste watered down.
There's a water line for brewing tea (great if you don't have a kettle handy) and a milk frother, which is very unusual for a drip coffee maker. We wouldn't recommend the DualBrew Pro's 'espresso' setting, though. As you might expect from a drip coffee maker, it can't replicate the depth and richness of a real espresso shot. If you want a machine that can do both properly, take a look at the Ninja Luxe Café above.
Read our full Ninja DualBrew Pro review
The best capsule coffee maker
✅ You want great espresso without spending much: The Jolie Evo makes excellent espresso for a capsule machine, while both the machine and A Modo Mio pods are relatively affordable.
✅ You're short on counter space: This is an exceptionally compact coffee maker, with a cable that can be routed to either side so you can push it close to a wall.
✅ You want coffee without the faff: There's just one button and a large, easy-to-use lever, so brewing is quick and straightforward.
❌ You want one-touch milk drinks: There's no built-in milk frother, so you'll need a separate frother for lattes and cappuccinos.
❌ You don't want to monitor the coffee as it brews: The Jolie Evo doesn't have an automatic timer, so you need to press the button again to stop the flow.
❌ You want easy-to-recycle capsules: A Modo Mio pods are mostly plastic and can only be recycled at designated collection points, which aren't available everywhere.
The Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie Evo is a tiny capsule coffee machine that makes surprisingly good espresso for its size and price. During our tests, it produced some of the best espresso we've tasted from a capsule machine, with Lavazza's A Modo Mio pods offering a good range of blends and roasts without the added flavors found in some rival capsule systems.
It's also exceptionally easy to use. There's just one button and a large lever, which makes loading a capsule straightforward and gives the Jolie Evo a reassuringly tactile feel. It heats up quickly, takes up very little counter space, and the power cable can be routed to either side, making it particularly well suited to small kitchens.
There are a couple of compromises. The Jolie Evo doesn't have a timer, so you'll need to press the button again to stop the coffee flowing, and there's no built-in milk frother. Its plastic A Modo Mio capsules are also harder to recycle than Nespresso's aluminum pods, with recycling dependent on having a suitable collection point nearby.
The Jolie Evo is widely available in the UK, but availability in the US has been limited. If you can't find one where you live, our trusty best Nespresso machine guide is a good place to look for alternative capsule coffee makers. If you're after a small, affordable machine that prioritizes good espresso over bells and whistles, though, the Jolie Evo is a very apt option.
Read our full Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie Evo review
The best coffee maker for cold-brew
✅ You like decadent coffee drinks: The Jura J10 lets you replicate even complicated coffee orders at home.
✅ You enjoy cold brew: The J10's updated cold brewing system produces a flavor profile strikingly similar to coffee brewed cold overnight.
❌ You prefer traditional coffees: If syrup and cold brew aren't your thing, you can get excellent results from a more affordable machine such as the standard Siemens EQ900.
❌ You're a bit clumsy: The wide and shallow drip tray can be prone to spilling if you're not careful, and the J10 won't warn you until it's very full.
Does your usual coffee shop order bring baristas out in a cold sweat? The Jura J10 is the coffee maker for you. Not only does it brew superb espresso, it also creates the most authentic-tasting cold brew I've had from a home coffee machine.
Unlike most other machines capable of brewing cold, the Jura J10 forces pulses of water over your freshly ground coffee at high pressure (as shown in the video below). The result is impressive, and noticeably more flavorsome than cold brew from other machines I've tested - mellow and well-rounded. Toss in a couple of ice cubes and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the J10's cold brew and coffee made the traditional way overnight.
The Jura J10 also has a particularly good milk-texturizing system, with an option to add a syrup of your choice, which is distributed evenly throughout the foam as it's dispensed. Because the syrup isn't concentrated in the bottom of your cup, you only need a little to achieve plenty of flavor, and the syrup never enters the coffee machine itself so you don't need to worry about it tainting your next drink.
It's all very impressive and well executed, though the price tag means it's definitely a luxury buy.
Read our full Jura J10 review
The best small coffee maker
✅ You have a small kitchen: The Dedica Duo is one of the most compact espresso machines we've ever tested at TechRadar.
✅ You enjoy cappuccinos and lattes: Unusually for a machine this size, the Dedica Style has a manual steam wand.
❌ You want to use single-walled baskets: Swapping the pressurized baskets that come with the Dedica Duo is quite simple, but the machine doesn't come with single-walled baskets.
❌ You want an integrated grinder: You'll need to buy one separately, or settle for using pre-ground coffee.
The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is my pick for the best small coffee machine around right now, and it's one of the most affordable too, with a list price of just $299.95 / £279.99 (details for Australia are yet to be announced).
It's a successor to the excellent De'Longhi Dedica Style, and retains all the features that made that machine so successful, including a fast-heating boiler, consistent boiler pressure, and a solid build that you might not expect from a coffee machines at such an affordable price.
It measures a mere 12 x 5.9 x 13 inches / 30.4 x 14.9 x 33cm, meaning you can tuck it into even a tiny kitchen (I currently have it between my toaster and the wall), and the Duo has a more modern-looking design with cleaner lines and a wider drip tray to more easily accommodate two espresso cups at once. It also comes in a more contemporary range of colors, including pistachio, rose, and vanilla shades inspired by gelato (according to De'Longhi).
It performed consistently well during my tests, proving much more reliable than similarly-priced coffee makers from the likes of Casabrews. My only criticism is that it has a tendency to drip a little after the pump has stopped, but I certainly don't think that should be a deal-breaker.
Read our De'Longhi Dedica Duo review
We also tested
We test new coffee machines every month here at TechRadar. Here are some we've reviewed recently that didn't quite make our shortlist.
How to choose the best coffee maker for you
There are so many different options on the market that it can be hard to know which is the best coffee maker for you.
If you enjoy a simple americano and don’t like milk-based drinks, then a drip filter coffee maker will be a great option. Plus, these machines can make as many as 12 cups of coffee in one go.
If you just want small quantities of coffee, though, we’d recommend a single-serve coffee maker from Keurig or Nespresso.
If you like milk-based coffee, then there are quite a few options available. Some models are fully automated and have a built-in frother that will be able to create a variety of milk textures, while others have steam arms which you place into a jug of milk and froth the milk yourself. There’s a third option too - and this includes buying a separate milk frother which is a stand-alone machine. You’ll be able to use these to make everything from lattes to hot chocolates, and they make a great accompaniment to a pod coffee maker.
Coffee drinkers that like plenty of customization options will be best suited to a coffee maker that lets you adjust the strength of your brew and create different sizes of hot drinks. Many premium coffee makers will let you do both of these things, but you can also adjust the strength and the aroma of your coffee with a good drip filter model.
The final thing to consider is how involved you’d like to be in the coffee-making process – and the clean-up afterwards. Some designs are smart-enabled so you can simply switch them on from your phone, however, others will require you to pack down ground coffee and pull your own shot of espresso before frothing the milk yourself. Some of the best coffee machines have self-cleaning systems which purge the steam wand to prevent milk residue drying in the pipes, while others have systems to flush out any build-up in the machine.
If you’re still not sure, you can find a more detailed breakdown in our article covering which type of coffee maker to buy.
Frequently asked coffee maker questions
Can espresso machines make regular coffee?
Technically yes, because espresso is the base of all kinds of coffees. Espresso machines can be used to make an americano if they have the functionality to add hot water to a shot of espresso (which many of the best coffee machines do). If you want to make milk-based drinks such as lattes or flat whites you’ll need to ensure that there’s a steam arm on the machine, or alternatively, you can purchase a separate milk frother.
How do coffee makers work?
With so many different types of coffee makers on offer, it’s no surprise that each type of machine works slightly differently. Here we focus on espresso machines and pod coffee makers but for a more detailed explanation, head to our feature on how coffee makers work.
Espresso machines work by using a pump to push pressurized water through coffee grounds so that it infuses with the water to make a smooth shot of espresso. If an espresso machine has a milk frother, it will use a boiler to push steam out of the machine which is then used to give the milk a velvety texture. Pod coffee makers work by using a compacted capsule of coffee and piercing a hole in the capsule. Hot water is then powered up through the machine and pushed through the capsule to create a coffee. Some more advanced pod machines, such as the Nespresso Vertuo Next, spin the coffee pod around at high speeds so that the contents evenly infuse with water for an even smoother cup of coffee.
How to clean a coffee maker
Keeping your coffee maker clean will not only ensure it looks great, but it’s crucial for maintaining working order and keeping it hygienic. We’ve written a full feature on how to clean a coffee maker and all its parts but the good news is that you’ll be able to clean thoroughly using products you’ve most likely got at home already. To clean your machine’s water tank, you can make a solution with one part water and one part white vinegar and simply leave it to soak inside your water reservoir for a couple of hours. To give the pipes a good flush through, let the vinegar solution run through the machine by switching it on as you would do normally for water.
We're also got a dedicated article on how to clean a Nespresso machine and how to clean a Keurig, for those that have single-serve coffee makers at home.
What is the best coffee maker for home use?
If you're looking for the best coffee maker to use at home, either because you're spending more time working remotely and want a cup of Joe that's the same quality as you'd get in the office, or you just want to cut down on your expenses by reducing your coffee shop visits, then you're probably wondering which is the best one to buy.
For true coffee-shop-worthy espresso, then it's worth investing in one of the best espresso machines on the market right now. These ensure you can tweak the strength of the coffee by changing aspects such as the volume of water used to brew the espresso, the length of time the brewing process takes, and how tightly or loosely compacted the puck (the disc of ground coffee) is.
All of these affect how strong, and how bitter the coffee tastes. But espresso machines require plenty of experimentation, which takes time and using ground coffee can be messy.
If you're tight on space consider the Breville Bambino or Breville Bambino Plus (which are sold under the Sage brand in the UK), while for those with larger kitchens and a bigger budget, consider the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155MB or the Breville Oracle Touch - again known as the Sage Oracle Touch in the UK.
If you don't want to spend all your time learning how to brew the perfect coffee, or cleaning up after it, then one of the best single-serve coffee makers, also known as pod coffee machines, will produce good quality espresso with minimal mess. We rate the Nespresso Vertuo Next, but our article which Nespresso machine is best? offers plenty of further information to help you decide.
If you're in the US there's also an array of Keurig single-serve coffee makers to choose from. Check out Nespresso vs Keurig: which should you buy? if you're unsure which manufacturer you should plump for.
Which type of coffee maker should I choose?
For those that want to perfect their coffee-making skills, consider an espresso machine. This is the best coffee maker for people who prefer to handle every part of the brewing process, from compacting the coffee grounds into a puck or small disc (a process known as tamping) to the brew volume and duration to create the perfect cup of coffee to suit you. If you’re new to this type of coffee maker, discover how to use an espresso machine in-depth in our article.
Alternatively, for the same coffee-shop standard hot drinks but with a hands-off approach, opt for a bean-to-cup coffee machines, which automate the processes described above to rustle up a cup of joe at the touch of a button.
If you’re looking to make a cup of coffee with as minimal amount of fuss as possible, a single-serve coffee maker is the best fit. Also known as pod coffee machines, they use capsules filled with ground coffee to create a hot drink with far less mess than espresso machines.
Nespresso and Keurig are the biggest brands when it comes to single-serve coffee machines and offer a range of machines each. However, pod coffee machines have a poor reputation when it comes to sustainability as many of the capsules end up in landfill. Follow our guide on how to recycle Nespresso pods to help ensure this doesn’t happen.
Finally, the drip coffee maker is a familiar style to most of us and it's the best coffee machine for those that want to brew large quantities of Java at any one time. Discover in-depth how coffee makers work in our article then, find out how to make your favorite coffee at home
How we test the best coffee makers
We take testing the best coffee makers seriously and put all the machines through their paces to see if they really can do everything they promise to. We test each coffee maker for the crema it produces on an espresso, how easy it is to use and set up, and also for consistency from one cup to another.
When we’re testing, we take into account the overall design of each coffee maker - how it looks, how much space it’ll take up on your kitchen counter, whether the water tank is removable for easy refills, and how the machine looks as a whole.
For coffee makers with milk frothers, we test the milk texture to see if it’s silky and smooth and of course, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t drink plenty of coffee along the way to see how each cup measures up for the overall taste.
We test models to see how much control you have over each cup of coffee, and whether it’s a case of simply pressing a button or whether more of a hands-on approach is needed. All the best coffee machines will require regular cleaning so we’re always sure to note what maintenance is involved and how easy these machines are to keep in top condition.
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