Switzerland · since 1986
Two systems, and only one of them stays cheap
Judging a Nespresso machine on the machine is the wrong end of the problem. The machine costs between about $80 and $200 once. The capsules cost that every couple of months for the rest of its life, and at three cups a day they outspend the machine before the summer is out.
So the only question that matters is which system, and specifically who is allowed to sell you capsules for it.
Original uses the small conical capsules, and its key patents have expired — which is why supermarkets, independent roasters and dozens of brands sell compatible pods at roughly a third of Nespresso’s price. Good third-party capsules are close in quality, and some small roasters are better because they fill to order.
Vertuo spins the capsule rather than pressing water through it, and it makes genuinely better long black coffee than any pressure-based capsule system — thick crema on a 230 ml cup, which the Original line cannot do. It is also patent-protected, so alternatives barely exist and Nespresso sets the price for the life of your machine.
Drink espresso, buy Original. Drink mugs, buy Vertuo and accept the supplier.
2 modes · hot & cold · 240 ml
The Aeroccino 4 without the two extra modes and without the price. If all you want is hot foam and cold foam, this does exactly that with the same non-stick pitcher and the same fifteen-second clean.
Best for: A capsule machine owner who wants cappuccino without paying for four modes.
Original system · 0.6 L · 11 cm (4.3 in) wide
About four inches wide, twenty-five seconds to heat, and it takes the Original capsules that dozens of brands make. The cheapest sensible way into the system that stays cheap to run.
Best for: A small kitchen, a studio apartment, an office desk, or a second machine.
19 bar · Original system · 1 L tank
The Original system, where the patents expired and everyone makes capsules. The machine is unremarkable; the point is that you can buy pods from a supermarket at a third of Nespresso's price.
Best for: Espresso and lungo drinkers who want capsule convenience without capsule prices.
Centrifusion · 5 cup sizes · 54% recycled plastic
The Vertuo machine with the full range of cup sizes, up to a 414 ml (14 oz) carafe. Same excellent long coffee, same single-supplier capsules, in a body made largely from recycled plastic.
Best for: Someone who drinks large black coffee and occasionally wants a carafe.
Vertuo, 6 cup sizes 5–18 oz, 37 oz side tank, 30-second heat-up, automatic ejection
Six Vertuo cup sizes from five to eighteen ounces, a 37-ounce removable side tank and a thirty-second heat-up.
Best for: A Vertuo buyer who wants the sizes and the range and will not notice half a minute
≈ $109
Vertuo, multiple cup sizes hot or iced, milk frother included, automatic capsule ejection
A Vertuo machine with a milk frother included, automatic capsule ejection and a side water tank.
Best for: A Vertuo household that wants cappuccinos without buying a separate frother
≈ $109
Nespresso Original, 24 oz, two programmable buttons, folding drip tray
Two programmable buttons for espresso and lungo, with a drip tray that folds down for larger cups.
Best for: Someone already committed to Nespresso Original capsules who wants the smallest machine that takes them
≈ $189
Vertuo, 6 cup sizes, 47 oz multi-position tank, ready in 3 seconds, app control
Six Vertuo cup sizes from a 47-ounce repositionable tank, ready in three seconds, with cup size and temperature set from an app.
Best for: A Vertuo household that wants the largest tank, the fastest start and some control over temperature
≈ $230
Nespresso Original, espresso and lungo, aluminum body, 2-minute auto shut-off
A compact aluminum Original machine with espresso and lungo selections and a two-minute automatic shut-off.
Best for: A small kitchen that wants the Original range in a metal-sided machine and values a fast shut-off
≈ $175
