Best Nespresso machine: why the cheap Vertuo is the right one

The best Nespresso machine for most people is the Vertuo Pop+, because it makes the full range of Vertuo cup sizes in the smallest, cheapest current body and there is no drink-quality difference between it and Vertuo machines costing twice as much. Upgrade to the Vertuo Plus only if you want the larger water tank and the motorized head. If you drink milk drinks daily, skip the standalone frother math and get a Lattissima or Creatista, which we compare in our Creatista vs Lattissima head-to-head.

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The picks compared

Vertuo vs Original: decide this first

Nespresso runs two incompatible pod systems. Vertuo spins the pod and reads a barcode to brew everything from a single espresso to a full mug, which makes it the line for people who mostly drink coffee-sized coffee. Original is the classic high-pressure espresso line with a far bigger third-party pod market, which makes it the line for espresso drinkers and milk-drink people. You cannot use one line's pods in the other's machine, so pick the line before the machine. Our Vertuo Pop vs Next and Next vs Plus breakdowns cover the inside-Vertuo choices in detail.

Why the cheap Vertuo is the right Vertuo

Every Vertuo machine brews the same pod with the same centrifusion system, so a Pop+ produces the same cup as machines far above it. What you pay more for is capacity and convenience: the Plus has a larger water tank and a head that opens at a button press, the Next adds nothing you can taste. Buy the Pop+ and spend the difference on pods, or on a milk frother if that is your drink. This is the rare category where the budget pick is not a compromise.

Milk drinkers: buy the milk system, not the frother stack

If your order is a latte or cappuccino most mornings, a Vertuo plus a separate frother works, but the Original-line milk machines are cleaner solutions. The Lattissima line does one-touch lattes with a self-contained milk carafe you store in the fridge. The Creatista Plus gives you a real automatic steam wand that textures milk in a pitcher, which is the only pod machine route to actual latte art. Our frother comparison covers the standalone route if you go that way.

The running cost nobody prices in

The machine is the cheap part. Pods are the subscription: a daily Vertuo pod habit costs more per year than most of these machines, and a two-a-day habit can pass the price of a real espresso setup inside two years. That is not a reason to skip Nespresso, convenience is worth money, but if the per-cup cost bothers you, our best espresso machines under $500 guide shows what the same annual spend buys in bean-based gear.

Related reading

• Nespresso Vertuo Pop vs Next
• Creatista Plus vs Lattissima Pro
• Nespresso not piercing capsules: the fix
• All gear guides

FAQ

Which Nespresso machine makes the best coffee? Within a line, they all make the same coffee: every Vertuo brews Vertuo pods identically, and every Original machine pulls the same pod shot. Pay for size, milk systems, and convenience, never for taste.

Is Vertuo or Original better? Vertuo for mug-size coffee drinkers, Original for espresso and milk-drink people. Original also has cheaper third-party pods, which matters at a pod a day.

Do Nespresso machines make real espresso? Original-line machines brew a high-pressure shot with crema that is close to real espresso. Vertuo espresso sizes are pleasant but softer-bodied than a true 9-bar shot. If espresso is the point, an entry machine like the ones in our under-$500 guide out-brews any pod.