Espresso machine vs coffee pod machine: Which is right for you?

Whether you favour a rich espresso first thing in the morning or like to have a cappuccino over lunch, most of us enjoy a coffee at some point during the day. However, the rising cost of takeaway coffee and the inconvenience of heading out for a caffeine fix have increasingly driven consumers to seek ways to make their daily brew in the comfort of their home, with most homes now housing their own coffee machine in the kitchen.

While coffee lovers generally agree that nothing beats a hot cup of coffee, they tend to have endless disagreements about the best ways to make one. Traditionalists favour espresso machines for their sturdy, handsome builds and the depth of flavour they can achieve, while many modern users have moved on to coffee pod machines, owing to their compactness, convenience and ease of use.

As you can already see, both of these formats have their own unique advantages. But which will suit your needs best? Check out our handy guide below, complete with expert commentary from Tom Saxon, co-founder of Batch Coffee Club, to see how these two types of coffee machines compare against each other.

To help you get a sense of which of these coffee-making formats will work best for you, I’ve compared them in three key areas, focusing in on their design and ease of use, their abilities and performance and their general price ranges and affordability.

Espresso machine vs coffee pod machine: Design and convenience

Coffee pod machines tend to be small, lightweight and simple to operate. The colourful Nespresso Vertuo Pop for example, measures a very dainty 13.6 x 42.6 x 25cm (WDH) and weighs just 3.5kg, while the stylish Lavazza Jolie is even more compact at 12.4 x 33 x 21cm (WDH) and 2.6kg. As Tom says, “pod machines are small and compact – they fit on most work surfaces, so you don’t have to worry about a big metallic espresso machine taking up valuable space.” One thing that helps coffee pod machines stay light and compact is the fact that they are generally made from hard plastic, which won’t be as sturdy and long-lasting as a stainless steel body.

Other physical features of coffee pods machines that affect their convenience are their water tank and used pod bins. Ranging from 600ml to 1.5l for models we’ve tested, this could either prove perfectly suited to your needs, or for busier households that want to make multiple cups of coffee in the morning, far too small, so be sure to consider this before making a selection. Similarly, some models have sizable pod bins, like the Nespresso Vertuo Next which can fit ten large pods, making disposing of pods quicker and simpler in the short term, while others, like many of Dolce Gusto models, lack this convenience.

Both Vertuo Pop and Jolie, mentioned above, are also very straightforward to use, requiring simply that a pod be inserted and their sole buttons be pressed to deliver you a hot cup of coffee. Of the machines we’ve reviewed, I’ve found that most coffee pod machines tend to operate off a single button control scheme or something similarly simple, which is part of the reason why coffee expert Tom thinks that “there is no beating the convenience factor of a pod machine, more so than even instant coffee most of the time.” The Tassimo My Way 2 has one of the broader control set-ups we’ve seen with a control pad to toggle presets for coffee strength, temperature, amount of water and access saved settings and even that our reviewer found “easy enough for mature children to use.”

Espresso machines, on the whole, are much larger than coffee pod machines. A straightforward, entry-level manual espresso machine like the Sage Bambino, one of the more compact options on our list, still measures 16 x 34 x 31cm (WDH) and weighs nearly 5kg. A higher-end model like the Sage Dual Boiler has some serious heft, with dimensions of 40 x 37 x 38cm (WDH) and a weight of over 20kg.

Espresso machines are generally larger and heavier than pod machines due to the large heating elements, boilers and water reservoirs they require to produce properly brewed espresso. This construction tends to make espresso machines sturdier, as noted in our how long do coffee machines last explainer, which estimates that coffee pod machines can last for up to 5 years, while espresso machines can last for anywhere from 5-10 years. Coffee expert Tom says that “if you maintain the espresso machine properly I’d say that they generally last longer than pod machines. Although there usually are a lot more moving parts with an espresso machine they are constructed from higher quality materials compared to pod machines.”

In terms of convenience and ease of use, espresso machines can be highly variable. The models on our roundup have water tanks ranging in size from just over 1l to 2.5l, meaning they can keep going for longer than your average pod machine. However, where most pod machines require a capsule and a push of a button, espresso machines will require a little more finesse.

To get good results from a manual espresso machine you will likely need to experiment with the origin, grind size and dosage of your ground coffee, though coffee expert Tom thinks the rewards outweigh the work, saying: “An espresso machine does take some time to master, and even then you still have to tinker with each shot to achieve optimal extraction – if you have the patience, however, the results are a hundred times better.” To get the best cup possible you’ll also want to consider tamping pressure, extraction ratios, brew temperature and more. Furthermore, if your machine comes with a manual steam wand, the technique for this will also take a little time to perfect before you can start dishing out cappuccinos. Of course, if you’re not a coffee nerd at heart, you can leave the more complicated settings on your machine alone and still produce a tasty espresso with a touch of a button in most cases.

A popular choice nowadays for those seeking a marriage of quality and convenience is a bean-to-cup coffee machine. These machines grind, brew and serve coffee largely without your interference, lowering the skill ceiling required to make a great coffee. A model like De’Longhi Magnifica Evo One Touch, for example, can even froth and pour milk for you.

Of course, you needn’t forgo customisation and tinkering if you go with this type of machine. As our coffee expert detailed in her recent review of the De’Longhi Eletta Explore, upon finding the shot produced by the default settings on the machine a little watery, she used the machine’s Bean Adapt feature to test and adjust various settings, ultimately reducing the grind size and the amount of water being pulled through until she was happy with the espresso shot it produced. Ultimately, the level of convenience you’ll get with an espresso machine will depend on how much of a tinkerer you are at heart.

Espresso machine vs coffee pod machine: Features and performance

As their aim is simplicity and convenience, pod machines generally don’t come with an abundance of bells and whistles, with their core function being “touch of a button coffee,” as Tom puts it. Most of the other features of these machines come in the form of adjustable settings, like the Tassimo My Way 2’s size, temperature and strength customisation abilities. Some allow you to change how they interact with their pods, like the dual-spouted L’or Barista Sublime’s ability to pour doubleshot espresso from its XXL pods or Tassimo and Dolce Gusto’s milky coffee pods, which combine preserved coffee and milk powder to allow you to make drinks like flat whites and more.

There are some wildcards, of course, like voice-activated, smart speaker-containing Lavazza Voicy or the Illy Iperespresso X7.1, which is built to resemble an espresso machine with a portafilter-style basket for its pods and even includes its own steam wand. A few oddball machines aside however, the features and abilities of different pod machines remain pretty simple and consistent across the board.

While more expensive models like the aforementioned Illy machine or the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista do sometimes include a manual steam wand for creating textured milk, this is a feature that is unfortunately absent in most coffee pod machines. A good workaround for this is to buy a separate milk frother, as these handy devices can create frothed milk without much effort, with some models even able to produce things like cold foam and delicious hot chocolate.

Everything else aside, for many people the most important thing will, naturally, be how well a given machine can make coffee. Of our favourite pod machines, we’ve found that they all possess the ability to produce a respectable cup of coffee. Our in-house coffee expert praised the Nespresso Vertuo Pop calling it a “stylish capsule machine that serves up great-tasting coffee” and noted that some models, like the Philips L’Or Barista Sublime poured “a surprisingly accurate shot” time and again.

Ultimately, however, pod machines do have some in-built limitations that mean they can’t quite match an espresso machine in terms of performance. For one, the preserved coffee in a coffee pod can’t match the flavour of freshly ground coffee. In their review of the high-end Nespresso Vertuo Creatista, our tester concluded: “As with all pod machines, the limitation is that there is only so far you can go with coffee quality if it’s not fresh.” A coffee roaster, barista and self-professed coffee snob, Tom Saxon goes even further, saying that because “coffee pods use pre-ground coffee in 7g pods, the quality of the raw product is usually much worse than freshly roasted coffee beans – especially if you purchase your beans from an indie coffee roaster that knows what they’re doing. Besides this, an average coffee pod machine doesn’t have the required consistent pressure to extract an optimal coffee like an espresso machine.”

Moving on to said espresso machines, the most common features to look out for are a “cup holder/heater, a knock box for your coffee grounds, an instant hot water tap and a steam wand,” according to Tom. Among these, we’d count a steam wand, as found in entry-level models like the Sage Bambino, as being the key feature to look out for. A steam wand allows you to create textured milk, which will open the door to making lattés, cappuccinos and more.

More expensive espresso machines come with some luxury abilities and smart features. The Sage Dual Boiler, for example, has a dual boil boiler set-up, as its name would suggest. What this means is that it has separate heating systems for brewing coffee and producing steam. This allows it to do both at the same time and at the correct temperature for each process. Other premium features, as seen in something like the De’Longhi Eletta Explore, include fully-automated bean-to-cup operation, touchscreen controls, wider varieties of customisable drink options and user profiles with the ability to save drink settings.

As well as offering important and useful features, espresso machines are generally considered the top performers when it comes to making coffee. In a review of the Gaggia Classic Pro, one of favourite espresso machines, our reviewer notes that the machine is “capable of eking out an immense depth of flavour.” Espresso machines give us great results foremost because they use freshly ground coffee in their baskets. They also produce accurate shots thanks to their consistent heating elements and their ability to precisely control different variables like water pressure, temperature and dosage.

As well as allowing for consistency and replicability, two things very important to coffee aficionados, the ability to dose and tamp your own shot, alongside other customisation options, also means that you can perfectly tailor your shot to your liking and experiment with new flavours and techniques. As many serious coffee drinkers would note, this experimentation and search for the perfect shot, trying different roasts and beans from around the world, is a large part of why getting an espresso machine can be a rewarding experience, as it opens up an avenue for a new passion or hobby.

Espresso machine vs coffee pod machine: Price and value for money

While there is some range for both types of machine, pod machines are generally much cheaper than espresso machines. Of the eight pod machines featured on our round-up, six of them cost less than £100, with the cheapest one available for just £54 at time of writing. There are some high-end options available for people seeking a marriage of luxury and convenience, with the likes of the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista (£650) allowing users to get their hands on a highly-finished pod machine with the ability to froth milk.

On the other side of things, while there are cheaper options available, like our favourite entry-level option the De’Longhi Dedica (£171), espresso machines usually require a pretty hefty investment. Every other machine featured on our best espresso machine page costs over £300, with £300 to £600 being a pretty normal range for most espresso machines. Several of the higher-end espresso machines we’ve reviewed, which offer things like dual boilers, smart features and bean-to-cup operation, have prices of well over £1,000.

Outside the cost of the machines themselves, there’s also the continuous cost of buying coffee to think about in the long run. Taking the most popular brand of coffee pods as an example, the single-shot original pods on the Nespresso website cost roughly 40p to 50p per pod, individually, depending on the size and style of coffee, while the brand’s larger Vertuo pods cost somewhere between 60p and 80p. You can get this cost way down by buying in bulk from other retailers, subscribing to the brand’s subscription pod delivery service or opting for cheaper, generic pods. Other brand’s machines can have cheaper pods as well, with many of Dolce Gusto’s 96 capsule bundles, for example, working out to roughly 30p per pod.

The cost of buying ground coffee and beans can be similarly variable, depending on your standard dosage and the quality of coffee or beans you buy. For example, at home I use Café Direct Machu Picchu ground coffee, a supermarket staple that usually costs £5 per 200g bag. A standard double espresso shot dosage is 18-22g, meaning I should be able to get 9 to 11 cups from a single bag, at a cost of 45p to 55p per cup. There are, of course, cheaper brands out there, with Tesco’s own-brand ground coffee working out to around 26p per cup. Our chief coffee tester, Senior Home Editor Danielle Amato, uses high quality beans from artisan coffee roaster Curve Coffee to assess the depths of flavour a given espresso machine can produce. At £9 per 250g or £30 per 1kg bag of beans, her high quality coffee comes to about 60p to 70p per cup.

Espresso machine vs coffee pod machine: Verdict

Tom’s final word on pod machines is as follows: “if you want convenience and don’t want to spend half of your paycheck on a machine, while not being too fussed about the quality of the coffee, then a coffee pod machine is for you.” In our experience, you may not get as wide a range of features or as much depth of flavour from your coffee as you would get with an espresso machine, but you’ll get a compact and easy to use machine that is able to make a solid variety of tasty coffees.

“On the other hand,” Tom notes, “if you want to become a home barista and fancy upping your coffee game then an espresso machine is for you.” While one may cost more than a pod machine initially, the fact that its sturdy build will likely last for a good few years longer than a pod machine can help offset this. While some espresso machines do have a bit of a learning curve, you’ll still be able to use them to make a delicious cup of coffee regardless of your skill level, and after some work honing your barista abilities, you’ll be able to really unlock the depth of flavour present in high-quality coffee beans.