The best coffee machines have become increasingly popular in recent years, offering high-quality coffee at home at the touch of a button. The two leaders in this field, Nespresso and Keurig, are very capable, but they offer slightly different benefits: while the best Keurig coffee machines focus on versatility of drinks and versatile price range, Nespresso is more committed to high-quality coffee than a wide range of products. Both machines will save you money compared to buying coffee in a coffee shop, but which is really the better option?
When assessing the total cost of ownership of a capsule coffee machine, there are a few factors to consider. Not only do you have to pay for the machine itself, but you also have to pay for the regular coffee capsules. You may also want to consider the cost of electricity to power the machine, especially if you make a lot of cups a day.
Finally, it’s worth considering the “value” of the machine, although that can be subjective. A machine that offers more versatility in beverage choices or brews higher-quality coffee may offset the slightly higher price tag — or it may not be worth it.
So how does Nespresso compare to Keurig? We crunched the numbers.
Initial costs
There are several models available for each brand of coffee machine, so there is a degree of flexibility. Nespresso has a slightly smaller product range, with each machine costing over $100, although its cheapest model (the Vertuo Pop+) is sometimes on sale for $99.00. There are several machines in the $100-$200 range, and all of them include the option of adding an Aero3 milk frother for an additional $50.
For coffee lovers who want to invest in higher-end Nespresso products, the brand also offers advanced machines, starting at $849.00 for the Creatista Pro. Generally, most Vertuo products fall in the $129-$250 range. All of these machines work exclusively with Nespresso coffee capsules.
Keurig offers a wide range of coffee makers, with several options under $100. The brand also offers recurrent discounts across its entire product line, so you can often find the K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker and K-Express Single Serve Coffee Maker for just $59.99 to $69.99. At the high end of the range, the Keurig K155 OfficePRO Premier Brewing System (designed for business utilize) costs $294.95, while the K-Duo Plus Single Serve & Carafe Coffee Maker costs $229.00 full-priced. Generally speaking, most of the products fall in the $80 to $150 range.
Overall, while there is a significant price overlap in the mid-range options, Nespresso machines are definitely more steep than the Keurig range. Keurig products are also on sale more often, allowing for greater savings.
Current coffee costs
Both brands require the utilize of special coffee capsules in their machines, but there are significant differences between them.
Keurig sells its pods (K-cup) in boxes of 12, 24, 72, and 96, with discounts for 24+ pods. Subscriptions allow for further discounts, and they often have sales on their products, with classic coffee flavors dropping below 50 cents per pod. In addition to its own brand of beverage flavors, Keurig has partnered with several well-known coffee brands, such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, to produce signature flavors in K-cup form, although they tend to be priced a bit higher. Since each K-cup makes one cup of coffee, drinking your daily cup of Keurig-brewed coffee will cost you about $17.50 over the course of a month, before discounts.
Nespresso makes two types of capsules: Vertuo and Original, each of which is compatible only with that line of machines. This can complicate purchasing coffee capsules a bit, since you’ll need to check to make sure you have the right capsules for your machine. While the Vertuo line of products is generally cheaper than the Original line, Vertuo coffee capsules are more steep, costing more than $1 per capsule. Original capsules often cost less than $1 per capsule, but they’re never as low as Keurig’s prices. Buying a 100-pack of Original capsules will still cost you $24.60 per month in Everyday Coffee.
Therefore, purchasing coffee capsules for a Keurig coffee machine will be more profitable than purchasing a Nespresso coffee machine.
Energy consumption
In terms of energy consumption, a cup of coffee from a Nespresso or Keurig machine requires more energy than a cup of coffee from a drip or French press. However, the amount used per cup is quite insignificant, as long as the machine is turned off after utilize.
Keurig tends to utilize 1500W when it’s at its peak brewing power. This drops to 200-400W when it’s on but not in direct utilize, so home brewers should switch the machine off when finished. Some Nespresso machines can also utilize up to 1500W, but others are a bit more economical: the popular Nespresso VertuoNext reaches a limit of 1260W per utilize, making it slightly more energy-efficient (and therefore money-saving) than Keurig models. Nespresso also offers an energy-saving mode on many of its models, which helps reduce overall energy consumption and therefore enhance electricity savings.
Overall, Nespresso is more capable in terms of energy consumption.
Additional features and versatility
Different machines make different types of coffee, and can even make different drinks like sizzling chocolate or tea. If you can make a hundred cups of coffee that is affordable but not to your taste, you will probably visit the coffee shop more often and spend more than if you invested in a machine that you like better. So, while the features themselves don’t save you money, they can contribute to the overall value of the product.
Keurig’s higher-end coffee machines are designed to make coffee, tea, and sizzling cocoa, as well as iced and specialty drinks. The lower-end machines lose this functionality and focus on making single-serve coffee. The machines are a bit more simplified than the Nespresso in terms of how they brew coffee, and many customers report that the quality and complexity of Nespresso drinks are higher.
Nespresso vs Keurig – Which Brand Wins?
It goes without saying that Nespresso costs more to run on a daily basis than Keurig. From the initial cost of the machine to the purchase price of the coffee capsules, you’re likely to spend a bit more on Nespresso products, and that can add up over time, especially if you drink a lot of coffee.
The Keurig can make a wider range of drinks than the Nespresso, so if you’re looking for a versatile, all-purpose machine that works decently in a variety of situations, the Keurig is a better value for money option.
However, Nespresso is widely considered to be of a higher quality than what you’ll find in K-cup capsules. If you’re a coffee purist who doesn’t want to compromise on the taste of your home brew, then Nespresso will probably keep you from running to your local coffee shop — and it’s still considerably cheaper than buying coffee in town.
If you value the quality of your coffee more than the flexibility of your drink, then the slightly more steep Nespresso coffee may be a better option.
