Shopping for an espresso machine gets confusing fast. Some machines grind, tamp, and steam milk for you. Others want you to run the whole show yourself. Prices swing from under $100 to well over $3,000 for what looks, on the surface, like the same box with a lever on it. It’s easy to end up overpaying for features you’ll never touch, or underbuying and getting stuck with mediocre shots every morning.
That’s what this page is for. Below, you’ll find our roundups, grouped by budget, by brand, and by where you’re brewing, plus every individual machine we’ve tested and reviewed in full, organized by brand so you can compare within a lineup instead of jumping around. Whether you’re buying your first machine or replacing one that isn’t cutting it anymore, you should walk away knowing which machine actually fits how you drink coffee.
Not Sure Where to Start? Try a Roundup
With more than 30 machines to compare, it helps to narrow things down before diving into single reviews. If you’re buying your first machine, start with Best Home Espresso Machines — it’s the most general starting point on the site.
Already know your budget? We’ve got both ends covered: Best Espresso Machine Under $200 for the tightest budgets, Best Espresso Machine Under $500 for a bit more breathing room, and Best Affordable Espresso Machine if “affordable” matters more to you than one specific number.
Already sold on a brand? We’ve broken those out too. Best Breville Espresso Machine, Best De’Longhi Espresso Machine, and Best Jura Coffee Machines each dig into just that brand’s lineup, so you’re not comparing across five companies at once.
And if this isn’t for your kitchen at all, we have dedicated picks for Best Office Espresso Machines and Best Commercial Espresso Machines For Small Coffee Shops. Different demands call for different machines, and both of those roundups account for that.
Every Machine We’ve Reviewed, By Brand
Once you’ve narrowed things down, these are our full, hands-on reviews of individual models. We’ve grouped them by brand so it’s easier to compare machines that are actually competing with each other.
Jura
Every Jura on our list is a super-automatic, bean-to-cup machine: grind, brew, and often steam milk, all handled inside the machine at the push of a button. If you want the brand’s most popular all-rounder, the Jura E8 Review covers the machine most reviewers point to first. It isn’t the cheapest or the fanciest in the lineup, but it balances a wide drink menu with genuinely good espresso. Want that same core experience for less, and don’t need a milk system? The Jura E6 Review is the more affordable sibling.
If counter space is tight, the Jura ENA 8 Review shrinks both the water tank and the footprint without losing milk drinks, while the Jura ENA 4 Review goes even smaller by dropping the milk system entirely. That’s a smart trade if you mostly drink straight espresso or Americanos. Ready to spend more for a nicer screen and more personalization? The Jura S8 Review is essentially a dressed-up E8 with a larger touchscreen and saved user profiles. And if you want the most Jura can do, including auto-adjusting grind settings and cold brew capability, the Jura Z8 Review and the newer Jura Z10 Review sit at the top of the lineup, with the Z10 pulling ahead on tech.
Breville
Breville’s lineup splits into two types: machines with a built-in grinder, and the Breville Infuser Review, which skips the grinder, so you’ll want to pair it with one of your own. Most people start with the Breville Barista Express Review: The BES870XL Insights, one of Breville’s longest-running sellers and a solid all-in-one for a first machine. The Breville Barista Pro Review is the newer version of that same machine, with a faster heat-up and steam time thanks to Breville’s ThermoJet heating system.
If you’d rather have a touchscreen walk you through each drink and texture your milk automatically, the Breville Barista Touch Review adds that convenience on top of the Express’s foundation. Want something smaller for a compact kitchen? The Breville Bambino Plus keeps the fast heating and automatic steaming in a shorter footprint. And if budget isn’t the deciding factor and you want the machine to tamp the coffee for you too, the Breville Oracle Touch Review is Breville’s top-of-the-line pick, though plenty of owners feel the Barista Touch gets you most of the way there for a lot less money.
Nespresso
Nespresso’s machines use pre-portioned pods instead of ground coffee, trading some hands-on control for consistency and speed. The Nespresso Essenza Mini Review is the smallest and simplest in the lineup, and a popular pick as a no-frills first machine or a second one for the office. If you want the machine to build a full latte or cappuccino for you at the touch of one button, the Nespresso Lattissima One Review suits smaller households with its compact, single-serve milk container, while the Nespresso Lattissima Pro Review steps up the water and milk capacity for a household that goes through more drinks.
Prefer to steam and texture your own milk with a real wand, closer to the barista experience, instead of a fully automatic pour? The Nespresso Creatista Plus Review is built for that, with a wand that heats in seconds. And if you lean toward drip-style coffee over straight espresso, the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe Review uses Nespresso’s larger-format capsules to brew bigger cups, in a sleeker body with a larger water tank than the standard VertuoPlus.
De’Longhi
De’Longhi covers the widest range on our list, from budget manual machines to fully automatic bean-to-cup models. On the manual end, the De’Longhi ECP3420 Review and De’Longhi Stilosa Review are nearly identical 15-bar machines with a manual steam wand. The Stilosa usually costs a little less and tends to stay in stock more often. The De’Longhi EC702 Review sits in that same beginner-friendly, manual category. Step up to the De’Longhi La Specialista Review and you get a built-in grinder plus a second heating element, so you’re not stuck waiting to switch between brewing and steaming.
On the fully automatic side, the De’Longhi Magnifica Xs Review is the simplest entry point, with a shorter list of one-touch recipes than its siblings. The De’Longhi Dinamica Review and Delonghi Dinamica Plus Review offer a considerably longer drink menu, and the Plus adds a color touchscreen on top.
Gaggia and Rancilio
If you want to learn real barista technique instead of pressing a button, the Gaggia Classic Pro Review and Rancilio Silvia Review are the two machines most home baristas end up comparing. Both are semi-automatic, single-boiler machines with commercial-style 58mm portafilters and a manual steam wand. No grinder, no automation, just you and the shot. The Silvia is the heavier, all-stainless-steel build of the two, which plenty of owners take as a sign it’s built to outlast the lighter Gaggia. If a fully manual machine is more than you’re ready for but you still want a Gaggia, the Gaggia Brera Review is a compact, fully automatic bean-to-cup alternative instead.
A Few More Favorites
Rounding out the list: the Saeco Xelsis Review is a fully automatic machine with a touchscreen and saved profiles for different coffee drinkers in the house. The Philips 3200 LatteGo Review is a similar bean-to-cup automatic built around Philips’ LatteGo system, which skips the tubing most milk frothers use and is noticeably easier to rinse out.
If you want PID temperature control and a proper 58mm portafilter without jumping to prosumer prices, the Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine Review is worth a look. It’s sold in versions with and without a built-in grinder, so check before you buy. The The Capresso EC100 Review is a straightforward, budget-friendly semi-automatic with a fast-heating boiler and a dual-frother steam wand. And the Mr. Coffee Café Barista Review is the most beginner-friendly, budget-focused pick here, with one-touch presets and a built-in frother. It won’t win over serious enthusiasts, but it’s a low-risk way to find out if you even like making espresso at home.
Not sure where your own setup fits into all this? Our Coffee Basics section covers grind size, water quality, and the fundamentals that matter no matter which machine you land on. Worth a look before you buy, not just after.