What do coffee machines and Apple have in common? Pods.
Australia’s best pod coffee machines: Rated by overcaffeinated people
5 min readWe're a country full of coffee drinkers, but since cafe coffees are expensive and also not available after 2pm most places, it is worth investing in a good at-home alternative.
Pod coffee machines are immensley popular in Australia with over 48% of Aussies owning one back in 2019. These simple machines are easy to set up, easy to operate, and the array of pods available now is reaching a fever pitch. It is understandable why so many of us have taken them into our homes.
If you're here, you're either one of the 48% looking for an upgrade, or you're looking to join them. We have reviewed plenty of machines, so we can help you find the best pod coffee machine. Even if you don't like our main picks, we have all the best coffee machines compared at the bottom of this page.
Grab a cuppa, settle in, and (hopefully) we can point you to your next favourite coffee maker.
How we pick the best pod coffee machines
Price
Pricing is always an important consideration for home appliances. For coffee machines we break down pricing based on the type of the machine, so when we say something is a good deal you can be assured that it stacks up fairly against similar machines.
Expert testing
Every coffee machine we rank is reviewed by our experts. Our reviewers test things like how long it takes to make a cup of coffee, brew quality, and the cleaning experience.
Design and Features
We dive into the technical and physical design of coffee machines, rating them based on user experience, specs, and any extra goodies like precision temperature control.
Coffee choice
Your coffee choice is perhaps more important than the machine itself, afterall even the best coffee machine can still make terrible coffee. We take into consideration how much control you have over your own coffee choices. Are there plenty of pod options? Do you need your own grinder?
We're not going to lie to you, this was a tough one to judge. There were two Nespresso machines going head-to-head for the best pod coffee machine title, but we landed on the Creatista Pro for one important reason- no coffee lock in.
Nespresso's Vertuo pods are new, and smarter, but they are only available from Nespresso. Its classic pod shape however (as used with the Creatista Pro) are available from a huge range of third party retailers. You can get reusable pods, compostible pods, pods in all the coffee blends you can think of. Overall, it lets you choose your own coffee adventure more than Vertuo machines. We love that for you!
Apart from our little rant above, the Creatista Pro strikes the best balance in any capsule coffee machine we've reviewed. The simplicity of the pod system is a given, but this model has an automatic milk steamer. Yes steamer, not frother. The wand measures the temperature while steaming, simultaneously controlling air flow depending on how much froth you want, steaming the milk to a perfect velvetty texture every time. Granted it doesn't do as well with non-dairy milks, but it is a huge step up from the seperate milk frother.
Bundle that with automatic self-cleaning and the high price tag feels worth it. Still, if this baby is out of your price range check out our budget pick instead.
Our favourite coffee machine gadgets
We're writers, we run on caffeine and deadline adrenaline, of course we have gadget recommendations.
Ember Mug 2
There are cheaper ways to keep your beverage warm for longer, but nothing as thoughfully put together, or joyous as the Ember Mug 2
Sale price valid until withdrawn by Dyson
Sale price valid until withdrawn by Dyson
Bialetti Mini Express Set
A miniature Bialetti stovetop coffee maker, made for two. It is adorable, romantic, but most importantly caffeinated.
Avanti Little Whipper Milk Frother
Love a cold (or warm) foam on top of your coffee? The Avanti hand milk frother is a perfectly space-saving solution. Plus look, its a cow!
We do our best to find you the best coffee gadget deals each day, but some may expire before we get a chance to switch them out. Deal prices are valid as of the publish date on this article.
Best cheap pod coffee machine
Nespresso Vertuo Pop
If you're after a cheap capsule coffee machine its hard to look past the Nespresso Vertuo Pop. In our testing we found using the machine to be almost excessively straightforward- just plug it in, pop in a pod and you're brewing.
The brewing itself is a double-edged sword however. As we explained above, the Vertuo pods are proprietary to Nespresso- they each have a barcode which the coffee machine reads to access specific brewing information for that blend. Aspects like temperature, infusion time and water flow are all controlled in the capsule. It's neat! It makes for a better pod coffee, but it does mean you're limited to just Nespresso pods for the foreseeable future.
You're not totally stuck doing as the pod deems though. The Pop comes with an Expert Mode that gives you the ability to override the Vertuo capsules' original script. Similar to machines from Delonghi, or Sunbeam, you'll be able to pick if you want an espresso, or a double ristretto on the Pop.
If you're happy to go all-in on the Nespresso bandwagon then this pocketsized coffee machine is an excellent choice. You are going to need a milk frother though.
Pssst
Psst! If you're not keen on the Vertuo pods, Nespresso also sells the Essenza Mini for around the same price. The Mini uses classic Nespresso pods making it more versatile. It usually retails for $219- here are a couple of places to find it.
Next best pod coffee machine
Nespresso Vertuo Next
Yes, its another Nespresso machine- what can we say? George Clooney is on to something. The Vertuo Next is the older and more expensive model of the Vertuo Pop. Admittedly it isn't that much more expensive, but the price is always worth considering.
We found that the Next is a step up from most other pod coffee machines thanks to the Vertuo brewing system. Smarter coffee brewing with just as much know-how required as any other capsule machine (see "none"). While you'll miss out on Expert Mode here, unless you're a caffiend you likely won't miss the extra steps.
If you're looking to elevate the results of you pod coffee, without putting in any extra effort, the Vertuo Next is one of the best capsule coffee machines on the market.
Coffee machines compared
Pod coffee, automatic, espresso, filter, manual - there are so many different coffee machines to choose from. Picking the best coffee machine for your lifestyle comes down to price, and how much control you want to have. If you're a set and forget kind of person, then we would recommend an automatic or a pod-based coffee machine. On the other hand if you're one to hyperfixate until you make something perfect, we'd recommend a manual machine.
Here are how the top coffee machines we have reviewed compare:
Here are how the top coffee machines we have reviewed compare:
Product | Our score | Price | Coffee type | More info |
|
| 🔥From $183.20 | Pod coffee | See it at Amazon | |
|
| From $396 | Manual espresso | See it at Amazon | |
|
| 🔥From $449 | Manual espresso w/ grinder | See it at Amazon | |
| From $1399 | Manual espresso w/ grinder | See at Bing Lee | |
|
| 🔥From $199 | Pod coffee | See it at Amazon | |
| 🔥 From $499 | Automatic espresso w/ grinder | See it at Amazon | |
|
| 🔥 From $619 | Automatic espresso w/ grinder | See it at Amazon | |
| 🔥From $199 | Manual espresso | See at Amazon |
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