Best Drip Coffee Makers Under $50
The best drip coffee makers under $50 depend on how many cups you pour, whether you want a timer and what you put in the basket. This page ranks every machine here on the same criteria, with a comparison of small and large carafes and of programmable and switch-only models, and what a budget brewer gives up.
How this list is ordered
Ranked by arithmetic, not opinion. Every score is worked out from the specifications each maker publishes, so you can open the working on any product page. Anything commercial is labelled and sits outside that order, and how we score explains what each criterion measures.
Drip Coffee Makers Under $50, ranked by score
scored on what the maker publishesOpen a row for the score working1
KrupsSimply Brew 5-Cup Coffee MakerFrom $34.995.2How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link2.1brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 91 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability5.6Ease of Use & Cleaning7.5Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility6.4Value for Money10.0Price from$34.99Score5.2CarafeGlassFilter TypePaper, Reusable metal meshBrew Size5-6 cupsRead the Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup Coffee Maker review →2
Hamilton Beach46310 12-Cup ProgrammableFrom $34.995.1How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability7.5Build Quality & Durability4.4Ease of Use & Cleaning7.0Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility10.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$34.99Score5.1CarafeGlassFilter TypePaperBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Hamilton Beach 46310 12-Cup Programmable review →3
BLACK+DECKERBlack and Decker CM1160B 12 CupFrom $34.995.0How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability5.6Ease of Use & Cleaning7.0Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility10.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$34.99Score5.0CarafeGlassFilter TypePaperBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Black and Decker CM1160B 12 Cup review →4
BLACK+DECKERBlack and Decker CM0915BKD 12 CupFrom $27.974.9How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link1.4brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability5.6Ease of Use & Cleaning5.0Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility10.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$27.97Score4.9CarafeGlassFilter TypePaperBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Black and Decker CM0915BKD 12 Cup review →5
Mr. Coffee12-Cup ProgrammableFrom $34.994.9How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability4.4Ease of Use & Cleaning7.5Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility10.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$34.99Score4.9CarafeGlassFilter TypePaper, Reusable metal meshBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable review →6
Mr. Coffee12-Cup SwitchFrom $404.5How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability4.4Ease of Use & Cleaning3.5Carafe & Heat Retention4.3Capacity & Flexibility10.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$40Score4.5CarafeGlassFilter TypePaperBrew Size12+ cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Switch review →7
Amazon BasicsDripFrom $18.894.4How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 91 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability4.4Ease of Use & Cleaning6.5Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility5.7Value for Money10.0Price from$18.89Score4.4CarafeGlassFilter TypeReusable metal meshBrew Size5-6 cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Amazon Basics Drip review →8
BLACK+DECKERBlack and Decker DCM600B 5-CupFrom $26.994.3How it scored
Brew Qualityweakest link0.7brew temperature not publishedcarries 30 of the 88.1 points scoredBrewing Control & Programmability5.0Build Quality & Durability5.6Ease of Use & Cleaning4.0Carafe & Heat Retention2.9Capacity & Flexibility6.0reservoir not publishedValue for Money10.0Price from$26.99Score4.3CarafeGlassFilter TypePaperBrew Size5-6 cupsBloom / Pre-infusionNoRead the Black and Decker DCM600B 5-Cup review →
What to know about Drip Coffee Makers Under $50
Under $50, a drip coffee maker is a heater, a reservoir and a basket, and only a handful of decisions matter: how many cups it brews, whether it starts itself, what holds the coffee afterward and what goes in the basket. The eight machines here split along exactly those lines, so the sections below take them in the order they change your mornings.
How to choose a drip coffee maker under $50
Pick the size first, then decide whether you want a timer, then check the filter. Past those three, machines at this price are close to identical across brands.
Size: 5 cups or 12
A 5-cup machine suits one or two people and takes little counter space. A 12-cup machine makes sense when you pour several mugs at once or fill a thermos. A "cup" on these machines is a small measure, not a 12 ounce mug, so a full carafe gives you fewer real mugs than the number on the box.
Timer or switch
A programmable timer lets you load the machine at night and wake up to a full pot. A switch-only machine does one thing when you flip it. If you drink coffee at a fixed hour, the timer is the single feature at this price that changes your day.
Filter type
Paper keeps the cup clean and costs a little every month. A reusable mesh basket costs nothing to run, lets a few more fine particles into the cup and needs rinsing. Some machines here include one and some take paper only. Our guide to paper coffee filters covers the paper side.
5-cup vs 12-cup drip coffee makers under $50
Three of the eight are 5-cup machines and five are 12-cup. The small ones are the better fit for one or two drinkers, the large ones for a household that finishes a pot.
The 5-cup machines
The Amazon Basics Drip is the cheapest machine here: a 5-cup brewer with a 0.76 liter reservoir, a reusable mesh basket included, a 2 hour auto shut-off and a 600 watt heater, the lowest power on the list. It has no timer and a one-year warranty. The Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup has a bigger 1.2 liter reservoir, a glass pot with a no-drip spout, a permanent filter in the box that sits alongside paper compatibility, an automatic Keep Warm function and a two-year warranty. Krups does not state a timer or an auto shut-off time.
The Black and Decker DCM600B 5-Cup is for people who hate hand washing: the maker says the carafe and the removable filter basket are dishwasher safe. It takes basket-style paper filters, has a water level indicator and a nonstick keep-hot plate that holds coffee for one hour after brewing, and carries a two-year warranty. The body is plastic and it is one-touch only, with no timer.
The 12-cup machines
The five 12-cup machines are the Hamilton Beach 46310, the Black and Decker CM1160B, the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable, the Black and Decker CM0915BKD and the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Switch. All five use a glass carafe on a warming plate, and the first three have a timer. None of them states a brew temperature, a point the next sections return to.
Programmable vs switch-only drip coffee makers
Three of the 12-cup machines are programmable and two are switch-only. At this price the timer costs almost nothing extra, so there is rarely a reason to skip it unless you want the lowest price.
Hamilton Beach 46310
Programs up to 24 hours ahead and offers regular or bold strength, the only strength setting on the list. It runs at 950 watts, shuts off after 2 hours, has a nonstick warming plate and takes paper filters only. The warranty is one year and there is no bloom step.
Black and Decker CM1160B
A 24-hour auto brew timer, 975 watts, the most power here, and the Vortex showerhead the maker says saturates the grounds evenly. It shuts off after 2 hours, the plate keeps coffee warm for an hour and the warranty is two years. It comes in four colors.
Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable
Brew Now or Later programming, a reusable filter basket in the box next to paper compatibility, and the longest auto shut-off here at 4 hours. It runs at 900 watts, has a warming plate and a one-year warranty.
The two switch-only machines trade the timer for simplicity. The Black and Decker CM0915BKD is cheaper than any programmable 12-cup, adds the Vortex showerhead, and has a two-year warranty and a dishwasher-safe filter basket. The Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Switch is an on/off switch with an indicator light, 900 watts and paper filters, and it costs more than the programmable Mr. Coffee, which makes it the hardest of the eight to justify. It suits someone who wants one button and nothing to set.
What a drip coffee maker under $50 gives up
The compromises are the same across brands, and most come down to heat. Knowing them tells you what to fix with technique rather than money.
What the money buys
A working heater, a reservoir, a basket and a carafe sized for a household. Depending on the model it also adds a timer, an auto shut-off of 2 hours or longer, a showerhead the maker describes as even, and a warranty of up to two years. That covers a full morning routine for very little.
What it does not
None of these makers states a brew temperature, and none lists a bloom or pre-infusion step. Without a stated temperature you cannot know whether the water reaches the 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit range that extracts well. Our guide to water temperature for coffee explains why that range matters.
Glass carafe and warming plate: the trade-off
Every machine in this group pairs a glass carafe with a heated plate. That is cheap, and you can see how much is left, but it is also the reason coffee turns flat and bitter after an hour: the plate keeps cooking whatever sits in the pot. The Black and Decker DCM600B and CM1160B both say the plate keeps coffee warm for one hour, which is a sensible limit.
The practical fix is to pour what you will not drink soon into a thermos and switch the machine off. A 12-cup pot left on the plate all morning loses much of its character, however good the beans were. None of the eight has a thermal carafe, so if that matters to you, look at the next band up.
Drip coffee maker wattage, showerhead and brew time
Power runs from 600 watts on the Amazon Basics Drip to 975 watts on the Black and Decker CM1160B. Wattage is the closest thing to a heating spec these makers give, since none states a brew temperature or a brew time. The two smallest machines draw the least, the Amazon Basics Drip at 600 watts and the Krups at 650, while the 12-cup machines sit between 900 and 975 watts for more than twice the water.
Showerhead design is the other thing that separates them. The Black and Decker CM1160B and CM0915BKD both use a Vortex showerhead that the maker says saturates the grounds evenly, and the other six do not describe one. Even wetting is the main thing a drip basket can do for extraction, which makes it the one genuine brewing feature at this price. For the ratios that make any of these brew well, use our coffee to water ratio guide.
Which drip coffee maker under $50 should you buy?
Krups or DCM600B
Choose the Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup for the permanent filter and the larger reservoir, or the Black and Decker DCM600B if dishwasher-safe parts matter more. Both carry a two-year warranty.
Amazon Basics Drip
It is the cheapest machine here and includes a reusable filter, so there is no paper to buy. Accept the one-year warranty and the lowest power on the list.
Black and Decker CM1160B
It combines the timer, the Vortex showerhead and a two-year warranty. The Hamilton Beach 46310 is the pick if strength control matters, and the Mr. Coffee Programmable if you want a reusable basket in the box.
Black and Decker CM0915BKD
It brews 12 cups with the Vortex showerhead for the lowest price among the large machines, which is the argument for it over the Mr. Coffee Switch.
Drip coffee makers under $50 vs the next price band
If you want a thermal carafe, a stated brew temperature, a bloom step or a sturdier build, the budget has to move up. Our drip coffee makers under $100 page covers that tier, and the drip coffee makers hub lists every machine we review.
New to the method? What drip coffee is explains how it differs from pour over, and the drip coffee maker methodology shows what we check on each machine.
Drip coffee maker budget at a glance
| Machine | Size | Timer | Filter | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Basics Drip | 5 cups | No | Reusable mesh, included | 1 year |
| Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup | 5 cups | Not stated | Paper or permanent, included | 2 years |
| Black and Decker DCM600B | 5 cups | No | Paper only | 2 years |
| Black and Decker CM0915BKD | 12 cups | No | Paper only | 2 years |
| Black and Decker CM1160B | 12 cups | 24 hours | Paper only | 2 years |
| Hamilton Beach 46310 | 12 cups | 24 hours | Paper only | 1 year |
| Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable | 12 cups | Yes | Paper or reusable, included | 1 year |
| Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Switch | 12 cups | No | Paper only | 1 year |
Drip Coffee Makers Under $50 FAQ
What is the best size for a cheap drip coffee maker?
A 5-cup machine suits one or two people and takes little counter space. A 12-cup machine suits a household that pours several mugs or fills a thermos. Remember that a maker's cup is a small measure, so a full carafe gives fewer standard mugs than the number suggests.
Is a programmable drip coffee maker worth it under $50?
Usually yes. At this price a timer adds little cost, and it lets you load the machine the night before and wake to a full pot. Three of the 12-cup machines here offer it, while the cheapest ones use a plain on/off switch.
Do cheap drip coffee makers brew hot enough?
None of these makers states a brew temperature, so you cannot confirm it from the specs. Good extraction needs water in roughly the 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit range. Higher wattage and a showerhead that spreads water evenly both help a budget machine get closer.
Paper filter or reusable filter for a budget drip maker?
Paper gives a cleaner cup and costs a little each month. A reusable mesh basket costs nothing to run but passes more fine particles and needs rinsing. The Amazon Basics Drip, the Krups and the programmable Mr. Coffee include a permanent filter.
How long can coffee sit on a warming plate?
About an hour is a sensible limit. Black and Decker says the plate on two of its models keeps coffee warm for one hour. After that the heat keeps cooking the coffee and it turns bitter, so move leftovers to a thermos.
Is a Vortex showerhead better than a standard one?
Black and Decker says the Vortex design saturates the grounds evenly, and even wetting is the main thing a drip basket can do for extraction. The maker does not publish a test result, so treat it as a sensible design feature, not a proven gain.
Which budget drip coffee maker has the longest warranty?
Several carry two years: the Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup and three Black and Decker models. The Amazon Basics, Hamilton Beach and both Mr. Coffee machines carry one year.
When should I spend more than $50 on a drip coffee maker?
Spend more if you want a thermal carafe, a stated brew temperature, a bloom step or a sturdier build. Those features appear in the next price band up.