Nespresso sells two capsule systems under one name, and the pods never mix. Original is the small
aluminium capsule, brewed through a 19 bar pump into an espresso or a lungo. Vertuo is the dome-shaped
capsule with a barcode on the rim: the machine reads it, spins the capsule in a process Nespresso
calls Centrifusion, and sets the cup size itself, anywhere from a 1.35 oz espresso up to an 18 oz coffee. Choose the system first, because it fixes the size of your cup, where you can buy pods and what they cost.
Inside a system the machines differ mostly in how they handle milk: none, a separate Aeroccino
frother, a built-in jug, or a steam wand. This guide follows that order, system first and then milk. Our
full comparison, Nespresso Original vs Vertuo,
goes through the capsule differences in more detail.
How the Nespresso range is organised
Original, espresso and lungo only: Pixie, Essenza Mini, Inissia and Citiz
The Nespresso Pixie is the compact one. It is 111 mm wide and weighs 3 kg, with an aluminium body, a 0.7
litre tank and a 19 bar pump that is ready in 25 seconds. Two buttons give a 40 ml espresso or a 110 ml
lungo, and there is no milk system. It suits one or two people with a narrow counter and a taste for
short drinks.
The Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by Breville is smaller still, at 2.7 kg with a 0.6 litre
tank, and both the espresso and lungo volumes can be programmed. An Aeroccino3 frother comes in the box,
a separate jug that froths milk, so milk drinks are possible but cost you a second appliance. The price of
the small format is a bin that holds five or six used capsules, the smallest on this page, so it needs
emptying often.
The Nespresso Inissia is the plainest way onto Original. It draws 1,200 W, has a plastic body that
weighs 5.3 lb, and gives a fixed 1.35 oz espresso or 3.7 oz lungo with nothing else. Brew strength
cannot be adjusted, there is no pre-infusion and an Aeroccino is an extra purchase. It brews the same two
sizes as the Pixie, and Inissia vs Pixie
is the comparison to read if size and finish are all that separate them.
The Nespresso Citiz does more with the same two buttons. It draws 1,720 W, warms up in 25 seconds, holds
1 litre of water and ten used capsules, and adds americano and americano XL sizes plus a hot water
dispense for tea. The slim retro body is 218 mm wide and weighs 4 kg. Milk comes only with the
CitiZ&Milk version, which includes an Aeroccino. Citiz
vs Pixie shows what the larger tank, bigger bin and hot water button add over the smallest machine.
Original with a built-in milk jug: Lattissima One and Gran Lattissima
The Nespresso Lattissima One puts a 4.2 oz milk jug in the machine. It is a single serve that
detaches and goes in the fridge, so no milk is left standing in the machine afterwards. Three milk recipes,
espresso macchiato, flat white and latte macchiato, sit alongside espresso and lungo. At 6.1 inches wide
and 9.3 lb it is narrow for a machine with milk, and it carries a two-year warranty. The catch is a
two-minute auto shut-off, which is short if you make a second cup.
The Nespresso Gran Lattissima is the same idea scaled up for a household. Its jug holds 16 fl oz, it
offers nine one-touch recipes with foamed and flat milk, and the rinse cycle runs through the milk
circuit after a milk drink. It is bigger too: 7.9 inches wide, 11.9 lb, a 34 oz tank and a bin for 14
capsules. Which jug you need depends on how many milk drinks you make each day, and
Gran Lattissima vs Lattissima One
sets the two side by side.
Original with a steam wand: Creatista Plus
The Nespresso Creatista Plus is the one Original machine where the milk is textured on a real steam wand. You choose milk temperature and foam texture on the touchscreen, a stainless steel jug comes in the box,
and the wand does the work. A wand injects steam and spins the milk into the glossy, fine microfoam that a
flat white or latte art needs, which a whisk or a jug frother does not quite reach.
It also adds a ristretto at 0.85 oz to the usual espresso and lungo, draws 1,600 W and comes in four
colors in a stainless steel body. If you are torn between texturing milk yourself and letting a jug do it,
Creatista Plus vs Gran Lattissima
is the choice in one page.
Vertuo, mugs of black coffee: Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe, Next, Up and the original Vertuo
Vertuo exists to make bigger cups. Original tops out at a 110 ml lungo, while the barcode lets a
Vertuo machine brew an 8 oz coffee or more from one capsule with nothing to set. Every Vertuo here reads
the same pods, so the differences are size range, speed and tank, not the coffee. Which pods to buy is
covered in our ranking of Vertuo pods.
The Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe is the cheapest way in. One button gives five sizes: 5, 8 and 12 oz
coffee plus single and double espresso, hot or over ice. It draws 1,500 W, holds 1.1 litres and has a
nine-capsule drawer. It takes 30 seconds to warm up, the slowest Vertuo here, and shuts itself off after two
minutes. Strength cannot be adjusted, so the capsule decides everything.
The Nespresso Vertuo Next goes to six sizes, adding a 14 oz Alto and an 18 oz pour-over to the 8 oz
coffee. It warms up in 15 to 20 seconds, weighs 4 kg and shares the 1.1 litre tank. The bin
takes ten small capsules or six large ones, so how often you empty it depends on the sizes you drink. A bundle
variant includes an Aeroccino3.
The Nespresso Vertuo Up is the newest. Nespresso publishes a three second start, six sizes to 18 oz and a
47 oz (1.39 litre) tank that can be repositioned around the machine, which helps under a wall cupboard. Cup size and temperature can be set in the Nespresso Smart App, and a Coffee Creations button brews a more
concentrated coffee to pour over ice. There is no frother of any kind.
The Nespresso Vertuo is the machine that started the line, and the one for people who dislike chores: a 54
oz (1.6 litre) tank and a 17-capsule bin, the largest here. It brews four sizes, 5 and 8 oz
coffee plus single and double espresso, warms up in 25 seconds, brews over ice and has no frother. If 8 oz
is your cup, the extra sizes on newer machines are not something you will miss.
Vertuo with milk: Vertuo Plus Deluxe, Vertuo Lattissima and Vertuo Creatista
The Nespresso Vertuo Plus Deluxe is sold with an Aeroccino3 in the box. That is a separate jug for hot or
cold froth, so this is a Vertuo with a second appliance rather than milk built in. It has four sizes, a
motorised head that opens and closes itself and a 25 second warm-up. The listing calls the reservoir extra
large but gives no figure for it.
The Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima is the Vertuo with the milk inside. A 16 oz tank detaches and is
dishwasher safe, with one touch for cappuccino, latte or hot foam. It also has the widest set of sizes,
six, up to an 18 oz coffee, hot or over ice, and adds a descaling alert and an adjustable drip tray. It is the
machine for a household that wants a large morning coffee and a cappuccino from one purchase. Nespresso
publishes no wattage, warranty term or tank size for it.
The Nespresso Vertuo Creatista is the Vertuo with the steam wand. Breville builds it and borrows the
Auto MilQ wand from its own espresso machines: three milk temperatures, three textures, a self-purge after
each use and a stainless steel jug in the box. It brews five sizes from Espresso to Carafe, and the drip tray
lifts out so it can fill a travel mug or a carafe. It holds 2 litres, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi link it to the
Nespresso app. Breville and Nespresso publish different dimensions for it, so measure your counter first.
How the models compare
A dash means the maker does not publish that figure, or we have not confirmed it.
What to look for in a Nespresso machine
Original or Vertuo, which fixes the cup size and the pod price
Original makes espresso and lungo, and nothing in the system goes past the 3.7 oz lungo. Vertuo runs from
1.35 oz to as much as 18 oz. If your daily drink is a mug of black coffee, that settles it for Vertuo. If it is
espresso or milk drinks, Original is the closer fit, and the
Nespresso Original machines we rank narrow the list to that
system.
The pods matter as much as the machine. The patents on Original have expired, so third-party and
reusable capsules exist, while Vertuo has neither and Nespresso sets every price. Because Original pods
compete on price and Vertuo pods do not, Original is usually the cheaper system to run, a gap that
outweighs most differences in machine price after a few years. What a pod costs per
cup works through the numbers.
How you take milk
An Aeroccino is a separate unit that froths milk
for hot or cold drinks. It comes in the box with the Essenza Mini and the Vertuo Plus Deluxe bundle, and
it stores in a cupboard between uses, which suits an occasional latte but means two appliances to wash.
A built-in jug on the Lattissima One, Gran Lattissima or Vertuo Lattissima makes the drink complete on
one press, and the jug goes in the fridge. That is the choice for daily milk drinkers, because a milk system
that is a chore soon stops being used. A steam wand, on the Creatista Plus or Vertuo Creatista, gives the best
texture and costs you a jug to wash and a wand to wipe after each drink.
Tank, bin and counter space
A capsule machine has two chores: filling the water and emptying the used pods. Tanks run
from 0.6 litres on the Essenza Mini to 2 litres on the Vertuo Creatista. Bins run from five or six capsules on
the Essenza Mini to 17 on the Vertuo. One person can live with small figures. A household that drinks several
cups a day will refill and empty every day on a small machine, so a larger tank and bin earn their space.
Warm-up and shut-off
The Pixie, Essenza Mini and Citiz are ready in 25 seconds, the Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe and Vertuo Lattissima
take 30, and Nespresso publishes three seconds for the Vertuo Up. Auto shut-off is nine minutes on most
Original machines but two on the Lattissima One, Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe and Vertuo Creatista, which means a
second warm-up if you make drinks a few minutes apart.
Warranty and recycling
The warranty is two years on the Lattissima One, Gran Lattissima and Creatista Plus, and
one year on the Pixie, Essenza Mini, Inissia, Citiz, Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe and Vertuo Next. Nespresso does not state
a term for the rest. On recycling, Nespresso runs a free mail-back scheme for its aluminium capsules: you collect them in
a free bag and return it at a UPS drop-off point or a Nespresso boutique.
Where Nespresso falls short
Vertuo is a closed system
Every Vertuo machine on this page takes Nespresso Vertuo capsules only. There are no third-party pods and
no reusable capsule, so the price of every cup is Nespresso's to set for as long as you own the machine. Accept that before buying into Vertuo.
The capsule sets the cup
The Inissia, Lattissima One, Gran Lattissima and Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe have no strength adjustment, and the
sizes are fixed. A 19 bar pump sounds impressive, but it is well above the 9 bar an espresso needs, and
the pod, not the pressure, decides how the coffee tastes. If you want to dial in a shot, a machine that
takes ground coffee gives you that and a capsule machine does not.
Short warranties at the low end
The cheaper Originals and the Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe and Next carry a one-year warranty, and Nespresso does
not state a term at all for the Vertuo, Vertuo Plus Deluxe, Vertuo Up or Vertuo Lattissima. Treat the
second year on the Lattissima One, Gran Lattissima and Creatista Plus as part of the price.
Nespresso machines by budget
At the prices on our records when this page was checked. The ranked list at the top of the page shows each
machine's current price.
| Budget | Models | What you get |
|---|
| Under $200 | Pixie, Essenza Mini, Inissia, Lattissima One, Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe, Vertuo Next | Espresso and lungo machines, the Lattissima One as the one built-in milk jug at this price, and the entry Vertuos. |
| About $200 to $400 | Creatista Plus, Citiz | A steam wand on Original, or the slim Citiz with americano sizes and hot water. |
| About $450 and up | Gran Lattissima, Vertuo Creatista | A 16 fl oz jug with nine recipes, or Vertuo with a steam wand and a carafe size. |
| Check the listing | Vertuo, Vertuo Plus Deluxe, Vertuo Up, Vertuo Lattissima | The larger-tank Vertuo, the Aeroccino bundle, the fast-start Vertuo and the one with a built-in milk tank. |
What else you need
Pods are the real purchase. Our ranking of Nespresso Original pods
covers the Original system, and on Original you can also try third-party and reusable capsules.
If milk drinks matter and your machine lacks a jug, budget for an Aeroccino or choose a model that
includes one. Plan for descaling too: it is required on the Pixie, Citiz, Essenza Mini and Vertuo Creatista,
and the Vertuo Lattissima gives an alert when it is due.
Which Nespresso should you buy?
Start with the cup. If you drink espresso, lungo or milk drinks, buy Original: the Pixie or Essenza Mini
for the smallest footprint, the Lattissima One for milk for one, the Gran Lattissima for a household that
orders flat whites and cappuccinos, and the Creatista Plus if you want to texture milk on a wand. If you
drink black coffee in a mug, buy Vertuo: the Pop+ Deluxe for the entry price, the Next or Up for more
sizes and faster heat, and the original Vertuo if you hate refilling and emptying.
For milk on Vertuo, choose between the Vertuo Lattissima if you want it built in and the Vertuo Creatista
if you want a steam wand and carafe brewing. Our top picks at the top of the page set out the reasoning.
Nespresso against the alternatives
If the appeal is a quick cup with no mess, compare a pod machine with a bean-to-cup before you decide. Our guide to bean-to-cup against pod machines sets out
the trade: a bean-to-cup costs more up front and less per cup, and a pod machine is smaller and quicker to
clean.
Nespresso's closest rival as a pod format is Keurig, whose K-Cup system is open to many brands of pod and
brews a longer, filter-style cup. Keurig K-Mini vs Nespresso
Pixie shows the two approaches on small machines.
Nespresso is one of several capsule systems we score on the same criteria. Every machine we review, Original
and Vertuo among them, sits in the pod and capsule machine
category.
