Whether you’re beginning your espresso-making journey or a seasoned barista, finding the right espresso machine can enhance your coffee-making experience. Options are plentiful these days from fully automatic machines that can make a variety of espresso drinks by pushing a few buttons to manual machines that allow users to have maximum control over their espresso but require a lot of hands-on effort. Below, we’ve curated a list of the seven best espresso and coffee machines for 2025, drawing from rigorous testing and expert reviews to suit a range of skill levels, budgets, and preferences.
1. Breville Barista Express Impress
The Breville Barista Express Impress emerged as my top choice, hands down. Its impressive performance and user-friendly features make it a standout option for any beginner espresso enthusiast or frequent coffee-at-home consumer. Setup took only 15 minutes from start to finish. Filling the water tank, soaking the filter, attaching the hopper and adding the beans were also straightforward and easy tasks; I found the instruction manual and quick-setup sheet well written and user friendly. The control panel is intuitive, with light-up 1-cup and 2-cup buttons. It only took a minute to heat the boiler, with the power button helpfully doubling as a blinking progress indicator. But this machine’s most outstanding features during testing were its intelligent dosing system and assisted tamping mechanism.
Pros: Built-in grinder with Baratza burrs, 45 grind settings, automatic dosing, and tamping. Intuitive touchscreen guides users through brewing. Automatic milk frothing with customizable settings for milk type, temperature, and foam. Produces smooth microfoam for latte art. Compact design with thoughtful features like wheels and a hidden storage compartment.
Cons: Expensive, requiring a separate grinder for upgrades. Lacks dual boilers, so brewing and steaming can’t happen simultaneously. Portafilter size (54mm) is smaller than professional-grade 58mm, which may limit accessory compatibility.
2. Profitec Go
After making (and tasting) dozens of espressos and lattes, we think the Profitec Go is the best machine for both new and skilled espresso enthusiasts. It’s powerful and easy to use, and it’s capable of yielding consistent, rich shots with robust flavor profiles. The Profitec Go can pull deep, flavorful, and consistent shots, combining the capability of higher-priced machines with a basic interface. It’s simple for beginners to learn but has a build and power that will appeal to home espresso pros. It heats up quickly after turning on, and pulls consistent, flavorful shots.
Pros: Heavy, sleek build with professional-grade components. Simple interface with on/off, espresso, and steam buttons. Heats up in about a minute. Produces complex shots with notes of dark chocolate and citrus. Adjustable steam wand for microfoam.
Cons: Steam wand is less powerful than higher-end models, requiring practice for silky microfoam. No steam pitcher included. Requires a separate tamper (the provided plastic one is inadequate).
3. De’Longhi Stilosa
The De’Longhi Stilosa is the espresso machine you should consider if you want real café-quality drinks at home and need to spend as little as possible. It’s a capable machine, though it takes a little technique and practice to get the best results. You’ll need to grind the coffee to powder level (all espresso machines need to be paired with a good grinder) and make sure you tamp properly. Even with a lot of espresso experience, we threw away about a dozen shots as we got the hang of the De’Longhi Stilosa. The machine heats up quickly and is ready to go in about a minute, though you’ll need to prime the pump to move water through the system before pulling your first shot. But once we got comfortable with the machine, we could easily pull satisfying shots.
Pros: Affordable at around $100. Includes a steam wand, single and double-shot filters, and a tamper. Compact design fits small kitchens. Capable of making excellent espresso with practice.
Cons: Manual shut-off required for espresso shots, which can be tricky for beginners. Build quality feels less durable than pricier models. Requires a separate grinder and frothing pitcher.
4. Breville Bambino Plus
The Breville Bambino Plus espresso machine’s automatic features help guide you through every step of the process of making great, café-quality espresso drinks. Its compact size also doesn’t take up as much counter space as other models. Our favorite espresso machine is the Breville Bambino Plus. It’s easy to use and has excellent temperature consistency (important for pulling top-quality shots). While it’s small in size, it’s big on features, and our reviewer was very impressed by both its manual and automatic brewing functions: “It took 21 seconds to brew a shot of espresso, and the coffee was wonderfully smooth, with a fantastic thick crema on the top.”
Pros: Compact and space-saving. Automatic and manual brewing options. Excellent temperature consistency for consistent shots. Automatic milk frothing with adjustable settings. Produces thick crema.
Cons: Single boiler means brewing and steaming can’t occur simultaneously. No built-in grinder, requiring a separate purchase. Limited advanced features for espresso hobbyists.
5. Gaggia Classic Evo Pro
There’s no better machine for learning barista skills than the Gaggia Classic Pro espresso machine. The Gaggia Classic Pro is one of the least expensive espresso machines of its caliber, allowing you (with a little skill and practice) to pull delicious, full-bodied, complex shots. It’s a barebones machine that prioritizes shots of espresso above all else, which makes it a great machine for budding coffee geeks to satisfy their palates without sacrificing their budget. It pulls high-quality shots. The Gaggia Classic Pro was the only machine we tested in its price range that yielded balanced shots with the depth that we expect from much pricier machines. We sampled shots that brought forth notes of dark chocolate and bright citrus from the beans, and they had the same wave of flavor as the shots that the Profitec Go produced.
Pros: Affordable for its quality. Produces complex, balanced shots. Simple controls with three buttons. Upgraded brass group head and stainless steel portafilter. Ideal for learning barista skills.
Cons: Steep learning curve for beginners. Flimsy plastic tamper requires replacement. Frothing milk can be tricky, requiring practice for microfoam.
6. Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima
For people who prefer espresso-based drinks, I have two top recommendations. If you’re looking for a single-serve, I’d suggest the Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima, which is versatile and easy to use. In our tests, every cup of espresso and coffee came out hot and well-rounded with a luxurious crema. Plus, the position of the water tank can be moved to fit your counter space. Another noteworthy perk is that Nespresso recycles used pods if you send them back to the company, and the brand’s newest Vertuo machine is made with 54% recycled plastic. Finally, you can’t beat the price, and it requires barely any cleanup.
Pros: Simple pod-based operation. Produces hot espresso with thick crema. Minimal cleanup. Recyclable pods and eco-friendly design. Adjustable water tank position.
Cons: Limited to Nespresso pods, restricting bean choice. Less control over brewing process. Not ideal for those seeking a traditional espresso experience.
7. Lelit MaraX
Breville acquired the Italian coffee company Lelit in 2023, and since then, the brand’s machines have become more widely available. Which is great news for everyone because during our testing, the Lelit MaraX brewed the richest, most flavorful espresso. And the smooth layer of crema it left on top—perfection. This machine uses a lever to turn the pump on and off, slowly increasing the pressure as your coffee brews; if you like to preinfuse your grounds, you can do so by lifting to lever halfway. We also like that the steam wand is powerful without being unwieldy—we felt in control of the machine when texturing both dairy and oat milk. Steaming did take a little longer with the Lelit than it did with some other espresso makers we tried, but it was worth the wait. The frothy milk has lots of body but large bubbles (read: ideal for experimenting with latte art).
Pros: Rich, flavorful espresso with perfect crema. Powerful steam wand for latte art-quality foam. Lever-based pressure control for preinfusion. Three temperature settings (197℉, 201℉, 205℉). Mug-friendly design.
Cons: Expensive and lacks a digital PID for precise temperature control. Steaming takes longer than some competitors. Requires a separate grinder.
Buying Guide: What to Consider When Choosing an Espresso Machine
Skill Level and Involvement
When shopping for an espresso machine, first consider how involved you’d like to be in the brewing experience. Manual and semi-automatic models require some amount of tinkering with the machine, giving you more control over the espresso; fully automatic machines, on the other hand, offer a hands-off experience. Beginners may want to stick to fully automatic or semi-automatic machines that automate some steps, as these are easier to use and more convenient.
Grinder Requirements
When you’re making espresso, a good grinder is just as important as a good espresso machine. Our coffee-grinder picks, though great at grinding beans for drip or pour-over coffee, lack the finer, more-precise settings that are needed to make the best espresso. The Baratza Sette 30 accurately produced fine espresso grinds. In our tests, it performed the best in its price range. Machines with built-in grinders, like the Breville Barista Express Impress, save space and money but may limit grinder upgrades.
Boiler Type
If the machine comes with a milk frother, it might have a “dual boiler,” which means you can pull your espresso shot and froth your milk at the same time. This, as Jerad Morisson, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco, explains, “really helps temperature and pressure stabilization so that the machine is dependably at optimal brewing and steaming settings.” If it doesn’t, however, you have to make your coffee and your milk one after the other.
Pressure and Extraction
While you may see machines boasting 15 to 18 bars of pressure, nine bars is the ideal to brew a proper Italian-style espresso with a rich texture, balanced flavor and thick, velvety crema. Expensive, professional-style machines allow for more pressure control, but most home users will be able to achieve a satisfying shot of espresso produced in the ballpark range of seven to 11 bars—as long as they’re using finely ground beans.
Size and Counter Space
Espresso makers can range from retro-looking stainless steel to a futuristic box with sharp edges. Consider the durability of the materials used and read a few customer reviews to see how the machine stands up over time. It’s also important to measure the size of your available counter space and under any kitchen cabinets; a couple of the machines I tested did not fit under my standard-height cupboards.
Ease of Cleaning
Ease of cleaning: Some machines are splashy, messy, and get greasy from the touch of a button. Backflush with coffee detergent according to the manufacturer’s instructions. More and more models come with a tank that can go in the dishwasher. Hooray for that!
FAQs
What’s the difference between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic espresso machine?
A semi-automatic machine requires you to grind, dose, and tamp the coffee, but controls water flow and pressure automatically. A fully automatic machine handles grinding, dosing, tamping, and brewing with minimal input, making it more beginner-friendly but offering less control over the process.
Do I need a separate grinder for an espresso machine?
If your machine doesn’t have a built-in grinder (like the Breville Barista Express Impress), you’ll need a separate one. Espresso requires a fine, consistent grind, so a high-quality burr grinder, such as the Baratza Sette 30, is essential for optimal results.
How much should I spend on an espresso machine?
Budget machines under $200, like the De’Longhi Stilosa, can produce good espresso with practice but may lack durability or advanced features. Machines in the $500-$1,000 range, like the Breville Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, offer a balance of quality and usability. High-end models above $1,000, such as the Lelit MaraX, provide professional-grade performance but require more investment in accessories like grinders.
Can I make latte art with these machines?
Yes, most machines on this list have steam wands capable of producing microfoam for latte art, though some, like the Profitec Go or Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, require more practice due to less powerful wands. The Breville Barista Express Impress and Lelit MaraX excel at creating smooth, latte art-worthy foam.
Are pod-based machines like the Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima worth it?
Pod-based machines are ideal for convenience and minimal cleanup, producing consistent espresso with thick crema. However, they limit you to proprietary pods, which can be costly and restrict bean variety. They’re best for those prioritizing ease over customization.