You’re looking for a good coffee machine but don’t want to break the bank. We’ve got you covered. We’ve tested eight machines and we’ve curated this list to help you choose the best coffee maker under $100.
Introduction
Picking a good coffee maker is not easy, especially not picking the right one for your specific situation. There is so much choice out there, and what are the things to really look out for? On top of that, let’s be honest; not all of us want to spend a small fortune on our coffee machine.
In our list below, we’ve narrowed down the choice to the 8 best coffee maker under $100 (USD). We are confident that our selection will help you brew a delicious cup a joe for a reasonable price.
Best coffee makers under $100 – At a glance
Below, the winners in this test of best coffee maker under $100. We’ve selected one in each category; Best drip coffee maker, best single-serve coffee maker, and best espresso machine within this budget.
The details for each machine in our test can be found further down.
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Best coffee makers under $100
The below machines were part of our test and were available (at the time of writing) for under $100. For each machine, we have given a brief overview of the highlights and the pros and cons of each machine.
We are confident that each coffee maker we tested offers something unique and even if a coffee maker below did not make our short-list, these are among the best coffee makers for this price point.
Highlights
Cuisinart is an established brand that we cannot omit from our list of best coffee makers under $100. The Cuisinart DCC-3200P1 is an excellent choice when looking for a feature-rich but an affordable coffee machine.
This coffee machine comes with an extra powerful boiler, which helps to brew at a higher temperature. This is beneficial to the quality of your brew since higher temperatures extract more flavor. The taste of your coffee can be controlled by adjusting the brew strength and selecting a bold or regular coffee flavor.
Convenience comes in the form of a self-cleaning program, auto shut-off. The pause function lets you enjoy a cup of coffee before the brewing cycle has finished. This machine comes with a ‘gold-tone coffee filter’ and a charcoal water filter for a pure and clean brew.
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The Hamilton Beach is the only smart coffee maker on our list but has more than earned its position. This coffee maker works seamlessly with Alexa and does not need any additional apps to be installed. It is “works with Alexa certified”, meeting a high bar for responsiveness reliability & functionality. Few smart coffee makers can achieve works with Alexa certification.
Apart from the convenience of just telling your coffee machine what to do, the Hamilton comes with the following built-in perks.
A programmable timer can be set completely by voice and help you get your morning coffee ready before you rush out the door. The convenient front-fill design lets you add water and coffee without moving it from underneath the kitchen cabinets. Avoid a mess with the anti-drip filter and carafe, and get every drop of coffee into your mug. The brew strength is controllable manually or via Alexa.
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Highlights
If you’re in the market for a single cup coffee maker, then the Keurig K-Select Single Cup coffee maker might be just your thing. The K-select can brew multiple cup sizes (6, 8, 10, 12 oz.) and has a setting to intensify your brew’s strength if you prefer a stronger cup. The system has a large water reservoir, which is enough for brewing at least 5 cups in a row.
The cup-system for Keurig machines is convenient and easy and offers various coffees to choose from. If you’d rather have some tea, the Keurig K-Select can also brew a hot cup of water for you in the blink of an eye.
The Keurig coffee maker is easy to clean by using the built-in descaler function. There are special (aftermarket) Keurig cleaning cups available if you prefer not to clean them periodically with vinegar.
The Keurig brand has earned a top spot in the US coffee maker market with its quality machines. Cups are widely available, and customer service is top-notch. A Keurig machine can be expected to last several years without any issues.
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Highlights
The Ninja Coffee Brewer is a 12 cup programmable coffee maker. It has all the modern functions such as a programmable timer, pause & go brewing, and auto shut-off. However, the Ninja brewer comes with some additional functionality, which you usually only see on the more expensive machines.
Custom Brew Technology ensures your coffee is hot, flavorful, and never bitter. You can expect the same great taste from a Small Batch to a full carafe, Classic or Rich strength.
The detachable water reservoir allows for easy filling in your sink to avoid a mess. The Ninja’s ‘flavor straw’ circulates the coffee in the pot to ensure the last cup tastes as good as the first one.
With the Ninja XL Showerhead, rest assured your coffee grounds will be evenly saturated. This greatly improves the taste of your brew.
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Highlights
The Cuisinart Coffee on Demand DCC-3000 is really unique because it combines the freshness of a single brew with the convenience of a 12 cup coffee machine.
“Getting a fresh cup of java has never been so convenient. Fill up your Cuisinart Coffee on Demand Coffee maker once and enjoy freshly brewed cups throughout the day! This carafe-free coffeemaker uses unique Coffee on Demand technology to brew cup by cup, ensuring fresh hot coffee is always on hand.”
This is the sales pitch which we’ve copied from the manufacturer’s website. We do believe that this is not entirely true because the machine will actually brew all the coffee and then only dispense it in single cups later.
However, truth be told, based on reviews from owners of this machine, it is clear that not only does it brew a pretty nice cup, it also succeeds in keeping it fresh much longer than it would in a traditional machine with a carafe.
It looks like Cuisineart is on to something here, and it’s definitely worth our recommendation. Other than this, this coffee maker comes with a programmable timer, a pretty large tank of 72oz, and an auto shut-off function.
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Brew like a pro. Whatever your preference – single or double espresso, cappuccino, or latte – the De’Longhi Espresso Machine ECP3120 brews authentic barista-quality beverages just like you enjoy at your favorite coffeehouse.
This Espresso machine is one of the best choices if you are on a tight budget. It features 15 bar pressure, a high-quality boiler, and a milk frother. The 3-in-1 filter holder supports one espresso shot, two shots, and an easy-serve espresso pod. If you like longer espresso’s, no problem. The holder can be easily adjusted to support taller cups.
The removable water tank and drip tray ensure easy cleaning.
And, in case you’re wondering how to get the most from your new espresso machine, have a look at Baked, Brewed, Beautiful to learn how to pull a perfect shot of espresso at home.
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The Bonsenkitchen CM8902 Espresso Machine is our second favorite espresso machine at this lower price point. Bonsenkitchen is a Chinese brand, and to keep the price low, they have cut some corners. If it’s that obvious, then why would we still recommend this machine, I hear you say.
The reason for that is that Bonsenkitchen didn’t cut corners where it matters. This espresso machine contains quality components where you would expect. It has a 20 bar – Italian-made – compressor, aluminum alloy water tank with stainless steel pipes. It boasts super-fast heating to 198℉-203℉ and 212℉ for the frother.
The bonsenkitchen makes a good espresso—nothing more, nothing less. To keep the price low, it has been stripped from all bells and whistles you might expect on the more expensive machines. The selection dial (Off – Espresso – Frother) feels cheap and it’s a bit tricky to get it in the right position.
Cleaning is a breeze with the removable water tank, drip tray, filter, and high-pressure funnel can be removed.
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The Hamilton Beach 2-way Brewer is the ideal go-between of a drip coffee brewer and a single cup brewer. This hybrid coffee machine can either brew a pot of 12 cups maximum or a single cup with the flick of a switch.
The Hamilton Beach comes with all the more or less standard functions like a programmable timer and adjustable brew strength.
We have tested this machine and were happy with the quality of the machine’s brew, speed, and overall functionality. Looking at the reviews online, most of them are positive, but some mention decreasing brew speed over time and artificial taste. We haven’t tested the machine long enough to notice this, though.
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Buying Guide – Considerations when buying a coffee maker
When you’re in the market for a coffee maker, one of the first questions that you should ask yourself is, “what am I going to use my coffee maker for?”. The answer to this question will help you select the right machine for your specific situation.
Although we’re looking at the best coffee machines below $100, those considerations are true for a coffee machine at any price point.
Here are some of the points to consider.
Size of the brewer
A maybe obvious thing to consider is the size or footprint of the coffee maker that you’re eyeballing. Your coffee machine needs to compete with several other appliances that compete for counter space. If you’re short on counter space or need to make do with a small kitchenette, it probably best to choose something compact.
Although the machine of your choice might fit neatly under the top cabinets, keep in mind that often you need some headroom to top up the water and coffee comfortably. In case you’re short on space in your kitchen, it might be a good idea to look for a smaller coffee maker and perhaps one that has a detachable water tank for convenient refilling.
What capacity do you need?
This is an important one. Think about what capacity is right for you in your specific situation. How many cups of coffee will you brew in one go?
Drip coffee makers with a large capacity water tank that can brew upwards of 10 cups are often used for families or small offices. If it’s just for you, you might be better suited with a single cup brewer (unless you need 10 cups by yourself to wake up in the morning, of course). On the other hand, if you often have a house full of coffee drinkers, brewing only 1 or 2 cups at a time is expensive and time-consuming.
Brew sizes
For ultimate flexibility in brewing sizes, you could consider getting a ‘hybrid’ coffee maker where it’s possible to either brew a pot or just a single cup. Some coffee machines offer this option by having two separate brewing systems; others have a nozzle and drip tray that can be adjusted in height to either fit a pot/carafe or cup.
Hot plate or thermal coffee pot?
When you plan to brew larger coffee batches, you need to think about a solution to keep your coffee hot. This applies to drip coffee makers only, and generally, there are two solutions; either a hot plate or a thermos coffee pot or flask.
If only keeping your coffee hot for a short while, maybe up to 30 minutes, a hot plate is probably good enough. However, the problem with a hot plate is that (apart from it using a lot of electricity), they negatively affect the coffee’s taste. Coffee that has been sitting on a hot plate for a while tastes stale and burnt.
The other solution is to go for a thermal flask. In this case, no hot plate is required, and the coffee will be kept warm for at least a few hours if need be, without a huge negative impact on the taste and aroma. Another advantage of this solution is that you don’t need to store the coffee on the machine, but you can place the thermal flask, for example, on the breakfast table.
Type of beverages
This probably one of the more important and defining factors that determine your choice. What beverages would you like to prepare with your coffee machine? As we all know, the days of only brewing drip coffee at home are long gone, and nowadays, if you want, you can practically set up a private coffee shop and be your own barista!
But seriously, if you like different types of coffee, that should be taken into consideration when you’re in the market for a new coffee machine. You probably don’t want to be in a position where eventually you have several coffee machines sitting on your kitchen counter. Especially not when there’s quite a lot of choice for integrated machines that can brew drip coffee, cappuccino, espresso, and even tea or hot chocolate.
Ease of use
This seems to be a no-brainer, but it’s always good to do some soul searching on this one. What type of coffee drinker are you? If you’re the type of drinker who needs a quick shot of caffeine in the morning (nothing wrong with that), then you’re probably better off with a single-serve machine using convenient disposable cups.
On the other hand, if you really take the time to brew and enjoy your cup a joe and you like experimenting with different beans, different grinds, etcetera, it’s probably worth looking into the more high-end drip coffee or espresso machines with (Integrated) coffee bean grinders. These coffee machines offer far greater control over the result but are often not as straight forward to operate.
Functionality
An important factor when buying a coffee machine is to make sure it suits your needs. There is a range of additional functionality available aimed to make your life easier. We used to see the extra functionality like programmable timers, auto descaling function, etcetera on higher-end coffee makers.
That’s no longer the case, per se. In the list of best coffee makers under $100, which you will find below, you’ll find plenty of cheaper machines that offer premium functions.
The best guidance I can give you here is to decide what you need and go for that. Adding functionality to any machine adds cost. Especially in the lower price range machines, you’ll find that the manufacturer needs to make up for that added cost elsewhere. This is often done by using lower quality components or materials.
Bottom line; it’s better to buy a $50 coffee maker that focuses on making the best coffee than buying a $50 machine with all the bells and whistles.
SCA certified coffee makers
This is not really a hard criterion for most of us, but it might be for some of the true coffee aficionados. The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) are basically the Coffee Gods, and among other things, they have also have a program where the SCA test and certify home brewer equipment.
Getting an SCA Certified coffee machine means that this specific machine was tested by coffee science experts and professional coffee tasters and meet the rigorous requirements of brewed coffee quality as determined by the SCA.
Price
All the considerations that I mentioned above ultimately boil down to a price. I’m not going to tell you what to spend on your home brewer; that is a choice you have to make yourself and is often driven by emotion.
While discounting the lowest and highest end of home coffee brewers, I will say this; it’s often not as simple as you get what you pay for. There are many outstanding lower-priced coffee makers on the market and some crappy expensive ones.
Build quality is usually better for the more expensive machines, especially when it comes to the internal components such as the boiler, the carafe, and the pump. An expensive brewer might last longer, but it’s a question of what you are willing to pay for the brewer you want at the end of the day.
Base your decision on the criteria above, and you can be sure you’ll make an informed choice.
Service and warranty
Last but certainly not least is to have a look at the after-sales service you get for your machine. Of course, all brands and manufacturers will comply with the local regulations and consumer acts, but often terms and conditions can vary wildly.
Make sure you know what happens if, god forbid, your machine breaks down? Will it be sent for repair, leaving you without several days or even weeks, or will you get a replacement device?
Does the brand/manufacturer have a service point near you or at least in the same country? Nowadays, we get a lot of cheaper machines from China. Although they’re generally fine, getting appropriate and fast service is often more challenging and requires patience when repairs/replacements are needed.
Finally, it’s worth knowing whether some components of your coffee maker are exempted from the warranty. Pay attention to especially components like boiler, pump, and carafe.
Our Reviews
Caffeinetalk is not associated with, endorsed by, or in any way connected to the brands and companies mentioned in this review. Neither were we (financially) compensated to write our review. Our opinions are our own, and our reviews are based on personal experience and/or based on input from our readers or online research.
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