I’m TechRadar‘s resident coffee expert and trained barista, and I’ve put together a list of three affordable coffee makers to help you break your expensive takeout latte habit. I’ve personally tested each of these machines, and would happily recommend any one of them to my family and friends.
If you buy takeaway coffee regularly, you’ll have noticed your caffeine habit becoming increasingly expensive. As Acorns Coffee Roastery notes, the price you pay at a coffee shop is influenced by factors including climate pressures and growing shipping costs, all of which filter down to your wallet.
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1. Philips Baristina
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I test a lot of coffee machines, but the little Philips Baristina is my favorite of 2026 so far. It offers the convenience of a bean-to-cup machine with the easy cleanup of a manual espresso machine, and it isn’t expensive either.
Bean-to-cup espresso machines are great for beginners — just tap a button and your favorite drink will be stood before you, ready to drink in just a couple of minutes — but they have two key drawbacks. The first is the price, which is usually several times that of a manual machine. The second is the amount of cleanup required between drinks and at the end of the day. Since all the grinding and brewing happens inside a typical bean-to-cup machine, you’ll need to dedicate considerable time to cleaning stray coffee grounds and moisture to avoid mold and keep things fresh.
With the Baristina, neither are a problem. Not only is it the cheapest bean-to-cup machine I’ve used, it’s also the easiest to clean because it uses a portafilter and basket just like a manual coffee maker. Just load the hopper with beans, fill the water tank, place the filter handle underneath, and slide it to the right. The Baristina will grind the perfect dose of coffee directly into the filter basket, tamp it down, then slide the handle to the left and begin brewing. It’s an ingenious system — and when it’s done, cleanup is just a matter of running a little hot water through the brew group, wiping out the filter basket, and emptying the drip tray. There’s no need to remove panels or reach inside anything with a cloth.
Of course, that ease of use would mean nothing if the Baristina didn’t brew good coffee, but it does that well, too, sustaining the steady temperature and pressure necessary for consistent results.
The only thing it’s missing is a steam wand, but if you’re a latte fiend, you can buy it bundled with a standalone milk frother (which my colleague Max Langridge called “a standout choice for milk-based coffee drinkers”).
Read my full Philips Baristina review
2. De’Longhi Dedica Duo
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The De’Longhi Dedica Duo is the cheapest of the three options here — and if you’re in the UK, there are some great deals available right now that knock down the price even further. This is a compact manual espresso machine, so unlike the Philips Baristina above, it requires you to either grind the coffee beans yourself, or buy them ready-ground. Don’t let that put you off, though, because this little coffee maker is super simple to use, and you don’t need any prior knowledge to get going.
Most of the coffee makers I’ve tested at this price point really aren’t worth considering. Poor build quality and inconsistent pressure and temperature mean wildly unpredictable results – even if you’re using the same beans and grind size. The result is bad-tasting coffee, wasted beans, and an overall sense of buyer’s remorse.
That isn’t the case with the Dedica Duo: not only is it just as well made as De’Longhi’s premium coffee makers, but it brews consistently excellent coffee once you’ve settled on the ideal grind size for your beans. I drank so much delicious espresso during testing that I suffered many a wakeful night — but I have no regrets.
The Dedica Duo also features a cold-extraction mode, which takes longer to brew a hot espresso, but produces a mellow, less harsh flavor — similar to what you’d get from allowing coffee to steep in the fridge overnight. Add a splash of your preferred milk, toss in a couple of ice cubes, and enjoy.
This model also has a great little steam wand, with enough freedom of movement to make texturizing milk a breeze. All in all, a fabulous little espresso machine at a bargain price.
Read my full De’Longhi Dedica Duo review
3. Ninja Prestige DualBrew System
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Ninja Prestige DualBrew System
Can’t decide whether you want an espresso machine or a drip coffee maker? The Ninja Prestige DualBrew System (known as the Ninja DualBrew Pro in the US) is the one for you. It packs a full drip coffee maker, a capsule espresso machine, and even a milk-frothing whisk into one surprisingly compact package, and it’s a lot cheaper than buying two similarly specced coffee makers separately.
The drip coffee maker alone is worth the asking price, arriving with a timer, customizable brew options, and thoughtful little touches such as a drip-stop feature to prevent coffee leaking out if you get impatient and remove the carafe partway through brewing.
The carafe is made from non-insulated glass, but your freshly brewed coffee is kept warm by a smart hotplate that retains a steady temperature, turns off when the carafe is removed, and doesn’t allow your coffee to stew. This smart temperature control is a great feature and not one I’ve seen in any other coffee makers I’ve tested to date.
Want a coffee to take to work? No problem — just remove the carafe and you’ll find a pull-down drip tray designed to accommodate a travel mug. No more temptation to hit Starbucks on your way to the office.
The capsule espresso maker is excellent, too. It takes Nespresso Original-style pods (the small, top hat-shaped capsules), which gives you access to a huge range of brands, beans and roasts, since Nestlé no longer owns the design patent. You can also customize the drink size and adjust the height of the drip tray to fit your favorite cup.
For me, the weakest part of this machine is the milk frother: it’s an electric whisk rather than a steam wand, so whips air into the milk but doesn’t heat it. You can heat your milk in the microwave beforehand, but you still won’t achieve the fine texture of an authentic cappuccino or latte. Still, there’s a lot to love here, and even without the wand, it’s still spectacular value .
Read my full Ninja Prestige DualBrew System review
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catherine.ellis@futurenet.com (Cat Ellis)
