When inspiration strikes and the caffeine levels are low, that’s exactly where the best espresso machines and makers come into play. What looks at first like a lofty investment delivers a return over time and—ideally—an elevated tier of quality control. They usually say it’s all in the beans, but as you soon may discover, it’s also in the delivery system. Culling from coffee machine reviews, personal experience, and firsthand testimony, we compiled this list of the world’s top espresso machines. We only looked at the top-rated and reviewed products via Amazon and eBay, while also taking into account user reviews on official websites. From there, we were able to put our own coffee expertise on the line and curate the top espresso machines on earth.

From small and cheap to fully automatic, the best home espresso machines and makers that money can buy (in some cases, lots of money) are a mixed bag. Here is a list of the best espresso machines for your daily grind:

Best for: Extra Features

Best for: Variety

Equal parts versatile and convenient, this top coffee espresso machine delivers various beverage options at the touch of a button. With this home espresso machine, you can brew different single serve coffee and espresso beverage options at the touch of a button depending on your coffee needs. Whether it is a Ristretto (0.5 oz.), Espresso (1.35 oz.), Lungo (5 oz.), the Creatista does a little of everything. It allows you to take a step further and create more complex coffee drinks such as flat whites, cappuccinos, and latte macchiatos. There are settings that allow you to adjust coffee volume, milk temperature and mixture with a fast 3 second heat up time. Plus, it’s a Breville coffee machine, so you can bet it’s value for money.

DeLonghi’s ultimate home coffee machine, the PrimaDonna Soul does pretty much everything for you. With a $2,799 price tag, the DeLonghi PrimaDonna Soul isn’t cheap, but it does promise high-quality coffee across a range of customisable beverages. Thankfully, we can attest that the big dog performer does deliver the goods. In fact, you can even program your order from the comfort of your bed thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity and the automatic PrimaDonna Soul’s Bean Adapt Technology. Using the large 4.3” TFT touch display, you can cycle through the pre-programmed 21 one-touch recipes, including staples like a cappuccino, flat white, or a latte. Plus, you can also program in five user profiles, offering everyone in the household a unique coffee experience.

Between its portable design, artisanal flourish, and affordable price tag, this is easily the best manual espresso maker for its price range. Use it at home or on camping trips or anywhere between. Also, being a manual coffee machine, it is easy to use and doesn’t take a ton of time. Look ma, no electricity!

For all the hardcore espresso freaks, this manual lever machine represents a step up from the aforementioned Flair in terms of design and price alike. It comes with tamper, screen, screen holder, measuring ladle, and cappuccino attachment, so you can get the whole set-up straight out of the box. Best of all, it makes one or two cups of espresso, while the traditional steam wand allows you to easily create thick, rich foam, and heated milk for lattes and cappuccino. If you can handle the price-tag, you’ll be a true master by the time you’ve learned how to use it.

Best for: Beginners

DeLonghi offers a host of top Nespresso machines, including this one. Naturally, the award-winning, affordable, and supremely long-lasting addition is one of the best coffee pod machines on the market. If you don’t want to overthink the whole process, your journey might very well end here.

Best for: a Small Kitchen

Look beyond the compact veneer to find a built-in professional burr grinder, ensuring maximum freshness and control. Upping the price tag to above $1,000, the Magnifica has a burr grinder with 13 adjustable settings to ensure the beans stay fresh. Best of all, the compact, extractable brew unit is super easy to clean, meaning you won’t spend hours tidying up after every espresso. This is the custom experience you crave.

Gaggia ranks amongst the best names in the game and here we have one of their basic entries, which makes both coffee and espresso. Landing somewhere in the middle in terms of price, this home espresso machine has the ability to make pressurized porta filter brews from both ground Coffee and ESE pods. Better still, the pre-infusion function pre-wets the grounds before brewing for rich, even extraction. Simple.

If money’s no object, meet your new espresso machine. Pairing commercial-grade quality with artisanal design, it’s used in boutique coffee shops around the world. Choose between pre-built models or custom-create your own. Coming in at an eye-watering $10,000, this coffee maker is only for the true bean lovers. With an integrated pressure gauge in the group head, you can adjust the flow rate to your preference. Like some other professional machines, you can also attach the rotary pump to an external water source.

Between its retro aesthetic and modern functionality, this top home espresso maker brings the best of all worlds. If you plan on making your home espresso machine a permanent fixture, you can switch from the water tank to a fixed water connection. The silver-coloured PID display also shows off the individual adjustment of the temperatures, indicates the coffee brewing time and has an optional display of the brew group cleaning reminder.

High-end brand La Marzocco presents a kitchen-sized version of its commercial classic. With a price tag that pushed $5,000, this home espresso machine is far from cheap, but it is worth it. The professional system features brew paddle activation with programmed pre-infusion to ensure consistency across cups and a stepped wheel temperature adjustment. It even has built-in barista lights.

Bolstered by its compact design and innovative brewing system, this award-winning espresso machine hails from Australia (where coffee is life) and does our nation proud. Cute and compact, the home espresso maker is ideal for someone getting into home coffee making for the first time, due to its straightforward design and functionality. Once you’ve mastered this one, you can build your collection with the induction top, which offers touch screen control for brewing espresso and texturing milk, in addition to five heat settings for cooking.

Using thermoblock technology, a 15 Bar Italian pump, and a commercial size group head, this mini-barista machine gets the job done quickly and efficiently. While it is a little smaller in overall size, it does feature a full size milk frother, so you don’t need to worry about skimping on the brew. Best of all, the PID Controlled Thermoblock technology calls for a fast heat-up and regulates temperature.

Best for: Pods

When only the most expensive espresso machine will suffice, make way for The Speedster. A fixture in hip coffee shops, it’s also available in this home-friendly version. Under the hood, the heat exchanger in steam boiler pre-heats water flowing to the coffee boiler, decreasing possible temperature fluctuations in the coffee boiler. For serious customisation, there are individual electronic temperature controllers for each boiler, showing the displays in full easy view.

Here we have another luxe entry, which is industrial-grade in aesthetic and performance alike. Despite being super streamlined and compact, the home coffee maker comes with PID pressure control and a water feed reservoir.

The ultra-luxe theme continues with this high-end espresso machine. Powered by the latest technology, it makes 28 different beverages and features a sleek high-res display.

The home espresso machine of the future has arrived and it comes from Gaggenau. Good for a variety of beverages, it even allows you to switch between various types of beans. Expect to pay for the privilege.

Inspired by flat-six engines, this home espresso maker is exactly as intricate and robust as you might expect. It’s also quite expensive.

Slay your morning fatigue with this ultra-premium home espresso machine, which blends artisanal design and modern technology to perfection.

Get your daily Nespresso in a convenient and affordable style with this popular machine. It also comes with Nespresso’s Centrifusion technology, which uses barcodes to deliver the best in-cup results including the perfect crema for large Coffee cup sizes. Small and compact, the Nespresso VertuoPlus is one of the best coffee pod machines on the market, and at under $300, it’s fairly affordable.

In the eyes of the Italian Espresso National Institute, “certified Italian espresso” must be made according to very exact standards. Rather than inundate you with measurements and other minutiae, allow us to paraphrase: true espresso results when a small amount of piping hot water is squeezed through finely-ground coffee at a minimum pressure of 9 bars.

Folks at home tend to use pump-driven espresso machines (as opposed to steam-driven machines), which break down into the following categories:

When you’re browsing coffee makers, here are a few things to consider:

If you’re looking for alternatives or other options from this list of espresso machines, you might want to check out 26 Different Types of Coffee Explained: A Complete Guide or How to Make Cold Brew Coffee That Actually Tastes Good. If you would prefer to have someone make your coffee for you, we have plenty of lists of the best cafes depending on your location: