Any coffee lover can appreciate the simplicity of a drip coffee maker — and the joy of waking up to the smell of a freshly brewed pot. But these machines often get a bad rap for coffee quality, and the category is so vast that it’s hard to know how to find a good one. To cut through the options and find the best drip coffee makers, I fueled up and spent several weeks testing some of the most popular models on the market.
What I discovered is that the best drip coffee makers produce a high-quality cup of joe that tastes pretty close to great pour-over coffee. And drip machines are infinitely simpler to use (the pour-over coffee world quickly gets complicated when it comes to temperature, coffee-to-water ratios, bean type and so on). But for all their user-friendliness, drip coffee makers are all over the place when it comes to price. You can buy one for as little as $10 like you would a basic French press, or you could spend hundreds like you would for an espresso machine.
For this guide, I focused on drip coffee machines mostly in the $40 to $250 range (most experts agree that the ultra-cheap brewers don’t make quality coffee). I also limited my testing pool to models that use a showerhead system — which looks just like you would imagine — to wet the grinds in the brewing process, which leads to better-tasting java. I relied on my knowledge as a longtime editor who has worked at home and food magazines to develop my testing method, which you can read more about below. In the end, my top picks landed on the pricier side, but they’re serious appliances that offer value for the money. Most importantly, they make a tasty cup of joe worth getting out of bed for!
A quick note before we dive in: Most of the best coffee makers I tested brew between nine and 14 cups of coffee, so they’re great for a family or multiple servings. Many also make smaller amounts (though if that’s your priority, may I direct you to our list of the best single-serve coffee makers). Keep in mind that manufacturers usually consider a cup to be only 4 or 5 ounces, much less than what a mug can hold. So a 10-cup coffee maker won’t actually make 10 cups of coffee; it’ll probably be closer to four or five.
More of an iced coffee person? Check out our picks for the best iced coffee makers and best cold brew coffee makers.
Table of contents:
Best drip coffee maker overall
Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo
Capacity: 9 cups | Size: 15″W x 8.3″D x 17.2″H | Features: Thermal carafe, programmable, can make a single cup | Warranty: 2 years
I’m a fan of Oxo products — the company has a knack for user-friendly designs that solve problems you didn’t even know you had. And this drip coffee maker is incredibly simple to use, with a single dial that lets you control everything. Both my 75-year-old dad and I tested the machine, and we agreed that you could be half-asleep and still easily operate it. It costs $230, which is pricey, but I found it comparable to, if not better than, similar coffee makers that are more expensive.
The instructions are straightforward: You turn the dial to select your brew size and get access to the menu, which lets you change the time, program the wake-up timer and more. You have to learn a few icons to understand the display, but they are intuitive (water drops for brewing, a steaming mug when your coffee is ready and so on).
Despite the simple design, the machine packs in thoughtful features like a countdown clock that starts once your coffee is done so you know how long it’s been sitting. It also will pause for up to 60 seconds if you want to pour yourself a cup mid-brew. All the other coffee makers I tested do this, but some only pause for 20 seconds, so you have to act fast. I appreciated the extra time with this one.Â
The 9 Cup is also quiet and quick — it took about eight-and-a-half minutes to make a full pot. It looks high-tech with a two-part design made of stainless steel and black plastic. The industrial appearance gave me all the fun vibes of playing around in chemistry labs (without the flashbacks to those awful pop quizzes). All the removable parts other than the carafe are dishwasher-safe. I did have some gripes about the carafe; to find out more, read my full Oxo Brew 9 Cup Coffee Maker review.
- Exceptionally easy to use
- Looks cool and modern
- Makes flavorful coffee
- Quiet
- Alerts you when it’s time to descale
- Certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, which means it meets specific requirements for quality
- The thermal carafe has a narrow neck and is handwash-only, so it’s a pain to clean
- On the pricey side (though cheaper than similar models)
- Takes up a lot of counterspace
More top drip coffee makers we recommend for 2024
Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo
Capacity: 14 cups | Size: 9″W x 7.75″D x 14″H | Features: Programmable, can make a single cup, permanent filter, brew strength selector, water filter | Warranty: 3 years
At $80, this machine isn’t dirt cheap, but it costs significantly less than our other top picks and is still rich in features. Because it has so many functions, I had to play around with the control panel for a while, but it’s easy to understand.Â
You can set this machine and forget it, or you can get a little nerdy with it like I did and experiment with all the different options, like brew strength (bold or regular) and the temperature of the warming plate (low, medium or high). You can also make a smaller amount of coffee (one to four cups) and set an audible alert so you know when your brew is ready to drink.
Following the theme of “more is more,” the Cuisinart comes with lots of extras, including a coffee scoop, charcoal water filter, paper #4 cone filters and a reusable gold-tone filter. (FYI: Gold tone does refer to the color of the filter, but that’s not why people like it. A gold-tone filter, which you would use in place of a paper filter, allows oils from the coffee to get into your cup, which can make for a richer taste. But it also can lead to sediment, which some coffee drinkers don’t enjoy. Personally, I thought the reusable filter worked well, and I like that it helps reduce waste.)
One thing I loved about this machine is that is has a 60-second protection, so if the unit becomes unplugged or a breaker trips, it will remember any programmed info including the time. It’s a thoughtful touch that the pricier machines don’t offer.
I’ll admit that the coffee quality was not as good as the Oxo’s. This is a classically designed machine that looks like a modern version of any standard drip coffee maker. It did not reach the ideal water temps for brewing recommended by the National Coffee Association. If you want a more flavorful cup, choose the bold option. I’d also use more grounds than what Cuisinart recommends — the provided scoop is on the small side.Â
As with the Oxo, my biggest complaint about this machine has to do with the carafe. The lid isn’t hinged, which may seem like a small thing, but it makes it more prone to spillage, especially if you use the carafe to fill the water tank. To clean the carafe, you have to pop off the lid, then snap it back on when you’re done. At least it’s marked on both sides with measurements.
- Control panel lets you adjust many features
- Warming plate keeps coffee hot without scorching it
- Slim, modern profile
- Quiet
- Carafe and filter basket are dishwasher-safe
- The regular-strength brew tastes a bit watery
- Glass carafe isn’t as good as thermal
- Carafe lid can get drippy
Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo
Capacity: 10 cups | Size: 14.5″W x 10.5″D x 17.5″H | Features: Grinder, thermal carafe, programmable, can make a single cup, permanent filter, brew strength selector, water filter, smart | Warranty: 1 year
The Specialty Grind and Brew promises barista-level java, plus it has a built-in grinder to make life easier (and hopefully save some space on your counter, though I’ll tell you now — this thing is giant!). All in all, it’s a fun machine, with a touchscreen that’s sleek and intuitive and an accompanying app that I actually enjoyed using.Â
The machine makes brewing a good pot of joe practically foolproof by telling you exactly what to do — for example, it reminds you to adjust the basket slider if you’re brewing a mug versus a pot of coffee, and it alerts you when it’s time to empty the brew basket. It also lets you know what the machine is doing at any time, whether it’s heating up, blooming the coffee (an important step that lets the coffee “breathe” before it becomes saturated with water) or brewing.
I loved all the ways you could customize your coffee, including the grind size and water temperature. And I was impressed by how quickly it worked: Even with grinding, it produced a full pot (10 cups) in about eight-and-a-half minutes.Â
Speaking of, the grinder works quietly and efficiently. The hopper sits at the top of the machine, and while it definitely adds to the bulk, it looks well-integrated. I thought the design of this coffee maker was great — it has lots of curves and gleaming copper accents that give it a space-age feel.Â
A heads-up: The maintenance on this machine is more involved than most. Prepare to spend time cleaning it nearly every day. Read more about this in my full review of the GE Café Specialty Grind and Brew.
- Fancy pearlized finish
- Easy-to-use touchscreen
- Programmable
- Quiet
- Certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, which means it meets specific requirements for quality
- Pricey
- A pain to clean
- Gigantic — basically the size of a mini fridge
Factors to consider when choosing a drip coffee maker
Of course you want your machine to brew good coffee, fast. But you should also consider these factors:
Capacity: How much coffee do you want to make? Are you serving multiple people, or do you only need enough joe for yourself? How much coffee do you drink? Do you need a caffeine intervention? I’m just kidding about the last question, but it does help to take a good look at your habits before committing to a machine. If you just need enough coffee for yourself, you may want a machine that can brew smaller quantities without sacrificing quality. Just don’t forget that most manufacturers usually consider a cup to be only 4 or 5 ounces, much less than what a mug can hold. A 10-cup coffee maker won’t actually make 10 cups of coffee; it’ll probably be closer to four or five.
Carafe type: Drip coffee makers come with either a glass or thermal carafe. Generally, the latter is better because thermal carafes are often made with stainless steel, which is more durable than glass; they also keep the coffee uniformly hot without relying on a warming plate, which can scorch your brew. Check that the carafe’s handle is comfortable to hold and that the lid is easy to remove for cleaning.
Certifications: Several of the machines I tested are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, meaning they meet stringent requirements when it comes to brewing time, brewing temperature, quality of extraction and more. Currently, only 23 at-home brewers are certified, but companies have to pay a licensing fee to use the certification. So while it’s a helpful indicator of quality, there are many perfectly good machines that aren’t certified.
Ease of use: You should be able to start brewing with most machines right out of the box after doing one water-only cycle. Look for buttons and control panels that you can understand even if you’re bleary-eyed.
Maintenance: Check if the parts are dishwasher-safe (many brands offer this) and know that if you use a permanent filter, you’ll need to clean it after every brew. Also, check whether the machine alerts you when it’s time to descale (aka deep-clean) — some don’t, which means you may need to keep track of this on your own to avoid mineral build-up.
Programmability: If you’re someone who loves to wake up to a freshly brewed pot, you need a machine that has has a timer that enables it to automatically turn on in the morning. Not all machines offer this, and some make the programming quite complicated, so make sure you like the way your machine works before committing.
Time to brew: Less than 10 minutes is a good guideline, depending on the machine’s capacity. No one wants to wait ages for their morning jolt!
How we tested
I made pot after pot of coffee (I was very jittery), but before I even got to the brewing part of the test, I spent hours poring over instruction manuals and reviews. I assessed each machine from the moment I opened the box, looking for ease of setup and smart design.
Then came the fun part: I tried each machine at least three times, using the same medium-roast coffee beans (I freshly ground them with my handy Oxo burr grinder) and generic paper basket or #4 cone filters. If the machine came with a reusable filter, I used that instead. For each brew, I followed the coffee-to-water ratio recommended by the machine’s manual. I noted the time it took to brew a full pot, the machine’s noise level, the temperature of the brew bed throughout the brewing process and the coffee’s flavor and strength. I also tested how easy the machine was to program and how well the brew-pause feature (which lets you remove the pot mid-brew to pour yourself a cup) worked.
All the machines I tried had either a thermal carafe or glass carafe with warming plate, so I tested its heat retention over time by taking the temperature of the brew (what remained after pouring a full mug) after an hour.
Other drip coffee makers we tested
Black + Decker 12-Cup Digital Coffee Maker ($37): The second-best-selling drip coffee maker on Amazon, this machine does everything you need it to. Making a pot of coffee is easy thanks to the big, user-friendly buttons, but I found setup a bit confusing thanks to the instruction manual, which had me pouring water into the tank to a “max” line that didn’t exist. I also found a small amount of grittiness at the bottom of the pot after brewing, as if some coffee grounds had escaped from the brew basket.
Braun BrewSense ($142): This modern, quiet coffee maker is similar to the Cuisinart in looks and features, but I found the control panel less intuitive. I had to check the instruction manual several times just to program the machine. That said, the carafe is great, with a hinged lid that opens wide for filling and cleaning.
Breville Precision Brewer ($300): I didn’t have many complaints about this machine. It offers lots of ways to customize your brew, it has a similar commercial look to the Oxo with a nice balanced design, the carafe feels very sturdy and is easy to hold, and the control panel, once you get past initial setup, is very clearly worded. Unfortunately, it made a vibrating sound during brewing that I found disruptive. That and the high price knocked it out of the top spot.
Krups Simply Brew 5-Cup Coffee Maker ($37): I tested the five-cup model (it also comes in a 10-cup size for $54 and a 12-cup size for $80) and loved how compact it was. It looks like a stainless steel cube in the best way possible. But don’t expect any bells or whistles with this machine. You can’t even program it!
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Brewer ($80): I liked this machine, but because I had to get so nitpicky, it didn’t make it to the top spot. The water tank is removable, so you can bring it right to the sink, and the buttons on the control panel are self-explanatory. The brew-stop function also worked the best of any machine I tried. Now for my (minor) gripes: The instructions on the box differed slightly from what was in the manual, which confused me during the initial setup. And this machine was slow — it took more than 12 minutes to brew a full pot.
Zwilling Enfinigy Drip Coffee Maker ($150): This machine gets only so-so reviews on Amazon, so I had my doubts. I was pleasantly surprised — it feels as sophisticated as the Oxo and GE Café, but is smaller by several inches. And Zwilling is the only maker of the models I tested to offer a lifetime warranty. As with the Oxo, you control everything using a single dial, but I found the menu options more confusing. Also, the warming plate did not keep the coffee hot enough.
Drip coffee maker FAQs
How long should a drip coffee maker last?
Some sources say to expect a lifespan of four to five years, but that can really vary depending on how often you use the machine and how well you take care of it. Most of the machines I tested have a two-year warranty with the notable exception of the Zwilling Enfinigy Drip Coffee Maker, which has a lifetime warranty.
What’s the difference between a drip coffee maker and pour-over?
A good drip coffee maker approximates pour-over coffee by saturating the grounds with water in a similar way. But the process is automated, so it’s much simpler. Pour over, on the other hand, is manual — you pour the water over the grinds, which lets you control the temperature, bloom time, brew time and more. If you like the idea of being able to customize every aspect of your drink, it’s worth trying.
What are the disadvantages of a drip coffee maker?
The same thing that makes a drip coffee machine so appealing to some people — automation — makes it unappealing to others. You can’t control nearly as many factors when you use a drip coffee maker, and as a result, the flavor may not be what you want.
What are the different coffee brewing methods?
Brewing coffee can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Here are the main methods: Pour-over, which I mentioned above, gives you ultimate control over your brew. French press has you immerse the grounds in water, then filter them, which gives the coffee a more full-bodied flavor. Espresso is brewed in a machine that forces hot water through grounds at high pressure to create small amounts of strong coffee. Cold brew is made by immersing coffee grounds in cold or room-temperature water for an extended period of time. Drip coffee is made using a machine like any of the ones in this story.
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.
