Are you looking for the best espresso machine under $500? I pick out the best espresso machines under $500 each quarter! I filter out marketing gibberish and misleading verbiage, so you can truly understand functionality, performance, and the difference between the models. With our rank of the best espresso machines that cost less than $500, you should feel CONFIDENT and REASSURED in your selection.
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Best espresso machine under $500
| Rank | Model | Score | Water heating | Pressure pump | Price range | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breville Infuser Espresso | 94/100 | Thermocoil | 15 BARs | $$$$ | |
| 2 | Gaggia Classic Pro | 92/100 | Boiler | 15 BARs | $$$ | |
| 3 | Breville Duo Temp | 91/100 | Thermocoil | 15 BARs | $$$ | |
| 4 | Nespresso Creatista | 87/100 | ThermoJet | 19 BARs | $$$ | |
| 5 | Nespresso Lattissima Pro | 83/100 | Thermoblock | 19 BARs | $$ | |
| 6 | Calphalon Temp IQ | 82/100 | Thermoblock | 15 BARs | $ |
Highlights: best espresso machines under $500
Best seller: Infuser Espresso Machine (BES840XL) by Breville
- Offers a wide variety of controls (pressure, temperature, pre-infusion)
- Great temperature control for richer and better extracted espresso
- Automatically primes and purges itself to help stabilize temperature
- Automatic reminders to clean the specific parts of the machine
Reviews: best espresso makers under $500
Position #1: Breville Infuser Espresso Machine BES840XL
Breville’s Infuser Espresso Machine (BES840XL) is the best espresso machine under $500, minimally ahead of the Gaggia Classic Pro. We have decided to honor Breville with the top spot due to meticulous technological advancements, which allow to brew phenomenal espresso and espresso-based drinks. Due to its robust automation, this espresso machine is more accessible to users.
Owly Rating
94/100
| Appearance | 20/20 |
| Features | 20/20 |
| Performance | 20/20 |
| Health | 16/20 |
| Price to value | 18/20 |
Bottom line
In addition to an elegant and clean design, Breville BES840XL Infuser Espresso Machine comes with an impressive feature set to brew high-end coffee, and to make coffee brewing more accessible. The machine offers the pre-infusion technology that soaks coffee grounds before brewing (thus yielding a rich cup of espresso).The Infuser features an advanced thermocoil system and PID technology, to offer consistently high temperatures for perfect extraction. Last, but not least, the Infuser makes pressure regulation more adjustable. Breville BES840XL Infuser Espresso Machine is a multi-functional appliance that brews coffee and tea beverages, and offers a milk frothing wand.
Position #2: Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine (RI9380/46)
Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine is the top contender among the best espresso machines under $500. Gaggia Classic Pro brews the best tasting coffee, especially when comparing extraction with the single wall filters. The machine is a no-frills espresso maker, but it’s design has yielded phenomenal results over the years. Easier to maintain, but may require some manual balancing. The machine may be a best fit for espresso-loving users who like simpler machines.
Owly Rating
92/100
| Appearance | 20/20 |
| Features | 17/20 |
| Performance | 19/20 |
| Health | 17/20 |
| Price to value | 19/20 |
Bottom line
Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine offers a timeless design and remarkable features to brew the best tasting coffee. Gaggia Classic Pro is made in Italy with sturdy materials. The commercial-quality features allow to brew barista-like coffee at home. Gaggia Classic Pro offers a boiler heating system to efficiently heat large quantities of water. With the marine-quality brass grouphead, the machine helps regulate temperature for perfect brewing. With 15-BAR pressure, the machine brews smooth and creamy espresso. Gaggia’s inside design has yielded fantastic design over the years, and the machine proved its worth. It’s fairly simple, and is already calibrated to make great espresso.
Position #3: Duo Temp Espresso Machine by Breville
Breville Duo Temp Espresso Machine is among best espresso machines under $500 for a good reason. What differentiates this machine from others is the technology that makes Duo Temp a bit easier to use, and get consistently get coffee results. Users who want to brew quick and consistent espresso may especially like this machine.
Owly Rating
91/100
| Appearance | 20/20 |
| Features | 18/20 |
| Performance | 19/20 |
| Health | 16/20 |
| Price to value | 18/20 |
Bottom line
Breville’s Duo Temp Espresso Maker leaves a very strong impression. The machine is fairly easy to operate even for novices in espresso brewing. The machine has a modern sleek stainless-steel design, and comes with automatic features to brew great and consistent coffee. With a thermocoil heating system and PID, Duo Temp delivers consistent temperatures. In addition, pre-infusion allows for a more even and complete extraction. In all, Duo Temp Espresso maker is a powerful high-end machine that brews phenomenal coffee.
Position #4: Nespresso Creatista by Breville
Breville’s Nespresso Creatista is the epitome of ease, convenience and delicious results. Since the machine brews coffee with capsules (and yields phenomenal coffee), Nespresso Creatista had to find its way on the list the best espresso machines under $500. The machine will particularly appear to coffee lovers who enjoy ease and convenience of coffee pods, but need AMAZING coffee.
Owly Rating
87/100
| Appearance | 19/20 |
| Features | 16/20 |
| Performance | 20/20 |
| Health | 14/20 |
| Price to value | 18/20 |
Bottom line
Breville Nespresso Creatista is an elegant, semi-automatic, single serve coffee and espresso machine. The machine is impressive with its high-end appearance and high performance. Breville Nespresso Creatista allows to brew espresso with Nespresso capsules only. Although the machine offers 3 pre-set types of drinks (Ristretto, Espresso, and Lungo), it also provides flexibility to create more complex espresso-based drinks like flat whites, cappuccinos and macchiatos. There are ways to adjust volume and milk temperature. Further, the machine is quite intuitive and easy to use.
Position #5: Nespresso Lattissima Pro by DeLonghi
DeLonghi’s Nespresso Lattissima Pro is the best espresso machine under $500 primarily due to its price and convenience. Lattissima Pro fits nicely into a portfolio of Nespresso machines. It lacks some features of Nespresso Creatista, but it offsets by much more affordable price. Coffee lovers who enjoy convenience and ease of brewing espresso will particularly like this machine.
Owly Rating
83/100
| Appearance | 18/20 |
| Features | 15/20 |
| Performance | 18/20 |
| Health | 15/20 |
| Price to value | 17/20 |
Bottom line
DeLonghi’s Nespresso Lattissima Pro offers mostly a delightful experience with capsule-based coffee. Nespresso Lattissima Pro is less sophisticated than Nespresso Creatista, and offers fewer customization. Despite this, it comes with quite a lot of useful features: easy operation, rapid heat-up time, and 19 BARs of pressure. The thermoblock heating system means that the temperature may sometimes be inconsistent, but Lattissima Pro brews rich, creamy and smooth coffee. Allows to froth milk, but it is a complicated mechanism (hassle).
Position #6: Temp IQ Pro by Calphalon
Calphalon’s Temp IQ espresso machine is a top espresso machine under $500. It’s devoid of more advanced features for very experienced users, but offers technology that truly impact the coffee results. Calphalon Temp IQ may be a great choice for entry- and intermediate-level users who want to experiment and advance their journeys with delicious espresso.
Owly Rating
82/100
| Appearance | 19/20 |
| Features | 16/20 |
| Performance | 17/20 |
| Health | 13/20 |
| Price to value | 17/20 |
Bottom line
Calphalon Temp IQ has garnered a lot of positive attention. The machine is stripped of overly sophisticated and rarely used features. The machine offers technology to brew delicious coffee. The PID technology allows to deliver consistent temperatures. With the in-built pre-infusion, the extraction is smoother and more even. The extraction and temperature need to be primed, and are nearly perfect. The machine uses thermoblock, which creates steam pressure too strong to obtain foamy milk.
2022 Buyer’s guide for top espresso maker under $500
Espresso machines under $500 are typically very good quality. While some are better than others, they typically come with more advanced heating systems (thermocoil or boiler), pressure pumps to force water through coffee grounds, and milk-frothing capabilities.
In our overview, we can clearly see that more expensive espresso makers (in the $400-$500) offer unparalleled flexibility and control in the brewing process. They allow to monitor and control pressure, temperature and extraction via pre-infusion.
Further, some machines offer automatic solutions, so that users do not have to worry about manually priming or purging.
While looking for espresso machines under $500 on different sites, we have found dozens of little known brands filling the market with their appliances. We have tested some of their coffee machines, and we were not happy with the results.
That being said, we have been able to identify best espresso makers under $500. They typically come from strong, reliable and beloved brands such as Breville, DeLonghi, Gaggia and Calphalon.
Interestingly, most best espresso machines under $500 are made in China. The only exception is the Gaggia machine that is designed and made in Italy.
What do you think?
What do you want in an espresso machine under $500? What coffee makers have you used to date? Why do you want to upgrade your old espresso maker?
Let us know in the comments under our rank of the best espresso machine under $500!
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