Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2024 — 9 Design-Led Machines That Make the Perfect Brew

If you think drip coffee is simple, you're right. It's speedy, easy, and close-to-universally adored. However, the machine you choose to brew it in will make all the difference. Trust me, I'm a barista.

If you've had a look at what's on the market, you'll have seen the span of drip coffee makers on offer. From modest stainless steel models which won't wipe out your-wallet, to luxurious, elaborate style statements, I've tested them all. Whatever you're looking for, you're in for a caffeinated treat. 

There are plenty of names you'll recognise in this list, especially if you know your coffee: De'Longhi, Moccamaster, Breville, and Bodum. However, there are other brands you might never have checked. They won't all suit you, but I guarentee that one will be your glass slipper. 

These aren't just some of the best drip coffee makers on the market, they're some of the best coffee makers on the market, period. So, after hundreds of cups of coffee, and hours spent testing, these are the nine coffee makers you need to know about.

Quick List

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The best drip coffee makers 2024

Best drip coffee maker overall

The first thing you'll notice about the Technivorm Moccamaster is the aesthetics. It's slightly retro, boxy, and available in a range of shades. Whether you need a pop of color against white walls of chromatic neutrals, I guarentee there will be a shade suitable for your home.

Thankfully, looks are certainly not deceiving here. Whilst this is eye catching, the flavors this brews are unforgettable. Smooth and well-balanced, they'll meet the requirements of any coffee snob's cup — I'm talking about myself.

What's more, this can have ten cups of coffee ready in just six minutes. The copper heating element will brew your coffee to 196 and 206°F and can keep it warm between 175 and 185°F) for 100 minutes before shutting off. This isn't as long as competitors, but does save you from a warm, but burnt cup of coffee that's been hot for three hours. 

If you're not keen on cleaning, it's worth noting that each part of the coffee maker needs to be washed separately. Moccamaster also recommends descaling the machine after 100 uses, which is hard to keep track of. However, given the price tag of this machine, it's worth doing.

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Best drip coffee maker for beginners

OXO are known for mastering the basics, so that's all I expected from their drip coffee maker. However, the flavors it brews are remarkable for the size and price. It's no wonder that this is certified by the Speciality Coffee Association; I made lots of smooth, well-balanced cups of coffee with this petite machine. 

The stainless steel isn't the most versatile style. However, it's simple, easy to wipe clean, and would look great next to other stainless steel appliances. It's also only 14 inches tall, so will clear low wall cabinets with ease. In spite of this, the OXO can make everything from a single shot of coffee to eight cups full cups: perfect for any household. 

The OXO isn't a smart drip coffee maker: it doesn't have an app, voice activation, or scheduling technology. If you're someone who likes your coffee to be ready before you are in the morning, this could be a deal-breaker. However, what I love about the OXO is the BetterBrew technology. This lets you control the temperature that your coffee is brewed at as well as the brew cycles.

My biggest gripe with the OXO is the water tank. It's fixed, so you can't remove it to clean or re-fill it. As a clean freak, I find this irritating, but it's not a unique feature to just OXO, there are plenty of other machines that share the fixed water tank issue. 

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Best basic drip coffee maker

If you've researched drip coffee makers, you'll have come across Bonavita. They make petite, stylish machines, and this one is by far their best. It's more durable than other models, comes with a removable water tank, and looks good on the countertop. Within Bonavita's range, this is smallest and slickest model and is available in stainless steel, matte black, and white: colors which work in any kitchen.

Performance wise, the Bonavita is quick to brew up to eight cups of coffee, taking only eight minutes. Each cup of coffee was smooth and well-balanced, evidence that the speedy brewing didn't skip any important steps of the coffee infusion process. I've actually put this down to the shower head design which to evenly saturates and blooms the coffee grounds at just the press of a button. There aren't many settings, so you can't be very adventurous, but this will guarantee a good, simple cup of coffee.

Once your coffee is ready, you can use the carafe to keep your coffee warm for hours. Whilst this is useful, my flavors started to dull after a couple, so I wouldn't recommend sitting your coffee out for too long.

It's relatively cheap for a drip coffee maker, but it feels it too. The plastic is a little flimsy, even if it is nonetheless well designed. Plus, it has a removable water tank, making it easy to clean too.

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Best large drip coffee maker

True to Breville's reputation, this drip coffee maker is kitted out with the most premium features available. If you want to schedule your brews to be ready for when you get out of bed in the morning, there's a feature for that. If save your favorite temperatures and brew settings, there's a setting for that. If you want to adjust the bloom speed and flow rate, there's a setting for that. I think you get the idea. 

These might sound gimmicks and, sure, some of the smart features are inessential, but, for the most part, the proof is in the brew. This makes delicious, smooth, well-balanced coffee which is easy to tailor to your taste preferences.

Alongside the range of settings, this has a 12-cup capacity, which is more than most people need. It's not oversized and you could still fit it into a narrow nook, but this is worth noting. 

As with many smart and shiny machines, this is relatively high maintenance. The components are all removable  — which makes life a little easier — but need to be washed or wiped by hand.

If you're on a budget and don't need cold brew and espresso functions, this is overkill. However, if you've got a bigger budget and want cuztomizable, smart features, you won't go wrong with Breville's brewer.

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Best drip coffee maker for style

Full disclosure, this is my personal favorite coffee maker. The bold, retro design makes a style statement in any kitchen. It's straightforward to use, and brews a delicious cup of coffee. It didn't get top spot, because the functions, although good, are a little limited. Plus, it's quite tall, so won't sit neatly under cabinets. 

If you choose this coffee maker, the first thing you need to assess is space. This is made to be admired, not tucked away in a cupboard. It's wide and 14 inches tall, so choose a spot and sit it there with pride.

Using the machine is simple: you can delay when your coffee starts brewing, opt for stronger or weaker carafes, choose the number of cups you want to brew, and it can cater for up to ten cups of coffee. The shower head ensures that your coffee grounds are evenly saturated and delicately brewed. I made consistently smooth, well-balanced cups of coffee with this. Even when I used the keep-warm function, my brews didn't taste stale or burnt. 

The weight glass carafe has a premium feel and the reusable filter helps to cut down on waste. It's worth noting that the body itself is plastic. Some reviewers felt this was a little cheap, but I really didn't mind it. The plastic isn't flimsy at all.

One final note to all the keen cleaners: the water reservoir is fixed. It's a pain to wash thoroughly and pour into, so if you're easily irritated, give this a wide berth. 

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Best drip coffee maker for luxury

This is a drip coffee maker to sit on full display, It's petite, smart, and slick. Available in a range of colors, it'll complement any kitchen countertop you place it on. 

Getting this set up is easy. Even better, all the packaging is recyclable and everything arrives rinsed through, so you don't need to waste time and coffee getting your machine ready for use. Thoughtful touches like these are why the Ratio Six has won over so many hearts.

A full pot should brew eight cups of coffee in eight minutes. The Ratio Six blooms and saturates the grounds before brewing. This knocks off any acidic notes that typically makes coffee bitter. You can taste it too. The Ratio Six's coffee was consistently soft, smooth, and velvety. Even after hours in the thermal carafe, it maintained a good temperature (close to the 200 degrees Fahrenheit target) without losing much flavor.

However, as soon as you start getting technical, you might find some faults with this machine. For example, this doesn't do pre-set times, different strengths, or smaller brews. It also comes with a fixed water reservoir that you cave to pour into a small opening for, which is both frustrating and potentially messy. 

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Best drip coffee maker for value

Bodum's price tag is always reasonable, but I had to triple check their Programmable Coffee Maker. For under $50, this is exceptional value. 

When you start to look at budget options for coffee makers, you tend to lose some of the best features. However, as the name might suggest, the Bodum Programmable has the capacity to brew coffee ahead of time for you, following your pre-set instructions. When you wake up in the morning, a rich and bold carafe of coffee can be waiting for you.

On the countertop, it's sleek and subtle. Bodum has crafted their drip coffee maker from stainless steel and durable borosilicate glass. It's nice to handle and easy on the eye too. The only frustrating feature is how tall it is. When you lift the lid to add water or coffee grounds, it won't clear low wall cupboards, so you'll have to keep pulling it out and tucking it back in.

Whist it does have a warming plate, this is only really effective for three hours. I wouldn't recommend leaving your coffee on for much longer, since it will taste burnt and stale, but it's better to have the option. 

Those who are new to drip coffee makers or on a tight budget will love this. However, if you're looking for more complexity, you might need to keep scrolling.

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Best smart drip coffee maker

Available in a range of metallic shades, the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker is brains and beauty. It looks sleek and chic on the countertop and promises so much mote too. 

There are lots of features to love about this machine. Aside from the Precision Brew setting, there's a Gold Brew (which makes coffee to the SCA's Golden Cup Standard), and a SmartHQ app which lets you control your coffee maker from your phone. Plus, if you have a home assistant, you can use your voice to control it too.

Cleaning the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker is a little tricky. Each part needs to be hand-washed, so make sure you have a brush and cloth to keep it clean. Luckily, there's a carbon water filter pre-fitted, so you don't have to waste any time sorting your water or avoiding limescale. 

I would have put this much higher up the buying guide if it wasn't for the price. Unless you're really keen on drip coffee, this is an expensive appliance to buy, especially in comparison to similar models on the market.

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Best drip coffee maker for versatility

Even the best coffee makers on the market limit themselves with brewing style. Thankfully, De'Longhi spotted and rectified this with the All-In-One. This machine can double up as your espresso machine and single-serve machine, whilst making a killer drip coffee too.

On the countertop, it looks smart. This is quite wide and heavy, so you'll need to make sure you've got space before buying one. However, if your kitchen can house it, you won't regret it.

Most importantly, the drip coffee this makes is delicious. It has enough capacity for ten cups of filter coffee, all of which are light and well-balanced. For members of the house who might like an espresso, single-serve coffee, or milky coffee, the De'Longhi can deliver those too. It boasts 15-bar pump pressure and can make a decent drink. I'd opt for other De'Longhi models if you want a specialist espresso machine, but as a generic appliance, this is reasonable. 

As you might expect, having more functions results in this being a little higher maintenance. The milk frother needs to be meticulously cleaned, the filters need to be rinsed weekly, and the stainless steel can get grubby if you don't wipe it after every use. In the longer term though, it's worth the hassle. 

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How we test

Although aesthetics are important, at Living Etc we know there's so much more to a drip coffee maker than appearances. That's why we make sure to test every appliance before we recommend them to you.

I'm a qualified barista, so have high standards for what coffee should taste like. Our team of experts will put any drip coffee maker worth knowing about through its paced in our dedicated test kitchen. If we want to press its capabilities a little more, we take them home for weeks, if not months, to see how they perform.

This guide is a selection of the best: for flavor, design, value, and user-experience. There were plenty we tested which didn't make the cut, but these are the ones to care about.

Meet the team

Best drip coffee makers FAQs

How do I choose a drip coffee maker?

Know your needs. Drip coffee makers vary in numerous ways and these are they key ones to consider:

Capacity
Most drip coffee makers can make ten cups, which is about 40 oz of coffee. Some smaller ones will make eight and others can make up to twelve, so make sure to evaluate the number of coffee drinkers in your home.

Size
This is a lot like capacity, but you'd be surprised that the two don't often correlate. If you have a compact kitchen, you'll need to opt for a smaller model.

Appearance
Drip coffee makers are some of the most stylish on the market. They'll also be a kitchen staple, so it's important for them to look good.

Programmability
This is one of the biggest variants between different drip coffee makers. Some will have smart technology, voice activation, a hot plate, and 'brew ahead' functions. Others will be more basic.

Filter type
Lots of coffee makers require either disposable filters or a gold-tone filter. Paper can give you smoother cups of coffee, but they're an ongoing cost, less sustainable, and another thing to dispose of.

Special features
Some machines will come with milk frothers, grinders, alternative brewing settings, and more. Depending on what you want from your machine, check out the qualifications.

What is the best drip coffee maker?

After testing the best on the market, I would say the Technivorm Moccamaster KGBV Select is the best. Not only is it almost aesthetically flawless, it makes delicious coffee, and is designed to last you a lifetime. 

Should I use filtered water in my drip coffee maker?

Yes. This will ensure your coffees taste consistent and will ensure that your drip coffee maker lasts for longer. Some premium models will have a filter integrated, which is always useful.

Final thoughts

You can't go wrong with a basic coffee maker like the Bodum, especially if you're a coffee novice. However, throughout the guide, I've shown you more premium machines. They're an investment, but you'll taste the difference.