Top 5 compared
The best super-automatic espresso machines
Whole beans in, fresh coffee out at the press of a button.
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The top 5 at a glance
A super-automatic espresso machine has its own grinder: it grinds whole beans for each cup and brews right then, with no portafilter to fill and tamp. Most also make lattes and cappuccinos themselves, drawing milk from a carafe or cup, while a model with a steam wand lets you froth it your own way.
All of them offer a dozen or more grind settings, to suit different beans, and stand about 17 inches from front to back, so they need a deep counter with clearance under the wall cabinets. Several make iced drinks as well as hot ones. For a manual machine with a portafilter, see our espresso machines list.
What matters
- Milk parts that go in the dishwasher.
- Automatic rinse and cleaning programs.
- A spout that rises high enough for a tall mug.
- Descaling alerts, or a water filter, if your water is hard.
#1De’Longhi Magnifica Duo Super-Automatic Espresso Machine (ECAM33080SXB, Silver)
Over $300
Two LatteCrema carafes, one for hot foam and one for cold, so it makes an iced latte as readily as a cappuccino, from dairy or plant milk. It also brews drip-style coffee and a cold brew in under three minutes: 20 drinks in all from the touchscreen.
What owners say: Owners love how it performs (the iced lattes get a special mention), find it fairly easy to use and count it a good value: one expects it to pay for itself in about a year of skipped café trips.
A closer look: Keep the cold carafe in the fridge between uses and fill it with well-chilled milk, which foams best. Put the hot carafe’s parts through the dishwasher after a busy day rather than leaving milk in them, and register the machine for De’Longhi’s extra year of warranty.
- Cold brew, under 3 minutes
- 20 hot and iced drinks
- Also brews drip-style coffee
- Dishwasher-safe carafe parts
- Extra warranty year when registered
Best for: Iced and hot milk drinks
- Milk
- Hot and cold carafes, automatic
- Grind settings
- 13
- Water tank
- 61 fl oz
- Bean hopper
- 8.8 oz
- Size (W × H × D)
- 9.5 × 14.3 × 17.5 in
#2EUHOMY Super-Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother (CM004-02)
Over $300
At just over 7 inches wide it fits a narrow gap on the counter, yet it grinds fresh beans on a 15-step burr grinder, froths milk automatically for lattes and cappuccinos, and shows on the touchscreen when the beans, water or grounds need attention.
What owners say: Owners say it turns out café-style lattes with no fuss, rate both the grinder and the frothing, and found it simple to learn.
A closer look: Use the bean purge when switching to a new bag, so the last of the old beans doesn’t end up in the first cup. Raise the spout for a tall mug and lower it for an espresso cup to stop splashing, and run the cleaning program regularly to keep the brew path fresh.
- Clears old beans before new
- Adjustable-height spout
- Alerts for beans, water, grounds
- 20-bar pump
- Built-in cleaning program
Best for: Kitchens short on counter space
- Milk
- Milk cup, automatic
- Grind settings
- 15
- Water tank
- 51 fl oz
- Bean hopper
- 7.1 oz
- Size (W × H × D)
- 7.3 × 13.1 × 17.4 in
#3Philips 5500 Series LatteGo Super-Automatic Espresso Machine (EP5544/94)
Over $300
Philips’ LatteGo milk carafe comes apart into three pieces with no tubes, so it rinses clean in seconds or goes in the dishwasher. The 5500 makes 20 drinks, hot and iced, saves favorite settings in user profiles and is ready to brew 3 seconds after switching on.
What owners say: Owners enjoy the range of 20 drinks and find it easy to clean with its rinse cycles; one says LatteGo handles different milks perfectly. They’re split on the price, on how quiet it is and on how long it will last.
Heads up: Fit the AquaClean filter when you set it up: Philips says it then goes up to 5,000 cups without descaling.
A closer look: Rinse the LatteGo carafe right after the last milk drink of the day, before the milk has a chance to dry on. For iced coffee, fill a tall glass with ice before pressing the button, and turn the strength up a notch on the color display so the melting ice doesn’t water it down.
- Ready in 3 seconds
- Tube-free carafe, 3 parts
- 20 hot and iced drinks
- Saves favorites in profiles
- Filter saves on descaling
Best for: Easy milk cleanup
- Milk
- LatteGo carafe, automatic
- Grind settings
- 12
- Water tank
- 61 fl oz
- Bean hopper
- 9.7 oz
- Size (W × H × D)
- 9.7 × 14.6 × 17 in
#4Philips 3200 Series LatteGo Super-Automatic Espresso Machine (EP3241/54)
Over $300
Philips’ simpler LatteGo machine, for a good deal less than the 5500: five coffees from espresso to latte macchiato on a touch display, a tube-free LatteGo carafe that comes apart in two pieces, a 12-step ceramic grinder and an AquaClean filter that saves on descaling.
What owners say: Owners like how easily it makes a latte and how simple it is to keep clean, one comparing it to a Keurig. The worries are reliability, with some machines failing within months, and the noise, which some find loud.
A closer look: The spout slides from about 3.3 to 5.7 inches high, so a tall travel mug fits under it. The LatteGo carafe comes with a storage lid, so milk left over after the morning’s lattes can go into the fridge in the carafe rather than down the sink.
- Fits a tall travel mug
- Storage lid for leftover milk
- Tube-free carafe, 2 parts
- Ceramic grinder
- Filter saves on descaling
Best for: Morning lattes and travel mugs
- Milk
- LatteGo carafe, automatic
- Grind settings
- 12
- Water tank
- 61 fl oz
- Bean hopper
- 9.7 oz
- Size (W × H × D)
- 9.7 × 14.6 × 17 in
#5De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Super-Automatic Espresso Machine with Manual Frother (ECAM29043SB)
Over $300
Six drinks at a touch, espresso to iced coffee, a conical burr grinder with 13 settings, and a traditional steam wand at the side for frothing milk your own way, plant milks included.
What owners say: Owners praise the espresso and the Americanos, and cleaning it is no chore. Reliability is the worry, with some machines stopping without warning or failing within weeks, and opinion on the noise runs from quieter than their last machine to really loud.
A closer look: Set the water hardness with the test strip in the box when it’s first switched on, so the descaling reminder comes at the right time for your water. For the frother, use a small metal pitcher with the tip just under the surface of the milk, lowering the pitcher as the foam rises.
- 6 one-touch drinks, iced included
- Water hardness test strip included
- Conical burr grinder
- Extra warranty year when registered
Best for: Frothing milk by hand
- Milk
- Manual frother, by hand
- Grind settings
- 13
- Water tank
- 61 fl oz
- Bean hopper
- 8.8 oz
- Size (W × H × D)
- 9.5 × 14.2 × 17.3 in
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1De’Longhi Magnifica Duo | #2EUHOMY CM004-02 | #3Philips 5500 LatteGo | #4Philips 3200 LatteGo | #5De’Longhi Magnifica Evo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best manual frother | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 7.7 |
| Price | Over $300 | Over $300 | Over $300 | Over $300 | Over $300 |
| Milk | Hot and cold carafes, automatic | Milk cup, automatic | LatteGo carafe, automatic | LatteGo carafe, automatic | Manual frother, by hand |
| Grind settings | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Water tank | 61 fl oz | 51 fl oz | 61 fl oz | 61 fl oz | 61 fl oz |
| Bean hopper | 8.8 oz | 7.1 oz | 9.7 oz | 9.7 oz | 8.8 oz |
| Size (W × H × D) | 9.5 × 14.3 × 17.5 in | 7.3 × 13.1 × 17.4 in | 9.7 × 14.6 × 17 in | 9.7 × 14.6 × 17 in | 9.5 × 14.2 × 17.3 in |
| Best for | Iced and hot milk drinks | Kitchens short on counter space | Easy milk cleanup | Morning lattes and travel mugs | Frothing milk by hand |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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