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The 11 Best Drip Coffee Makers (2024 Guide)

Ashe Samuels
Last Updated: December 30th, 2023

Finding a compatible drip coffee maker in a sea of models is like a needle in a haystack. Instead of taking a leap of faith, we’ll help you narrow down your search wisely.

Drip coffee makers are deceptively simple, but pack a serious punch when it comes to convenience. Not only do today’s models create coffee quickly, many brands now come with additional features. You can add a milk frother, use loose-leaf tea, or even switch to iced coffee! We’re here to help you find the best drip coffee maker for your unique lifestyle.

We’ve sorted out the best drip coffee makers by essential features such as price, size, style, convenience, and coffee quality. If you need a quick list of our top picks, check out the following:

What Should You Look For in a Coffee Maker?

you look for in a coffee maker

With thousands of coffee makers on the market, how do you narrow down your best fit? We have several important details you should consider.

Machine Size

Where do you plan on putting your machine? Most coffee makers are pretty small, but you’ll still want to double-check measurements.

Small kitchen counters, studio desks, hotel rooms, and side tables fare well with the following common sizes (length by width):

  • 9” x 10” inches
  • 7” x 10” inches
  • 11” x 12” inches

Large kitchens and offices should be able to handle common sizes up to:

  • 12” x 18” inches
  • 14” x 23” inches

Carafe Size

How much coffee do you drink during the week? Coffee makers are great for making several cups at a time, but that might not be your style!

Solo drinkers or occasional drinkers will do fine with a smaller carafe that holds up to six cups of coffee at a time. People who brew for families or offices should look for a carafe that can hold up to twelve cups.

Price

Drip coffee makers aren’t nearly as expensive as espresso machines. They can still burn a hole in your wallet if you’re not careful.

Low-end drip coffee makers range between $30 to $50. Higher-end drip coffee makers with more features usually peak at $150 to $300.

Style and Color

Does the standard stainless steel or black design clash with your setup? Double-check the color and style options when searching for your drip coffee maker.

Many of our top picks have at least a few different colors or coatings to choose from.

Energy Usage

If you don’t drink coffee often, you can skip this section. If you brew on a daily basis, we recommend buying a drip coffee maker with energy conservation features.

Look for the following in your purchase:

  • Automatic shut-off
  • Voltage usage indicator
  • An app that tells you your machine’s power usage

Carbon Footprint

Do you worry about the impact your coffee habit leaves on the environment? Drip coffee makers sometimes come with features that reduce your carbon footprint.

Here are a few starting points to consider before buying:

  • Built-in mesh filter
  • Built-in charcoal water filter
  • Recyclable materials such as stainless steel

Longevity

Do you want to keep your drip coffee maker around for years? Make sure you choose a brand that provides a warranty and has a reputation for longevity.

We highly recommend reading verified customer reviews. Some people will come back years after their purchase to share how well their machine still works.

Portability

If you plan on taking your drip coffee maker on your next business trip or vacation, put this feature at the top of your list. Portable coffee makers are smaller, thinner, and have fewer customization options.

Quick Overview: Our Top Picks for Best Drip Coffee Maker

IMAGEPRODUCTDETAILS
dstblcr-table__imageMueller 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker
  • Anti-Drip and Anti-Slip Features
  • Removable Permanent Filter
  • Dishwasher Safe Carafe
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageNinja DCM201CP Programmable XL 14-Cup
  • 24-Hour Programmable Delay Feature
  • Variable Warming Plate
  • Removable Water Reservoir
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageMr. Coffee 2129512, 5-Cup Mini Brew Switch
  • Grab-a-Cup Auto Pause
  • Lift & Clean Filter Basket
  • Ergonomic Carafe
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageCoffee Maker by Cuisinart
  • Advanced Heat Technology
  • Reusable Gold-Tone Coffee Filter
  • Automatic Shut-Off
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageAdirChef Mini Travel Single Serve
  • Universal Design
  • Stainless Steel Travel Mug
  • Small and Lightweight
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageHamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew
  • 2 Separate Water Reservoirs
  • Multiple Brewing Options
  • Automatic Shut-Off
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageCHULUX Single Serve Coffee Maker
  • Easy to Carry Anywhere
  • One Button on/off Operation
  • Detachable Filter Basket and Drip Tray
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageAmaste Drip Coffee Maker
  • Anti-Drip Design
  • Reusable Coffee Filter
  • Automatic Shut-Off
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageHot and Iced Coffee Maker for K Cups and Ground Coffee
  • Multi-Cup Size Available
  • Fresh, Non-watery Iced Coffee
  • Auto Clean Function
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews
dstblcr-table__imageNinja Hot and Cold Brewed System
  • Auto IQ One Touch Intelligence Technology
  • Pod-Free Brewing
  • Individual Coffee and Tea Basket
CHECK CURRENT PRICESee Customer Reviews

Best Drip Coffee Makers

drip coffee makers on the market

We want you to find a drip coffee maker that makes your life a little bit easier. Our top picks are sorted by stand-out features such as price, coffee quality, or portability.

1. Best All-Around Coffee Maker: Mueller 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker

When you want to skip the bells and whistles, Mueller has the coffee maker for you. This straightforward model makes it easy to just whip up a cup of coffee and…that’s about it!

With a low price and straightforward design, this coffee maker is the definition of ‘less is more’. The built-in mesh filter eliminates the need to constantly buy paper filters, which is great news for your carbon footprint. If you’re worried about mess, the built-in anti-slip feature keeps the machine firmly in place as you brew. The warming plate lets you multitask while brewing and keeps your coffee deliciously hot.

There’s also an anti-drip feature that keeps coffee from dribbling everywhere as you move the carafe. You can even move the coffee mid-brew and still not make a mess!

This is the kind of purchase that makes you wonder how something so convenient can be so cheap. Solo brewers, couples, and people on budgets will all be satisfied here. If you need larger quantities of coffee or more brewing options, keep on reading.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Solo brewers or couples who regularly drink coffee
  • Coffee fans on a tight budget
  • Anyone who hates making a mess while brewing

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Large families or offices
  • Drinkers who prefer a wider set of customization options
  • Anyone who wants more visual variety in their brewing equipment

2. Best Quality Coffee: Ninja 14-Cup Coffee Maker PRO

Drip coffee makers aren’t exactly famous for quality coffee – their appeal lies in hands-off brewing and speed. Ninja has a few thoughts on the matter with their Coffee Maker Pro.

This coffee maker offers two main brewing styles – Classic and Rich. The former is the smooth, flavorful experience you expect from a modern coffee maker. The latter is extremely rich in flavor and full-bodied. This feature alone is enough to shake up the way you approach coffee in the morning.

They even take convenience to another level. Not only is there a warming plate, but you can also program your brew 24 hours in advance. This feature is a must-have if you easily get distracted or want to prepare for hosting guests. The carafe is large enough to hold 14 cups of coffee.

This coffee maker has an automatic cleaning feature, so it’s less fussy if you’re just starting out. Check this model out if you want to ensure your coffee beans get the respect they deserve.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who sometimes forget to brew coffee
  • People who like to brew for friends or guests
  • Coffee fans who want to experiment with their coffee brew

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • People who need very large carafes for offices or families
  • Anyone who wants more visual variety in their brewing equipment

3. Best Size for Cramped Spaces: Mr. Coffee 5-Cup Mini Brew Switch Coffee Maker

This home coffee brewing staple was bound to show up on this list eventually! If you’ve got a studio or a particularly cramped office, Mr. Coffee has you covered.

Sometimes the smallest coffee maker isn’t quite small enough. Mr. Coffee has a tiny powerhouse with their 5-Cup Mini Brew. Less than a foot wide or tall, it’s able to make quality coffee in a matter of minutes. Despite its simplicity, you still have a few convenient features to enjoy. Their Auto Pause lets you grab a cup before the coffee is finished without making a mess. Clean-up is also straightforward – just take out the filter and wipe down the basket.

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, consider one of the other models on this list. If you just need a compact addition to your morning routine, you’re good to go.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers with very limited shelf space
  • People who need few bells and whistles with their coffee maker
  • Coffee fans on a tight budget

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who want more customization or convenience options
  • Anyone who wants more visual variety in their brewing equipment

4. Best Size for Multiple Drinkers: Coffee Maker by Cuisinart, 14-Cup Glass Carafe

The joy of coffee lies in how you tailor it to your needs. Cuisinart’s 14-Cup Coffee Maker comes with enough customization options to satisfy an entire family or small office.

This coffee maker allows drinkers to choose from Regular or Bold when brewing. The built-in charcoal water filter saves a trip to the sink and keeps coffee tasting fresh. Whether you have a spouse who just needs caffeine or a co-worker who needs their coffee a particular way, everyone’s happy.

Classic convenience features such as multiple cup settings, Auto Shut-Off, and 24-hour programmability are here. If you sometimes forget to start your coffeemaker, just program it in advance!

This coffee maker is a crowd-pleaser for different tastes, brewing skills, and multitasking abilities. It’s not the best option if you need to take your machine with you on a trip, though.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Families or offices with widely varying tastes in coffee
  • Drinkers who regularly make large volumes of coffee
  • People who sometimes forget to brew coffee in time

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Solo drinkers or people who drink coffee rarely
  • People who travel often and want to take their coffee maker with them

5. Best Size for Travel: AdirChef Mini Travel Single Serve Coffee Maker

If you’re constantly on the go and need your coffee maker to keep up, consider the AdirChef Mini. They’ve nailed exactly what the average person needs while they’re traveling.

This drip coffee maker clocks in at just fifteen ounces, a lightweight addition to any suitcase or backpack. You don’t even have to pack paper filters thanks to its built-in mesh filter. If you’re too busy to check your machine, its automatic shut-off feature will back you up.

Your purchase comes with an insulated travel mug, so bring your coffee to a meeting or on a hike. When you need to clean your machine, the mug, lid, and holding basket are dishwasher-friendly. One way or another, the AdirChef Mini is eager to save you time.

While low on coffee customization options, the small size and time-saving features are pitch-perfect.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • People with extremely busy schedules
  • Drinkers who travel often and like to bring their coffee with them
  • Coffee fans who want the least amount of maintenance possible

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who brew large volumes of coffee
  • People who like multiple customization options
  • Anyone who wants more visual variety in their brewing equipment

6. Best Flexible Coffee Options: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Trio 2-Way Coffee Maker

Coffee drinkers usually associate drip coffee makers with grounds, but they can use pods, too. The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew lets you choose multiple ways of making your morning coffee.

One side of the coffee maker uses a carafe for traditional drip coffee. Just add your grounds, choose your brew strength, and go. The other half of the machine is similar to a Keurig and takes 1.0 or 2.0 K-Cups. Each side comes with its own water reservoir, a useful detail if you like to share this machine with others.

If you want to enjoy your coffee before it’s done brewing, this machine comes with a handy Auto Pause feature. You won’t have to worry about aggravating spills when removing the carafe or pouring yourself a mug of K-Pod coffee.

The clear user interface makes brewing coffee as accessible as possible. Other drinkers may find the K-Cup setting unnecessary.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Beginner coffee drinkers who don’t want to fiddle with settings
  • Drinkers who enjoy both ground coffee and K-Cups

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Solo drinkers or people who drink coffee rarely
  • People who don’t want to use K-Cups

7. Best Color Variety: CHULUX Single Serve Coffee Maker

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with getting a coffee maker that blends in with your kitchen or studio. The CHULUX Single Serve Coffee Maker lets you showcase your personality without sacrificing functionality.

These pod drip coffee makers come in a plethora of charming colors ranging from lime green to ginger orange. Their sleek design is modern and seamlessly blends into multiple home or office settings.

This coffee maker is compatible with reusable pods, 1.0 K-Cups, and 2.0 K-Cups. It brews hot coffee in just two or three minutes and comes with a built-in Auto Shutoff feature. The reusable pod isn’t included, so look here if you want to add a few to your purchase.

While this machine won’t shock anyone with state-of-the-art features, it’s a solid coffee maker for a low price.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who want a wide variety of colors to choose from
  • Solo drinkers or people who drink coffee rarely
  • People with limited counter space and/or a limited budget

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who brew large volumes of coffee
  • People who want more coffee customization options

8. Best Old-Fashioned Visual Style: Amaste Drip Coffee Maker

If you like the CHULUX’s bold color variety, you’ll love what Amaste has to offer. Outfitted with retro gold trim and a selection of bold or pastel colors, these coffee makers appear straight out of the 70s.

Thankfully, their functionality is nothing but modern. You get three coffee settings to choose from – Mild, Regular, and Strong. The basket comes with a reusable filter to save you money on paper filters.

It’s a quaint little creation that lets you create good coffee quickly and look good in the process. That said, the warming feature only lasts for thirty minutes before turning off, which could be a turn-off for busier coffee drinkers.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Fans of vintage and retro designs
  • Solo brewers or people who drink coffee rarely
  • Drinkers who like experimenting with coffee settings

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who need to keep their coffee hotter for longer
  • People who need to brew larger volumes of coffee

9. Best Iced Coffee Maker: Famiworths Iced Coffee Maker Machine

Drip coffee’s reputation is firmly in the realm of hot drinks, but you can still get your iced coffee fix. Famiworths’ Iced Coffee Maker makes it easy to switch between hot and iced drinks without losing quality.

They crafted coffee settings to protect the flavor of your brew no matter the style. If you want hot coffee, they offer Regular and Strong coffee options. If you’re in the mood for iced coffee, their Over Ice button pours a deeply concentrated shot directly into your iced cup. This method is infinitely better than sticking a cup of hot coffee in the fridge, which usually comes out oxidized and watery.

This machine is compatible with K-Cups and ground coffee, so you get even more variety for your buck. You won’t have to worry about maintaining your machine, either, thanks to the descaling reminder button. Just sprinkle in their descaling solution, press the descaling button, and the machine takes care of the rest.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Fans of hot and iced coffee
  • Drinkers who want an easy-to-maintain machine
  • People who like to switch between K-Cups and ground coffee

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who don’t care for K-Cups or iced coffee
  • People on a very tight budget

10. Best Coffee Maker for Broad Tastes: Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

The line between coffee makers and espresso machines can grow pretty thin. The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System lets you enjoy several types of drinks without extra effort.

The standout feature of this machine is the built-in milk frother. There’s no steam wand to manipulate, so a single button press will get you the lattes or cappuccinos you’re craving. Fans of traditional drip coffee and loose-leaf tea will also enjoy the built-in mesh filter. Not only do these keep your drinks tasting rich, but you’ll also save money (and trash) buying paper filters. You can even do iced coffee!

This machine comes with a few extra quality control features for passionate coffee and tea drinkers. They have five brew styles to choose from Classic, Ric, Over Ice, Cold Brew, and Specialty. Their flavor extraction system regulates temperature to keep your grounds or leaves from burning. You also have built-in blooming, a technique that eliminates excess co2 from your drink and brings out its more subtle flavors.

Drinkers who like to switch between hot coffee, espresso-style drinks, tea, or iced coffee will have their hands full with this model.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Fans of hot coffee, iced coffee, espresso-style drinks, and tea
  • Drinkers who want more flavor-enhancing features
  • People interested in adding a milk frother to their coffee set-up

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who just want hot coffee
  • People on a tight budget

11. Best Cafe-Style Coffee: Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker

Sometimes going to the café isn’t a viable option. Whether you want to save money on the commute or need to stay home more often, we recommend the Café Specialty Drip Coffee Maker.

This drip coffee maker comes with a little dash of prestige thanks to its SCA certification. Short for Specialty Coffee Association, this organization gave this machine their seal of approval for maintaining barista-level quality. You get four levels of brewing strength to choose from Gold, Light, Medium, and Bold.

The Gold setting is particularly interesting, a unique level crafted by the SCA that brews coffee between 185 to 205 degrees. This temperature setting is optimal to bring out your coffee’s flavor without burning your grounds.

The bells and whistles are on another level. Not only can you program your brew several hours in advance, but you can also connect your machine to Alexa or Google Home. Creating coffee is now as easy as voicing a command.

This model is impressive on a technological level and blurs the line between home brewing and the café. While not ideal for people who prefer simple brewing or are on a tight budget, this is one model worth considering.

We Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • Drinkers who miss the café experience
  • Passionate home brewers who want a range of settings and customization options
  • People who sometimes forget to brew their coffee

We Don’t Recommend This Coffee Maker For

  • People on a very tight budget
  • Drinkers who want a simple, straightforward brewing experience

About The Author

Ashe Samuels

Ashe is a B2B copywriter, digital marketer, and graphic designer for the coffee, tea, and alcohol niches. Here I share industry news, review products, and analyze social trends.

Just so you know, if you click on a product on DrinkStack.com and decide to buy it, we may earn a small commission.


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