Best Keurig Alternatives

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Hello and welcome to my post about the best coffee brewers that you can buy that aren’t made by Keurig.

And, I didn’t want to just review some non Keurig coffee machines- which is what many other reviewers seem to be doing.

Instead my post compares four different non Keurig brewers with their most similar Keurig machine.

I just thought that this makes more sense for you, the reader because it gives you a much better understanding.

After all, it is pointless buying a Keurig alternative if after a quick comparison you realise that the Keurig is a better brewer after all.

Below I go into detail about what each brewer has to offer and how they compare.

Hopefully, this will help make your shopping decision a little bit easier.

Alternatively, feel free to use our navigation bar to jump right on down to the sections you care about most.

K575 vs Hamilton Beach 49980A (Similarities)

Brew Amounts

Both of these machines brew single cups and carafes of coffee but the manner in which they do it is slightly different.

K575

The Keurig machine brews an impressive 10 different sizes of cup, mug or carafe of coffee.

The sizes (in ounces) are;

  • 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 30

As long as you have enough water in the reservoir, you select the specific size that you want to brew via the menu.

I describe in more detail about how the Keurig uses pods in a later section.

49980A

The Hamilton Beach machine can also brew a single cup of coffee or a pot of coffee.

However, the exact size of the cup or pot that you want is dictated only by how much water you place in the water reservoir for the single serve part or for the carafe part of the machine.

Energy Saver

Both the K575 and the 49980A have an energy saver function.

For the K575, this option can be selected from the menu and by enabling it the brewer will turn off when not in use.

The Hamilton Beach device will automatically shut off 2 hours after not being active.

Brew Strength

This is the ability at the press of a button to brew a stronger cup of coffee.

And both of these models have this function.

Hot Water

People who own coffee makers, don’t just drink coffee.

A hot water only function heats up a specific amount of hot water that can be used for a cup of tea or a bowl of porridge.

It is easier to do this with the K575 because you just press a button and select the amount of hot water you want.

It is slightly more difficult with the 49980A.

Fill either the single serve reservoir or the reservoir for the pot with the amount of hot water that you want.

Remove the filter. And then press the “start” button.

Programmable

A coffee maker that is programmable can be set to turn on or off at any point within the next 24 hours and it can then start to brew a cup or a pot of coffee.

Both the K575 and the Hamilton Beach 49980A machines have this function.

To many people, this is a marvellous feature to help make our morning routines easier.

But to me, I use it to make the end of a day easier.

And I really appreciate a coffee when I come home after a difficult day at work.

Travel Mug & Removable Drip Trays

Part of modern life is that we demand coffee not just when we are at home or at work but also when we are on the move.

And this mobile and go getting culture has led to a new type of cup, the travel mug.

Both of these models recognise the importance of catering to the needs of these over sized cups and so they come with a removable drip tray.

Now it is time to stop looking at the ways in which these two machines are similar and look at the ways in which they are different.

The chart below displays the biggest differences between the K575 and the Hamilton Beach 49980A.

K575 vs Hamilton Beach 49980A (Differences)

Dimensions

In terms of dimensions, the Hamilton Beach model is slightly larger than the Keurig machine.

The 49980A is a fraction of an inch taller and a couple of inches wider than the K575- although it isn’t as deep as the K575.

Pods

At the start of this article I mentioned that these two coffee makers were similar because they brew single cups of coffee and pots of coffee but that they were different in how they did it.

K575

The K575 uses K Cups and K Carafes which are plastic capsules that contain ground coffee.

If you want a cup of coffee you can use a K Cup pod for any size of serving up to 12 oz.

If you fancy brewing 22, 26 or 30 ounces of coffee then you should be using a K Carafe pod.

K Cups and K Carafes are incredibly convenient because of how easy they are to use.

Any they come in an impressive range of choices.

Their main disadvantage is that they are very expensive.

Hamilton Beach 49980A

This coffee maker is slightly more flexible because you can make a single cup or pot of coffee using your own choice of coffee grounds as well as using “soft” coffee pods, such as Melitta Pods.

Water Reservoir

The K575 has an 80 oz. water reservoir which can be removed to make filling it easier.

The 49980A has two reservoirs, neither of which are removable.

The reservoir serving the single serve brewer has a capacity of 14 oz and the reservoir for the carafe is 60 oz.

Night Light

The K575 has a night light which illuminates the water reservoir- perfect for those early morning starts or late night endings when you don’t want to disturb the family…

Unfortunately, the 49980A doesn’t have a night light.

Controls

The K575 is controlled via a 2.8″ color touch screen, whereas the Hamilton Beach coffee maker has buttons to control it.

Temperature Control

The Keurig 575 has 5 different brewing temperatures to choose from, ranging from 182 °F and 197 °F.

The 49980A only has one brewing temperature, which cannot be adjusted.

Indicators

The K575 has warning lights that indicate when the water level in the reservoir is too low and when it is time to descale your machine.

Unfortunately, the Hamilton Beach machine doesn’t have any warning lights to remind you about the level of water or whether it is time to descale your coffee maker.

Brew Times

The K575 can brew a mug of coffee in less than a minute.

When it comes to brewing a carafe, I could not find any estimate on the amount of time that would take.

The Hamilton Beach brewer takes longer to brew a single cup at around 3 minutes and it takes about 7 minutes to brew a full pot of coffee.

Keurig K55 vs Mixpresso Single Serve K Cup (Similarities)

Brew Size

Both the Keurig and the Mixpresso have three set brew sizes;

  • 6 oz.
  • 8 oz.
  • 10 oz.

Water Reservoir

The K55 and the Mixpresso have almost identical water reservoirs.

The K55 is 48 oz. and the Mixpresso is 45 oz.

Both reservoirs are removable, which makes filling them much easier.

Controls

Both of these coffee makers are controlled by a series of buttons.

Low Water Indicator

The K55 has a low water indicator- it is a light that appears on the control panel.

The Mixpresso also has a low water indicator which is a light that glows within the water reservoir.

Drip Tray

Finally in the similarities section, both of these coffee machines have drip trays which can be removed to accommodate larger sized travel mugs.

Now let’s take a look at the differences between the Keurig K55 and the Mixpresso.

Keurig K55 vs Mixpresso Single Serve K Cup (Differences)

Dimensions

The Keurig Classic is a bigger machine.

Although the Mixpresso is fractionally taller than the K55 (13.5″ vs. 13.3″) , the Keurig is over 4 inches wider (10.1″ vs 6.5″) and a couple of inches deeper (13.2″ vs 11″.)

Brew Time

The K55 brags that a single cup will be ready in less than 1 minute, whereas the Mixpresso is confident that you can drink your coffee within 30 seconds.

Pod Compatibility

Both of these coffee makers are compatible with K Cups and My K Cups, the Mixpresso is also compatible with Mixpresso’s own capsules.

Descale Indicator

The K55 has a light which glows when it is time to descale the machine whereas the Mixpresso doesn’t have this feature.

Next I want to take a look at two machines that will appeal to any latte fans out there.

So, let’s take a look at the Keurig K Cafe and the Nespresso Inissia, which are two of the most popular cappuccino and latte coffee makers.

And I think that because these two machines have more differences than similarities, we should start there.

K Cafe vs Nespresso Inissia (Differences)

Dimensions

These two machines are completely different sizes.

Although they are almost the same height (12.5″ vs 12.6″) the K Cafe is much wider (15.6″ vs 4.6″) and it is deeper by a couple of inches (11.7″ vs 9.1″.)

Although those measurements don’t include the frother for the Inissia, the size difference is considerable.

Brew Size

There is a big difference between the size of the brewed coffee from these two machines.

The K Cafe offers four brew sizes, each of which is much bigger than any offered by the Nespresso machine.

The K Cafe will produce a coffee that is 6, 8, 10 or 12 oz.

Strictly speaking, these coffee are either Americanos or Long Blacks.

On the other hand, the Inissia with the much smaller portions makes espressos and Lungos and to help with this, it uses a pump…

Pump

The K Cafe just heats the water before it makes a latte or cappuccino. It doesn’t create an espresso by forcing the water through the coffee grounds.

Many aficionados would say that because of this it doesn’t make a real espresso.

However, the Inissia does make a true espresso because it uses a pump to create 19 bars of pressure which help to force the water through the coffee grounds.

Brew Time

Because of the technology described above, it will not be a surprise to find out that that the Inissia makes an espresso faster than the K Cafe can make a coffee.

The Inissia takes about 30 seconds whereas the K Cafe takes just less than a minute.

Pods

These coffee makers are compatible with two completely different types of pod coffee.

The K Cafe is compatible with K Cup, Keurig’s own line of coffee capsules, with over 400 varieties from a staggering 60 brands.

The Inissia is only compatible with the Nespresso range of capsules of which there are sixteen varieties.

Water Reservoirs

The K Cafe’s water reservoir is 60 oz, which is more than double the size of the Inissia’s, which is only 24 oz.

However, both reservoirs are removable and the include a handle to carry them with.

The K Cafe’s reservoir is positioned on the left hand side of the machine, whereas the Inissia’s is positioned at the back of the machine, which makes it harder to remove and replace.

Brew Strength

The K Cafe has a “shot” button which you can press to get a concentrated or extra strong dose of coffee.

Unfortunately, the Nespresso machine does not have a button that can be pressed that will alter the brew strength of the coffee.

Descale

The last major difference between these coffee makers is that the K Cafe has a light that will illuminate to remind you when it is time to descale your machine.

However, the Inissia doesn’t have this function

K Cafe vs Nespresso Inissia (Similarities)

The Keurig and the Breville coffee makers do have a few similarities in that they have some of the same features.

But don’t hold your breath. Even though the features are similar, the way in which they operate are completely different!

Frother

Is this a similarity or a difference?

The K Cafe has a frother which is built in whereas the Inissia uses a separate frother, called an Aeroccino.

The Aeroccino is mains operated which means that you will need to position it and the Inissia in a location that has two electrical sockets.

Whereas, the K Cafe only needs one.

Energy Saver

Well, the K Cafe has a programmable auto off or energy saving function that can be adjusted over 2 hours.

The Inissia has a set energy saver that turns off after 9 minutes of the machine being inactive.

Drip Tray

Although both of these coffee makers have drip trays, they work slightly differently in order to accommodate larger cups such as travel cups.

The K Cafe’s drip tray is removable if need be whereas the Inissia has a drip tray that folds up to get it out of the way.

K Mini Plus vs Hamilton Beach One Scoop (Differences)

Dimensions

Looking at all the dimensions (height, width and depth) it is quite surprising to know that the K Mini Plus is the bigger machine because it is taller than the One Scoop (12.1″ vs 8.67″) and it is also deeper (11.3″ vs 8.35″.)

However, the real selling point of the mini Keurig is width and boy oh boy, is it thin.

A wafer thin 4.5″ to be exact. In contrast the Hamilton Beach model is over two inches wider, at 6.7″.

Pod Compatibility

The Keurig model, wait for it, is only compatible with K Cups and My K Cups.

K Cups are the pre filled coffee capsules that come in over 400 varieties and My K Cup is a reusable ground coffee filter that you can fill with your own choice of ground coffee.

The One Scoop just uses loose ground coffee. The coffee maker comes with two different size baskets.

The smaller basket is suitable for an 8 oz. cup of coffee whereas the larger basket should be used for a 14 oz. mug of coffee.

Water Reservoir

The Mini Plus has a 12 oz. water reservoir that can be removed to make filling it up as easy as possible.

The Hamilton Beach model has a 14 oz. reservoir which is not removable.

Coffee Storage

Keurig’s machine has space to store up to 9 K Cup pods in a storage container that fits in the brewer.

The One Scoop has no space within it to store loose coffee grounds.

Cord Storage

The electrical cord on the Mini Plus can be stored within the brewer itself for those times that you have less space or you are on the move.

The Hamilton Beach brewer lacks any kind of cord storage.

K Mini Plus vs Hamilton Beach One Scoop (Similarities)

Brew Sizes

You might be a bit confused that I have put this feature in the “similarities” section when their brew sizes are different.

The K Mini can brew any size coffee from 6 to 12 oz. but the One Scoop can brew any size from 8 to 14 oz.

And so, even though their capacities are slightly different, both of these coffee makers are similiar because they heat up and use whatever water is in the water reservoir.

Brew Strength

Both of these coffee brewers allow you to brew a bolder (Hamilton Beach) or stronger (Keurig) cup of coffee.

Controls

Both of these coffee makers have buttons for controls- there are no touch screens on show here!

And there are only a couple of buttons on each machine.

Travel Mug Friendly

Both of these coffee brewers can accommodate travel mugs.

The Keurig Mini Plus achieves this by having a removable drip tray whereas the Single Scoop brewer accommodates travel mugs without needing to remove the drip tray.