So you’ve decided you want a Dolce Gusto machine — smart choice. The pod system is fantastic value, the drink range is genuinely impressive, and the machines themselves look great on a kitchen counter. The only tricky part is that Dolce Gusto doesn’t just sell one machine. They sell six, and at first glance the differences between them aren’t exactly obvious.

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This post cuts through the confusion. We’ve broken down every Dolce Gusto machine currently available in the UK, compared the features that actually matter, and matched each one to the type of coffee drinker it suits best. Whether you’re picking up your first machine or upgrading from an older model, you’ll know exactly which one to choose by the end.

What All Dolce Gusto Machines Have in Common

Before getting into the differences, it helps to understand what every Dolce Gusto machine shares — because the common ground is more significant than you might expect.

All models in the range use the same 15-bar pump pressure, which is the standard for pod machines and gives you a consistent espresso-style extraction across the board. They’re all compatible with the same 40+ pod varieties, covering everything from espresso and lungo to lattes, cappuccinos, and cold drinks. That means whichever machine you choose, you’re not locked out of any part of the pod range.

One thing worth knowing upfront: Dolce Gusto machines are manufactured by two brands under licence — De’Longhi and Krups. You’ll sometimes see the same machine listed under both names. The underlying hardware is identical, so don’t let it trip you up when you’re comparing prices across retailers. All pods are interchangeable regardless of which manufacturer made your machine.

Dolce Gusto pods aren’t recyclable in the way Nespresso’s aluminium pods are, which is worth flagging if sustainability is a priority for you. On the upside, the system is relatively open — third-party pods from brands like L’OR and Starbucks are widely available on Amazon UK and tend to be cheaper than the own-brand range.

Manual vs Automatic: The First Decision to Make

The most fundamental split in the Dolce Gusto range is between manual and automatic machines, and it’s worth understanding this before looking at individual models.

Manual machines mean you control the pour. You hold the lever or dial in position while the drink brews, then release it when you’ve reached your desired cup size. It takes a tiny bit more attention but gives you total control over volume — useful if you like a shorter, stronger espresso or a generously topped-up latte.

Automatic machines take the decision out of your hands. You select a drink size setting, press the button, and the machine stops itself when it’s done. It’s faster, more consistent, and genuinely better suited to households where multiple people use the machine throughout the day. The trade-off is a slightly less flexible experience, though most automatic models still let you adjust portion sizes within set ranges.

If you’re the kind of person who likes dialling things in exactly to your taste, a manual machine is worth considering. If you just want a great coffee made quickly with minimum fuss, go automatic.

The Full Range: Every Dolce Gusto Machine Compared

Piccolo XS — Best for Budget Buyers and Small Kitchens

The Piccolo XS is the entry point into the Dolce Gusto range, and at around £25 it’s remarkable value for a 15-bar pump machine. It’s a manual model with a compact 0.8L water tank, measuring just 26.6 x 13.6 x 27.6cm — small enough to slot comfortably onto even the most crowded counter. If you’re setting up a home coffee bar on a tight budget, or working with limited space in a flat or student kitchen, this is the machine to look at.

It makes hot and cold drinks, supports the full pod range, and has earned a 4.4/5 rating from over 13,700 Amazon UK reviews — a number that speaks for itself. The manual operation suits solo drinkers who know what they like and don’t need the machine to think for them.

The one limitation is that it doesn’t have Eco Mode or any automatic dosing, so it’s a bit more hands-on than the models above it in the range. For a single user making one or two coffees a day, that’s rarely an issue.

Best for: First-time buyers, students, small kitchens, anyone who wants a great pod machine without spending much.

Mini Me — Best All-Rounder

The Mini Me is the best-selling machine in the Dolce Gusto range, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an automatic model at around £40–£45, which means you get consistent, hands-free brewing at a price that’s still very accessible. The water tank is the same 0.8L as the Piccolo XS, but you get the addition of Eco Mode — the machine powers down after just one minute of inactivity, which makes a real difference to running costs over time.

It makes hot and cold drinks, and with over 9,900 Amazon UK reviews averaging 4.6 out of 5, it has an outstanding track record. The automatic dosing makes it particularly good for households where more than one person is making drinks — no fiddling with the pour, just pick a size and press go.

If you’re looking for one machine to cover everything without overthinking it, the Mini Me is the safest choice in the range. It sits in a sweet spot between simplicity and capability that most coffee drinkers will never feel the need to move beyond.

Best for: Most people. Families, couples, anyone who wants reliable automatic brewing at a fair price.

Infinissima — Best for Design Lovers with a Bigger Thirst

The Infinissima is the style piece of the Dolce Gusto range. It’s a manual machine with an elegant, curvy silhouette — noticeably more eye-catching than the more functional-looking Genio models. More practically, it has the largest water tank in the range at 1.2L, which means less frequent refilling if you’re making several drinks throughout the day.

Pricing fluctuates but typically sits around £40–£70 depending on the retailer and any ongoing promotions, so it can overlap with or slightly undercut the Genio S. It makes hot and cold drinks and supports the full pod range, but like the Piccolo XS it’s manual — you hold the lever to control the pour.

The Infinissima tends to appeal to people who care about what their kitchen looks like as much as what’s in their cup. If you’re putting together a considered coffee bar aesthetic and want a machine that earns its place on the counter visually, this one fits the bill. The bigger tank is also a genuine plus for households that drink a lot of coffee.

Best for: Design-conscious buyers, heavy users who want to refill less often, people who prefer manual control.

Genio S — Best Mid-Range Automatic

The Genio S is where the range starts to offer meaningful extras over the Mini Me. It’s an automatic machine priced at around £62, and the key addition is the XL function — a longer pour option that can produce drinks up to 300ml. That’s useful if you regularly make large lattes or longer Americans, and it’s a genuine gap compared to the standard portion sizes on the Mini Me.

It also has Eco Mode (1-minute auto shut-off) and makes hot and cold drinks. Ratings hover around 4.4/5 from about 2,770 Amazon UK reviews. The form factor is slim at 28.65 x 11.21cm wide — narrower than it looks in photos, which makes it a good option if counter depth is a concern alongside counter width.

The Genio S is the logical upgrade from the Mini Me if you find yourself consistently wanting more liquid in your cup, or if you’re making drinks for people who prefer larger portions.

Best for: Drinkers who want automatic convenience with bigger cup size options.

Genio S Plus — Best for Coffee Enthusiasts

The Genio S Plus builds on the Genio S with two significant additions: Espresso Boost and temperature control. These features are aimed squarely at people who take their coffee seriously and want a pod machine that can actually respond to their preferences.

Espresso Boost increases the intensity of the extraction, producing a more concentrated, thicker espresso — noticeably closer to a proper café shot than the standard Dolce Gusto output. Temperature control lets you adjust the brew temperature up or down, which matters if you find standard pod coffee a bit harsh or conversely not hot enough for your taste. Priced at around £86 (down from an RRP of £99.99), it’s the most capable machine in the Dolce Gusto range short of the Touch.

It retains all the features of the Genio S — automatic dosing, XL function, Eco Mode, hot and cold drinks — and adds genuine customisation on top. If you’ve been using a simpler pod machine and occasionally felt like you wanted more control without switching to a full bean-to-cup setup, the Genio S Plus is the answer.

Best for: Coffee enthusiasts who want espresso intensity and temperature control without leaving the pod ecosystem.

Genio S Touch — Best for Premium Buyers

The Genio S Touch is the flagship model, adding a touchscreen interface to the full Genio S Plus feature set. Everything on the Plus — Espresso Boost, temperature control, XL function, Eco Mode — is present here, with the touchscreen providing a sleeker, more intuitive way to control it all. Pricing typically sits in the £90–£110 range.

Whether the touchscreen is worth the premium over the Genio S Plus is a fair question. The underlying coffee quality and feature set are the same; the Touch is really about the experience of using the machine day-to-day. If you appreciate a polished interface and the machine is going to sit prominently on your counter, the upgrade can feel worthwhile. If you’re primarily focused on what ends up in the cup, the Genio S Plus is the smarter spend.

Best for: Those who want the full Dolce Gusto feature set with a premium touchscreen finish.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Model	Type	Tank	Eco Mode	XL Function	Espresso Boost	Temp Control	Touch Screen	Approx. UK Price
Piccolo XS	Manual	0.8L	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	~£25
Mini Me	Automatic	0.8L	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	~£40–£45
Infinissima	Manual	1.2L	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	~£40–£70
Genio S	Automatic	0.8L	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	~£62
Genio S Plus	Automatic	0.8L	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	~£86
Genio S Touch	Automatic	0.8L	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	~£90–£110

Prices correct at time of writing — check Amazon UK and retailer listings for current deals as these fluctuate.

What Do the Pods Cost to Run?

The machine price is only part of the picture — pod running costs matter too, especially if you’re drinking two or three coffees a day.

• Cheapest option: L’OR Lungo pods on Amazon UK come in at around 25p per cup, making them the most affordable way to run a Dolce Gusto machine
• Own-brand pods: Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods typically run at around 33p per cup for simpler drinks
• Milk-based drinks: Cappuccino and latte pods use a two-pod system (one for coffee, one for milk), which brings the cost up to around 95p per drink — still cheaper than the high street, but worth factoring in if these are your go-to drinks

For context, even at 95p a drink, you’re saving significantly compared to a £4–£5 Costa or Starbucks equivalent. If you’re making two lattes a day, the machine pays for itself within weeks. Take a look at our coffee bar accessories guide for other ways to build out your setup without overspending.

Which Dolce Gusto Machine Should You Buy?

Here’s the honest summary:

• Best budget pick: Piccolo XS at around £25 is outstanding value for casual drinkers and anyone new to pod coffee
• Best all-rounder: Mini Me at £40–£45 offers automatic convenience and the highest volume of positive reviews in the range — if you’re undecided, this is where to land
• Best for style: Infinissima if you want a design-forward machine with a larger tank and don’t mind manual control
• Best for coffee purists: Genio S Plus gives you the Espresso Boost and temperature control that will genuinely make a difference to how your coffee tastes
• Best premium option: Genio S Touch if you want every feature the range offers wrapped in a touchscreen interface

If you already have a Dolce Gusto machine and are weighing it against switching to a different system entirely, it’s also worth reading our Best Dolce Gusto Machine UK guide which covers the full range in more detail and walks through who should stay in the Dolce Gusto ecosystem versus who might be better served by a different setup.

The right choice really does come down to how you use it. A single person making one espresso a day has completely different needs to a family of four who all want different drinks on a weekend morning. Use the table above, match your habits to the right model, and you’ll be making great coffee at home for years.

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Continue Your Journey

• Best Dolce Gusto Machine UK 2026: Which One Is Actually Worth Buying? — Our full guide to the range with retailer comparisons and buying advice
• How to Set Up a Home Coffee Bar: The Ultimate UK Guide — Where to place your machine, what else you need, and how to build a setup you’ll love
• Best Coffee Bar Accessories UK — The extras that make a real difference once your machine is in place
• Best Coffee Maker Under £50 UK — If you’re weighing Dolce Gusto against other budget options, this is worth a read
• Best Coffee Machines for Home UK (2026) — The broader landscape of home coffee machines if you’re not set on a pod system

Which Dolce Gusto machine are you considering, or are you already a fan of the range? Drop a comment below — we’d love to know which model you ended up with and why.

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