If you’re in the market for a coffee maker under $50, then you’re looking for a deal. The good news is that you can get a great coffee maker at this price point. The bad news is that the market is flooded with models that claim to be great but don’t live up to those claims.
We don’t want you to spend money on a coffee machine that breaks down or does not work well. That’s why we’ve created this list of reviews of the best coffee makers under $50. Get to know these coffee machines, and you won’t get burned. We’ve also created a buyer’s guide that is designed to give you a lot of good information about coffee makers so that you can figure out which model is the best one for you, even if you’ve never owned a coffee maker before.
Our Favorite 2024 Choices Compared:
| Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall
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Gevi 12-Cup Programmable |
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CHULUX |
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Best Value
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BLACK+DECKER |
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Hamilton Beach |
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BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup |
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The 5 Best Coffee Makers under $50:
1. Gevi 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker – Best Overall
The Gevi 12-Cup Programmable feels much more expensive than its under-$50 price tag. It offers an impressive array of features that make for an excellent coffee-making experience. This model is conveniently programmable, meaning that you can prepare everything ahead and set it to brew before you wake up. It also has a satisfying square design that will fit easily on most kitchen counters.
We liked the included mesh filter basket, which is easy to clean, and the spill-proof glass carafe. Plus, with a 12-cup capacity, you can easily brew for a crowd. Overall, this is a great coffee maker for both home use and medium-duty office use.
The downsides? It doesn’t beep when the coffee finishes brewing, so you’ll have to pay more attention. We also couldn’t find a warranty for this model.
Despite those minor drawbacks, we think this is the best coffee maker under $50.
- Programmable
- Dripless glass carafe
- Satisfying square design
- Sturdy and expensive-feeling
- Great value
- No beep when coffee brews
- No warranty
2. CHULUX Coffee Maker
The Chulux is a great single-serve coffee maker that you can get for less than $50. While there are more feature-heavy brewers on the market, if you just want to make a single, simple cup of coffee, then you should check this model out. It’s extremely easy to use, add water, add your coffee, turn the lock, hit the power button, and you’re good to go.
This is a K-cup compatible machine and works with both first and second-generation K-cups. It’s also an extremely compact design. It only stores as much water as it needs for a single cup, so there’s no bulky water container on the side or back of the unit like there are with other models. However, like many cheap brewers, it does suffer from poor quality control, so you might get a great unit or one that doesn’t last long at all. Overall, if you’re in the market for a very cheap single-serve coffee maker, you can’t go wrong with this model.
- Easy to use
- K-cup compatible
- Compact design
- Inconsistent quality
3. BLACK+DECKER Coffee Maker – Best Value
The BLACK+DECKER is our choice for best for the money. Right off the bat, it’s clear that this is a utilitarian model meant to make coffee and do in a no-frills manner. There’s one button on this model, which comes as a surprise in a world where coffee makers are growing increasingly complex. But, that’s good news if you want a simple-to-use machine.
It comes with a water window, which shows you what percentage of the carafe will be filled. This is good for when you don’t want to make a full pot of coffee, or for when you want to make sure you don’t overfill the unit. It also comes with a dishwasher-safe filter basket, which makes cleaning it easy. Unfortunately, the design means that water runs quickly through the coffee grounds, which results in a below-average strength of coffee. This will matter to some people more than others. If you routinely mix sugar and cream into your coffee, you might notice at all. Overall, this is a great coffee machine for people who just want to make coffee and provides great value for the price.
- Dishwasher-safe filter basket
- Water window
- Simple design
- Below-average coffee flavor
4. Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker
The Hamilton Beach is an example of a company doing everything on the outside of the machine right but failing to get the basic functions working. The model features a super attractive stainless-steel design that you wouldn’t think would be available for less than $50. It’s a single-serve machine that works by having you place loose coffee grounds in a reusable basket. It also comes with what are, in theory, regular and bold brewing options.
Unfortunately, these don’t live up to their names. Regular is incredibly weak, and bold isn’t that strong. The coffee temperature is also underwhelming. You may need to microwave the coffee after brewing to get it hot enough. This is a pain because it’s a slow machine that takes a long time to brew. Overall this machine doesn’t provide great value for the price, and you’d be better off looking into other models that do a better job.
- Attractive design
- Regular and Bold brews
- Single-serving
- Not hot enough
- Slow
- Makes weak coffee
5. BLACK+DECKER Coffee Maker
The BLACK+DECKER is in every way the coffee maker that you would expect a tool company to make. The best features of this model are all related to the carafe and not the machine itself. It features a wide mouth, which makes it very easy to clean. It also comes with a no-drip rim, which means you’ll have to do less cleaning up.
However, one of the worst design flaws also has to do with the carafe. In theory, it’s vacuum-sealed and keeps heat in for hours at a time. This is rarely the case. That’s not the only thing that might go wrong, but it’s a likely problem. The rest of the model suffers from cheap parts and subpar design, which means that you should expect something to break down the line. It’s not always clear which part it’s going to be, but you shouldn’t expect a long life out of this unit.
If you get this model, you’re in for a frustrating time. It’s probably better to just steer clear of this one and choose a better model.
- No-drip carafe
- Easy-to-clean
- Quality varies
- Carafe doesn’t hold heat
Buyer’s Guide – Finding the Best Coffee Maker under $50
If you’ve never owned a coffee maker before, or if you’re an old pro, you can stand to gain more knowledge about coffee makers. If you’re shopping on a budget of $50 or less, you’re going to want to get the most value for your money. This guide is designed to make sure that you know how to do just that.
Number of Cups
It’s important to consider the number of cups that you’re going to need to brew. If you’re just making coffee for one person, and they only drink one cup at a time, a single-serve brewer can be a great investment. This way you won’t waste coffee. Some of these models also allow for brewing with loose coffee grounds instead of only with K-cups, so you’re not locked into that expensive system if you don’t want to be. Of course, if you’re looking to use K-cups, single-serve machines are the way to go.
However, if you’re going to be making a lot of coffee for a lot of people, you’re going to want a traditional coffee maker that makes multiple servings of coffee each time you brew.
Additional Features
Considering that you’re looking for the best coffee maker under $50, you can’t expect too many additional features. However, some models do come with features that make using them easier. You can get models with programmable brewing in this price range, making it so that you can wake up to a cup of ready-to-drink coffee. Likewise, you can find K-cup compatibility on some of these models, and many of them will come with features that make them easy to clean and use. If you’re looking for a coffee maker that just makes a cup of good coffee and doesn’t have a lot of frills, you can find exactly what you’re looking for in this price range.
Which coffee maker is right for you?
Before you buy anything, think about what you’re looking for. If you’re getting a single-serve coffee maker but have never used K-cups before, you might want to get a coffee maker that can handle K-cups and loose coffee grounds. You may find that the ease of using K-cups outweighs the extra cost. Likewise, don’t get a single-serve machine if you’re going to be making coffee for a lot of people at once.
Overall, make sure that you get the machine that best suits your needs, and you should be happy with your purchase for a long time to come.
Final Verdict:
The Gevi 12-Cup Programmable is a coffee maker with the features of a much more expensive model, and easily takes the top position on our list of best coffee makers under $50. The Chulux is a great single-serve model but suffers from inconsistent quality that bumps it down to second place. The BLACK+DECKER is the best value for the money, coming with a design that is both simple to use and to clean. The Hamilton Beach looks great but usually doesn’t make great coffee. The BLACK+DECKER suffers from a lot of problems and doesn’t provide much upside.
Hopefully, our reviews of the best coffee makers under $50 have helped you understand what’s important when it comes to value coffee makers. It’s not always easy to shop online, but now that you’re informed, you should be able to find the model that’s best for you without breaking the bank.
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