Nespresso Vertuo Plus Vs Deluxe: What's The Difference?

If you're shopping for a new coffee maker, you certainly won't be in the wrong for choosing one of the many Nespresso machines currently on the market. One of the brand's better options is the Nespresso VertuoPlus, which has an alternate design in the form of the VertuoPlus Deluxe. You may be looking at these and wondering if the Deluxe version is worth the extra money, and while that decision is ultimately yours to make, it's worth avoiding buyer's remorse by familiarizing yourself with what exactly these machines do differently.

To cover our bases, both models are coffee pod machines, which means they use those cute single serve pouches of coffee (sometimes called capsules) instead of loose coffee grounds to make your morning cup of joe. Nespresso has lots of great coffee pod flavors to choose from, but keep in mind that the Vertuo series has its own unique line of coffee pods that are slightly more expensive than the original Nespresso pods. As of the writing of this article, Nespresso has the VertuoPlus listed on its website for $169.99 and the VertuoPlus Deluxe for $199.99. So what exactly does that extra $30 get you?

The Nespresso VertuoPlus first debuted in 2017 and has remained one of the leading coffee pod machines on the market since then. It was an improvement over previous Nespresso Vertuo products in several ways, including a motorized head and a rotating water tank to accommodate different counter space needs. One of the best features of the VertuoPlus is just how easy it is to use. It's a simple machine with only one button that you need to press to get it started. That's really convenient for people who don't want to hassle with ten different technical variables to get their coffee to turn out right.

Each Vertuo coffee pod comes with a barcode that the machine reads to understand how that coffee is supposed to be prepared. The upside of this is obvious: perfect coffee every time with minimal effort. The downside is that there are currently no third party coffee pods that are compatible with the machine, so you'll need to pay full price for the brand name pods. The VertuoPlus offers multiple sizes from espresso up to an 8-ounce cup of coffee, and it will decide which size to dispense depending on the barcode. Keep that in mind when you're buying coffee pods since you won't have the option to change the size using the machine itself.

The Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe uses the same core engineering to produce a similarly high-quality cup of coffee. It uses the same single button interface to start brewing and reads the barcode on the Vertuo coffee pods in exactly the same manner as the standard version. You can expect the size of your coffee to range from a single espresso up to an 8-ounce cup of coffee, just like the standard, and both machines use a similar high-quality hard plastic for the exterior.

So if everything is the same, what exactly is different about the deluxe? There are a few key features that are upgraded; one major, another less so. One minor upgrade is the slightly quicker heat time. The standard version takes 20 seconds to heat the water up to the point where it can begin brewing your coffee, while the deluxe version shortens that to 15 seconds. It's not groundbreaking, but the speed increase is certainly nice. There aren't any additional accessories that come with the VertuoPlus Deluxe unless you're buying it as a bundle, but Nespresso has many accessories that you can buy separately and use to amplify your coffee routine, if that's important to you. The biggest upgrade is to the size of the water tank.

The VertuoPlus has a 40-ounce water tank, which means you can theoretically make five 8-ounce cups of coffee before needing to fill the tank back up. The VertuoPlus Deluxe boasts a 60 ounce water tank, so the trouble of needing to add more water won't come around as often. This is especially useful if you live in a large household with multiple people using the machine on a daily basis. Not only does the coffee get brewed faster but you don't need to stop to refill the tank constantly if there are four or five people living together who are all trying to get their coffee before heading out the door. If you don't entertain guests very often, and your household only brews a couple cups of coffee every day, then the increased water tank size may not matter as much to you, but it is a nice feature regardless.

That being said, the larger water tank is the main upgrade between the standard VertuoPlus and the VertuoPlus Deluxe. Is a 50% increase in water worth the extra price? Maybe, maybe not. For most people, the standard model will work just as well. It's worth mentioning that Nespresso has its machines manufactured by other companies — primarily Breville and De'Longhi. If you purchase your machine anywhere except Nespresso's website, you will see who the manufacturer is. Aesthetic design does vary by manufacturer, though the interior machinery remains the same.