Nespresso Vs Keurig: Which Sells Cheaper Coffee Pods?

Having explored the difference between coffee pods and beans and settled on a coffee machine that uses pods, you may now be deciding between two popular brands: Nespresso and Keurig. Along with comparing machine prices and features, it's worth considering which brand sells the cheapest coffee pods. After all, these pods add to the operating cost, and, with coffee products increasing in price, you're likely searching for the most affordable way to get your caffeine fix.

So, which are cheaper? Keurig coffee machine pods (called K-Cups) are generally cheaper than Nespresso pods. Nespresso has two types of pods for different machines: Vertuo and Original. Keurig sells various pods, including its own-brand Keurig Coffee Collective and Green Mountain Coffee, plus coffee from other brands like Lavazza and Cinnabon. Keurig products may also be sold for lower prices than on the website at grocery stores like Walmart. Nespresso can only be carried by approved retailers with standardized pricing. 

Original Nespresso pods cost 90 cents to $1.05, and Vertuo pods cost $1.08 to $1.75. Keurig pods cost approximately 50 to 90 cents each. As a baseline, let's compare medium roast coffee pods; say, Nespresso Genova Livanto and Green Mountain Nantucket Blend. You would pay 90 cents for the Nespresso pod compared to 66 to 81 for the Keurig pod, which could be reduced to 50 cents by buying in bulk. 

You can also set up a recurring purchase subscription with Keurig when shopping on the website, which gets you 25% off. A similar subscription with Nespresso gets you 15% off orders over $75.

So what are the cheapest options from these brands? The price of $6.97 for eight Keurig Coffee Collective pods (87 cents per pod) appears to represent the lowest full sale price of a Keurig-branded product. Keurig Green Mountain generally offers the lowest per-pod prices of around 50 cents. However, this requires a bulk purchase, which costs more up front. For Nespresso Original, 90 cents per pod is the lowest regular price. This jumps to $1.08 minimum if using a Vertuo machine. 

To put this into perspective, using a Nespresso machine once a day will cost you $328.50 per year if buying pods for 90 cents, up to $638.75 for the priciest Vertuo pods. Keurig-branded pods will set you back $182.50 to $328.50 per year, assuming one pod per day at a cost of 50 to 90 cents each. 

If those numbers seem high, consider third-party vendors. For example, Walmart Great Value Keurig-compatible pods cost $4.71 for 12 (39 cents per pod). While Keurig has more third-party coffee pod options than Nespresso, there are a few Nespresso Original-compatible options available, like Thyme and Table Espresso Capsules, which cost $4.76 for 10 (48 cents per pod). Opting for third-party options could lower your yearly one-cup-a-day totals to approximately $175 for Nespresso Original and $142 for Keurig. Do note that finding third-party options for a Vertuo machine is challenging, and the pods for this machine will generally set you back the most.