Comparison · Pod machines
Tassimo vs Dolce Gusto vs Nespresso: which pod system costs least?
Machine prices, pod prices per drink, milk drinks and recycling for the three big UK pod systems, with prices checked at Currys and Morrisons on 3 Oct 2026.
Tassimo vs Dolce Gusto vs Nespresso comes down to two numbers: what the machine costs you today and what each drink costs you every morning after that. On prices we checked on 3 Oct 2026, Dolce Gusto had entry machines from £30, and Dolce Gusto had the cheapest black coffee per drink. Nespresso Original had cheap compatible pods but pricier machines, and we couldn’t verify Vertuo’s pod costs. We haven’t tested this in person. This guide uses Currys’ and Morrisons’ listings and Podback’s site, with prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
Tassimo vs Dolce Gusto vs Nespresso: the short answer
Choose Dolce Gusto if you want the lowest outlay and cheap everyday coffee. The Piccolo XS was £30.00 at Currys (checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change), and Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano was £6.50 for 30 servings at Morrisons, about 22p a drink.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who mostly drinks espresso and wants a wide range of coffee brands. At Morrisons, Dolce Gusto pods were mostly Nescafé and Starbucks, plus a few compatibles such as Costa’s.
Choose Tassimo if you like branded drinks from the high street, such as Costa, Kenco, L’OR and Cadbury hot chocolate. Check the Tassimo Style’s current price at Currys.
Who it isn’t for: espresso drinkers. Currys lists Tassimo machines at 3.3 bar, far lower than the other two systems.
Choose Nespresso Original if espresso is your drink and you want lots of pod brands. Compatible capsules started at 25p each at Morrisons (checked 3 Oct 2026), though the CitiZ machine was £174.99 at Currys.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants milk drinks from a pod. You’ll need a frother or a machine with milk built in.
Choose Nespresso Vertuo if you want large mugs and carafe sizes from one button. The Vertuo Next was £69.99 at Currys (checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change).
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants supermarket pods. We found none for Vertuo, and Nespresso’s own pod prices wouldn’t load for us.
What the machines cost
These are the entry-level machines we found at Currys on 3 Oct 2026 (prices can change):
- Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS EDG210.BGY: £30.00, prices can change. Currys lists 15 bar and an 800ml tank. See it at Currys
- Tassimo Style TAS112EGB: check price at Currys. Currys lists 3.3 bar and a 0.7-litre tank. See it at Currys
- Nespresso Vertuo Next X910N40: £69.99, prices can change, with a 1.1-litre tank.
- Nespresso CitiZ XN741B40 (Original): £174.99, with a 1-litre tank and 19 bar listed.
Step up a level and the gaps narrow. The Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus was £75.00 at Currys (checked 3 Oct 2026), and the Tassimo Finesse £89.99 at Bosch UK (checked 3 Oct 2026). Our Genio S Plus review and Tassimo Finesse review go into those two in detail.
Morrisons also listed a Bosch Tassimo Style (check price at Morrisons) and had a Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS breakfast bundle at £30.00 (checked 3 Oct 2026). The Tassimo listing was marked “when it’s gone it’s gone”, so it may sell out.
Who it isn’t for: if you’ll only make a few drinks a week, don’t overthink pod costs. The cheapest machine will probably cost you least overall.
What each drink costs
Pod prices at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026. These are single-pack prices, before any multibuy:
Dolce Gusto
- Americano, 30 servings: £6.50, about 22p a drink. See it at Morrisons
- Cappuccino, 30 pods making 15 servings: £6.50, about 43p a drink, because each cappuccino uses two pods.
Tassimo
- Kenco Americano Grande XL, 16 pods: £5.30, about 33p a pod. See it at Morrisons
- Costa Caramel Latte, 6 cups: £5.70, which Morrisons works out at 95p a cup.
Nespresso Original (compatible capsules)
- L’OR Supremo, 40 capsules: £10.00, 25p a capsule. See it at Morrisons
- Starbucks by Nespresso House Blend, 36 pods: £9.25, about 26p a pod.
Nespresso Vertuo
- Neither Morrisons nor Currys showed Vertuo pods online on 3 Oct 2026, and Nespresso UK’s pages wouldn’t load for our checks. We’d rather leave the number out than guess, so check Nespresso’s site before you buy.
Multibuys can shift these numbers. On 3 Oct 2026, Morrisons had multibuys on several Tassimo packs and on the 30-serving Dolce Gusto boxes, so check price at Morrisons.
Who it isn’t for: if you mainly drink milky coffee, the black-coffee figures above flatter every system. Compare the latte and cappuccino prices instead.
Milk drinks
This is where the systems split most clearly.
- Tassimo and Dolce Gusto make lattes and cappuccinos from pods. Many milky drinks use a milk pod plus a coffee pod, which is why a box of 30 Dolce Gusto cappuccino pods makes 15 drinks. Morrisons also sells Tassimo milk creamer pods on their own.
- Nespresso pods are coffee only. For milky drinks you’ll need a separate frother, a bundle such as the Vertuo Next with Aeroccino (£99.00 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change), or a machine with milk built in.
Pod milk is convenient, but it isn’t fresh milk: Morrisons’ listing for the Dolce Gusto cappuccino pods includes whole milk powder. If you’d rather use fresh milk, Nespresso plus a frother is the closer match. Our CitiZ review and Vertuo Next review cover two Nespresso machines without built-in milk.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants fresh, frothed milk from a pod machine without an extra gadget. None of the three does that from a pod alone.
Espresso and coffee range
Currys’ pressure figures give a hint of each system’s focus: 3.3 bar for Tassimo, 15 bar for Dolce Gusto and 19 bar for the Nespresso CitiZ. Tassimo is built around long drinks and branded milky ones. Dolce Gusto covers both, with the Piccolo XS listing at Morrisons claiming more than 40 drink types. Nespresso Original is espresso-first, with a wide choice of pod brands: Morrisons stocked compatibles from L’OR, Lavazza, Starbucks and its own label. Vertuo leans towards bigger cups, and our Vertuo vs Original guide covers that choice.
Who it isn’t for: if you only drink one kind of coffee, the size of the range matters less than the price of that one pod.
Recycling
Podback’s UK site lets you pick Tassimo, Nescafé Dolce Gusto or Nespresso and then enter your postcode to find recycling options. It says it has more than 1,500 drop-off points and that 51% of UK households can recycle pods at a local council recycling centre (checked 3 Oct 2026). See Podback
Who it isn’t for: if recycling is a deal-breaker, check what’s available for your postcode before you choose a system.
Downsides of each system
- Dolce Gusto: a narrower brand choice, and milk drinks take two pods.
- Tassimo: low listed pressure for espresso, and branded milky drinks cost far more per cup than black coffee.
- Nespresso Original: pricier machines at Currys right now, and no milk from pods.
- Nespresso Vertuo: Nespresso’s own pods only, with prices we couldn’t verify.
FAQ
Which pod system is cheapest to run? On Morrisons’ prices on 3 Oct 2026, Dolce Gusto Americano was cheapest at about 22p a drink, with Nespresso-compatible capsules at 25p and Tassimo Kenco at about 33p a pod.
Can Tassimo pods work in a Nespresso or Dolce Gusto machine? No. Each system uses its own pod shape, so buy pods labelled for your machine.
Which system is best for lattes? Best for lattes without extra kit: Tassimo or Dolce Gusto, because the milk comes in a pod. For fresh milk, pair Nespresso with a frother.
Do these machine prices change? They can. The machine prices here are Currys’ listed prices, checked 3 Oct 2026, so check on the day.