Put simply, fully automatic espresso machines may have defects with unfamiliar materials, experience common tech glitches, or be noisy.

And even the easiest-to-use automatic espresso machine will still require some maintenance on your end. Things go wrong often.

So am I telling you to not buy one?

Of course not!

Fully automatic espresso machines are WONDERFUL. Despite the flaws that even the best have, they can make life much easier, and pay for themselves after a year or two.

The key thing though, is that you consider carefully what your deal breakers are, and what you prioritize.

Some people have families or roommates that could incentivize quieter and/or smaller fully automatic espresso machines.

Some people may want a machine that’s good for a household, or at least more than one person. Those people will need to prioritize performance and durability, and may need to be willing to invest more heavily in a machine.

If you have simpler tastes, then don’t bother with fully automatic espresso machines with loads of settings. But if you’re sharing with people, or just enjoy mixing things up, get one that lets you

Plus, consider how much ease of use is key here. Sure, the point of a fully automatic espresso machine is ease of use. But even here, there are variations:

A device that’s easier to clean is going to be a worthy consideration for almost everyone. And it should be.

But how much more will you pay for advanced self-cleaning features, when you’ll still have to clean it manually anyway? Because even the best machines need to be cleaned manually.

That’s generally because fully automatic espresso machines are delicate, and prefer higher quality coffee beans and roasts. And in regards to espresso specifically, not just machines, finer grinds are usually preferable.

The good thing about fully automatic espresso machines is, unlike semi-automatic ones, they come with bean grinders built-in. Basically all the options on this list let you choose basic degrees of bean grind, from fine to coarse.

So if you’re picky about your coffee, you should double-check your target espresso machine has a grinder and settings for the grinds.

Now aside from that, there’s milk:

Although for the most part fully automatic espresso machines reduce the amount of work you need to do, there’s still some variation.

Some machines will use auto-frothing steam wands. You have to use them manually to top your coffee, but it’s not very hard to do. The higher-end machines will usually make even this more automatic.

These have attachable milk containers with connected tubes and spouts to do the frothing. In those cases, it’s basically one-touch: you press a button or two, and even the milk will be frothed for you without intervention.

To use an example from the list, here’s the KRUPS machine with a built-in milk froth system:

And here’s the version without a built-in milk frother:

Whether that’s worth it or not is really up to you:

Some people really like frothing the milk themselves, since it’s not too hard. Even aside from being fun, it allows you to practice and learn how to make your favorite drinks. Plus, you usually save money for it.

Others will swear by fully automatic milk frothing. They’ll often argue that if you’re already investing hundreds into a fully automatic espresso machine, you may as well go all the way, and get one with a separate carafe or milk container.

And there’s one last point you should look out for:

There’s a basic bulkiness that is inevitable with fully automatic espresso machines. But there’s still a range, and that varies not just from aesthetic choices, but from features.

To give you a good example—a separate milk jug/container will naturally take up more space, especially if the machine has a holder for that container built-in.

And the reason this matters?

You’ll need to reach into and open parts of your machine regularly. Whether it’s because you’re filling in coffee beans, or cleaning the machine, or trying to check out an issue.

So will you have room to do that given your existing kitchen, or counter space? Whether it’s in a home or office, you should have a machine that you can easily manage, physically.

And that especially includes height—if your machine is tall and right below a cabinet, it could be hard to feed coffee beans into it.

There’s one last important note about machine sizes:

The dimensions of your espresso machine could mean your dispenser/drink spout has a low height. Meaning, you can only fill small cups.

This may be fine for many people, but if you often take larger cups with you on the go, or just prefer larger cups in general, this is an important point to note.

You should either look at the listed dimensions of a product to see how tall of a cup you could fill—the seller will often tell you—or look for fully automatic espresso machines with adjustable heights.