Nespresso Vertuo Pop vs Pop+: What Actually Differs

What the Plus Actually Adds

Three things, and Nespresso prints all of them in its own specification tables: a bigger water tank (0.75 L against 0.56 L), Wi-Fi on top of Bluetooth, and 100 g of extra weight. That is the complete list. The brewing system, the capsule range, the controls and the way the machine behaves when something goes wrong are identical.

Two of the differences most comparison articles lead with — an automatic lid on the Pop+, and no connectivity at all on the Pop — are not in either manual. This page was one of the ones repeating them, until we checked.

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The Three Real Differences

Taken from the specification table in the Vertuo Pop+ manual and the one in Nespresso's combined Next/Pop/Plus manual.

The Deluxe version of the Pop+ is worth knowing about before you shop, because it doubles the tank to 1.1 L — the same capacity as the much larger Vertuo Next — for 100 g more weight than the standard Pop+.

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Two Claims You Will See That Are Not True

"The Pop+ has an automatic lid." It does not. Its own manual tells you to "open then close the machine head" and to leave "the lever in the unlock position" — in the descaling procedure, in the factory reset, and in the connectivity toggle. That is a manual lever, worked by hand, exactly like the Pop.

The motorised head belongs to the Vertuo Plus, which is a different and larger machine (4.6 kg, and no connectivity module listed at all). The names are close enough that the two get blended together constantly.

"The Pop has no app connectivity." The specification table lists Bluetooth at 2.402-2.480 GHz and 4 dBm for the Vertuo Pop. Both machines pair with the Nespresso app. What the Pop+ adds on top is Wi-Fi, which is what allows the machine to talk to Nespresso without your phone acting as the bridge.

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What Does Not Differ At All

This is the part no spec comparison covers, and it is the part that matters once the machine is on your counter. Every one of these is identical on both machines:

• Auto off after 2 minutes of non-use, and a manual off by holding the button for 3 seconds.
• The factory reset: with the machine plugged in, open then close the head, leave the lever unlocked, and press the button 5 times within 3 seconds.
• The blink language. Two blinks and a pause, repeating, means a fault. Three blinks then steady on is the descaling alert. An orange light pulsing down and back up means the machine is cooling after overheating.
• The 20-minute cool-down Nespresso prescribes after heavy use, reached by holding the button 3 seconds to turn off, then back on.
• The troubleshooting list itself — same problems, same remedies, same escalation to "call Nespresso".
• Power draw in the US and Canada: 120 V, 60 Hz, 1500 W on both.

If you are choosing between these two machines on the basis of which one is more reliable or easier to live with when it misbehaves, there is nothing to choose. They are the same machine in that respect.

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How Both Machines Tell You Something Is Wrong

The button light is the whole interface, so it is worth learning before you need it.

One line from the Pop+ manual is worth acting on rather than filing away: after the descaling alert appears, "the machine can be used only a few times" before descaling becomes necessary. It is a countdown, not a suggestion. Our Nespresso descale light guide covers what to do if the alert survives a cycle.

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Does the Tank Difference Actually Change Anything?

It is the only difference with a daily consequence, so it is worth doing the arithmetic rather than trusting the marketing.

A Mug capsule is 230 ml. A 0.56 L Pop tank gives you roughly two mugs before a refill. The 0.75 L Pop+ gives you three. The 1.1 L Pop+ Deluxe gives you four.

For one person drinking one coffee a day, that is the difference between refilling every other day and refilling twice a week — real, but small. For two people, or for anyone brewing Carafe capsules at 535 ml, the base Pop becomes a machine you refill mid-session. That is where the Pop+ earns its price gap, and where the Deluxe earns it twice over.

Note also that the tank is the first thing Nespresso asks you to check for leaking or unusual coffee flow, on both machines. A bigger tank is not a more reliable tank — it is seated the same way and it fails the same way.

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Which One to Buy

Buy the Vertuo Pop if one person drinks one or two coffees a day, counter space is genuinely tight, and you are happy pairing over Bluetooth. Nothing about it is a lesser machine.

Buy the Vertuo Pop+ if more than one person uses it, you brew Mug or Carafe sizes regularly, or you want the machine on Wi-Fi rather than tethered to a phone.

Buy the Pop+ Deluxe if the tank is your only real concern. It is the cheapest route to 1.1 L in the Vertuo line, and it weighs 300 g less than the Vertuo Next, which is the other machine with that capacity.

What should not decide it: reliability, maintenance burden, how the machine warns you, how hard it is to descale, or what happens when it overheats. Those are identical, and any comparison telling you otherwise is guessing.

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FAQ

Is the coffee quality different between the Pop and Pop+?

Nothing in either manual suggests it is. Both draw 1500 W in the US and Canada, both read the same capsule barcodes, both support the same cup sizes, and neither manual publishes a brew temperature or pressure figure. Any claim that one brews hotter than the other is a measurement somebody took, not a manufacturer specification.

Do I need the Nespresso app to use the Pop+?

No. The connectivity module is enabled by default but the machine brews without it, and you can switch it off entirely: with the machine closed and the lever unlocked, unplug it for at least 10 seconds, then press and hold the button while plugging it back in. The button blinks orange to confirm connectivity is disabled, and white if you repeat the steps to turn it back on.

Is the Vertuo Pop+ the same thing as the VertuoPlus?

No, and this is the most common mix-up in the whole Vertuo line. The VertuoPlus is a separate, heavier machine (4.6 kg against 3.6 kg) with a motorised head, and Nespresso's specification table lists no connectivity module for it at all. The Pop+ is a Pop with a bigger tank and Wi-Fi.

Which one has the smaller footprint?

The Pop, but barely — 100 g lighter, and Nespresso only prints dimensions for the Pop+ (219 × 356 × 265 mm). If counter space is the deciding factor, the honest answer is that these two machines occupy almost exactly the same space, and the Pop's advantage is the tank sticking out less rather than the body being smaller.

Can I upgrade a base Pop to Pop+ features later?

No. The tank size and the Wi-Fi module are hardware, and neither manual describes any upgrade path. If you think you will want the larger tank, buy it at the start.

Do they descale the same way?

Yes. The Pop+ procedure is 0.5 L of water plus one unit of Nespresso descaling liquid, with a container of at least 1 L under the outlet, machine on, head closed and lever unlocked. The descaling solution can be harmful, so keep it off your skin and away from your eyes.

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Related Nespresso Guides

• Nespresso Vertuo Next vs Vertuo Pop+: the same comparison against the larger machine
• Nespresso Vertuo Pop Not Working: when the light pattern above turns into a real fault
• Nespresso Vertuo Pop Red Light: the specific alert owners hit most
• Nespresso Descale Light Won't Turn Off: when the three-blink alert survives a cycle
• Nespresso Vertuo Descaling Guide: the full procedure across the Vertuo line

Sources: Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Digital User Manual; User Manual of Vertuo Next, Vertuo Pop and Vertuo Plus Nespresso Coffee Machines.