Minipresso vs Nanopresso: GR2, NS2 or Nanopresso?

Most Minipresso vs Nanopresso comparisons still online were written against the original Minipresso GR, an 8-bar, 360 g tube with a 70 ml tank. On those numbers the Nanopresso won easily. That Minipresso has since been replaced by two new models: the GR2 for ground coffee and the NS2 for Nespresso Original pods. Both are now shorter and lighter than the Nanopresso, hold the same 80 ml of water and carry the same 18-bar rating. So the choice no longer comes down to pressure or size. It comes down to whether you want a brewer that does one job with no extras, or one you can expand later.

This comparison draws on more than 20 video reviews, several of them direct head-to-heads, plus owner comments for the durability picture.

The Short Answer

Get the Minipresso GR2 if you use your own ground coffee and want the smallest, simplest brewer. It takes up to about 12 g without buying anything else, and its pressurized basket copes with an imperfect grind.

Check the Minipresso GR2's price on Amazon

Get the Minipresso NS2 if you only drink Nespresso Original pods. It is the least work of the three and weighs about 100 g less than a Nanopresso fitted with the capsule adapter.

Check the Minipresso NS2's price on Amazon

Get the Nanopresso if you want one brewer that can do ground coffee, pods and double shots, or you expect to start grinding finer and want room to grow. You pay for that with a longer body and extra kits.

Check the Nanopresso's price on Amazon

Minipresso vs Nanopresso: The Specs That Matter

	Minipresso GR2	Minipresso NS2	Nanopresso
Takes	Ground coffee	Nespresso Original pods	Ground coffee; pods with the NS adapter; Dolce Gusto with the DG Kit
Size	125 x 71 x 60 mm	129 x 70 x 60 mm	156 x 71 x 62 mm
Weight	285 g	290 g	336 g
Water tank	80 ml	80 ml	80 ml (larger tank in the Barista Kit)
Dose	8 g; roughly 12 g once the spacer is removed	One pod	8 g stock; WACACO quotes up to 16 g with the Barista Kit
Basket type	Pressurized, 43 mm	Capsule piercing head	Pressurized head with a removable insert
Rated pressure	18 bar	18 bar	18 bar
Heats water	No	No	No

Figures come from WACACO's product pages. For reference, the original Minipresso GR was 175 mm tall, weighed 360 g, held 70 ml and was rated at 8 bar. That's the model most older comparison articles describe.

Why Older Comparisons Get This Wrong

When Ham Radio Crash Course put an original Minipresso and a Nanopresso side by side in 2018, the Nanopresso was the newer, lighter and higher-pressure option. His preference for it came down to handling. The Nanopresso cup screws onto the bottom and stays put. The old Minipresso cup sat loosely on top and kept going missing in his bag.

The GR2 fixes most of that. Its cup, stand and tools pack inside the body, and it is now 50 mm shorter than the Nanopresso. Feeding the Rat Expeditions, who used the old GR for years, noted that you no longer turn the GR2 upside down to fill it. The Nomad Barista makes the same point about the NS2: water goes straight into the top, above the pump. On the Nanopresso the tank is still a separate piece that you fill and screw on.

Pressure and Pumping

All three now carry the same 18-bar figure, and no reviewer measured it on any of them. James Hoffmann, European Coffee Trip and Lance Hedrick all treat the number as marketing, since espresso is normally brewed at around 9 bar. A commenter on the Ham Radio test made the same point and drew several likes for it. Don't let the rating decide this.

Pumping effort varies more with grind and dose than with the model:

• GR2. Reviewers counted about eight strokes before coffee appeared. Mr.Coffee Reviews found it easier to pump than the NS2. Lawson Chapman found the opposite problem: with a fine, firmly tamped dose he could barely move the piston.
• NS2. ADV4ME said it is not a one-handed job. Pressure builds once the pod pierces, after six to eight pumps.
• Nanopresso. European Coffee Trip pumps at roughly one stroke per second. Owners recommend the heel of the hand over the thumb. Ham Radio Crash Course paused about ten seconds after the first few strokes to let the coffee soak before finishing the shot. He did the same on both brewers.

None of the three has a gauge, so you judge the shot by feel. The shot is finished when the piston stops pushing back.

Basket, Dose and the Pressurized Head

This is where the Minipresso and Nanopresso differ most.

The GR2 comes with the bigger dose. Its 43 mm basket takes 8 g, and removing a spacer gets you to about 12 g. Six GR2 reviewers confirmed that. The basket is always pressurized: a valve creates the resistance that a fine grind would normally provide. That's why it tolerates coarser coffee. As Cafelista pointed out, it's also why thick foam on top of the shot doesn't prove the shot is any good.

The Nanopresso takes about 7 to 8 g as standard, which six of its reviewers called a small single. The Barista Kit adds bigger baskets and a longer tank. WACACO's figure is 16 g, but The Nomad Barista and Coffee Coach RYDE settled at around 12 g. The real difference is the insert in the head. Take it out and the Nanopresso brews unpressurized, so a fine, even grind does the work. GadgetViper switched to that mode after a few months. A commenter on The Nomad Barista's range video runs the Barista Kit with the insert removed and called it the most versatile setup WACACO makes. The GR2 has no equivalent option.

So the GR2 gives you a 12 g shot straight out of the box. The Nanopresso needs an add-on to match that, but it can move toward unpressurized brewing as your grinder improves. If you already own a grinder that can go genuinely fine, the Picopresso vs Nanopresso comparison is worth reading as well.

Shot Quality: Closer Than the Marketing Suggests

No reviewer found a clear taste gap between the two families:

Test	Result
Ham Radio Crash Course, original GR vs Nanopresso, same pre-ground coffee, both preheated	Couldn't pick a winner; thought the Minipresso shot might be slightly smoother
Cafelista, six portable brewers ranked	GR2 and Nanopresso tied for fourth; NS2 fifth; Picopresso joint first
ADV4ME, NS2 vs Nanopresso with NS adapter, same pods	Shots tasted very similar
Tom's Guide, GR2 review	Rated the Nanopresso's shot as the stronger, more classic espresso
The Nomad Barista (WACACO ambassador), whole range	Called the Nanopresso shot a little richer and sweeter

With identical settings, they're close. The Nanopresso pulls ahead only once someone uses its Barista Kit or removes the insert and grinds finer. Six GR2 reviewers said its shot falls short of machine espresso, and the Nanopresso with its stock insert gets similar comments about foamy, pale crema.

Two habits matter more than the model. The first is temperature: every brewer here runs cool. The Nomad Barista said the first-generation Minipresso loses heat as water passes through its plastic. Does Coffee got a noticeably better second shot just by using water at a full boil. Preheat by pumping a tank of hot water through first, whichever model you have.

The second is when you stop. Does Coffee weighed an original Minipresso shot: 8 g of coffee gave a good 16.5 g shot, but pumping out the rest of the tank added another 26 g. That's roughly a 5:1 ratio, and he blamed it for years of disappointing results. The 80 ml tank on all three models holds far more water than a single shot needs, so stop near 2:1 and add hot water if you want a longer drink. Our espresso-to-water ratio guide explains the numbers. If shots still taste sour and thin, see espresso channeling.

Capsules vs Ground Coffee

For pod drinkers the choice is the NS2 or a Nanopresso with the NS adapter.

ADV4ME weighed both: 293 g for the NS2 against 398 g for the Nanopresso with the adapter. He also found the NS2 cheaper on WACACO's site than the two bought together. The flavour was much the same. The Nanopresso's advantage is that you can take the adapter off and use ground coffee again. The NS2 can't do that, and WACACO sells no kit to convert it. The Nomad Barista also says the NS2 won't work with refillable steel pods. If you want your own coffee, use a ground-coffee brewer.

Pod owners report different faults on each. About nine NS2 owners across three videos said the capsule head stuck shut after brewing, and around ten reported pods that didn't pierce. On the Nanopresso adapter, one owner reported capsules bursting, and ADV4ME saw water slip past the pod when he pumped hard. The Nanopresso also has a Dolce Gusto kit. None of the Minipresso models does. Our Nespresso-compatible pods roundup covers which pod brands are worth stocking.

Size, Packing and Cleanup

The GR2 and NS2 are about 125 to 130 mm tall. The Nanopresso is 156 mm, and the Barista Kit's extension ring makes it longer still, too long for its original case. If space in a bag or cup holder is tight, either Minipresso wins.

Cleanup is quickest on the NS2, since you just pop the pod out. On the GR2 the spent puck pops out when you press the basket from underneath. The Nanopresso has more small parts. The Nomad Barista likes that its nozzle pops out for cleaning. European Coffee Trip and several owners note that hot water can run onto your hand while you screw the pieces together, and one Ham Radio commenter struggled to get anything other than a wet, messy puck out of it.

Price Tier and the Cost of Add-Ons

Check current prices before you buy. On list prices, the two Minipresso models sit at the low end of WACACO's espresso brewers. The Nanopresso costs a bit more, and the add-ons most reviewers end up recommending (the Barista Kit, NS adapter or DG Kit) are each sold separately. A Nanopresso set up to match what a GR2 does out of the box, a 12 g basket included, costs noticeably more than the GR2. The Picopresso sits above all three.

What Owners Report Over Time

• Nanopresso. It has the longest owner record, dating back to around 2017. Under several reviews, flight attendants, sailors and soldiers describe years of daily use. Problems mostly show up late: seals that leak at the sides, a broken pump part, and one owner whose pump housing began leaking just after the warranty ran out. That owner said he planned to replace it with a GR2.
• Minipresso GR2. Newer, and with fewer comments. Three owners reported a sticking plunger or a leak within months.
• Minipresso NS2. The stuck capsule head and pods that won't pierce are its most common complaints.
• Original Minipresso GR. One long-distance cyclist said shot quality dropped after six months on the road. Does Coffee's unit, a gift from about ten years earlier, still pulled a good shot.

All three come with a one-year WACACO warranty. Test any of them as soon as it arrives.

Where Reviewers Disagreed

Most of the arguments were about technique. Pumping effort split reviewers both ways, and fine grinds explain most hard-to-pump reports. The two reviewers who preferred the Nanopresso's taste were Tom's Guide and The Nomad Barista, who works with WACACO; the three side-by-side tests came out close to even. On pre-ground coffee, Cafelista said the GR2 copes and Tom's Guide found supermarket pre-ground too coarse. Coffee sold as espresso-ground is the safer bet in either brewer.

Which Buyer Gets Which

If you...	Buy
Grind your own coffee and want the smallest kit with no extras	Minipresso GR2
Drink a 12 g shot and don't want to buy an add-on	Minipresso GR2
Only drink Nespresso Original pods	Minipresso NS2
Want pods on some trips and ground coffee on others	Nanopresso with the NS adapter
Want doubles for milk drinks, or plan to brew unpressurized with a better grinder	Nanopresso with the Barista Kit
Use Dolce Gusto capsules	Nanopresso with the DG Kit
Care most about the shot and own a capable grinder	Picopresso

For the whole category, battery-heated brewers included, see the best portable espresso maker roundup. Individual reviews go deeper on each model: Minipresso GR2, Minipresso NS2 and Nanopresso.

An Alternative Worth Considering: The Picopresso

If you're comparing these two because you want better espresso on the road, there's a stronger option. In Cafelista's six-brewer test the Picopresso tied for first while both the Minipresso and Nanopresso finished mid-table. It has a 52 mm unpressurized basket that takes about 18 g. The trade-off is a grinder that can reach true espresso fineness, which our budget espresso grinder roundup covers, and more practice.

See the Picopresso on Amazon

As a Gift: Which to Give

Base the gift on what's already in the person's kitchen:

• They have a Nespresso Original machine: the NS2. It works with the pods they already buy and doesn't need a grinder.
• They grind beans or buy espresso-ground coffee: the GR2. It's small, needs no add-ons, and it forgives the rough grind of a cheap travel grinder.
• They like gadgets, or you aren't sure how they brew: a Nanopresso with the NS adapter covers both pods and ground coffee. Commenters under GadgetViper's videos describe getting exactly that set as a Christmas present.

Add a note: preheat it, and stop pumping before the tank runs dry. Those two steps explain most of the bad first impressions reviewers describe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which makes better espresso, the Minipresso or the Nanopresso?

With the same coffee and preheating, reviewers mostly couldn't tell them apart. Ham Radio Crash Course called it a draw, and Cafelista ranked the GR2 and Nanopresso level. The Nanopresso can edge ahead with the Barista Kit or its insert removed, but only with a grinder that can go fine.

Is the Minipresso GR2 smaller than the Nanopresso?

Yes. The GR2 is 125 mm tall and weighs 285 g. The Nanopresso is 156 mm and 336 g, and longer again with the Barista Kit fitted. Both hold 80 ml of water.

Can the Nanopresso use Nespresso pods like the Minipresso NS2?

Yes, with the NS adapter, which is sold separately. ADV4ME found the shots tasted much the same as the NS2's, but his Nanopresso with the adapter weighed 398 g against 293 g for the NS2.

Can the Minipresso NS2 use ground coffee?

No. It takes Nespresso Original pods only and can't be converted. The Nomad Barista says refillable steel pods don't work in it either. For ground coffee, choose the GR2 or the Nanopresso.

Does the Nanopresso really have more pressure than the Minipresso?

Only compared with the original Minipresso GR, which was rated at 8 bar. The GR2, NS2 and Nanopresso are all rated at 18 bar, and no reviewer measured any of them. Pumping effort depends more on grind and dose than on the rating.

Verdict

The Minipresso vs Nanopresso choice comes down to flexibility, not taste. The GR2 is the better buy for most people who use ground coffee and want a small brewer: it's shorter, lighter and takes a 12 g dose out of the box. The NS2 suits anyone who only drinks Nespresso Original pods. The Nanopresso makes sense if you want one brewer that can take pods, ground coffee and doubles, or one you can switch to unpressurized brewing once you have a better grinder.

View the Minipresso GR2 on Amazon View the Minipresso NS2 on Amazon View the Nanopresso on Amazon

How We Compared Them

Netspresso did not test these brewers in-house. We reused the research behind our three single-model reviews (eight videos per model, plus Tom's Guide's written GR2 review) and added three new videos: Ham Radio Crash Course's back-to-back test, The Nomad Barista's tour of the WACACO range and Does Coffee's weighed Minipresso shots. ADV4ME and Mr.Coffee Reviews covered the pod versions head to head. Specs come from WACACO's product pages, and owner reports from the comments under every video.

We weighted the dimensions by how much they affect a buyer's daily use:

Dimension	Weight	Edge
Shot quality (with preheating)	30%	Tie, slight Nanopresso edge once upgraded
Ease of use and forgiveness	20%	NS2, then GR2
Size and weight	15%	GR2 and NS2
Versatility and upgrade path	20%	Nanopresso
Owner-reported reliability	15%	Nanopresso (longest record), with late seal wear

The Nomad Barista is a WACACO ambassador, so his opinions count as context only. Ham Radio Crash Course and Does Coffee tested the original Minipresso GR. Those videos inform the comparison method and the ratio and preheating findings, not GR2 results. Where only one source made a claim, we name that source.

Sources

• Ham Radio Crash Course: Wacaco Nanopresso Vs Minipresso Comparison & Review
• The Nomad Barista: Reviewing the Entire WACACO Range (and Picopresso Workflow) (WACACO ambassador)
• Does Coffee: Man VS Wacaco, Minipresso Nerd Test
• ADV4ME: Wacaco Nanopresso vs Minipresso NS2
• Mr.Coffee Reviews: GR2 and NS2 side by side
• Cafelista Coffee: ranking of six portable brewers
• James Hoffmann: Product Review: Wacaco Nanopresso
• European Coffee Trip: Nanopresso review
• Coffee Coach RYDE: a Picopresso review comparing it with the Nanopresso
• GadgetViper: Barista Kit video, part 2 of a Nanopresso series
• Lance Hedrick: budget manual espresso tier list
• Brew Coffee Home: a Minipresso GR2 review
• Lawson Chapman: Wacaco Minipresso GR2 Review
• Erin Lawrence: Minipresso NS2 hands-on
• Feeding the Rat Expeditions: Minipresso GR2 review
• Tom's Guide: Wacaco Minipresso GR2 review
• WACACO: Nanopresso, Minipresso GR2 and Minipresso NS2 product pages