Nespresso CitiZ vs Nespresso Pixie

If you put the Nespresso CitiZ next to the Pixie, you’ll think you’re seeing double. These are two lookalike espresso machines, and their similarity doesn’t apply to their design only. The CitiZ and the Pixie brew espresso the same way and are very compact. However, the two Nespresso machines have some differences that make one of the machines better than the other.

Summary

Nespresso CitiZ

Editor’s rating: 4.5 Star Editor's Rating

Nespresso by De'Longhi EN167B Original Espresso Machine by De'Longhi, 2.3, BlackKey features:

  • Works with Nespresso capsules
  • Built-in Aeroccino milk frother
  • Espresso and Lungo button
  • Capsule trash container
  • Stainless steel cup support and drip tray
  • Cup support is foldable
  • Drip tray is foldable
  • 34-ounce water tank

Pros

Very compact

Makes milk-based and coffee-based drinks

Very easy to use

Adjustable cup sizes

Tray design that can accommodate cups with different sizes

Cons

No filter

It’s bigger, so it requires a bit more cleaning

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Nespresso Pixie

Editor’s rating: 4 Star Editor's Rating

Nespresso by De'Longhi EN125S Original Espresso Machine by De'Longhi, Nespresso Pixie, Aluminum Key features:

  • Single-serve
  • Single and double shots
  • Adjustable cup seizes
  • Works with Nespresso capsules
  • Handle to open the brew chamber
  • Capsule waste container
  • 24-ounce water tank
  • Adjustable tray

Pros

Great crema

19-bar pressure pump

Foldable tray

Very compact and easy to use

Affordable

Cons

No filter

Makes coffee-based drinks only

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Our pick: Nespresso CitiZ

The built-in milk frother and the larger water tank made us choose the Nespresso CitiZ as the winner in this battle of the two pod-based espresso machines. These two advantages of the CitiZ make it a more versatile machine that can meet the needs of many customers out there. Therefore, with the CitiZ you get a compact, easy to use espresso machine that makes delicious espresso and milk based-drinks at the touch of a button.

About Nespresso CitiZ

Did you know?

The Nespresso CitiZ won a Red Dot Design Award.

The Nespresso CitiZ looks ultra-modern and classy and it comes in red black white or chrome. Its compact design features an elegant espresso machine with a removable water tank, drip tray, and capsule container. The unit has only two brew buttons, one for espresso and another one for lungo.

This is a single-serve machine capable of brewing coffee drinks at the touch of a button. The lights of the espresso and lungo buttons on the CitiZ are backlit and they also let you program the volume of the coffee in your cup. The CitiZ heats up in 25 seconds to brew you the espresso with the help of its 19-bar pressure pump. The water tank on this machine has a capacity of 34 ounces.

What is great about this machine is that it comes with an integrated Aeroccino 3 milk frother. The milk frother is amazing itself, and it has two attachments that you can put inside of it. One of the attachments will make you thicker milk foam, while the other will heat your milk up and create airier foam. Therefore, with the CitiZ and the Aeroccino 3, you’ll have all of your favorite milk-based drinks covered.

You can fold the drip tray on the CitiZ to be able to place a larger coffee cup underneath the machine. The machine doesn’t have cup support, but this is fine because the coffee spout is low enough to not make a mess on your kitchen counter when it extracts the coffee into your cup.

About Nespresso Pixie

The Nespresso Pixie is often compared with other Nespresso machines like the VertuoLine or the Inissia. It comes in beautiful electric titan, steel, or carmine and will decorate your kitchen counter while brewing you the espresso or lungo of your preference. This machine has two buttons on its housing, there’s a handle that opens its brew chamber, and there’s a 24-ounce water tank on its back. The machine will alert you when it’s time to refill the tank.

The drip tray and the inside capsule container on this machine are easily removable. Furthermore, you can fit different cups underneath the machine because its cup support and drip tray are foldable. Both the drip tray and the capsule container on the Pixie are very easy to clean.

The Nespresso Pixie works with Nespresso capsules, and it takes 25 seconds to heat up to reach the optimal temperature for brewing the espresso. The machine uses a 19-bar pressure pump to prepare you espresso or lungo, and it also lets you customize the volume of your coffee drinks.
The Pixie machine sells as an espresso machine without a milk frother. To prepare milk-based drinks on the Pixie, you’ll need to borrow the Aeroccino 3 frother separately or get the bundle which includes the frother together with the machine.

Similarities between the Nespresso CitiZ and the Nespresso Pixie

The CitiZ and the Pixie definitely have a lot of similarities. First of all, they both are Nespresso OriginalLine machines and they really look similar. Then, they are both pod-based espresso machines that make coffee at the touch of a button, and they both let you program the volume in your coffee. Furthermore, both of these machines are very compact, easy to use, and easy to clean.

To brew your espresso, both the CitiZ and the Pixie use a 19-bar pressure pump and they heat up the water with single boilers. They both take 25 minutes to heat up and they both can accommodate cups with different sizes due to the design of their drip trays. Furthermore, after the brewing is done, the capsules that you’ve used go in a capsule compartment which both of the machines have.

Differences between the Nespresso CitiZ and the Nespresso Pixie

The first difference that someone notices between these two machines is that the Nespresso CitiZ comes with an integrated Aeroccino 3 milk frother. In the case of the Pixie, you can either buy this frother separately or you can purchase the machine in a bundle with the frother.

Another difference between the two machines is the size of their water tanks. The CitiZ has a 34-ounce water tank, while the Pixie has a tank with a capacity of 24 ounces. Therefore, if you want a machine with a bigger tank, you should go for the CitiZ.

The CitiZ is, however, a bit less compact than the Pixie. The Pixie measures 12.8 x 9.3 x 4.4 inches, while the CitiZ measures 14.7 x 10.8 x 8.6 inches. Even though the difference in size is so small, the Pixie will still fit somewhere on your counter where the CitiZ won’t be able to.

These two machines also have different mechanisms for approaching their capsule chambers. The CitiZ has a plate that you need to open and close in order to put the capsule in and brew your espresso. The Pixie, on the other hand, has a handle that you press on to expose and hide the capsule chamber on the front of the machine. However, the brew quality of both of the machines is similar.

The Pixie, furthermore, comes in fewer colors than the CitiZ. However, that doesn’t mean that the color palette of the CitiZ will find a way to your heart. But yes, the CitiZ does offer more color options than the Pixie.
Finally, the Pixie is cheaper than the CitiZ. No matter how you buy the Pixie (with the Aeroccino 3 frother or without it), it is the more affordable machine of the two of them.

Which one should you go with?

Ultimately, we do think that the Nespresso CitiZ is a better option than the Nespresso Pixie. It was tough to pick a winner between the two machines because what you ultimately get from the two machines is a great-quality espresso.

However, the CitiZ comes with a bigger water tank, and if you remove its drip tray, you can actually accommodate larger cups underneath its coffee spout than the cups you can accommodate underneath the Pixie. Furthermore, the CitiZ comes with an integrated Aeroccino 3 milk frother which makes it a bit more convenient to use since it’s already a whole machine.

Nevertheless, if you really need your espresso machine to be as smaller as possible, already have a milk frother, or don’t want milk in your coffee, you could purchase the Pixie.

You’re also always kindly welcomed to check out other Nespresso machines to buy if you feel like that will give you more perspective on these coffee makers.

10 thoughts on “Nespresso CitiZ vs Nespresso Pixie”

    • Hello, dear commentee, and thanks for coming as you are!! :)) ☕

      All of those espresso machines are decent; the thing is that De’Longhi is a third-party manufacturer of espresso machines of the Nespresso brand. Other companies like Magimix and Krups do this too, and the machines they make are reported to be reliable by many customers, so don’t worry about their quality.

      Greetings from the team of the Morning Call Coffee Stand!! :)) ☕

      Reply
    • Hi, Ian!! Any interesting coffee story today? :)) ☕

      No, Nespresso machines don’t work with milk capsules, but they do come with milk systems or can be paired with one. If you, however, prefer milk capsules, we suggest you check out the Tassimo coffee maker by Bosch. You can purchase the coffee maker if you click on the following link:
      https://amzn.to/2YgX8XW

      For more information on the Tassimo, you can watch this YouTube video:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHsOR7U9Zdo

      Take care and thank you for your question!! :)) ☕

      Reply
  1. Does Krups make the CitiZ and the Pixie? I find it to be a more trustworthy brand. Thanks in advance, @morningcallcoffeestand.

    Reply
    • Hello, Stephen!! Thanks a lot for your question!! :)) ☕

      Yes, Krups does make the CitiZ and the Pixie.

      We hope that you’ll soon buy your favorite Nespresso machine from the brand you trust the most!! Have a good day!! :)) ☕

      Reply
    • Hello there!! :)) ☕

      We’re very glad that you like both of these models!!

      You’re welcome and we hope you’re having a great day!! :)) ☕

      Reply
  2. I read both of your articles – the one where you compare the inissia and the pixie and this one and I need your advice. I don’t drink much coffee (once or twice a day) but I like it really hot and I like it to be creamy. What’s the best espresso machine for me? For the milk I have frother (thought I should mention).

    Reply
    • Hello, anonymous person!! We hope that our answer to this question will lead you to the cup of coffee of your dreams!! :)) ☕

      The Inissia, the Pixie, and the CitiZ are all espresso machines from Nespresso’s Original Line, which means that they all make espresso with dense and creamy crema. The espresso machines from the Original Line also brew the coffee at a higher temperature than the Vertuo Line machines (83-86 degrees Celsius for the Original Line machines and ±78 degrees Celsius for the Vertuo Line ones).
      As far as we’re informed, each machine model brews the coffee at the designated temperatures for the line it belongs to, so there should be no brew temperature-related differences between the models that belong to the same line. The same ‘rule’ applies to the quality of the crema that the models from the two lines make: the crema is dense and creamy for every Original Line espresso machine.
      Since you’ve already read our reviews on these three Nespresso machines, you are probably familiar with the differences between them. It is this difference in features that can help you pick the Nespresso machine that you most like out of the three of them. :))

      We hope that we answered your question well. In case you need more information, don’t hesitate to contact us!! Kind regards!! :)) ☕

      Reply

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