Both the Keurig K-Mini and the K-Compact have been used in my home hundreds of times. I have liked using both machines because of their small size and I consistently recommend these units to my readers due to the value you get out of both of these machines – they cost very little and perform well.
If you are trying to decide which unit to pickup though then there are a few things that set these coffee makers apart. Let’s quickly summarize the most important differentiating factors that you should consider before making a purchase.
The K-Mini is a water-in-water-out coffee maker that can brew any amount of coffee between 6-12 ounces in size whereas the K-Compact has a small water reservoir located in the back and can only brew 6, 8, and 10-oz cup sizes. Neither machine has a strong button however the K-Mini Plus does making it the best option for making full bodied coffee.
I usually advise people to pick up the K-Compact over the K-Classic because it’s a better value and I advise the K-Mini Plus over the K-Mini or K-Slim because it makes better coffee but the lack of a dedicated water reservoir and a charcoal water filter are significant cons to the Mini and Mini Plus.
If you look at my best Keurig list I have actually included the K-Mini Plus on my list of best value machines and the K-Compact on my list of best entry level (cheap) machines so I do like them both.
► You can get current pricing on the K-Mini Plus through this affiliate link.
I’m going to go into greater depth in this comparison further down this page but first I want to give you the opportunity to see a couple other related comparisons that might make more sense to you.
► In Spring of 2021 Keurig released the new K-Express, it’s a basic entry level machine that may be even better than the K-Compact. You can see my head-to-head comparison here: K-Express vs K-Compact
► You can also see my comparison of the K-Mini to the K-Mini Plus here.
► Here is my page where I have listed my recommended places to buy these machines for the best price possible.
Now with all of that out of the way let’s look at the Mini and the Compact a little more closely by starting with this video I made a while back where I reviewed everything there is to know about the K-Mini Plus.
Basically the K-Compact brews faster than the Mini or the Mini Plus resulting in weaker brewed coffee. Each unit uses the standard single point needle instead of the multi-stream technology used in the K-Supreme line of coffee makers.
The K-Mini brewers are also a bit louder than the Compact but not by much.
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