Keurig K50 vs K55 Coffee Makers Review 2020 & Differences Comparison

CoffeeVerdict is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks!

When Keurig released the K55, the market expected it to be a revamped version of the K45 that was experiencing some performance glitches. However, it came out as a replica of the K50 that also had several issues that needed to be addressed urgently. This has been the cause of a very heated debate for the last couple of years.

On paper, these 2 models look very much the same and actually use the same user guide that Keurig calls the K-Classic user guide. For this reason, most reviewers who compare Keurig K50 vs K55 in 2020 solidly conclude that these 2 are the same thing. The general argument is that Keurig re-released the K50 under a new name as a marketing strategy to increase their sales.

While we can’t deny this possibility, we feel there are a few nuances that most K50 vs K55 articles overlook. At CoffeeVerdict, we believe that these minute differences are what matter most when pulling a cup of Joe.

So, let’s get to it, ‘‘what is the difference between Keurig K50 and K55?’’

Keurig K50 vs. K55 Comparison Table

	Keurig K50	Keurig K55
Size	9.8 x 13 x 13.3 inches	10.1 x 13.2 x 13.3 inches
Weight	7.6 lbs	12 lbs
Water Reservoir Capacity	48oz	48oz
K-Cup compatibility	Most branded and non-branded K-cups	Most branded and non-branded K-cups
Cup Size	6oz, 8oz, and 10oz	6oz, 8oz, and 10oz
Auto-Off	Yes (after 2 hours)	Yes (after 2 hours)
Activated Charcoal filter	No	Yes
Brewing Noise	Relatively quiet	Notably higher
Descale Alert Light	Yes	Yes
Price	$$	$
	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon | Read Our Review

Keurig K50 vs K55 Review Overview

The K55 and K50 are from Keurig’s ‘older’ K1.0 line. So that you know, most of its newly released coffee makers are designed with the K2.0 concept.

The thing with the K1.0 production line is that its coffee machines are compatible with pretty much all branded and non-branded K-cups. This is what makes these 2 machines so popular among coffee aficionados who want to experiment with different coffee brands.

The K50 came first, followed by the K55, which was intended to replace the now discontinued Keurig K45. As the Keurig K50 vs K55 coffee maker comparison table above shows, these machines are notably very similar in most aspects. You’d be hard-pressed to tell one model from the other if they were placed side to side. However, a close-up examination of their exterior as well as interior workings, will reveal a few differences that could easily sway your decision.

Keurig Coffee Maker K50 vs K55 Comparison: Differences

Look and Build

These coffee machines are strikingly similar in design. They feature the iconic king-cobra blocky design that is unique to classic Keurig coffee machines. Whether they are attractive or not is more a personal opinion considering that there are supporters on both sides of the divide. What’s clear, however, is that both of them will be among the most easily noticeable appliances in your kitchen.

The differences in the look and build of the K50 Keurig vs K55 start showing once you start scrutinizing their exact measurements.

The K50 is 9.8 inches wide, 13 inches deep, and 13.3 inches tall. The K55, on the other hand, maxes out at 10.1 inches wide, 13.2 inches deep, and 13.3 inches tall.

The difference in measurements is quite minuscule and almost negligible if your purchase decision lies solely on the most compact. We can’t say the say about the weight, though.

At around 12 lbs, the K55 is the heaviest of the duo. It is actually almost twice as heavy as the K50 that comes in at approximately 7.6 lbs.

Keeping in mind that the 2 coffee makers are almost similar in size, could this variance in weight be attributed to differences in the interior components and workings? We’ll find out this later in the brew comparison section below.

Another significant difference worth noting in this Keurig K50 vs K55 comparison is the colors available. While the K50 comes in one color only, black, the K55 offers 3 color options on Amazon; red (rhubarb), black, and white. This could be another determining factor is you have a particular color in mind.

Keurig Coffee Maker K50 vs K55 Comparison: Brew Comparison

Hands down, the easiest way to determine whether a coffee machine is worth its weight in gold is by the quality of its brew.

Brew quality in a coffee machine is a complex aspect that is determined by a set of variables. The most important of these include the method of saturation, the temperature of the water, brewing pressure, water filtration, and, of course, the quality of the coffee pod.

These models use the same pressure-based brewing technology that most Keurig coffee machines are designed with. The brewing process starts the moment you position a pod in the brewing chamber, and a pair of needles punctures through the top and bottom of the cup.

Once the water has heated and you’ve selected your desired cup size from the 3 options (6, 8, and 10oz), a pump pushes the water up through a set of tubes and into the coffee pod through the entrance needle. The pressure and temperature of the water cause saturation, and coffee pours through the exit needle at the bottom into your cup.

To complement the identical brewing system, both the K55 and K50 have similar size water reservoirs with a capacity of 48oz.  

Considering the similarities in brewing technology, water reservoir capacity, and universal k-cup compatibility, it’s easy to assume that these 2 machines won’t differ in terms of final brew quality and taste.

Before jumping into the conclusion, though, we need to highlight 2 critical differences that most K50 Keurig vs K55 comparison sources don’t pay attention to, yet, they matter a big deal: brew time and water filtration.

Both of these makers take anywhere between 4 and 5 minutes to heat the water to the ideal brewing temperatures. Upon selecting your brew size, the K55 will create your coffee in utmost 1 minute while the K50 may require around 30 more seconds.

Again, whether or not these 30 seconds will make a significant difference will depend on how tight your mornings are.

Moving on to our last consideration in this section, the K55 has an activated charcoal filter in its water reservoir while the K50 lacks it.

What difference does this make?

Well, if you use unfiltered tap water, this filter will help in removing chlorine and sediment and also reducing the hardness of the water.

All these are factors that could affect the quality of your brew. Also, these water contaminants could increase scale buildup in the boiler and internal water systems, thereby leading to prolonged water-heating times, low brewing temperatures, and total machine breakdown in extreme cases.

This could explain why people who compare the K50 and the K55 affirm that the latter makes stronger, tastier, and smoother coffee.

Notably, several testers who used filtered water on both machines said that they would not discern any difference in taste.

However, we did come across several Keurig K50 reviews highlighting a plastic smell with this coffee maker- an issue that doesn’t seem to affect the K55.

Keurig Coffee Maker K50 vs K55 Comparison: Strength, Reliability, and Durability

The K55 and K50 are made from the same hard plastic materials that Keurig uses for its coffee makers, including some high-end models.

Although it’s easily visible that the shell and the water reservoir are all plastic, the K55 seems to use fewer plastics on its interior, judging from the weight difference. This could also explain why most reviewers report a disturbing plastic smell with their first cups of coffee with the K50 than with the K55 Keurig machine.

All in all, considering the material used, we expect these machines to last quite a long time. It’s good to note, however, that the durability of a coffee machine mainly depends on the level of abuse that it’s met with and how regularly it is maintained.

Despite the similarity in construction materials, another major Keurig K50 vs K55 difference emerges when we start talking about these machine’s reliability.

Going through the reviews section on Amazon, one major complaint that plagues the K50 coffee-brewing machine is reliability. Most people report that their machines lasted 6 months to 1 year on average, although we’ve seen complaints of people who say that their machines lasted a day.

Still on reliability, there have been lots of complaints regarding the K50 either failing to brew coffee abruptly or failing to start back up altogether.

Most people seem to have come up with ingenious hacks on how to deal with most of these issues. Even then, the last thing that you want is a coffee machine breaking down, especially on a busy morning, or when you have some friends around. In any case, not everyone has the skills to mend these units.

All of these issues are quite rare with the K55. This is probably because this model was engineered to solve these exact problems.

Now, do all K50 Keurig coffee machines break down after 1 year? We wouldn’t say that. Most Keurig diehards who are keen to descale their coffee makers on a timely basis (once every 3 months) say that these units do last if taken care of.

Keurig Coffee Maker K50 vs K55 Comparison: Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning and maintaining the Keurig K50 and K55 is generally straightforward. Most of the parts are detachable for easy cleaning either by hand or in the dishwasher. For instance, you can easily remove the water reservoir, the drip tray, and the k-cup holder.

For the K55, the activated charcoal holder can also be detached from the water reservoir. The cup holder can also be further broken down into 2 units for thorough cleaning.

The Keurig K55 and K50 use Keurig’s K-Classic user guide. This is a manual that outlines almost everything that you need to know about how your machine works. It also has essential tips on how to troubleshoot some common problems with the coffee makers.

Although cleaning is easy regardless of your choice of coffee maker, the other significant highlight in the Keurig K50 vs K55 comparison is descaling. Descaling is the process of removing calcium deposits (scale) that form inside the coffee machine over time.

These 2 machines need to be descaled every 3-6 months to keep their performance at top-notch and to boost their durability.

The issue here is that the K50 does not have the coveted ‘descale’ alert light that tells you when it’s time to maintain the K55. Well, you could come up with a strategy to remind you to descale the K50 after, let’s say, 3 months.

However, remember that depending on the hardness level of your water supply, the need to descale may come a little bit earlier. The ‘descale’ light on the K55 will come in handy in such instances. On the other hand, you may not realize the need for this with the K50 until your coffee’s taste starts going off, and the brewing temperatures start falling.

So, this is yet another win for the Keurig K55.

Keurig Coffee Maker K50 vs K55 Comparison: Ease of use

All the differences put aside, these machines are hands down, straightforward to use right from the minute you pull them out of the box. Their intuitive control panel with lit buttons make it easy for almost anyone to make a cup of coffee with minimal struggle.

These are among the most basic coffee makers from Keurig. The fact that there are no temperature and pressure adjustment buttons to fiddle around with, and no coffee beans to grind and measure means a lot in the general ease of use.

To brew a cup of cuppa using either of these machines;

• Make sure that the maker is plugged in and set a cup under the brewing chamber.
• Add enough water in the reservoir and press the power button. The machine will start heating the water.
• After reaching the required brewing temperatures, the brew size buttons will light up, prompting you to select your desired cup size. Select your cup size and press brew.

Your coffee should brew in 1-1.5 minutes.

These coffee machines also have an automatic 2-hour auto-off feature that eliminates all worries should you forget to switch your maker off during rush hours.

Keurig K55 vs K50: Our Verdict

These coffee machines indeed have a lot of similarities. However, the differences that we’ve highlighted in this K55 Keurig vs K50 review will hopefully help you solve the debate about which is the best between them.  

Overall, CoffeeVerdict gave the nod to the K55. This model seems to win in almost all fronts:

• It brews a little bit faster.
• It’s much easier to maintain credit to the descale alert light.
• It uses an activated charcoal water filter to get rid of water impurities that could alter the taste of your brew.
• It offers more color options.

To answer the question on what are the differences between Keurig K50 and K55, the K55 feels much sturdier, and it’s not plagued by the premature breakdowns that are commonplace with the K50. It also makes slightly better coffee with no plastic taste. What we find even more surprising is that even with all these improvements, the K55 is currently the cheapest of the duo.

	Keurig K50	Keurig K55
Price	$$	$
	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon | Read Our Review