There's been an explosion of great options for brewing single cups recently, with the Fellow Aiden and the Ratio Four being two of the brewers at the forefront. Single cup coffee brewing is a really great option for anyone who wants a simple "set and forget" brewing setup for their morning cup, and we wanted to provide a comparison of these two brewers to help you decide which one would be best for your countertop.

Design and Footprint

Both of these machines feature a somewhat unique footprint with some interesting design features. The Fellow Aiden is a really monolithic machine, with hard, modern angles and a bit of a "coffee box" design. This is a really cool looking machine that is given extra visual flair with its beautiful, colorful little screen.

The Ratio Four on the other hand is a bit more traditional at first glance. With a similar design to other ratio models, its the machine's water tank that really sets it apart. While it is, of course, attached, the water tank does stand separately from the machine. This gives the Ratio Four flexibility in placing it, as it lowers the footprint of the brewer itself, but having the hose-connected water tank separated as it is can be a bit awkward. For some users this flexibility will lead to much smoother workflow for filling the tank, but some users will prefer an integrated tank.

The Aiden has a square 9 inch by 9 inch footprint, while the Ratio Four's machine features a 7.5 inch by 11.5 inch footprint, not counting the tank itself. Because of these dimensions, which machine will fit better in your kitchen really depends. Either way, these machines both offer some smart design choices and look good.

Features and Performance

Without burying the lede too much on these machines - they both brew excellent coffee. If you are looking for drip brewing you truly can't go wrong with the Aiden or the Ratio Four. If you want the simplicity to fill up the water tank, add your grounds, and press a button for a single cup, the Ratio Four might be for you. This machine does not feature any fancy programming or additional complexities, so many users will prefer it depending on their brewing habits.

The Fellow Aiden, on the other hand, offers strong single cup performance alongside lots of other programming features. This means that to get your single cup brew set up there's a few more steps beyond what the Ratio Four asks of you. For users that want additional flexibility and a wider range of brewing options beyond single cup, the Aiden is the clear choice. This additional complexity is not, however, a selling point for every user.

Pricing and Value

Both of these coffee makers offer a lot of value, and are well priced for their features. The Ratio Four is significantly less expensive than the Fellow Aiden, but this is to be expected given its more limited feature set. While this may be the case, it's hard to argue against the pricing on the Fellow Aiden, as it is an incredibly robust, forward thinking machine that is worth every bit of its cost. 

If you really are just looking for the most simple high quality single-cup brewing experience, then the Ratio Four might be the one for you, but if the added complexity of the Fellow Aiden sounds like something you'd want, you can't go wrong with it either.

Check out our video below to see these machines in action, and let us know what your favorite single cup brewer is!