Pods also aren’t the same. The coffee was roasted and ground a long time ago, and it’s about 6g or coffee, compared to 22g in a cafe “double“ espresso. You get better result buying a grinder and moka pot for the same price as the pod machine and also it’s a lot cheaper per gram.
That's making the assumption of buying beans as an alternative, but the pods are the coffee purchase. You can also buy reusable pods into which you can put your own grinds - but then you are explicitly responsible for grind size, choice of bean etc, at which point you might as well get an espresso machine. The pod machine is very quick, and pours a cup automatically.
Incidentally, I have a Gaggia classic machine, a grinder and bean, as well as a Nespresso pod machine. The Gaggia is more customisable, but also more work, not just how to pour a cup, but the work establishing consistency in the first place e.g. finding a good grinder, and the right setting, how much coffee in the basket and how much pressure to apply, when to clean and what mods to use etc etc etc
Compared to all that, pods are just as available as beans/espresso grind (maybe more so) and v easy. You don't even have to watch the machine while waiting for it to heat up and pour, and with the right pods the results aren't vastly inferior to the espresso, but much more consistent.
Yeah I come from a house using mokas and the Nespresso in comparison is much more idiot-proof: nothing to spill, (almost) nothing to clean, nothing to get burnt with, and the result is extremely consistent. Mokas and traditional espresso machines are much more temperamental, the latter don't even make decent cups until everything is warmed up properly - which is why bars literally throw away the first half-dozen coffees every day.
I get the environmental critique, and the Nespresso system is definitely more expensive, lock-in, etc etc, but DAMN it's so convenient and good enough for the everyday workload of a single or couple.
