A comparative analysis is presented of a novel plate-type isothermal heat pump dryer and a conventional adiabatic heat pump dryer. The energy performance and drying capacity of each dryer type is investigated subject to operational constraints on the maximum acceptable relative humidity and temperature of air passing over the product. The analysis demonstrates that for applicable products, a significant opportunity exists for improving the energy efficiency of heat pump drying, by a factor of 2–3 times compared with current adiabatic heat pump dryers. The moisture extraction rate is also increased in the contact heat pump dryer, by a similar factor. However, these improvements are shown to be sensitive both to the impact of product thickness on heat transfer and to the relative humidity constraint. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.