The short version
| Barista Express | Bambino Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Grinder | ✓ Built in | Not included |
| Total with a grinder | $685.00 | $594.00 to $684.95 |
| Milk | You steam it by hand | ✓ Steams it for you, or by hand |
| Ready to brew | 30 to 48 seconds, as testers timed it | ✓ 3 seconds, says Breville |
| Width | 12.4 inches | 7.7 inches |
| Warranty | 1 year | ✓ 2 years |
A check mark shows which one comes out ahead on that line.
Which one is right for you
Barista Express Our pick
You want espresso from whole beans and one box with everything in it. You don’t mind learning to steam milk by hand. CoffeeGeek found its built-in grinder as good as Breville’s stand-alone Dose Control Pro (read it).
Bambino Plus
You drink lattes or cappuccinos most mornings and want the milk done for you. Or you already own a grinder that can grind for espresso. It’s much narrower, so it suits a small counter.
Can spend more? The Barista Express Impress ($799.95 at Amazon) is the same kind of machine, but it measures the dose and presses the coffee down for you, and the warranty is 2 years. It still has no hands-free milk.
Want the easiest latte of all, with the grinder built in? See Ninja Luxe Café vs Barista Express.
Your first latte
Barista Express
- Fill the water tank and pour beans into the top.
- Turn it on. Testers timed it at 30 to 48 seconds to ready (who timed it).
- Hold the portafilter (the handle with the coffee basket) under the grinder. It fills the basket with fresh grounds.
- Press the grounds flat with the tamper, lock the handle in, and brew.
- Steam the milk yourself with the wand. Expect a few tries before it’s silky.
- Pour the milk over the espresso, then wipe the wand.
Bambino Plus
- Fill the water tank. Grind your coffee on your separate grinder.
- Turn it on. Breville says it’s ready in 3 seconds.
- Press the grounds flat with the tamper, lock the handle in, and brew.
- Pour milk into the jug, set it on the tray, and press the milk button. It steams on its own.
- Pour the milk over the espresso. Empty the small drip tray often.
Once you’re comfortable, a common starting point is about 18 grams of ground coffee, stopping at about 36 grams of espresso, in about half a minute. Tom’s Guide got exactly that, 18 in and 36 out in 28 seconds, on the Breville Bambino.
What it really costs
The Bambino Plus looks cheaper until you add a grinder. Most grinders made for drip coffee can’t grind fine enough for espresso, so you need one made for it. A hand grinder like the KINGrinder K6 is the cheapest way in, at $594.00 for the pair, but you turn a crank for every shot.
machine grinder you’d need to buy
Grinders in this chart: KINGrinder K6 ($109.00), Breville Smart Grinder Pro ($199.95), Baratza Encore ESP ($199.95).
Amazon prices as of Oct 14, 2026, 8:29 PM PT. They change often, especially around sales.
Regular price on the maker’s own store, checked October 14, 2026: Barista Express $699.95 at Brevillesource, Bambino Plus $499.95 at Brevillesource, Smart Grinder Pro $199.95 at Brevillesource.
Will it fit under your cabinets?
The Barista Express is taller because the bean hopper sits on top, so leave room to open the lid. Measure from your counter to the bottom of your upper cabinets. Many kitchens have about 18 inches.
Drawn to scale from each maker’s listed height and width.
What’s in the box
Barista Express: Dosing funnel, Razor trimming tool, portafilter, single and dual wall baskets, scoop, tamper, milk jug, cleaning gear, and a water filter with holder. source
Bambino Plus: Tamper, Razor dosing tool, 16 oz milk jug, single and dual wall baskets (1 and 2 cup), cleaning tool and disc. The booklet also lists cleaning tablets and descaling powder. source
With the Bambino Plus you’ll also need a grinder. With either, a small kitchen scale helps.
What reviewers said
“In cup after cup, the Barista Express produced perfect shots of espresso, and it was superior when it came to steaming milk too.”
Tom's Guide on the Barista Express, April 2023 · read the review
“There was only about a gram of variance between the various coffee grinds that I asked the Barista Express for.”
Homes & Gardens on the Barista Express, June 2024 · read the review
“When we added the milk to our coffee, it retained a velvety texture that lasted all the way down our drink as we sipped it.”
TechRadar on the Bambino Plus, June 2021 · read the review
“On top of that, there's the tiny drip tray that needs emptying after every use.”
Tom's Guide on the Bambino Plus, May 2025 · read the review
What can go wrong
Barista Express
- The built-in grinder varies a bit from machine to machine. Some owners can’t grind fine enough, so the espresso runs through fast and thin. (owner report 1, owner report 2)
- New owners often turn the grind dial the wrong way. Finer means a lower number. (owner report)
- If you skip descaling (clearing out mineral buildup), water flow and steam get weaker over the years. (owner report 1, owner report 2)
Bambino Plus
- When it asks for a cleaning cycle, you can’t skip it. (owner report 1, owner report 2)
- A few owners report auto steaming stopping halfway, or the wand losing pressure. (owner report 1, owner report 2)
- The owners who love it point to the hands-free milk and the big water tank. (owner report 1, owner report 2)
One tip for the Barista Express: it measures coffee by time, not weight, so each click of the dose dial can change the amount. CoffeeGeek says by up to 3 grams. A kitchen scale under the handle fixes that.
On the counter
Photos from each maker’s Amazon listing.
Questions people ask
Can I use pre-ground coffee in the Bambino Plus?
Yes. Use the double-walled basket that comes in the box. It's made for pre-ground coffee and forgives a lot. source
Can the Bambino Plus make an Americano?
Not from a separate spout. Hot water comes out of the steam wand, which you can add to a shot for an Americano. source
Does the Barista Express have hot water for an Americano?
Yes. It has its own hot water spout, so an Americano is easy. source
Can I change the brew temperature on the Barista Express?
Yes, a little. You can nudge the water a few degrees hotter or cooler than Breville's setting. source
Is the Barista Express worth it over the Bambino Plus?
Yes, if you don’t already own a good grinder. A Bambino Plus with an electric espresso grinder costs about the same or more, and takes two spots on the counter.
Every spec, side by side
Show every spec, with sources
Each figure links to where it came from, usually the maker. “Maker doesn’t say” means we couldn’t find it in the maker’s specs or another source we can link.
Not sold on either?
- Want push-button lattes with a grinder built in? See Ninja Luxe Café vs Barista Express.
- Want the Barista Express with the dose done for you? See Barista Express vs Barista Express Impress.
- Need to spend less? The plain Bambino is $299.95 with a hand steam wand. See the best espresso machines under $500.
How we picked
We read each maker’s manual, the reviews where testers used these machines, and owner forums, and we link every fact. Brands don’t pay us to be picked. How we check.