The short version
| Ninja Luxe Café | Barista Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring coffee | ✓ Weighs it with a built-in scale | By time, so the amount can vary |
| Milk | ✓ Froths it for you | You steam it by hand |
| Other drinks | ✓ Drip coffee and cold brew too | Espresso and hot water |
| Add-ons | Only Ninja’s own parts fit | ✓ Baskets and tampers are easy to buy |
| Track record | Newer: first reviewed in 2024 | On sale for years; one owner’s machine is 10 years old |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
A check mark shows which one comes out ahead on that line.
Which one is right for you
Ninja Luxe Café Our pick
You want a good latte or cappuccino before work without thinking about it. You like that it also makes drip coffee and cold brew. It’s also the better gift for someone new to espresso.
Barista Express
You enjoy the craft. You want to learn to pull a shot and steam milk, maybe pour latte art someday, and you like that its parts are standard and easy to find.
Want the Breville, but with less guesswork? The Barista Express Impress ($799.95 at Amazon) measures the coffee and presses it into the basket for you. You still steam the milk by hand, and it costs more than the Ninja.
What they cost
At Amazon today the Ninja Luxe Café is $599.00, about $86 less than the Barista Express at $685.00. 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: Ninja Luxe Café $599.99 at Ninjasource, Barista Express $699.95 at Brevillesource, Barista Express Impress $799.95 at Brevillesource.
Your first latte
Ninja Luxe Café
- Fill the water tank and pour beans into the top.
- Turn it on. Ninja says it’s ready in under 30 seconds. CoffeeGeek saw 30 to 45 seconds.
- Choose your drink. It grinds the right amount of coffee by weight.
- Pull the lever. It packs the coffee down for you. Lock the handle in and press brew.
- Pour milk into the jug, pick a foam setting, and let it froth on its own.
- Pour the milk over the espresso. Empty the drip tray often.
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.
Will it fit under your cabinets?
Both carry the bean hopper 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
Ninja Luxe Café: Portafilter, milk jug, two baskets, assisted tamper, funnel, cleaning brush and disc, descaling powder, hard water test kit. source
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
For both, you’ll want fresh whole beans. A small kitchen scale helps with the Barista Express.
What reviewers said
“For a machine that controls the dose and ratio for you, the espresso is surprisingly consistently good.”
CoffeeGeek on the Ninja Luxe Café, January 2026 · read the review
“the dose usually sits at 17.8g, give or take .15g, across 10 measurements.”
CoffeeGeek on the Ninja Luxe Café, September 2024 · read the review
“There is no getting around it, this machine is loud.”
CoffeeGeek on the Ninja Luxe Café, January 2026 · read the review
“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
What can go wrong
Ninja Luxe Café
- The plastic funnel that guides the coffee can crack, and the machine won’t grind without it. CoffeeGeek calls the reports widespread. (owner report)
- Shot size can swing a lot. One reviewer who owns one saw 42 grams one shot and 50 or more the next. (owner report)
- It rinses itself often, so the drip tray fills and the tank empties faster than you’d think. (owner report)
- A few owners say the milk frother stopped working within weeks. (owner report)
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)
The Ninja is newer, so there are fewer long-term owner reports. Both have a 1 year warranty.
This page covers the Ninja Luxe Café Premier, model ES601. The Luxe Café Pro (ES701) is a different, pricier machine.
Questions people ask
Does the Ninja make cold foam?
Yes. It has a cold foam setting, and it also makes cold brew. source
How is the Ninja Premier different from the Pro?
The Premier (ES601) makes espresso, drip coffee and cold brew, with 4 milk froth presets. The Pro (ES701) adds a hot water spout and a fifth froth preset. 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
Does the Barista Express turn itself off?
Yes. It goes to sleep after 1 hour and turns fully off after 3. source
Is the Ninja better than the Breville?
For easy lattes and cappuccinos, yes. It measures and froths for you. For learning espresso and upgrading parts later, the Breville is better.
Is the Ninja Luxe Café loud?
Yes. CoffeeGeek called it loud, with a high-pitched screech when milk steaming starts.
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 the Breville look with milk done for you? See Barista Express vs Bambino Plus.
- Thinking about the newer Breville? See Barista Express vs Barista Express Impress.
- All our picks by budget: the best espresso machines under $500.
- Already own a Barista Express? Fix first-week problems, see what to buy first and learn how to descale it.
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.