Breville Barista Express vs Bambino Plus: Which Is Actually Worth It

If you are buying your first real espresso machine, these are the two names that come up everywhere. Both are Breville, both use a 54mm portafilter, and both can make genuinely good espresso. But they are built for different buyers, and the right choice mostly comes down to one question: do you already own a grinder?

The short answer

• Buy the Barista Express if you want one machine that does everything, grinder included, and you like the idea of a single box on your counter.
• Buy the Bambino Plus if you already own a good grinder, or you plan to buy a separate one, and you mostly drink milk drinks like lattes and flat whites.

Price and total cost

The Barista Express typically sells around $700, though it goes on sale regularly (it was listed at $499.95 in October 2026). The Bambino Plus typically sells around $500. Those numbers are misleading on their own, because the Bambino Plus has no grinder. Espresso needs a grinder that can grind fine and consistently, and a decent one starts around $150 to $200. So the real comparison is roughly $700 all in for the Express versus $650 to $700 for the Bambino Plus plus a grinder. They end up costing about the same. Prices change often, so check the current price before buying.

Grinder: built in versus separate

The Barista Express has a built in conical burr grinder with 16 grind settings. It is convenient: beans go in the hopper, grounds go straight into the portafilter, and there is one less appliance on your counter. The trade off is flexibility. If the grinder breaks or you outgrow it, you cannot upgrade it without replacing the whole machine, and its grind range is narrower than a good standalone grinder.

The Bambino Plus has no grinder at all. That is a feature, not a flaw, if you care about coffee quality long term. A separate grinder like the Baratza Encore ESP gives you more grind steps, you can upgrade it later without touching your machine, and if one part breaks, you replace one part. The downside is counter space, an extra purchase, and a slightly longer morning routine.

Heat up time and milk

This is where the Bambino Plus genuinely shines. It uses Breville's ThermoJet system and reaches brewing temperature in about 3 seconds. The Barista Express uses an older Thermocoil system and takes around 30 seconds. Thirty seconds is not a hardship, but the Bambino Plus feels instant in a way the Express does not.

For milk, the Bambino Plus has automatic milk texturing: you set the temperature and foam level, and it steams the milk itself. It is very good for beginners and very consistent. The Barista Express has a manual steam wand, which gives you more control once you learn it, but takes practice before your lattes look like cafe lattes.

Size and counter space

The Bambino Plus is notably smaller and lighter than the Barista Express. If your kitchen is tight, this matters more than people expect. The Express is a big, heavy machine that wants a permanent home. The Bambino Plus can live in a smaller footprint and is easier to move for cleaning.

Who should buy which

Barista Express: You want simplicity. One purchase, one machine, everything included. You drink straight espresso and Americanos as often as milk drinks, and you are happy to learn on a manual steam wand. You have the counter space.

Bambino Plus: You already own a grinder, or you are willing to buy one separately. You mostly drink lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites and want the automatic milk texturing. Your kitchen is small, or you like the idea of upgrading your grinder later without replacing your machine.

The bottom line

Neither machine is the wrong choice, and that is why this comparison is so common. If you want the simplest possible path to good espresso, get the Barista Express. If you want the best milk drinks with the least fuss and a setup you can upgrade piece by piece, get the Bambino Plus and pair it with a good grinder. Either way, budget for fresh beans and a scale: those two things improve your coffee more than any machine upgrade.

Prices mentioned here are typical US retail observed in late 2026 and change frequently. Affiliate links will be added once the site is approved by the relevant programs; this page currently contains no affiliate links.