Also brews drip and cold brew
Ninja Luxe Café
- Suggests the right grind
- Weighs every dose
Cheaper alternatives to the Breville Barista Express
Three cheaper ways to café espresso: guided, hands-free milk, or the bare essentials.
Updated November 10, 2026
Auto milk in a compact body
Breville Bambino Plus
- Ready in seconds
- Froths milk hands-free
Less than half the price
Breville Bambino
- Same fast heat-up
- Flexible manual steam wand
The original
Breville Barista Express
Worth it if: You want to learn the barista craft
- A grinder built in, unlike both Bambinos
- A hot water spout for americanos
Not worth it if: You'd rather the machine picks the grind
Top of the range, and worth it
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What are you actually paying extra for with the Barista Express?
What the extra money buys
- A grinder built in, unlike both Bambinos
- A hot water spout for americanos
- Full manual control of grind, dose and milk
Worth it if
- You want to learn the barista craft
- A sale brings it close to the Ninja
Not worth it if
- You'd rather the machine picks the grind
- You already own a good grinder
- You mostly drink drip coffee
Good to know
Why each one made the list, and our final recommendation.
Ninja Luxe Café
TechRadar's tester pulled a good shot nearly every time, because the machine recommends a grind and doses by weight, and preferred it to the Barista Express. The frother handled dairy well but struggled with oat milk. It's big on the counter, and there's no spout for americanos or tea.
Breville Bambino Plus
TechRadar timed it at about three seconds to heat and loved the automatic milk, with three textures and three temperatures. Tom's Guide found it easy from day one but says the drip tray is tiny. Both stress that a decent grinder is part of the deal.
Breville Bambino
Tom's Guide calls it the better buy for most people in the US: the same precise temperature control and adjustable pre-infusion as the Plus, with a steam wand that moves freely. TechGearLab's baristas even preferred that wand to the Plus's. You steam milk yourself, the tank is smaller, and the grinder is still on you.
Final recommendation: If you want help getting great shots, the Ninja Luxe Café guides grind and dose and adds drip coffee. The Bambino Plus suits small kitchens and milk drinkers, and the Bambino is the cheapest route if you already grind your own beans. Pay for the Barista Express BES870XL to learn manual espresso with the grinder on board.
Side by side
Specs from each maker. Price levels come from shop prices we checked recently; tap through for today's price.
| Model | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price level | Top of the range | Premium | Premium | Affordable |
| Type | Manual espresso with grinder | Manual espresso with grinder and scale | Manual espresso, no grinder | Manual espresso, no grinder |
| Milk | Steam wand | Automatic frother with whisk | Automatic steam wand | Manual steam wand |
| Drinks | – | Espresso, drip coffee, cold brew | Espresso, milk drinks | Espresso, milk drinks |
| Grinder | 16 settings | Conical burr, 25 settings | None: needs a separate grinder | None: needs a separate grinder |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar | 15 bar | 15 bar | 15 bar |
| Water tank | 67 oz | – | 64 oz | 46 oz |
| Shop | Check price on Amazon ↗ | Check price on Amazon ↗ | Check price on Amazon ↗ | Check price on Amazon ↗ |
Questions people ask
Is the Ninja Luxe Café better than the Breville Barista Express?
For beginners, TechRadar thought so: it suggests the grind and weighs the dose, so shots come out right with less practice. The Barista Express still has a hot water spout and gives more manual control.
Do you need a grinder for the Breville Bambino Plus?
Yes. It has no grinder, and Tom's Guide found a basic grinder couldn't go fine enough for the best shots. Budget for one, or buy pre-ground coffee made for espresso.
What's the difference between the Bambino and the Bambino Plus?
The Plus froths milk on its own and has a bigger tank. The Bambino has a freer steam wand you work by hand and costs much less.
Related guides
How we reached this
We compared the Breville Barista Express with the alternatives most often recommended by independent reviewers, then checked each against the makers' own specs and current prices.
We haven't tested these products ourselves. Our picks weigh independent expert reviews against each maker's published specs and the prices we checked. Opinions are ours; facts link to where they come from. How we choose.
Sources: Breville: Breville Barista Express, TechRadar: Sage the Barista Express espresso coffee maker review, Tom's Guide: Breville Barista Express review, Homes & Gardens: Breville Barista Express review: prepare for impressive espressos, Ninja: Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine, TechRadar: Ninja Luxe Café review, Top Ten Reviews: Ninja ES601 Luxe Café Premier Series review, Breville: the Bambino Plus, TechRadar: Breville Bambino Plus review, Tom's Guide: Breville Bambino Plus review, Breville: the Bambino, Tom's Guide: Breville Bambino vs Breville Bambino Plus, TechGearLab: Breville Bambino review.