Coffee machine comparison
At a glance
Essential specifications
Start with the fields most likely to change the buying decision. Different values are labelled; matching values use neutral styling and unknown values remain unconfirmed.
Machine category
- Breville Bambino Plus
- semi-automatic
- Breville Barista Express
- semi-automatic
Product lifecycle
- Breville Bambino Plus
- current
- Breville Barista Express
- current
Built-in grinder
- Breville Bambino Plus
- No
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Adjustable brew temperature
- Breville Bambino Plus
- No
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Brew and steam together
- Breville Bambino Plus
- No
- Breville Barista Express
- No
Manufacturer-stated heat-up
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 0.05 min
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Width
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 190.5 mm
- Breville Barista Express
- 317.5 mm
Depth
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 342.9 mm
- Breville Barista Express
- 350.5 mm
View all 41 detailed specifications
These fields support deeper research. Every populated value must be traceable to the listed sources.
Breville Bambino Plus
Breville Barista Express
FeatureBreville Bambino PlusBreville Barista Express
Identity and design
Manufacturer
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Breville
- Breville Barista Express
- Breville
Model number
- Breville Bambino Plus
- BES500
- Breville Barista Express
- BES870
Introduced
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 2018
- Breville Barista Express
- 2013
Housing material
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Colour options
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Milk system
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Automatic or manual steam wand with three temperature and texture settings
- Breville Barista Express
- Manual steam wand
Controls
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Illuminated one-cup, two-cup, and milk controls
- Breville Barista Express
- Buttons, grind controls, and analogue pressure gauge
App connectivity
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
User profiles
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Portafilter diameter
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 54 mm
- Breville Barista Express
- 54 mm
Tamping
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Manual
- Breville Barista Express
- Manual
Removable water tank
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Yes
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Grinder type
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not applicable
- Breville Barista Express
- Steel conical burr grinder
Grinder settings
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not applicable
- Breville Barista Express
- 16
Bean-hopper capacity
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not applicable
- Breville Barista Express
- 227 g
Automatic drink presets
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Pre-infusion
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Yes
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Selectable milk-temperature setting
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Yes
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Two-cup brewing
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Yes
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Hot-water outlet
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Manual hot-milk preparation
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Milk frothing without brewing
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Water-filter support
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Boiler type
- Breville Bambino Plus
- thermoblock
- Breville Barista Express
- thermocoil
Boiler material
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Number of boilers
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 1
- Breville Barista Express
- 1
Boiler capacity
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Water-tank capacity
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 1.89 L
- Breville Barista Express
- 1.98 L
Pump type
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Published pump pressure
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 15 bar
- Breville Barista Express
- 15 bar
Group
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Breville 54 mm group
- Breville Barista Express
- Breville 54 mm group
Pressure gauge
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
PID
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Yes
- Breville Barista Express
- Yes
Hard-plumb capable
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Height
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 304.8 mm
- Breville Barista Express
- 403.9 mm
Weight
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 4.95 kg
- Breville Barista Express
- 10.02 kg
Maximum cup height
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Confirmed voltage
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 120V-60Hz
- Breville Barista Express
- 120V-60Hz
Power
- Breville Bambino Plus
- 1560 W
- Breville Barista Express
- 1600 W
Warranty
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
Included accessories
- Breville Bambino Plus
- Not confirmed
- Breville Barista Express
- Not confirmed
The short versionKey differences
Grinder strategy: Barista Express includes a 16-setting conical-burr grinder; Bambino Plus requires a separate grinder but preserves upgrade flexibility.
Milk assistance: Bambino Plus offers automatic temperature and texture settings; Barista Express uses a manual steam wand.
Counter fit: Bambino Plus is about 127 mm narrower, while Barista Express consolidates grinder and espresso machine into that larger width.
Shared platform: both use a 54 mm portafilter, manual puck preparation, pre-infusion, and sequential rather than simultaneous brewing and steaming.
Editorial takeQuick verdict
These Breville machines share a 54 mm manual espresso workflow but solve different setup problems. Bambino Plus is a compact, fast machine with automatic milk assistance and no grinder; Barista Express places a grinder, pressure gauge, and manual steam wand in one larger body.
Breville Bambino Plus
- Choose Bambino Plus when minimum width, fast readiness, and automatic milk texturing matter most.
- Its separate-grinder requirement increases total setup planning but lets the grinder be chosen and upgraded independently.
- It is substantially smaller and lighter than Barista Express, making it easier to place or move.
Breville Barista Express
- Choose Barista Express when one integrated unit is preferable to coordinating a separate grinder and machine.
- The built-in 16-setting grinder and pressure gauge keep grinding and extraction feedback in the same station.
- Milk texturing is manual and the larger thermocoil machine still cannot brew and steam simultaneously.
Our recommendationFinal verdict
Choose Bambino Plus with a separate grinder for the smaller machine, faster start, assisted milk, and a more flexible upgrade path. Choose Barista Express when a single integrated station is more important than grinder independence or automatic milk. Total counter width, not machine width alone, decides which setup is actually smaller once Bambino's grinder is included.
This recommendation is an editorial assessment of verified specifications and cited third-party experiences. We have not personally tested these machines.
Sources and further research
Manufacturer pages, manuals, videos, community discussions, and independent reviews.
Manufacturer links and manuals
Use these for product identity, operation, and technical specifications.
Breville Bambino Plus · Breville
Breville Bambino Plus product pageBreville Bambino Plus · Breville
Breville Bambino Plus instruction bookBreville Barista Express · Breville
Breville Barista Express product pageBreville Barista Express · Breville
Breville Barista Express instruction book