Breville Barista Express vs Breville Bambino Plus
Our call: Breville Bambino Plus (SpecScore 87 vs 84) — but the spec rows below can flip it for your counter.
Breville
Barista Express
one-box starter kit
$699
84
SpecScore
Breville
Bambino Plus
fast, small, beginner-friendly
$499
87
SpecScore
| Spec | Breville Barista Express | Breville Bambino Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Heat system | Thermocoil | Thermocoil |
| PID temp control | Yes — digital temp control | Yes — digital temp control |
| Steam while brewing | No — brew, then steam | No — brew, then steam |
| Warm-up | ~1–2 min | ~1 min |
| Temp stability | Good — digitally controlled coil | Good — digitally controlled coil |
| Built-in grinder | Yes | No |
| Typical street price | $699 | $499 |
| SpecScore | 84/100 | 87/100 |
The verdict
Buy the Breville Bambino Plus if you want the better overall package — it leads the SpecScore 87 to 84 and is the stronger fit for fast, small, beginner-friendly.
Buy the Breville Barista Express if its strengths match your counter — it's built for one-box starter kit. Note that our pick is also the cheaper one ($499 vs $699), which makes this less of a dilemma than it looks. Either way, dial it in with the dial-in calculator before judging a single bean.