Breville Bambino Plus vs Barista Pro: the $350 question

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These two share the same heart. Breville lists the Bambino Plus at $499.95 and the Barista Pro at $849.95, and both use ThermoJet heating with a 3 second heat up, a 54mm portafilter, and 9 bar extraction from a 15 bar pump. The $350 gap buys the Pro an integrated 30 setting conical burr grinder and an LCD interface. The Bambino Plus counters with an automatic steam wand the Pro does not have. Grinder in the box, or automatic milk and $350 back: that is the whole trade.

Bambino Plus vs Barista Pro, head to head

Specs and prices from breville.com product pages, checked August 2026. Where Breville does not publish a figure the row is left out rather than estimated.

Same shots, different workflow

Shot quality potential is close to identical here because the extraction hardware matches: 54mm portafilter, 18g dose, low pressure pre-infusion, 9 bar extraction, ThermoJet heat. What changes is the workflow. The Pro grinds directly into the portafilter with 30 grind settings and shows everything on an LCD. The Bambino Plus assumes a grinder sits next to it. If that grinder is better than the Pro's built-in unit, the Bambino Plus setup wins on taste; if it is worse or does not exist, the Pro wins.

The milk split

This is the one place the cheaper machine is objectively better equipped. The Bambino Plus textures milk automatically at 3 temperatures and 3 texture levels, then lets you go manual when you want to practice latte art. The Barista Pro is manual only. Households where several people make their own drinks tend to appreciate the automatic wand more than a second person appreciates 30 grind settings.

Footprint and the upgrade path

At 11.9 inches wide the Bambino Plus leaves room for a standalone grinder in the same footprint the 16.1 inch Pro occupies alone. Pairing guidance for the small Breville machines is in Bambino Plus dial-in settings, and if you later outgrow the built-in grinder on a Pro you cannot detach it. That is the quiet argument for the two-piece setup.

Which one should you buy

Buy the Bambino Plus if you want automatic milk, have or want a standalone grinder, or are optimizing counter width. Put the $350 you saved into the grinder and the two-piece setup out-brews the Pro.

Buy the Barista Pro if you want a single machine with everything onboard and a proper interface. The 30 grind settings give real room to dial in, and one power cord is a genuine convenience in a small kitchen.

Check current prices

Both models rotate through Breville promotions regularly, so check current pricing on both before committing.

Related reading

• Breville Barista Pro review
• Breville Bambino Plus review
• Barista Express vs Pro vs Touch
• Coffee gear guides hub

FAQ

Do the Bambino Plus and Barista Pro pull the same quality shots? The extraction hardware is the same: 54mm portafilter, 18g dose, low pressure pre-infusion, and 9 bar extraction with ThermoJet heating on both. Shot quality then depends on the grinder you pair with the Bambino Plus versus the Pro's built-in 30 setting grinder.

Does the Barista Pro have an automatic milk frother? No. The Barista Pro has a manual steam wand only. The Bambino Plus is the one with the automatic steam wand offering 3 milk temperatures and 3 texture levels.

Is the Barista Pro worth $350 more than the Bambino Plus? Only if you do not already own a burr grinder. The $350 difference is essentially the price of the integrated 30 setting grinder and LCD. With a good standalone grinder in hand, the Bambino Plus is the better value.

Sources: Breville Bambino Plus (breville.com); Breville Barista Pro (breville.com). Manufacturer pages fetched August 2026. Specs a maker does not publish are left out rather than estimated.