Bambino vs Bambino Plus
Same 54mm portafilter, same three-second ThermoJet heat-up, same shot quality — these two differ in exactly one meaningful way: who steams the milk. Live US prices and ratings below come from today's scan; the judgement rows are ours.
The short answer: the espresso is identical — pay the Plus premium only if you want automatic milk texturing instead of learning to steam. Full verdict ↓
Live US prices right now: Breville Bambino from $299.95 at Seattle Coffee Gear · Breville Bambino Plus from $361.00 at Espresso Dolce — as of Jul 8, 2026, 06:00 AM, from extracted.coffee’s live scan of sellers shipping to the US.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page — it never affects prices or the judgement rows below. How we track prices →
Where they differ
| Dimension | Breville Bambino | Breville Bambino Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | Manual steam wand — you texture the milk, and learn to | Automatic milk texturing — set temperature and froth level, it does the rest |
| Shot quality | Identical hardware where it counts — 54mm portafilter, ThermoJet heating | Identical — the espresso side is the same machine |
| Learning curve | Steaming milk well takes practice; that's the fun or the friction, depending on you | Flat-white-ready from day one |
| Typical price gap | The cheaper of the two — the saving buys a lot of beans | A premium for the auto-milk hardware (live prices above tell today's truth) |
The honest verdict
Decide by milk: if learning to steam sounds like a hobby, buy the Bambino and pocket the difference; if you just want silky flat whites every morning with zero technique, the Plus's auto-texturing is the entire premium and worth it. The espresso is the same either way — and neither placement here is paid.
The questions everyone asks
- Is the espresso different between them?
- No — same 54mm portafilter, same heating system, same pump. Blind-tasted straight espresso, they're the same machine.
- Can the Plus still steam manually?
- Yes — the auto-texturing is optional, so you can learn manual steaming on it too. The base Bambino can't do it the other way around.
- Which holds value better?
- Both are sealed appliances rather than tinker platforms — buy for the milk workflow you want, not resale.
Compare the whole market
Every category page ranks live US-shipping stock by review-weighted quality — prices in US dollars, checked today, never ordered by commission.