Breville Bambino vs Bambino Plus: Which Beginner Machine?

A comparison of two compact Breville espresso machines, using the prices and specs on the maker’s U.S. pages.

Other semi-automatic machines, and the ones left out of that list, are on beginner espresso machines under $500. This page does not repeat that excluded-machine list. A machine does not grind coffee. Grinders are on entry espresso grinders under $300.

Breville Bambino — Maker's product image, not a Burrstack test photo.

The Bambino, BES450

Breville’s description says the Bambino uses a 54 mm portafilter with 18 grams of coffee, a steam wand for microfoam, and a ThermoJet heating system ready in 3 seconds. The same paragraph points to the Bambino Plus for an automatic steam wand. That 18 gram line is the maker’s description. This site did not weigh a dose.

Price: two figures, and they are not the same record. The product structured data lists one offer, high $299.95 and low $299.95, price $299.95, SKU BES450BSS1BUS1, marked sold out. A U.S. channel record on the same page pairs a display price of $249.95 with a list price of $299.95, and marks that record not on stock. The attribute block next to that pair says isOnPromotion is false. The page does not, in those fields, label $249.95 “sale” and $299.95 “regular.” Both amounts are left standing. This article does not pick which one a cart charges. A cashback block on the same attribute set says up to $200, earned as $50 for every 13 bags of coffee from beanz.com. That is not a third price for the machine. Source: Breville U.S., checked October 2, 2026. breville.com Bambino BES450
From the attribute block tied to that list price: dimensions 11.9 × 6.1 × 13.5 in. Capacity 47 fl oz. Power 1560 watts. Voltage 110–120 volts. Weight 10.42 lb / 4.725 kg. Warranty line: 1 year limited warranty. Milk texturing: manual. Portafilter: 54 mm. Brewing system: 15 bar Italian pump, ready in 3 seconds ThermoJet system, PID temperature control. Construction: stainless steel. Color named there: brushed stainless steel. Tamping: manual tamper.
Included accessories named in that block: 1-cup and 2-cup single-wall and dual-wall filter baskets, milk jug, portafilter, tamper, steam wand tip cleaning tool, descaling powder.

Breville Bambino Plus — Maker's product image, not a Burrstack test photo.

The Bambino Plus, BES500

Breville’s description says the Plus uses a 54 mm stainless steel portafilter with 18 grams of coffee, a hands-free automatic steam wand, and a ThermoJet system ready in 3 seconds. It is still a portafilter machine. It is not a hopper machine that grinds and runs a drink from a menu.

Price: again two figures. The product structured data lists an aggregate offer with a high of $499.95 and a low of $499.95. Each SKU offer in that block is $499.95. Thirteen SKUs are in the block. Marked in stock: BES500BSS1BUS1, BES500SST1BUS1, BES500BST1BUS1, BES500OLT1BNA1, BES500ART1BUS1. Marked sold out: BES500BTR1BUS1, BES500DBL1BUS1, BES500ALM1BNA1, BES500OYS1BUS1, BES500RCH1BUS1, BES500SHY1BUS1, BES500RVC1BUC1, BES500PMR1BNA1. Those codes are the page’s. This article does not turn a code into a color name the offer did not print. U.S. channel records on the same page pair a display price of $399.95 with a list price of $499.95. Some of those records were marked on stock and some were not. The attribute block read next to a $499.95 list price says isOnPromotion is false, even though the display price is lower than the list price. Structured data at $499.95 only, and a display price of $399.95, are both on the page. This article does not pick the cart price. The same style of cashback block, up to $200 on coffee bags, is not a machine price. Source: Breville U.S., checked October 2, 2026. breville.com Bambino Plus BES500
From the attribute block tied to that $499.95 list price, color named brushed stainless steel: dimensions 11.9 × 7.4 × 14.3 in. Capacity 64 fl oz. Power 1560 watts. Voltage 110–120 volts. Weight 10.91 lb / 4.95 kg. Warranty line: 2 year limited warranty. Milk texturing: hands-free. Portafilter field: 54 mm. Brewing system field: 15 bar Italian pump, ready in 3 seconds ThermoJet system, PID temperature control. Construction: stainless steel. Tamping: manual tamper.
Included accessories named in that block: 54 mm tamper, the Razor precision dosing tool, 16 fl oz / 480 ml stainless steel milk jug, 1-cup and 2-cup single-wall and dual-wall filter baskets, cleaning tool, cleaning disc.

An earlier comparison on this site, written from a fetch the same day, said the Plus spec list did not repeat “15 bar” or “54 mm,” and did not copy those words from the Bambino. The attribute block opened again on October 2, 2026 does print both “15 bar Italian Pump” and “54mm portafilter” for the Plus. Those two reads do not match. Both are left standing. This page does not erase the earlier one, and it does not decide which fetch the spec table was using.

What the two pages put side by side

Price pairs, not one gap. Using only the figures above: $499.95 is $200.00 more than $299.95. $399.95 is $150.00 more than $249.95. $499.95 is $250.00 more than $249.95. $399.95 is $100.00 more than $299.95. Those are four arithmetic gaps between printed numbers. They are not a single discount, and they are not a ranking.
Stock. The Bambino offer in the structured data was sold out, and the channel record next to $249.95 was not on stock. The Plus structured data had five SKUs in stock and eight sold out, all at $499.95. Channel records at the $399.95 / $499.95 pair were mixed.
Milk. Bambino attribute: manual milk texturing. Plus attribute: hands-free. The Bambino description tells a reader who wants an automatic steam wand to look at the Plus. That is the maker’s split. This page did not steam milk on either wand.
Size. Both attribute blocks say 11.9 inches on the first dimension. Depth is 6.1 in on the Bambino and 7.4 in on the Plus, a difference of 1.3 in. Height is 13.5 in and 14.3 in, a difference of 0.8 in. Weight lines: 10.42 lb and 10.91 lb, a difference of 0.49 lb. The Plus line writes “10.91lbs” with no space. The Bambino line writes “10.42 lbs.” Tank: 47 fl oz and 64 fl oz, a difference of 17 fl oz.
Power. Both attribute blocks say 1560 watts and 110–120 volts. Both name a ThermoJet system ready in 3 seconds and PID temperature control.
Warranty lines: Bambino, 1 year limited warranty. Plus, 2 year limited warranty.
Portafilter and dose. Both descriptions say 54 mm and 18 grams. The Plus attribute block also has a 54 mm portafilter field. The earlier page on this site said that field was missing from the Plus spec list it fetched. See the conflict above.
Pump pressure. The Bambino brewing-system field says 15 bar Italian pump. The Plus brewing-system field opened today also says 15 bar Italian pump. The earlier page on this site said 15 bar was on the Bambino spec list and not on the Plus spec list. That conflict stays. This comparison does not treat 15 bar as a score.

None of that is a taste ranking. Shot time, milk texture, and which price the cart charges were not measured here.

What to check on the listing

Which of the two prices is in the cart. Structured data and the list-price field use $299.95 and $499.95. The display-price fields use $249.95 and $399.95. isOnPromotion was false on the blocks read here.
Stock for the color you want. The Bambino SKU in the offer was sold out. Several Plus SKUs were in stock and several were not, all at the $499.95 offer price.
Manual wand versus hands-free wand. That is the split the Bambino description states. It is not a winner.
Counter size. The Plus attribute block is 1.3 inches deeper and 0.8 inches taller than the Bambino block. Both first dimensions are 11.9 inches.
The 15 bar and 54 mm lines on the Plus. Today’s attribute block includes them. An earlier fetch on this site did not find them on the Plus spec list. Read the current listing rather than treating either sentence as settled.