Breville vs DeLonghi Espresso Machine: 2 Matchups

Short answer: Neither brand wins this breville vs delonghi espresso machine comparison outright, so pick by pair. For hands-free milk, choose the Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS for its larger tank and lighter body, or the De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M for three brew temperatures and dishwasher-safe detachable parts. For a built-in grinder, choose the Breville Barista Express BES870XL for its larger tank and lighter body, or the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M for cold brew and a longer warranty. These picks come from maker documents; we did not brew with these machines.

The two matched pairs with model labels: Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS and De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M, then Breville Barista Express BES870XL and De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M.Image: Breville and De'Longhi

ChartTwo comparison panels of maker-listed figures: Bambino Plus against Dedica Maestro Plus for hands-free milk, and Barista Express against La Specialista Arte Evo for a built-in grinder.

Breville vs DeLonghi espresso machine: side by side

Compare within each pair. Hands-free milk and a built-in grinder solve different jobs, so a cross-pair comparison will not tell you much.

Pair 1: hands-free milk

De'Longhi's technical table prints 1825.96 next to "Water Tank Capacity (oz)", which cannot be ounces for a machine this size. The same page's description says 54 oz, so we use that.

Pair 2: built-in grinder

Which to choose for your situation

Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS: Best for a lighter hands-free machine

Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS in brushed stainless steel, front view.Image: Breville

Who it's for: Someone who wants the machine to texture the milk and prefers the larger tank and lighter body of this pair.

Breville lists hands-free milk with adjustable temperature and texture, plus a heat-up it rates at 3 seconds. Its dual-wall baskets are meant for pre-ground coffee, so you can start without a grinder.

Downside: Breville's table lists no grinder, and its manual says not to clean any parts in the dishwasher.

Skip it if: You want to choose between brew temperatures or put parts in the dishwasher. Get the Dedica Maestro Plus.

See the Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS (Brushed Stainless Steel) on Amazon (Paid link)

De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M: Best for easy cleanup with hands-free milk

De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M steaming milk in a stainless jug under its automatic wand.Image: De'Longhi

Who it's for: Someone who wants automatic milk, numbered settings and simpler cleanup.

De'Longhi lists 3 milk temperatures, 3 milk textures and 3 brew temperatures, plus detachable dishwasher-safe parts. It describes the double wall basket as more forgiving and better suited to beginners using store-bought pre-ground coffee.

Downside: The 54 oz tank is smaller, the body is heavier at 13.67 lb, and De'Longhi marks grinding settings as n/a.

Skip it if: You want the bigger tank or lighter body. Get the Bambino Plus.

See the De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M (Stainless Steel) on Amazon (Paid link)

Breville Barista Express BES870XL: Best for a larger tank with a built-in grinder

Breville Barista Express BES870XL in brushed stainless steel with its bean hopper and pressure gauge, front view.Image: Breville

Who it's for: Someone who wants to grind fresh beans from day one and prefers the larger tank and lighter body of this pair.

It has steel conical burrs with 16 settings, a 1/2 lb hopper, an integrated tamper and a pressure gauge. The accessory list includes cleaning tablets and a first water filter.

Downside: The warranty is 1 year, and the manual asks for a new water filter every two months.

Skip it if: You want cold brew or a longer warranty. Get the Arte Evo.

See the Breville Barista Express BES870XL (Brushed Stainless Steel) on Amazon (Paid link)

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M: Best for cold brew with a built-in grinder

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M on a kitchen counter with its bean hopper on top.Image: De'Longhi

Who it's for: Someone who wants hot and cold drinks from one machine with a grinder built in.

It has 15 grind settings, 3 temperature profiles and a front dial for Espresso, Americano, Cold Brew and Hot Water. De'Longhi says its Cold Brew takes under 5 minutes, which is the maker's claim. The warranty is 2 years, plus 1 more with product registration.

Downside: It is the heavier of this pair at 25.8 lb, with the smaller tank at 56.13 oz.

Skip it if: You want hands-free milk. Neither grinder machine here offers it, so look at the first pair.

See the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M (Stainless Steel) on Amazon (Paid link)

What the brands do differently

• Cleanup. Breville's manuals say not to clean any parts or accessories in the dishwasher. De'Longhi says the Dedica Maestro Plus has detachable dishwasher-safe parts, so check its manual for which ones.
• Warranty. Breville lists 2 years on the Bambino Plus and 1 year on the Barista Express. De'Longhi lists 2 years plus 1 with registration on the Arte Evo. On the Dedica page we found only a site banner saying up to 3 years.
• Brew temperature. De'Longhi lists 3 settings on both machines. Breville lists PID control without settings.
• Automation limits. Hands-free milk does not mean automatic espresso, because you still dose and tamp. Both grinder machines still steam by hand.

The maker documents do not settle taste, noise or reliability, so we make no claims on those.

Yearly upkeep and how we counted

We assume two drinks a day, or about 730 a year, and work out the counts from Breville's manuals.

We did not read the De'Longhi manuals for these two models, so we do not compare their schedules. For cost per cup, add up a year of coffee, milk and supplies, then divide by the drinks you make. We leave out prices because they change. For the descaling steps on both Breville machines, see how to descale a Breville espresso machine.

Before you buy

• Measure height. De'Longhi prints 15.9 in as the Arte Evo's height. Breville prints 15.9 in first under a W x D x H label on the Barista Express, while its Amazon listing gives that figure as the height.
• Check your tallest cup. De'Longhi lists 4.68 in on the Dedica Maestro Plus and 4.45 in on the Arte Evo.
• Plan for a grinder with the Bambino Plus or Dedica Maestro Plus if you want fresh beans. Breville's table lists none on the Bambino Plus, and De'Longhi marks Dedica grinding settings as n/a.
• Confirm the exact model. De'Longhi's page shows both EC9250M and EC9255.M for the Arte Evo, and Amazon has separate listings for each. This comparison uses EC9250M, the code in the De'Longhi page title.

Next step: Pick the pair that matches your routine, measure your counter, then check the exact model on the product page before you buy. New to espresso? Start with our best espresso machine for beginners guide.

FAQ

Is Breville better than De'Longhi?

Not across the board on the documents we read. Each brand leads on different specs within each pair, so choose by the job you want the machine to do.

Do these machines need a separate grinder?

The Barista Express and Arte Evo have grinders built in. The Bambino Plus and Dedica Maestro Plus do not list one, so use pre-ground coffee in the dual-wall or double wall baskets, or add a grinder.

Which has the longer warranty?

The Arte Evo states the longest model-specific term here: 2 years plus 1 with registration. Between the two Breville machines, the Bambino Plus has 2 years and the Barista Express has 1.

How we researched this comparison

We read the four maker product pages and the two Breville US instruction books on November 6, 2026, and checked the four exact variants on Amazon US the same day. We did not brew with these machines, so this comparison makes no taste, noise or durability claims. Upkeep counts are our own arithmetic.

Sources

• Breville Bambino Plus BES500 product page
• Breville Bambino Plus instruction book
• Breville Barista Express BES870 product page
• Breville Barista Express instruction book
• De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M product page
• De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo product page