Breville vs De’Longhi Espresso Machines: Which to Buy (2026)
By Claire Whitmore. Last updated October 23, 2026.
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Breville and De’Longhi dominate home espresso, but they build machines on different ideas about who makes the coffee. CoffeeLabAdvisor sums it up neatly: “Buy Breville if you want to make espresso. Buy De’Longhi if you want espresso made for you.” Breville focuses on semi-automatic machines where you grind, dose, tamp and pull the shot. De’Longhi is best known for bean-to-cup superautomatics that make a latte at the touch of a button, though it sells manual machines too.
This guide answers one question: which brand, and which machine, is right for you? We compared testing from Serious Eats, Food & Wine, TechGearLab and Business Insider with brand comparisons from CoffeeLabAdvisor and Home Coffee Expert. We haven’t tested these machines ourselves, and prices are as reported and change.
The short answer: if you want café-quality shots and milk and enjoy the ritual, choose Breville. The Bambino Plus is Serious Eats’ favorite espresso machine overall. If you want push-button lattes with minimal skill, choose a De’Longhi superautomatic like the PrimaDonna Aromatic, a standout in Serious Eats’ superautomatic testing.
Our picks at a glance
| Breville | De’Longhi | |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Semi-automatic: you grind, tamp and pull | Mostly bean-to-cup: the machine does it |
| Price range (Home Coffee Expert) | From the $200–500 Bambino to the Oracle Touch near $3,000 | From about $100 (Stilosa) to the Eletta Explore |
| Learning curve | Real: tamping and milk texturing are skills | Minimal on superautomatics |
| Milk | Steam wand, manual or automatic | Automatic milk systems on bean-to-cup models |
| Standout tested picks | Bambino Plus, Barista Express Impress | PrimaDonna Aromatic, Dedica Maestro Plus |
The core difference
CoffeeLabAdvisor says every one of the five Breville machines it assessed is semi-automatic, while two of the three De’Longhi machines it evaluated are bean-to-cup. Home Coffee Expert makes the same point from the user’s side. Breville puts more decisions in your hands and doesn’t really offer one-touch coffees; even the Oracle Touch requires you to move the portafilter. De’Longhi makes customizing drinks simple and prioritizes ease of use and affordability.
So the real question isn’t which brand is better. It’s how much of the work you want to do each morning.
Espresso quality
Breville’s strength is shot quality and consistency. Serious Eats’ top espresso machine overall is the Breville Bambino Plus, which it praises for ease of use and excellent temperature consistency. Home Coffee Expert credits Breville’s focus on dose, pre-infusion, steam quality and PID temperature control. TechGearLab scored the Breville Barista Express 8.0 for espresso quality and 9.1 for milk steaming.
De’Longhi’s superautomatics make decent, convenient espresso, but they offer less control over the shot. At the budget end, Serious Eats found the De’Longhi Stilosa made only passable shots and lumpy milk foam, though it’s the cheapest machine Serious Eats recommends for anyone curious about espresso.
Milk drinks
Breville’s steam wands, especially the automatic wand on the Bambino Plus, produce excellent microfoam. De’Longhi’s superautomatics handle milk for you: Serious Eats liked that the PrimaDonna Aromatic’s milk carafe is removable for cleaning and can be stored in the fridge, and that its wand makes hot and cold foam. In Food & Wine’s head-to-head of two entry machines, the De’Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus won on milk frothing, while the Breville Bambino Plus won overall, as the faster, easier and smaller machine.
Ease of use
If you’ve never pulled a shot, a superautomatic De’Longhi is the gentlest start. There’s no portafilter to get wrong, as CoffeeLabAdvisor puts it. Breville has narrowed the gap with assisted machines. Serious Eats highly recommends the Barista Express Impress, which has a built-in grinder and a tamping arm, and says even a beginner can easily use it. Serious Eats also flags the Oracle Jet as Breville’s easiest highly automated option.
Head-to-head picks
1. Breville Bambino Plus: best overall
Best for: most people who want great espresso and milk in a small footprint.
Serious Eats’ favorite espresso machine overall, and Food & Wine’s best overall in its Breville-versus-De’Longhi test, where it was faster, smaller and easier to use than the De’Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus. It has no grinder, so budget for a good one. See our espresso machine guide for grinder pairings.
Serious Eats notes its volume buttons can be inconsistent, so stop shots manually.
Pros
- Excellent temperature consistency
- Automatic microfoam
- Compact
Cons
- Needs a separate grinder
2. Breville Barista Express Impress: best all-in-one for beginners
Best for: beginners who want a built-in grinder.
Serious Eats recommends it for its accurate dosing and assisted tamping. Business Insider notes its 25-setting grinder and listed it at $649.95, down from $799.95.
Business Insider calls the steam wand light-duty, and the built-in grinder is less flexible than a standalone grinder.
Pros
- Built-in grinder
- Assisted tamping
- Beginner-friendly
Cons
- Slow, light-duty steam wand
3. De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic: best superautomatic
Best for: people who want a café menu at the push of a button.
Serious Eats says the PrimaDonna Aromatic came out this year and soared to the front of its superautomatic testing. It’s exceedingly beginner-friendly, with a picture touchscreen, prompts and cleaning reminders, a built-in grinder, a removable milk carafe and hot and cold foam. It even makes cold espresso. Serious Eats measured regular shots at 170°F and cold ones at 145°F before ice.
Less control over the shot than a Breville, and superautomatics are expensive.
Pros
- Push-button drinks
- Removable milk carafe
- Hot and cold foam
Cons
- Less shot control
- Pricey
4. De’Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus: best compact De’Longhi
Best for: small kitchens on a budget.
In Food & Wine’s test against the Bambino Plus, the Dedica Maestro Plus was more affordable, won on extraction pressure and milk frothing, but lost overall on speed, size and ease of use.
Food & Wine still preferred the Breville overall.
Pros
- Affordable
- Strong milk frothing
Cons
- Slower and larger than the Bambino Plus
5. De’Longhi Stilosa: the entry point
Best for: curious beginners on a tight budget.
Serious Eats calls the Stilosa the cheapest machine it recommends, with a dead-simple single-dial interface.
Serious Eats found its shots passable and its foam lumpy, and the mostly plastic body rattled while brewing.
Pros
- Very cheap
- Simple
Cons
- So-so espresso
- Flimsy
Budget ladders
Home Coffee Expert maps both brands by price. Under $200 there’s no Breville, only the De’Longhi Stilosa. From $200 to $500 it’s the Breville Bambino or the De’Longhi Dedica Arte. From $500 to $800 it’s the Breville Barista Express or the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte. From $800 to $1,800 it’s the Barista Pro or the Dinamica Plus. From $1,800 to $2,500 it’s the Oracle or the Eletta Explore. Above $2,500 there’s only Breville’s Oracle Touch.
Which should you buy?
- Choose Breville if you enjoy the ritual, want to learn latte art, and care most about shot quality.
- Choose De’Longhi if you want one-touch drinks, several people in the house use the machine, or you’d rather not learn tamping.
- On a tight budget, De’Longhi reaches lower prices.
- For a beginner who wants to learn, the Barista Express Impress bridges the gap.
Maintenance
All espresso machines need care: backflushing and wiping the group head on semi-automatics, regular descaling, and purging and wiping the steam wand after every use. Superautomatics add brew-unit rinsing and milk-system cleaning. Serious Eats liked that the PrimaDonna Aromatic gives cleaning reminders. Using filtered water can reduce scale buildup. Whatever you buy, follow the maker’s schedule.
Don’t forget the beans
The best machine can’t rescue stale coffee. Buy freshly roasted whole beans, store them airtight, and grind just before brewing. With a semi-automatic Breville, a good burr grinder matters as much as the machine. For gift ideas, see our gifts for coffee lovers guide.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Do you want to learn to pull shots and steam milk, or just press a button?
- Will several people with different drinks use the machine?
- Do you already own a good burr grinder?
- How much counter space do you have?
- Do you mostly drink straight espresso, or milk drinks?
- How much cleaning are you willing to do each day?
Living with each brand
A Breville semi-automatic becomes part of a morning ritual: weighing beans, grinding, tamping, pulling a shot and steaming milk. For many owners, that ritual is the point, and results improve as skills grow. A De’Longhi superautomatic works more like an appliance. You fill the bean hopper and water tank, choose a drink, and clean the milk system and brew unit on schedule. Households where several people want different drinks at different times often prefer that convenience, while enthusiasts who want to dial in single-origin beans usually prefer the control of a Breville.
How we researched this guide
We don’t run a test lab, so we built this guide from independent testing by Serious Eats, which says it pulled hundreds of shots, Food & Wine, TechGearLab and Business Insider, plus brand overviews from CoffeeLabAdvisor and Home Coffee Expert. Where they measured something, we report their numbers and credit them by name. Where sources disagreed, or a claim came only from a manufacturer, we say so. We also weighed long-term ownership factors that matter to luxury buyers: warranty terms, build quality, ease of care and how a product fits into a well-designed home. Prices quoted are as listed by reviewers or retailers at the time of their writing and will change, so check current listings before you buy.
FAQ
Is Breville better than De’Longhi?
For hands-on espresso and milk quality, reviewers generally favor Breville. For push-button convenience, De’Longhi’s superautomatics win.
What is the best Breville for beginners?
Serious Eats recommends the Barista Express Impress for its assisted dosing and tamping.
What is the best De’Longhi?
Among superautomatics, Serious Eats rated the PrimaDonna Aromatic at the front of its tests.
Which brand is cheaper?
De’Longhi reaches lower prices; its Stilosa starts around $100, per Home Coffee Expert.
Do I need a grinder?
For machines without one, like the Bambino Plus, yes. A good burr grinder is essential.
The bottom line
Breville makes the better espresso for people who want to make it themselves. The Bambino Plus is a standout, and the Barista Express Impress is ideal for beginners who want a grinder built in. De’Longhi is better for people who want espresso made for them, led by the PrimaDonna Aromatic. Decide how involved you want to be, and the brand choice follows.
