Start with a prepared buying decision or build your own. We compare the machine, required grinder, checked price evidence, ownership costs, lifecycle and UK repair support—and keep unknowns visible.
24 structured comparisons, each with dated evidence and an explicit limit on what the available information can prove.
The Bambino is the lower-cost manual-milk route; the Bambino Plus adds hands-free Auto MilQ temperature and texture control, a larger 1.9-litre tank and a stainless-steel portafilter.
Open the full comparison →These Magnifica Start variants share the basic bean-to-cup platform, but ECAM220.22.GB uses a manual steam frother while ECAM220.61.GB adds the automatic LatteCrema Hot carafe and one-touch latte macchiato.
Open the full comparison →Both use Philips' two-part LatteGo milk carafe and share the recorded 24.6 × 43.3 × 37.1cm footprint; the 5500 expands the menu to 20 hot and iced recipes and adds four user profiles, while the 3300 offers five coffee recipes plus hot water with no profiles.
Open the full comparison →Both use Vertuo capsules, barcode-led one-button brewing and connected updates. The Pop is the lower-cost, shorter route with a 560ml tank and drinks up to 355ml; the Next adds a 1.1-litre tank and the larger carafe format.
Open the full comparison →Rivelia EXAM440.35.B is the eight-drink manual-frother version; EXAM440.55 adds the automatic LatteCrema Hot carafe and expands the advertised menu to sixteen drinks.
Open the full comparison →Both are hands-on 54mm espresso machines with an integrated 250g grinder and manual milk wand; the Barista Pro adds ThermoJet heating, an LCD workflow display and 30 external grind settings versus the Express record’s 16.
Open the full comparison →Both combine a grinder with a portafilter workflow. The Sage keeps manual dosing decisions and manual milk with a fast LCD-led process; the Ninja adds a built-in scale, Barista Assist recommendations, longer coffee and cold-brew formats, and hands-free milk.
Open the full comparison →Both combine a grinder and portafilter in one body. Sage uses button-and-LCD guidance with manual steam; De’Longhi uses 3.5-inch touchscreen guidance, automatic or manual milk, and cold-brew recipes.
Open the full comparison →Both are approachable automatic-milk bean-to-cup routes with 1.8-litre tanks and removable brew units. Philips lists five coffee recipes plus hot water, a 275g ceramic grinder and two-part LatteGo; De’Longhi lists three coffee drinks plus hot water, a 250g grinder and LatteCrema carafe.
Open the full comparison →Both are current De’Longhi manual espresso machines with ESE-pod support and a separate grinder requirement. Stilosa is the lower-cost dial-controlled route; Dedica is narrower and adds programmable single and double buttons.
Open the full comparison →Both are sub-£400 bean-to-cup machines with ceramic grinders, automatic milk drinks and removable brew units. Siemens froths through a wand placed in the cup; Philips uses a detachable two-part LatteGo carafe.
Open the full comparison →Both are touchscreen-guided Sage portafilter machines with integrated grinders, automatic milk and cold recipes. Oracle Jet moves to a 58mm portafilter, 45 grinder settings and automatic dosing and tamping; Touch Impress uses assisted tamping with a 54mm platform.
Open the full comparison →Both use Sage’s integrated-grinder 54mm Barista Express format with manual milk. Express Impress adds dose correction and a lever-assisted 10kg tamp with a 7° finishing twist.
Open the full comparison →Both combine a touchscreen, integrated grinder, 54mm portafilter and automatic milk. Touch Impress adds assisted tamping, a larger recorded hopper, cold extraction and a broader preset menu.
Open the full comparison →Both are current La Specialista integrated-grinder portafilter machines with guided controls and automatic or manual milk. Maestro adds Smart Tamping, five temperature profiles, a larger tank and separate LatteCrema and My LatteArt hardware.
Open the full comparison →Both are integrated-grinder 54mm Sage portafilter machines with manual milk. Barista Pro uses an LCD, thirty grind settings and ThermoJet heating; Express Impress uses twenty-five settings plus dose correction and a lever-assisted tamp.
Open the full comparison →Both use Sage’s Impress assisted-tamping workflow with an integrated grinder and 54mm portafilter. Touch Impress adds touchscreen recipes, automatic milk and cold extraction; Express Impress retains manual controls and manual steaming.
Open the full comparison →Both are current integrated-grinder portafilter machines that add guidance to puck preparation. Sage uses lever-assisted tamping and manual milk; De’Longhi uses a touchscreen with guided tamping, automatic or manual milk and cold recipes.
Open the full comparison →Both are premium integrated-grinder portafilter machines with tamping assistance, automatic milk and cold recipes. Sage uses Auto MilQ and a touchscreen-guided 54mm workflow; De’Longhi adds five temperature profiles and separate automatic-carafe and manual-wand milk systems.
Open the full comparison →Both are sub-£700 automatic-milk bean-to-cup machines with four profiles and hot or iced drinks. Philips uses a two-part LatteGo carafe and twelve-setting grinder; Rivelia adds two interchangeable bean hoppers and a LatteCrema Hot carafe.
Open the full comparison →Both are current De’Longhi automatic-milk bean-to-cup machines with profiles and iced drinks. Rivelia prioritises compact bean switching; Eletta Explore adds separate hot and cool milk carafes, a larger menu, app support and travel-mug capacity.
Open the full comparison →Both are automatic-milk bean-to-cup machines with profiles and hot or iced menus. Philips uses a simpler two-part LatteGo system; Eletta Explore adds separate hot and cool milk carafes, app connectivity and rapid Cold Brew-style recipes.
Open the full comparison →Both are premium one-touch bean-to-cup machines with broad drink menus and automatic milk. Eletta Explore uses removable brew-unit care, separate hot and cool carafes and app features; JURA E8 uses an external milk pipe, proprietary cleaning system and sealed brew unit.
Open the full comparison →Both are De’Longhi automatic-milk bean-to-cup machines with removable infusers. Magnifica Start offers a compact entry menu; Rivelia adds a touchscreen, profiles, iced drinks and two interchangeable bean hoppers.
Open the full comparison →Select up to three records, then change the priority lens and ownership assumptions.
Choose one priority to surface the strongest evidenced fit. This changes the explanation, never the underlying data or table order.
Lowest known starting basket at £559.90. A connected grinder is included where required.
This is a single-priority signal, not an overall winner or CoffeeScore.| Compare | SageBambino PlusRecord 92% complete | Sagethe Barista ProRecord 94% complete | Sagethe Barista Express ImpressRecord 87% complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model identity | BES500 / SES500 | BES878 / SES878 UK variants | BES876 / SES876 |
| Product lifecycle | Current model | Current model | Current model |
| Known starting basket | Machine: Sage Bambino Plus (£399.95) · Baseline compatible grinder: Baratza Encore ESP (£159.95) | Machine: Sage the Barista Pro (£599.95) | Machine: Sage the Barista Express Impress (£729.95) |
| Current retailer context | £399.95 · Sage UK · verified delivered · exact model verified | £599.95 · Sage UK · verified delivered · exact model verified | £729.95 · Sage UK · verified delivered · exact model verified |
| Known starting equipment | £559.90 · includes Encore ESP | £599.95 | £729.95 |
| Machine type | Espresso machines | Espresso machines | Espresso machines |
| Capsule ecosystem | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Checked pod-cost example | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Daily effort | High | High | Medium |
| Milk workflow | Auto MilQ or manual · 3 temperatures and 3 textures | Manual 360° steam wand | Manual steam wand |
| Built-in grinder | No · separate espresso grinder required | Steel conical burrs · 30 settings · timed dose | 25 settings |
| Best for | Buyers who want hands-on espresso and upgradeable grinding, but prefer repeatable hands-free milk | People who want a faster, more informative integrated-grinder workflow than the Barista Express but still want to learn manual espresso and milk texturing | Buyers who want a visible portafilter workflow but would value repeatable dosing and assisted tamping |
| Main trade-off | The £399.95 machine is not the full setup: pairing it with the recorded £159.95 Encore ESP makes the practical starting price about £560 before scales or a knock box. Every drink still requires dosing, distribution, tamping, locking the portafilter and knocking out the puck. Automatic milk still means wiping the wand after every use, and after 200 extractions the machine requires a tablet-clean cycle before normal use resumes. Filters replaced roughly quarterly model at about £61 a year at the recorded direct price, excluding tablets and descaler. Independent espresso, milk, noise and durability tests are pending. | Grinding is timed rather than weighed, and the machine does not distribute, tamp, attach the portafilter or texture milk for you. The integrated grinder saves space but cannot be upgraded independently. Its 35.4cm width and roughly 40.6cm height need more room than compact separate-machine routes. Cleaning includes prompted tablet backflushing, a separate three-stage descale and after-every-use steam-wand care; Sage says all machine parts must be hand-washed. Currys’ dishwasher-safe and automatic-tamping descriptions conflict with the official manual and should not be relied on. Independent cup quality, steam speed, noise, energy and reliability tests are pending, so no CoffeeScore is published. | This is not a one-touch machine: the owner still transfers, locks and empties the portafilter and textures milk manually. Intelligent dosing is correction based on the previous grind, not a built-in weighing scale. Sage publishes the dimensions as 42.2 × 36.7 × 31cm W × D × H; check the exact worktop placement because the order looks unusual. Taste, milk, noise, energy and reliability remain independently untested, so no CoffeeScore is published. |
| Width | 19.4 cm | 35.4 cm | 42.2 cm · manufacturer-published W × D × H order |
| Depth | 36.2 cm | 34.3 cm · Currys claims 40.6cm⚠ Depth disputed · compare claims | 36.7 cm |
| Water capacity | 1.9 L | 1.9 L · current product page; manual and Currys state 2L⚠ Water-tank capacity disputed · compare claims | Not yet verified |
| Warranty field | 2 years | 2 years | Not yet verified |
| UK support provider | Sage UK | Sage UK | Sage UK |
| Unresolved evidence gaps | 5 fields | 4 fields | 10 fields |
| CoffeeScore | Awaiting test | Awaiting test | Awaiting test |
Check Sage UK · £399.95 →Direct retailer link · no commission enabled · checked 22/07/2026Open full evidence record → | Check Sage UK · £599.95 →Direct retailer link · no commission enabled · checked 23/07/2026Open full evidence record → | Check Sage UK · £729.95 →Direct retailer link · no commission enabled · checked 24/07/2026Open full evidence record → |
Change the assumptions to match your household. Pod machines use the same editable capsule figure for a like-for-like scenario; the table above shows when an exact checked system example exists. Other machines use bean cost and dose. A connected grinder is included where the machine needs one.
Planning estimate only. It includes only maintenance with priced, model-specific cadence. It excludes milk, water, electricity, repairs, optional accessories and delivery. Recorded equipment prices can change; always check the retailer’s final price.