Comparison · Espresso machines
Sage Barista Pro vs Bambino Plus: built-in grinder or separate grinder?
The Barista Pro grinds for you and the Bambino Plus steams milk for you. Here's what each does, what they cost on 3 Oct 2026 and the real price once you add a grinder.
The Sage Barista Pro vs Bambino Plus question comes down to which job you want the machine to take off your hands. The Barista Pro has a grinder built in but leaves milk steaming to you. The Bambino Plus has no grinder at all but can steam milk automatically. On 3 Oct 2026 the Barista Pro was £729.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, and the Bambino Plus was £399.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. We haven’t tested this in person. This comparison is based on Sage UK’s published specs, Currys’ listings and UK prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
The gap looks like £330, but it isn’t really. To get the most from a Bambino Plus you need fresh beans and a burr grinder, so the fair comparison is the Bambino Plus plus a grinder against the Barista Pro on its own.
Sage Barista Pro vs Bambino Plus: the short answer
Get the Barista Pro if you want one machine that takes you from whole beans to a shot, with a screen that shows grind size, shot time and settings. It’s £729.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone nervous about steaming milk by hand. The Barista Pro’s wand is fully manual, so silky flat whites take practice.
Choose the Bambino Plus if you mostly drink lattes and cappuccinos and want the milk done for you, or if your counter is tight. It’s less than half the Barista Pro’s width, according to Sage’s dimensions.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who doesn’t want a second appliance. Without a grinder you’re limited to pre-ground coffee, which goes stale quickly once opened.
Skip both if you want to press one button and walk away. A bean-to-cup machine grinds, brews and froths for you; our bean-to-cup machines hub covers them.
Who it isn’t for: anyone keen to learn espresso properly. Bean-to-cup machines give you far less control over the shot.
What they cost right now
Prices:
- Barista Pro at Sage UK: £729.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. Brushed stainless steel, black truffle and black stainless steel were in stock; sea salt and damson blue were sold out. A special-edition finish was £1,099.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. See the Barista Pro at Sage UK
- Barista Pro at Currys: £729.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, for the stainless steel SES878, in stock. See the Barista Pro at Currys
- Bambino Plus at Sage UK: £399.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. Only brushed stainless steel was in stock; the coloured finishes were all sold out. See the Bambino Plus at Sage UK
- Bambino Plus at Currys: £399.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026, for the stainless steel SES500, in stock. See the Bambino Plus at Currys
Neither machine showed a “was” price at Sage UK or Currys when we checked, so these look like standard prices rather than short-term deals. John Lewis and Argos didn’t load for us, so they’re not included.
Who it isn’t for: anyone waiting for Black Friday. We can’t predict whether either will drop.
The real cost once you add a grinder
This is the part most comparisons skip. The Bambino Plus has a 54mm portafilter and comes with dual-wall baskets for pre-ground coffee, but to use the single-wall baskets properly you’ll want beans ground fresh and fine.
Two Sage grinders make the maths easy, because they’re sold on the same site:
- Sage Dose Control Pro: Check price at Sage UK. Sage lists 60 grind settings. See the Dose Control Pro at Sage UK
- Sage Smart Grinder Pro: £209.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. With a Bambino Plus that’s £609.90, about £120 less than a Barista Pro. See the Smart Grinder Pro at Sage UK
So even with a decent grinder, the Bambino Plus route is cheaper, and you get automatic milk on top. What you give up is the single footprint, the screen and the Barista Pro’s integrated dosing. You also gain flexibility: if the grinder wears out or you want to upgrade, you replace one box rather than the whole set-up. Our guide to burr grinders under £100 covers cheaper options, though budget grinders vary a lot in how fine they go.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants one plug and one box on the counter. Two appliances take two sockets and more space overall.
Grinding and the shot
The Barista Pro’s grinder is the headline. Sage lists 30 grind settings on steel conical burrs, which its feature text describes as Baratza European precision burrs, plus a 250g bean hopper. It grinds straight into the portafilter, and a Dosing Funnel attachment comes in the box to cut down on mess. The tamper is magnetic and clips into the machine.
Both machines share the same core brewing parts on paper. Sage lists a 15-bar Italian pump with low-pressure pre-infusion followed by 9-bar extraction, PID temperature control and a ThermoJet heating system that it says reaches extraction temperature in three seconds. Both use a 54mm stainless steel portafilter, and both offer one- and two-cup volumetric shots.
The difference is information. The Barista Pro’s LCD shows the grind setting, a shot timer and other settings. The Bambino Plus has three buttons and no display, so you judge the shot by eye or with a set of scales.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants to tinker with temperature and shot time from a menu. The Bambino Plus keeps things deliberately simple.
Milk: auto wand or manual wand
This is where the Bambino Plus wins. Sage says its automatic steam wand offers three milk temperatures and three texture levels. You put the jug on the tray, press a button and the wand stops when the milk’s done. You can switch to manual steaming once you’ve got the hang of it.
The Barista Pro has a conventional manual wand. Sage pitches it as powerful enough for microfoam, but you control the angle, depth and timing yourself. Both come with a 480ml stainless steel jug.
The Bambino Plus delivers hot water through the steam wand, according to Sage. The Barista Pro has its own hot water outlet, which is handier for americanos.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants hands-free milk on the Barista Pro. For that you’d need to step up to a Barista Touch.
Size, tank and build
Sage lists the Bambino Plus at 19.4cm wide, 36.2cm deep and 30.4cm high. The Barista Pro is 40.8cm wide, 35cm deep and 33.2cm high, so it takes about twice the width of worktop. Currys lists the Bambino Plus at 4.95kg and the Barista Pro at 9.08kg.
Sage gives both a 1.9-litre tank, though Currys lists the Barista Pro’s as 2 litres. Power is 1,600W for the Bambino Plus and 1,680W for the Barista Pro. Both carry a two-year warranty, according to Sage.
Remember the Bambino Plus figures don’t include a grinder. A Smart Grinder Pro or Dose Control Pro next to it takes extra width, so the space saving is smaller than it first looks.
Who it isn’t for: anyone with low cupboards. Leave room above the Barista Pro to fill the hopper.
Which one to buy
If you drink mostly milky coffee and you’re starting from scratch, the Bambino Plus with a separate grinder is the cheaper route and does the trickiest job, milk, for you. It’s also the one we’d point to if you already own a decent grinder, because then you’re only paying £399.95 at Sage UK, checked 3 Oct 2026.
If you want a single, tidy machine with a screen to guide you through grinding and extraction, and you’re happy to learn to steam milk, the Barista Pro makes more sense. Our Sage Barista Pro review and Sage Bambino vs Bambino Plus comparison go into each machine in more depth.
Who it isn’t for: anyone on a budget under £400. The plain Sage Bambino is cheaper still; see our Sage Bambino vs Bambino Plus comparison.
Downsides
- Barista Pro: fully manual milk steaming; wide footprint; the grinder can’t be swapped out if it wears or you want better.
- Bambino Plus: no grinder, no screen and no pressure gauge; hot water comes through the steam wand; most colours were sold out at Sage UK on 3 Oct 2026.
- Both: 54mm portafilters rather than the 58mm size used by many café machines, which limits some third-party accessories.
FAQ
Is the Barista Pro better than the Bambino Plus? Not across the board. The Barista Pro adds a built-in grinder and a screen, while the Bambino Plus adds automatic milk steaming. Which is better depends on whether grinding or milk is the job you’d rather hand over.
Does the Bambino Plus need a separate grinder? You can use pre-ground coffee in the dual-wall baskets Sage includes, but for the single-wall baskets a burr grinder and fresh beans make a big difference.
Is the Bambino Plus plus a grinder cheaper than a Barista Pro? Usually. The Bambino Plus is £399.95 at Sage UK and the Barista Pro £729.95 at Sage UK, both checked 3 Oct 2026; check price at Sage UK for the Dose Control Pro.
Do they use the same portafilter? Both use a 54mm portafilter, according to Sage.