The short version: the Breville Barista Express ($599–$699) is the safer buy for most Australians — a proven machine, easy to find at a fair price, with the biggest accessory ecosystem in the country. The Sunbeam Barista Plus (~$531–$749) is worth a serious look only if you find it near the bottom of its price range, where its modern digital controls and Australian brand backing make it a genuine bargain. At $749, there’s no reason to pick it over the Breville.
✓ Buy it if…
- You are learning espresso — the Breville pressure gauge plus its huge library of tutorials and forum advice make dialling in easier
- You keep appliances for a decade — capability, availability and aftermarket support in Australia tilt Breville
✗ Skip it if…
- You find the Sunbeam Barista Plus near the bottom of its ~$531–$749 range — there its modern digital controls make it a genuine bargain
Prices at a glance
| Machine | Price (AUD) | Where we saw it |
|---|---|---|
| Breville Barista Express (BES870) | $599–$699 | The Good Guys ($599–$649 sale), Bing Lee ($695), JB Hi-Fi ($699), Myer ($699) |
| Sunbeam Barista Plus (EMM5400SS) | ~$531–$749 | countdowndeals.com.au ($531.05, in stock), CHOICE listing ($749 RRP reference) |
Prices checked 13–15 October 2026. One thing to know before you read on: the Breville’s price is easy to verify — six Australian retailers stock it. The Sunbeam’s is harder to pin down, with only two current AU sources, which is why its range is wider. Sunbeam’s retail footprint in Australia is genuinely thinner than Breville’s, and that matters for price-shopping.
Spec-for-spec
| Breville Barista Express (BES870) | Sunbeam Barista Plus (EMM5400SS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Manual espresso + integrated grinder | Manual espresso + integrated grinder |
| Pump | 15-bar Italian pump | 15-bar pump |
| Grinder | Conical burr, 16 settings | Digital grind control |
| Portafilter / group | 54mm | — |
| Water tank | 2L | — |
| Bean hopper | 250g | — |
| Power | 1850W | — |
| Pressure gauge | Yes (analogue) | Digital display instead |
| Steam wand | Manual, 360° | Manual |
| Pre-infusion | Yes (low pressure) | Yes |
| Price (AUD) | $599–$699 | ~$531–$749 |
Blank cells are specs we couldn’t verify from current Australian listings. We don’t guess at numbers.
Breville Barista Express (BES870): the default answer
The Barista Express has been Australia’s best-selling home espresso machine for the better part of a decade, and there’s a reason every coffee forum thread about “which machine should I buy” ends here. It’s the complete starter kit in one box: a stainless steel conical burr grinder with 16 settings, dose-control grinding, low-pressure pre-infusion, and a 360° manual steam wand that will texture milk properly once you learn the technique.
The analogue pressure gauge is the feature beginners underestimate. When you’re learning to dial in a shot, that needle tells you instantly whether your grind is too fine, too coarse, or in the zone — no app, no guesswork. Combined with pre-infusion, it makes the Barista Express unusually forgiving for a manual machine. You’ll pull drinkable shots in your first week, and genuinely good ones within a month.
The less obvious advantage is the ecosystem. Because millions of these exist, every accessory you could want comes in 54mm: bottomless portafilters, precision baskets, distribution tools, tampers, dosing rings. When you outgrow the stock setup, the upgrade path is cheap and endless. No other machine under $700 has that.
The compromises are well documented by now. The grinder is good, not great — fine for espresso, but serious hobbyists eventually buy a standalone. The single boiler means you can’t brew and steam simultaneously, so back-to-back milk drinks take a little longer. And at 1850W with a big footprint, it’s not a small-bench machine.
But here’s the pricing reality that matters: $599–$649 at The Good Guys on sale, $695–$699 at Bing Lee, JB Hi-Fi and Myer. Six major retailers, prices checked and stable. You can walk into a store today, pay a fair price, and take it home. That availability is part of what you’re buying.
Who it’s for: first-time home baristas, anyone who wants the proven path with the biggest support community and accessory range.
Key specs: 54mm portafilter · 16-setting conical burr grinder · 2L tank · 250g hopper · analogue pressure gauge · 360° manual steam wand · low-pressure pre-infusion
Price: $599–$649 at The Good Guys (sale), $695 at Bing Lee, $699 at JB Hi-Fi / Myer (checked 13 October 2026)
Verdict: the benchmark. Every other all-in-one under $700 is measured against it, including the Sunbeam.
Sunbeam Barista Plus (EMM5400SS): the challenger
Sunbeam is the Australian brand in this fight, and the Barista Plus is its shot at the all-in-one crown: a manual espresso machine with an integrated grinder, 15-bar pump and pre-infusion — the same core formula as the Breville — wrapped in a more modern package with digital grind control and a digital display instead of an analogue gauge.
The digital interface is the genuine differentiator. Where the Breville asks you to read a needle and count clicks on a grind dial, the Sunbeam shows you what’s happening on screen. For buyers who find the Barista Express a bit old-school — and it is an old design now — that modernity has real appeal. There’s something to be said for a machine that meets you where you are instead of making you learn its quirks.
So why isn’t it the obvious pick? Availability. We found two current Australian price sources: $531.05 in stock at countdowndeals.com.au and a $749 RRP reference via CHOICE. That’s a $200+ spread depending on where you look, and only two places to look at all. Compare that with the Breville’s six retailers and tight $100 band. When you’re spending this much, being able to price-shop confidently matters — and right now the Sunbeam makes that harder than it should be.
The accessory ecosystem is thinner too. The Barista Express’s 54mm standard has a decade of third-party support behind it; the Sunbeam doesn’t have that installed base, so expect fewer upgrade options and less community troubleshooting when something goes wrong.
None of this makes it a bad machine. At $531 it’s genuinely well-priced for what you get — an all-in-one with digital controls from an Australian brand, undercutting the Breville by the best part of $100. That’s a real deal. The problem is only at the top of its range: at $749 you’re paying Breville money without Breville’s availability, ecosystem, or track record, and that’s a hard sell.
Who it’s for: bargain hunters who find it near $531, buyers who prefer a modern digital interface, anyone who likes supporting an Australian brand.
Key specs: Integrated grinder with digital grind control · 15-bar pump · pre-infusion · digital display · manual steam wand
Price: $531.05 at countdowndeals.com.au (in stock), $749 RRP reference via CHOICE (checked 13–15 October 2026)
Verdict: a good machine at a confusing price. Buy it cheap, not at full RRP.
Head-to-head: the differences that actually matter
Grinder and dialling in
Both have integrated conical burr grinders, so neither asks you to buy a separate one. The Breville gives you 16 stepped settings plus dose control and that analogue pressure gauge — a proven, tactile system that a decade of owners have learned to dial in, with endless guides online. The Sunbeam’s digital grind control is more modern and arguably friendlier on day one, but there’s less community knowledge behind it. If you like following YouTube tutorials and forum threads while you learn, the Breville’s shared knowledge base is an asset you shouldn’t discount.
Milk drinks
Both have manual steam wands, so flat whites and lattes are on you — no automation either way. The Breville’s 360° wand is well-regarded and, again, there are a hundred tutorials for it. Expect a learning curve of a week or two on either machine before your microfoam looks cafe-adjacent.
Availability and price confidence
This is the quiet dealbreaker. The Breville is stocked at The Good Guys, Bing Lee, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Robins Kitchen and MyHouse — you can compare prices in an afternoon and buy with confidence. The Sunbeam turned up at two sources with a $200+ gap between them. That doesn’t mean the Sunbeam is worse; it means buying one takes more work and more trust. For a $500–$750 purchase, that friction counts.
Long-term ownership
Espresso machines need descaling, the occasional seal, and eventually maybe a repair. The Barista Express’s ubiquity means parts, guides and technicians are everywhere in Australia. The Sunbeam, as the newer and rarer machine, can’t match that yet. If you keep appliances for a decade, this tilts Breville.
Who should buy which
Buy the Breville Barista Express if: you want the proven, no-regrets choice; you value the huge accessory and knowledge ecosystem; you want to compare prices across major retailers and buy today; you plan to get serious about espresso and upgrade over time.
Buy the Sunbeam Barista Plus if: you find it near $531 (at that price it’s the value pick); you prefer a modern digital interface over analogue dials; supporting an Australian brand matters to you; you’re happy to trade ecosystem depth for a lower price.
Buy neither yet if: the Sunbeam is the only one in stock near you at $749 — wait for a sale or buy the Breville. And if your budget stretches, it’s worth knowing the Barista Express Impress (with assisted tamping) sits at $799 and removes the hardest beginner skill entirely.
The verdict
The Breville Barista Express wins this comparison for most Australians. It’s not that the Sunbeam is a bad machine — it’s that the Breville is a known quantity at a known price, with a decade of owners, accessories and repair knowledge behind it. At $599–$699 from six retailers, it’s the safest $600-odd you can spend on home espresso.
The Sunbeam Barista Plus earns an honourable mention with a big asterisk: at ~$531 it’s a genuine bargain and the smart buy. At $749, walk past it. Check the price on the day you buy — with the Sunbeam, the price is the review.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, the Breville Barista Express or the Sunbeam Barista Plus?
For most buyers, the Breville Barista Express. It’s a proven machine with a huge accessory ecosystem, stable pricing ($599–$699) across six Australian retailers, and a decade of community knowledge. The Sunbeam Barista Plus is a credible challenger with a nicer digital interface, but only makes sense if you find it well under the Breville’s price.
How much does the Sunbeam Barista Plus cost in Australia?
Between roughly $531 and $749 AUD, depending on the retailer. We found it at $531.05 in stock at countdowndeals.com.au and listed at $749 (RRP reference) via CHOICE in October 2026. Sunbeam’s Australian retail presence is thinner than Breville’s, so prices vary more — always check on the day you buy.
Is the Breville Barista Express still worth it in 2026?
Yes. The design is old but the formula still works: integrated grinder, pre-infusion, pressure gauge and a proper steam wand for $599–$699. Nothing else under $700 matches its combination of capability, availability and aftermarket support in Australia.
Do both machines have built-in grinders?
Yes. The Breville has a 16-setting stainless steel conical burr grinder with dose control; the Sunbeam has an integrated grinder with digital grind control. Neither requires a separate grinder purchase.
Which is better for a beginner?
The Breville, by a nose. Its analogue pressure gauge gives instant feedback while you’re learning to dial in, and the sheer volume of tutorials and forum advice for the Barista Express means help is always a search away. The Sunbeam’s digital display is friendlier at first glance, but the learning resources are thinner.
Can both machines make flat whites and lattes?
Yes — both have manual steam wands for texturing milk. Neither automates it, so expect a week or two of practice before your microfoam looks the part. That’s normal for manual machines at this price.
Prices checked 13–15 October 2026 at The Good Guys, Bing Lee, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, countdowndeals.com.au and CHOICE. No affiliate links — we don’t earn from your purchase.
