De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine (EC9255M)
Why it's a good swap Built-in grinder, steam wand and a cold brew option.
You give up: Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning.
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Prices checked October 2026Not tested in handNo paid rankingsHow we pick
You give up: Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning.
Short answer: The closest cheaper alternative to the Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine (BES878) is the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine (EC9255M), about $700 instead of $850 (save 18%). What you give up: Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning. The cheapest is the CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine at about $140. Prices checked October 2026.
Why it's a good swap Built-in grinder, steam wand and a cold brew option.
You give up: Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning.
Why it's a good swap Pulls espresso and steams milk with a pressure gauge on the front.
You give up: No built-in grinder, so you need pre-ground coffee or a separate grinder.
Why it's a good swap Built-in burr grinder and milk frothing, plus drip coffee and cold brew.
You give up: Larger machine with a more automated, less hands-on espresso workflow.
Why it's a good swap Same Breville built-in grinder, tamper and steam wand in an older design.
You give up: Slower heat-up and no LCD screen like the Barista Pro.
Typical US prices, checked October 2026. Not live prices; check the listing before you buy.
Looking for a cheaper alternative to the Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine (BES878)? It usually sells for about $850. Here are 4 cheaper swaps from $140: the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine (EC9255M) is the closest match from another brand, the Breville Barista Express is a cheaper option from Breville and the CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine is the cheapest at about $140. Each one says what you give up for the lower price.
The Breville Barista Pro costs $850. The closest cheaper pick is the Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series ($600), which also has a built-in grinder. The cheapest is the CASABREWS CM5418, a basic machine that needs pre-ground coffee or a separate grinder.
The Barista Pro is worth it if you want to make espresso by hand with a built-in grinder and almost no warm-up wait. Breville says its ThermoJet system reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, its conical burr grinder has 30 settings, and it uses low pressure pre-infusion before 9 bar extraction. Home Coffee Expert rated it 9.5/10 and said it can pull exceptional espresso, but called it easy to use and difficult to master.
The Barista Express ($700) keeps Breville's built-in grinder and steam wand, but Breville lists 16 grind settings and a Thermocoil heater. Home Coffee Expert called the Pro an upgrade in every way. The Ninja Luxe Café Premier ($600) weighs your dose, froths milk hands-free, and also brews coffee and cold brew. De'Longhi says the La Specialista Arte Evo ($700) makes cold brew in under 5 minutes and has a manual steam wand. The CASABREWS CM5418 has no grinder, so it fits best if you already own one.
| Option | Type | Typical price | You save | What you give up | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine (BES878) | The original | $850 | – | – | View ↗ |
| CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine | Budget pick | $140 | $710 (84%) | No built-in grinder, so you need pre-ground coffee or a separate grinder. | View ↗ |
| Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series Espresso Machine (ES601) | Close match | $600 | $250 (29%) | Larger machine with a more automated, less hands-on espresso workflow. | View ↗ |
| De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine (EC9255M) | Close match | $700 | $150 (18%) | Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning. | View ↗ |
| Breville Barista Express | Same brand, cheaper | $700 | $150 (18%) | Slower heat-up and no LCD screen like the Barista Pro. | View ↗ |
Typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, checked October 2026. They are not live Amazon prices and may have changed, so check the listing before you buy.
The CASABREWS CM5418 Espresso Machine, at about $140 (84% less). Pulls espresso and steams milk with a pressure gauge on the front. The catch: No built-in grinder, so you need pre-ground coffee or a separate grinder.
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo Espresso Machine (EC9255M), at about $700 (18% less). Built-in grinder, steam wand and a cold brew option. The catch: Its grinder has fewer settings than the Barista Pro's, so less fine-tuning.
Yes. The Breville Barista Express, at about $700 (18% less). Same Breville built-in grinder, tamper and steam wand in an older design. The catch: Slower heat-up and no LCD screen like the Barista Pro.
Breville lists 30 grind settings and a ThermoJet heater that is ready in 3 seconds on the Barista Pro, versus 16 grind settings and a Thermocoil heater on the Barista Express. Home Coffee Expert notes the Express has a pressure gauge, while the Pro has an LCD display. The Pro is $850 and the Express is $700.
No. It has a manual steam wand, so you texture milk yourself. Breville's Barista Touch Impress ($1,500) has hands-free Auto MilQ if you want automatic milk.
It is a different style of machine. Tom's Coffee Corner found its espresso very similar to Breville's Barista Express and Touch Impress, and its auto milk steaming better. It also weighs each dose and brews coffee and cold brew. It costs $600 versus $850 for the Barista Pro.
Each swap links to amazon.com. Prices are typical US prices checked October 2026 and change often, so check the listing before you buy.
Every swap is a product sold in the US that does the main job of the original. Close match is another brand with similar features, Same brand, cheaper is an older, smaller or renewed model from the same maker, and Budget pick is the cheapest thing that still does the job. On each page, Closest match is the close match nearest the original in price, and Lowest price is the cheapest swap. We compare published specs, retailer listings and reviews; we don't test products ourselves.
A cheaper product is cheaper for a reason. Each swap says what you give up, like weaker noise cancelling, a smaller screen or a shorter warranty, so you can decide if the savings are worth it.
Prices are typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, last checked October 2026. They are not live Amazon prices, which change often. When a price couldn't be confirmed, the page says “Check price on Amazon” instead of showing a number.
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