$500 is where home espresso gets genuinely good. Serious Eats notes that its favorite machines are "almost all $500 or more" — so the question at this price is which compromise you'd rather live with.
Updated 9 Nov 2026. Based on published specs and named reviews (linked below) — how we rate. Prices change; recheck before you buy.
Pick by the compromise you accept
No grinder included, best espresso and milk for the money:Bambino Plus.
Serious Eats' overall favorite: ThermoJet heating ready in about three seconds, PID at 200°F, pre-infusion that helped its testers dial in quickly, and an automatic steam wand that made latte-art microfoam. Small details count too — a pop-up bobber when the drip tray is full and cleaning instructions printed on the tank.
Breville's long-running all-in-one: 16-setting conical burr grinder, the same Thermocoil-with-PID heating and 54 mm portafilter as the Impress, and manual tamping. It is under $500 only on sale (list $699.95). TechGearLab rates it its best overall machine; Serious Eats prefers paying more for the Impress. Details in our Barista Express review.
Serious Eats' "best espresso machine under $500," listed there at $458 at Amazon; Gaggia North America lists it at $549, so it is under $500 only when discounted. It's a single-boiler machine with commercial parts, a 58 mm portafilter, and an OPV calibrated to 9 bar. Serious Eats found its steam wand powerful and poured latte art on the second try.
Single 3.5 oz brass boiler (brew and steam in sequence); no PID per Serious Eats
Portafilter
58 mm
Size
8 W × 9.5 D × 14.2 H in
Who should skip it: beginners who want consistency without technique — there's no PID, so you'll temperature-surf — and anyone making several milk drinks in a row, which Serious Eats called "a headache."
$299.95 for Breville's ThermoJet platform with a manual steam wand. With a $199.95 Baratza Encore ESP the whole setup is about $499.90. We list it on Breville's specs; our cited testers reviewed the Plus.
Who should skip it: people who want push-button milk.
Just over $500
The De'Longhi Magnifica Evo super-automatic is $549.95 on sale (list $899.95) and is Food & Wine's best-value super-automatic. If you want push-button drinks rather than a portafilter, see super-automatic machines.
Below $500, the grinder decides
None of the grinder-less machines here will reach their potential with a blade grinder or most drip-coffee burr grinders. Serious Eats' value espresso grinder pick, the Baratza Encore ESP, is $199.95 on Baratza's US site. Price your whole setup in the setup cost calculator, or see the budget guide for the under-$300 options.
