Standalone milk frothers are an interesting piece of gear that don't always get the love that they deserve. These devices are great tools for those who like the occasional milk drink but don't have a full-sized espresso machine with a steamer. Two of our favorite milk steamers are the Philips Baristina milk frother and the Breville Milk Cafe, and we're comparing them here today!

Philips Baristina Milk Frother

The Philips Baristina is a simple frother that is a great companion to the espresso machine of the same name. This is the perfect example of a machine and standalone frother that work side by side to provide a full range of drink options with modular parts. That said, this is a great frother for any countertop, not just one that shares the espresso machine it's named for!

The Baristina has a very simple design with hot frothing at the touch of a button and cold frothing with a longer button press. There's not a lot of control offered here, but the simple operation will be perfect for most users. In our tests, the Baristina consistently hot-frothed milk in under 2 minutes. It provides a thick foam most suited for cappuccinos when frothing dairy milk that will be harder to work with for latte art, but still delicious with a good espresso shot. This frother handles alternative milks especially well, and we really liked the texture it provided when frothing oat milk. 

Breville Milk Cafe

Breville's Milk Cafe is a longstanding favorite among standalone frother shoppers. This frother gives you a full temperature range to play with, letting you really customize the temps. The other plus here is the larger volume than most frothers, including the Baristina. In our tests the Milk Cafe was just a touch slower than the Baristina, coming in at times just over 2 minutes, but it was still well within reason for froth timing. 

Texture wise, this frother also produces a thick, cappuccino froth for dairy milk. The same critiques we offered for the Baristina's dairy milk frothing apply here, but it is still tasty with your favorite espresso. The alternative milk frothing performance was slightly below what we saw with the Baristina, with a few larger bubbles making the product a little bit harder to work with. We still loved the oat milk froth that we got from this option especially when paired with the enhanced volume and temperature control.

Which one is right for me?

While we would give the edge in raw performance to the Philips Baristina frother, both are great options. The Milk Cafe may have slightly bubblier alternative milk after frothing, but the temperature control and larger volume will make up for that for many users.

Let us know which one you prefer in the comments, and check out our video below to see this comparison in more detail!