De'Longhi Magnifica Plus vs Gaggia Cadorna Prestige
Quick take: The De'Longhi Magnifica Plus costs $49 less.
| Spec | De'Longhi Magnifica Plus | Gaggia Cadorna Prestige |
|---|---|---|
| Standout features | Touchscreen, One-Touch, Auto Milk Texturing, Programmable | One-Touch Milk Carafe, TFT Color Display, 4 User Profiles, 15 Drink Presets, Pre-Ground Bypass Doser |
| Approx. price | ~$1,000 | ~$1,049 |
| Type | Super-Automatic | Super-Automatic |
| Boiler | Thermoblock | Single Boiler |
| Built-in grinder | Yes | Yes |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar | 15 bar |
| Water capacity | 60 oz | 50.7 oz |
| Warm-up time | 45 seconds | 45 seconds |
| Steam wand | Auto (LatteCrema) | Auto (Milk Carafe) |
| Basket type | — | — |
| Best for | Milk Drinks | Milk Drinks |
| Dimensions | 9.5 x 17.5 x 14.0 in | 10.2 x 17.3 x 15 in |
| Weight | 21.2 lbs | 21.2 lbs |
| Warranty | 2 years | 1 year |
Pros & cons
De'Longhi Magnifica Plus
- ✓Intuitive full-color touchscreen
- ✓Excellent auto milk foam with 3 texture settings
- ✓4 user profiles for households
- ✓18 one-touch recipes including iced drinks
- ✗Loud conical grinder
- ✗Small drip tray
- ✗No app or WiFi connectivity
- ✗Must remove water tank to access brew unit
Gaggia Cadorna Prestige
- ✓One-touch cappuccinos, flat whites, and lattes from the 0.6L carafe
- ✓Over-ice preset covers cold drinks most Gaggias skip
- ✓Four profiles store personalized strength, volume, and milk settings
- ✓Hundreds less than comparable Jura and De'Longhi one-touch machines
- ✗Carafe parts add daily cleaning versus the Barista Plus wand
- ✗Milk foam is good but less textured than hand-steamed
- ✗Plastic-heavy build for a $1,000+ machine
- ✗No hot water spout for americano purists - uses combined spout
What owners say
De'Longhi Magnifica Plus
The Magnifica Plus sits at the top of De'Longhi's Magnifica family and is the model owners point newcomers toward when the cheaper Evo's interface starts to grate. At $1,000 the money buys two concrete things over its siblings: a large touchscreen that walks you through every maintenance step in plain language instead of asking you to decode blinking lights and button combinations, and De'Longhi's higher-dosing brew system, which puts more coffee in the puck than the standard Evo and produces a correspondingly stronger cup. It is a popular first super-automatic precisely because it removes the two things that frustrate beginners — not knowing what the machine wants, and drinks that taste thin. Owners report it holding up well in heavy use, with one logging over 1,300 drinks in under a year without a hiccup. Full owner insights →
De'Longhi Magnifica Plus vs Gaggia Cadorna Prestige: common questions
Which is cheaper, the De'Longhi Magnifica Plus or the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige?
The De'Longhi Magnifica Plus is the cheaper of the two at roughly $1,000, about $49 less than the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige at ~$1,049. Both figures are approximate list prices and street prices move with sales.
What is the difference in boiler design between the De'Longhi Magnifica Plus and the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige?
The De'Longhi Magnifica Plus uses a thermoblock and the Gaggia Cadorna Prestige uses a single boiler. Boiler design drives temperature stability and whether you can brew and steam at the same time, which is the main reason two otherwise similar machines behave differently once you start making milk drinks back to back.