Nespresso Creatista Uno vs. Plus vs. Pro: Which Should You Buy?

Creatista Uno, Plus or Pro: How Each One Talks to You

The three Creatistas brew the same OriginalLine capsules and froth milk the same way: a loose stainless steel jug sits on a temperature sensor under a steam wand. What changes is how you control them and how strict they are. The Uno (BNE500) uses buttons and LEDs, the Plus (BNE800) a dial and colour display, and the Pro (BNE900) a touchscreen. The Uno and Pro both stop working if you ignore descaling, and the Pro counts down the uses you have left.

None of them has a milk carafe or a colour-coded blinking light scheme, whatever other reviews say. And none of the three manuals names a heating system, so claims about a thermoblock or a separate steam boiler don't come from Nespresso.

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Side by Side

The Plus manual we used is the Australia/New Zealand edition, so its warranty and phone numbers are for that market. The Uno and Pro manuals are the US/Canada editions.

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The Lockout Difference

This is the difference no spec sheet mentions, and it's the one you'll feel in a year.

• Uno: "The descale alert LED will flash when it is due to descale. If you continue to use, the descale alert LED will be solid on and the machine will stop you from using."
• Pro: "The machine will stop you from use if the descale cycle has not been performed after 30 uses. A 'lockout' count-down will appear to alert you of the number of uses remaining."
• Plus: its book shows a Descale Now message but describes no lockout.

On the Uno you get a flashing warning, then it stops you. On the Pro you can see how many uses you have left before it does.

How often? It depends on your water. The Pro's manual sets descaling by hardness: after 2,200 cups (40 ml each) in the softest water, down to 500 in the hardest. All three use a water-hardness setting, and the Uno sets its level automatically.

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Descaling Each One

All three manuals say to use only the Nespresso descaling kit: "Never use any product other than the Nespresso descaling kit… to avoid damage to your machine."

Uno (about 15 minutes):

1. Open and close the lever to clear the capsule. Empty the capsule container and drip tray.
2. Put 500 ml (17 oz) of water in the tank and add the descaling agent.
3. Place a 1 L (34 oz) container under both the coffee outlet and the steam wand.
4. With the machine off, hold Ristretto + Steam for 5 seconds. Both go solid. Press either to start.
5. The milk froth LED shows progress. When it finishes, rinse and fill the tank to MAX.
6. Run the rinse (Ristretto or Steam) twice. After the second, the buttons flash 3 times and the machine turns off.

Plus and Pro: start from the Maintenance menu (Plus) or MENU (Pro) and follow the on-screen steps.

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Milk: Same System, Different Controls

All three froth in the provided jug on a temperature sensor; the Pro's manual puts that sensor in the drip tray. The common milk problems have the same answers on each:

Clearing the steam tip: the Uno and Plus manuals point to a pin cleaning tool stored under the water tank. To purge the wand, the Uno uses a 3-second hold on Steam, the Plus a STEAM PURGE on the display, and the Pro its Clean Steam Wand menu item.

Milk: the Plus and Pro manuals ask for whole or semi-skimmed milk straight from the fridge, about 4-6 °C (39-43 °F), and newly opened for the best result. The Pro adds UHT or pasteurized.

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When One Stops Working

Every manual gives the same first step for a machine that is on but has stopped: power it off, wait 60 minutes, then power it on. The button you use differs:

• Uno: turn it off, wait 60 minutes, press Ristretto, Espresso or Lungo.
• Plus: hold START/CANCEL to turn it off, wait 60 minutes, press START/CANCEL or SELECT.
• Pro: press POWER, wait 60 minutes, press POWER.

A factory reset isn't the documented fix for this. It erases your settings, and the Plus then makes you repeat the first-use setup.

Other model-specific messages:

• Plus, Machine Error: "A major fault has occurred." Press START/CANCEL or SELECT; if it persists, call Nespresso.
• Pro, touchscreen not working or stuck in instore mode: press POWER off, then on again.

Stop and call Nespresso if a capsule is stuck in the capsule area. The Pro's safety section says to turn it off and unplug it first, and never put your fingers inside. In the US, call 1-800-562-1465; in Canada, 1-855-325-5781. The Pro's US warranty is two years.

More: Creatista not working · Creatista leaking.

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Which Should You Buy?

• Uno: if you want buttons and you're happy with lights rather than words. Watch the descale LED: the Uno will stop you if you ignore it.
• Plus: if you want to adjust drinks on a display, with plain-language alerts, and a separate coffee-only reset.
• Pro: if you want a touchscreen, a dedicated hot water button, and a countdown before it locks you out.

We haven't compared prices, and no manual compares reliability. All three take Nespresso OriginalLine capsules, and the Plus manual says defects caused by non-genuine capsules aren't covered by its warranty.

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FAQ

Do all three Creatistas have a milk carafe?

No. All three use a loose stainless steel milk jug that sits on a temperature sensor and is frothed by the steam wand. There's no attached carafe on any of them.

Will a Creatista stop working if I don't descale?

The Uno and Pro will. The Uno's descale LED goes solid and stops use; the Pro allows 30 more uses with a countdown. The Plus book we read shows a Descale Now message but no lockout.

What capsules does the Creatista use?

Nespresso OriginalLine capsules, on all three. The Vertuo Creatista is a different machine, with its own manual.

Are the model numbers BES500 or BES800?

No. The Creatista codes are BNE500 (Uno), BNE800 (Plus) and BNE900 (Pro), or SNE in Sage markets. BES500 is the Breville Bambino Plus.

Is the Creatista Pro's reset the same as the Uno's?

No. The Uno uses a button hold, Lungo + Ristretto for 5 seconds. The Pro's Factory Reset is a menu item that "erases all settings".

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Related Nespresso Guides

• Nespresso Creatista Not Working?
• Nespresso Creatista Leaking?
• Nespresso Milk Frother Not Working?
• Nespresso Error Codes and Lights

Sources: Nespresso Creatista Uno BNE500 user manual (US/Canada); Creatista Plus BNE800 instruction manual (Australia/New Zealand edition); Creatista Pro BNE900 user manual (US/Canada).