Best milk frothers 2026: comparison and buying advice

Eight of sixteen, sorted by points

Sixteen milk frothers have their own review in our milk frothers category, eight of them on this page. The selection was made by the overall score alone: it sorts from top to bottom, and after the eighth entry it stops. It was tight there. Eighth place stands at 8.4 points, the first device without a place at 8.3.

Twice, two devices share the same score: the NanoFoamer and the Lono Silk with 8.8, and the Aeroccino 3 and the Milk Twister with 8.4. We have not made a decision between them: places three and four rank equally, as do seven and eight, and their order follows the alphabet alone. What separates each pair is given under the second device. The points themselves are our editorial assessment. Each review also gives individual grades for build quality, performance, handling and value for money, but we cannot document how they feed into the overall score, so we do not state a ratio.

Between approx. €39.00 on Amazon.de for the Philips Milk Twister and approx. €129.99 for the WMF Lono Silk lies more than a factor of three, for the same job. The eight reviews carry the status of September 2026 and draw on operating instructions and manufacturer pages, with the Amazon listings used for cross-checking. The review of the Tchibo device just below the cut-off is at the same status; for the seven others in the category the revision is still outstanding.

None of the eight devices has had milk through it on our side. Froth fineness, running noise and head height therefore do not appear on this page. What can be compared are fill volumes, temperatures, materials, care instructions and prices, and in this category those decide more than the programme lists suggest.

Fill volume: what may go in, and what must go in at least

A wrong decision here is almost always made over volume, not wattage.

Upwards, the field sorts into three tiers. The two Severin jugs and the Lono Silk froth up to 350 millilitres of milk. The Stelio stops at 150 millilitres. The two Aeroccino models and the Milk Twister take 120 millilitres for frothing. Between the top and bottom tiers lies almost a factor of three, and it has little to do with price: the Aeroccino 4 stays at 120 millilitres for approx. €89.00, while the Stelio takes 150 for approx. €45.99.

What is meant is always the milk that goes in, not the froth that comes out. None of the manufacturers states unambiguously in millilitres how much froth results from a fill. The 150 millilitres that WMF gives as milk froth on the Stelio product page are, according to the limits in the instructions, the upper limit of cold milk. Philips and Nespresso count in cups, WMF for the Lono Silk in two full latte macchiatos per fill, and for the Aeroccino 4 Nespresso writes that the amount depends on the type of drink and its temperature.

The lower limit is rarely in the advertising, but it costs milk every morning. Severin requires 120 millilitres so that the spout in the jug base stays covered. WMF sets 150 millilitres as the minimum for the Lono Silk and 100 for the Stelio. For the Aeroccino 4 and the Milk Twister, a rule or a marking applies instead of a figure: the whisk must be covered, and the minimum indicator in the jug must be exceeded. For an espresso macchiato with two spoonfuls of froth, you fill in more milk than you need, at least with the Severin and WMF jugs.

For heating alone without froth, six of the seven jugs have their own, higher limit. The Severin jugs go up to 700 millilitres, the Lono Silk up to 500, the Stelio up to 250, the Aeroccinos up to 240. For the Milk Twister, Philips gives no different maximum. If you warm milk for cocoa at the kitchen table, you should therefore know both figures for a device, not only the larger one from the box.

That leaves the second run. For the SM 3587, Severin requires a few minutes of cooling and cleaning in between; WMF prescribes a cooling pause without a number of minutes for the Lono Silk and the Stelio; and in the Milk Twister a thermostat blocks the next hot run while the jug is warm, recognisable from the flashing button. For both Aeroccinos, the troubleshooting lists an overheated device as the cause when nothing starts or the button flashes, and Nespresso and Philips name the same remedy: rinse the container with cold water. If you need four milky coffees in a row, you therefore plan pauses with these devices.

Heat source: induction, heating element or none

Three of the eight heat by induction. A coil in the base produces an alternating magnetic field, which creates eddy currents in the base of the jug, and this base heats itself. The heat is therefore produced in the component that touches the milk, not in a plate underneath. The practical gain lies in the connection between jug and base, because there is none: no plug contacts, no heating rod in the milk. That is why with Severin and with the Lono Silk the container can be lifted completely off the base and cleaned on its own, and only the base is restricted to a damp cloth. Severin uses 500 watts for this, WMF 650 on the Lono Silk.

For the Stelio from the same house, the type of heating stays open: according to our review, the word induction appears neither on the WMF product page nor in the instructions of November 2025. For both Aeroccinos, the manuals give 410 to 490 watts, and for the Aeroccino 4 Nespresso speaks of a heating element. Its container has an inner coating whose material Nespresso names nowhere, and an everyday rule follows from it: only non-metallic spoons are allowed for skimming. How the Milk Twister’s heating base warms the milk is not stated in any Philips source.

The NanoFoamer is the odd one out because it has no heat source at all. It is a cordless whisk with a sieve, weighs 135 grams and is 234 millimetres long, and you bring the milk to temperature yourself, in a pan or in the microwave. As a target, Subminimal gives about 55 to 65 degrees. The whisk has no fill limit in millilitres; what is required is a milk depth of at least 40 millimetres, ideally in a narrow jug.

The temperature can be set on only two devices: Severin allows steps between 45 and 65 degrees on the SM 3587 and the SM 3586. With the NanoFoamer you decide it yourself anyway, at the hob. Philips runs at a fixed approx. 74 degrees, according to the troubleshooting for the best froth, and at the same time warns that the milk proteins break down if the heat is too strong. That puts the Milk Twister about 9 degrees above the upper end of the Severin scale. For the two Aeroccinos and the two WMF devices, no target temperature in degrees is given in the documents; for Nespresso only the duration, for WMF no figure at all. More on the temperature question is in the guide How to froth milk.

From the SM 3587 to the Milk Twister

Place 1: Severin SM 3587 Induktion, 9.4 points

The Severin SM 3587 has thirteen programmes: five for milk froth, one each for cashew, soya and lactose-free milk, and five for other drinks, namely hot milk, hot chocolate, protein shake, mulled wine and infant formula milk. If you want mulled wine or infant formula milk to run through the same jug, it is the only device of the eight with a programme for it. It stands in first place by our assessment because it combines this programme list with the highest fill limits on the list, which for froth it shares with the SM 3586 and the Lono Silk, and for heating with the SM 3586, and because a rotary dial with an OLED display handles the selection instead of button combinations. At approx. €114.00 it stays below the Lono Silk.

For pouring, the stainless steel container has a barista spout, which according to Severin is also suitable for latte art. Severin is at odds with itself over the scope of delivery: the product page lists a smooth insert for heating, while the instructions do not know it and heat instead with the cover over the ribbed stirring insert.

Place 2: Severin SM 3586 Induktion, 8.9 points

On the Severin SM 3586, the induction base, 500 watts, fill volumes and temperature range are the same as on the SM 3587, but the dial has three positions instead of thirteen programmes: froth cold, froth warm or heat, hot chocolate. For approx. €99.99, €14.01 below the sister model, it lacks menu items and the display, but neither heating power nor a single millilitre. It carries our editorial pick, and its review justifies that with exactly this calculation: if two of you make a cappuccino every morning, you pay here for the jug and the coil beneath it. You add the chocolate only after starting, through a rotating lid insert into the running milk, and instead of a display an LED ring reports status, red for operation with heat, blue for operation without. If it flashes red and blue, then according to the help table the stirring insert is missing or the motor is blocked.

Place 3: Subminimal NanoFoamer Lithium, 8.8 points

The Subminimal NanoFoamer Lithium is the only hand frother on this list. In front of its whisking part sits a sieve: the impeller does not fling the milk about freely but presses it through a fine mesh of stainless steel gauze, and large bubbles are broken up before they rise. Two of these sieves are included, Fine and Superfine. For approx. €49.95 you buy a tool for exactly one step; the heat you get elsewhere. Our review sees it, among other places, in the office and the holiday flat.

About 35 minutes of motor running time are set against up to seven hours of charging time, and Subminimal expressly does not recommend operating it on the charging cable. So it is charged overnight. You order replacements for the impeller and sieves in the manufacturer’s shop, billed in US dollars.

Place 4: WMF Lono Silk Milk & Choc, 8.8 points

At approx. €129.99 the WMF Lono Silk Milk & Choc is the most expensive device in the milk frothers category, and what gets it onto the list in our view is the chocolate from real pieces. For this there is a separate system of choc cage and choc DISC, while the Milk System with handle, DISC holder and milk DISC takes care of the milk. Both are held by a magnet in the base of the jug; there is no fixed motor shaft anywhere in the jug. The housing is Cromargan, WMF’s name for 18/10 stainless steel, matt finished and, according to the manufacturer, resistant to fingerprints.

It shares its score with the NanoFoamer, but little else. The Lono Silk heats by itself and stirs in chocolate; the whisk only froths milk that you have warmed beforehand, and costs €80.04 less. After every chocolate preparation, four small parts on the WMF are rinsed individually and put back together, and if the choc DISC or the cage is lost, a programme is missing. If you only want cappuccino froth for two cups, you pay here, in the assessment of its review, for functions you will not touch.

Place 5: Nespresso Aeroccino 4, 8.7 points

The Nespresso Aeroccino 4 gives hot froth in two densities, each on its own button: airy for the cappuccino, dense for the latte macchiato. The manual’s recipe table sets 60 and 120 millilitres of froth as the recipe quantity for this. If half your household drinks cappuccino and the other half latte macchiato, each gets its froth on its own button. For this split you pay approx. €89.00. For cleaning, Nespresso even expressly recommends the dishwasher for a better result. The temperature cannot be chosen, and the froth density only via the two fixed buttons.

Place 6: WMF Stelio, 8.6 points

At approx. €45.99 the WMF Stelio is the second cheapest device on this list and nevertheless has a housing and milk container made of Cromargan. It is operated by a single button with three press patterns: press once for warm froth, twice for cold, hold for three seconds for hot milk, which is lightly frothed in the process. Its programmes start from 100 millilitres, the lowest lower limit given in millilitres on this list, and at the top a fill is, by the calculation in its review, just enough for two cappuccinos. If three people sit at the breakfast table, it needs two runs with a pause, and for that case the review considers it impractical. The jug itself has no cable and stands on a base that WMF advertises as a 360° base.

According to the care table, the jug must not go in the dishwasher or under running water; it is wiped with a damp cloth. Inside it has a non-stick coating, so WMF prohibits sharp-edged metal objects for skimming. In the spare parts shop at wmf.com on 8 September 2026 there was not a single Stelio part, not even a sealing ring.

Place 7: Nespresso Aeroccino 3, 8.4 points

Compared with the WMF Stelio, the Nespresso Aeroccino 3 costs €33.01 more at approx. €79.00 and takes 30 millilitres less milk for frothing. In its favour are its dimensions: according to Nespresso 9 centimetres in diameter, 17 centimetres high and 450 grams, and nothing sticks out at the side, neither handle nor pouring lip. According to the product photo, only the round base is likely to be wider, and Nespresso gives no dimension for it. Limited worktop space is therefore the case in which we would reach for it. It is operated with one button, short for hot, hold for two seconds for cold, and the picture instructions say most precisely what a fill delivers: two cappuccino cups or one latte macchiato glass.

Place 8: Philips SENSEO Milk Twister CA6500/60, 8.4 points

The Philips SENSEO Milk Twister costs approx. €39.00, as little as any other device on this list, and in the category only five are cheaper. In the jug sits a magnetically held frothing coil on a holder; the jug itself stands cordless on a heating base and carries the control button. 120 millilitres of milk go in, which according to Philips gives froth for two cappuccinos. The main material is plastic.

Two figures separate it from the Aeroccino 3, with which it shares the 8.4 points: the Nespresso costs €40.00 more, but according to the manual needs only 70 to 80 seconds for hot froth, the Philips according to the data sheet 130. According to its review it is meant to suit you if cow’s milk is frothed in the morning and a fixed temperature is fine for you. Cleaning is regulated contradictorily at Philips: the data sheet sets dishwasher-safe to yes, while the German instructions exclude the heating base, milk jug and lid from the dishwasher, and our review follows the broader prohibition.

Seven jugs and a whisk in one table

Both figures in each row come from the device’s review. The prices reflect our price boxes from September 2026 and may have moved since.

Price tiers: a button at the bottom, induction at the top

At the lower end, going by the guide prices of September 2026, stand two devices: the SENSEO Milk Twister and the WMF Stelio, €6.99 apart. For that you get one button, no choice of temperature, 120 and 150 millilitres of milk for frothing respectively, and with WMF a stainless steel housing instead of a plastic one.

At approx. €49.95 the NanoFoamer lies arithmetically in this neighbourhood, but belongs in no price tier of this category because without a heat source it does only half the job. Above it there is a gap: between €49.95 and €79.00 this list has nothing.

The middle is occupied by the Aeroccino 3, the Aeroccino 4 and the SM 3586. From €79.00 to €89.00 you buy the second froth density and the dishwasher approval; the fill volume stays the same. The step from €89.00 to €99.99, on the other hand, is the only one in the middle that moves the volume limit: €10.99 separates the Aeroccino 4 from the SM 3586, and behind it lie 350 instead of 120 millilitres of milk for frothing, 700 instead of 240 millilitres for heating and a selectable temperature.

At the top stand the SM 3587 and the Lono Silk. The €15.99 by which the Lono Silk is dearer than the SM 3587 buys Cromargan, 150 watts more heating power and the Choc System, but costs 200 millilitres of heating volume, nine programmes and the adjustable temperature range. More milk per run is therefore not available above the SM 3587; the Lono Silk even heats less. Whether the extra watts finish a portion sooner stays open, because neither WMF nor Severin gives a running time. We therefore draw the line at the SM 3587: the step to the Lono Silk is worthwhile if chocolate from bar pieces goes into the jug at your home or if the Cromargan housing is worth the money to you.

Four people, steam wand, tea kitchen, oat drink, dishwasher

There are four of you and you all drink milky coffee in the morning. Then with each of the eight you are working against the design. The three jugs from the top volume tier get furthest, and even there Severin on the SM 3587 and WMF on the Lono Silk require a pause before the second round. In our assessment such a household is better off with a machine that produces steam, because a steam wand heats and froths without anything having to cool down between two jugs. Which design suits your household is narrowed down by the Coffee Finder.

You already have an espresso machine with a steam wand. Then, in our view, any of the eight would be a second device for the same job. A separate frother is worthwhile next to a filter machine, next to a bean-to-cup machine without a milk system, or as cold froth for the summer, which a wand does not deliver.

The device is to go in a tea kitchen or a guesthouse breakfast room. Then the instructions decide, not the technology. For the Stelio, WMF expressly lists staff kitchens in shops and offices, farm properties, guests in hotels and motels, and bed-and-breakfast guesthouses; only purely commercial use is excluded. For the Aeroccino 4, Nespresso lists staff kitchens and bed-and-breakfast establishments among the intended places of use, while for the Aeroccino 3 the same brand excludes precisely these places. Philips intends the Milk Twister solely for private households and expressly excludes staff kitchens, offices, hotels and guesthouses. For the two Severin jugs and the NanoFoamer, the manufacturer sources of our reviews give no places of use, and for the Lono Silk only the exclusion of purely commercial use is established, because we have only a summary of the list that follows it.

You mostly froth oat drink. None of the eight devices has a programme for it, not even the SM 3587 with its three special programmes. Oat is expressly named in only two places: by Nespresso for both Aeroccinos and on WMF’s product page for the Lono Silk. Philips says nothing about plant-based drinks, and for the Stelio WMF names only soya as an example. In this case we would pick a device whose manufacturer names oat explicitly. How the designs differ in principle is sorted out in the guide Milk frother buying guide.

The container is to go in the dishwasher in the evening. Then four remain: the two Severin jugs with container, stirring inserts and lid, the Lono Silk with lid, jug and Milk/Choc System, and the Aeroccino 4 with all parts except the base at a maximum of 70 degrees. The Stelio, the Aeroccino 3 and the Milk Twister drop out, the Philips because of the contradictory sources from place eight. On the NanoFoamer, Subminimal gives neither an approval nor a prohibition; only splash protection to IPX-4 is stated.

The other eight from the catalogue

Closest to missing out is the Tchibo Induktions-Milchaufschäumer Cremeweiß at approx. €49.00 and 8.3 points, a tenth behind place eight, and it carries our value pick. Because its review is already available in the checked version, we also give details here. According to the instructions, each hot run ends at approx. 60 to 70 degrees, and you cannot choose anything about that. According to the same instructions, approx. 250 millilitres are frothed; the product page speaks of approx. 260. The jug, lid and the stirring insert used are dishwasher-safe. Anyone who considers it nevertheless should know one thing: Tchibo’s own shop reported the cream-white model as unavailable on 15 September 2026 and lists only the newer device in this category.

The other seven are in our catalogue, but their reviews are still in the old, unchecked version. That is why nothing is given here about them beyond name, guide price and score: the Morpilot Milchaufschäumer 4-in-1 at approx. €45.99 and 8.2 points, the OutIn LattoGo Handmilchaufschäumer at approx. €49.99 and likewise 8.2 points, the Bialetti Cappuccinatore at approx. €35.58 and 8.1 points, the Simpletaste Milchaufschäumer 4-in-1 at approx. €29.99 and 8.0 points, the Powerlix Pro 3-in-1 Handaufschäumer at approx. €19.99 and 7.8 points, the COVVY Manueller Milchaufschäumer 400 ml at approx. €12.99 and 7.7 points, and the Rafow Milchaufschäumer 4-in-1 at approx. €29.97 and 7.7 points. Four of these seven cost less than a quarter of the Lono Silk.

All products on the list side by side

The prices are guide values from our price boxes and change with the retailer. Prices are in euros from Amazon.de and may differ in your country. You will find the current status for each product on the linked product pages, and all products side by side in the comparison table.