Schaerer Soul 12 vs Egro NEXT vs TopBrewer Pro

Choosing the right commercial coffee machine requires more than just specs. You need to know how well it fits your environment, your customers, and your workflow. We’ve compared three leading contenders to help you make an informed decision: the Schaerer Coffee Soul 12, Egro NEXT (Top Milk model), and Scanomat TopBrewer Pro.

1. Look and design

Schaerer Soul 12

Sleek black-and-silver body, rose-gold trim, and a giant 12.1” touchscreen. It has a unique and premium look.

Egro NEXT

Scratch-resistant stainless steel, with a 10.1” touchscreen. Its a classic-looking coffee machine.

TopBrewer Pro

An innovative setup with a swan-neck tap rising from the counter. User interface is placed on an iPad, which is paired with the dispenser. Everything else (like the hoppers, grinders and brewers) hides under the counter inside cupboards. It’s minimalistic and modern.

Quick takeaway: If you want a decorative centerpiece, go Schaerer. If you want classic but clean design, go Egro. If you want your machine to blend seamlessly into your kitchen, go TopBrewer.

2. Footprint and weight

Machine	Dimensions (W × D × H)	Weight
Schaerer Soul 12	330 × 576 × 762 mm	55 kg
Egro NEXT	300 × 575 × 770 mm	57 kg
TopBrewer Pro	225 × 535 × 670 mm	41–44 kg

 

TopBrewer has the smallest countertop footprint because of its embedded design. But the undercounter footprint is fairly equal to the countertop size of the other two. Schaerer and Egro? Pretty similar, they’re both countertop units.

It’s worth noting that all these machines have modular add-ons, and it’s rare that businesses will install just the machine. So adding a fridge to store milk, or hot chocolate and mocha options, will increase the footprint of any of the above.

3. Energy usage

Machine	Power	Daily Energy Loss
Schaerer Soul 12	Not specified	Not specified
Egro NEXT	3.6–6 kW	1.873 kWh/day
TopBrewer Pro	6.5–7 kW	Not specified

Here’s where most buyers get frustrated: Egro is the only one honest about its daily energy usage. Supplier information tells us that Schaerer Soul 12 needs 2 x 13A sockets to function, which is fairly typical, but there is no data on usage that is readily available online (trust me, I spent hours searching).

4. Supplier exclusivity

Schaerer Soul 12

Available from many different suppliers

Egro NEXT

Manufactured by Rancilio Group and available through multiple distributors.

TopBrewer Pro

Manufactured by Scanomat and typically sold exclusively through Scanomat.

This matters. Suppliers can offer different perks, one supplier means you only get one option for your coffee package. For example, some coffee machine suppliers offer break-down cover packages, so having more choice of supplier means more choice for the level of service you want. Schaerer and Egro can be bought or rented from many different suppliers.

5. Servicing and cleaning

Schaerer Soul 12

Automated cleaning, guided maintenance, and service plans if bought through the right partner.

Egro NEXT

Automated cleaning, remote diagnostics, guided maintenance, and service plans if bought from the right supplier.

TopBrewer Pro

No third-party service plans. Cleaning is mostly manual, and maintenance is always through Scanomat. Some customer reviews on TrustPilot cite problems getting a callout to fix issues.

Translation: If you’re not the hands-on type, you’d probably get on better with one of the machines with more automated cleaning.

6. Reliability

We get anecdotal feedback on these machines all the time. And this is what we hear, the honest feedback.

Schaerer Soul 12

We heard from both a gym chain and a law firm recently that their Schaerer Soul 12s were breaking down often. Particularly the hot chocolate module jamming up and preventing the team from getting their mocha fix.

Egro NEXT

The downside of a machine that can self-diagnose issues is that having so many sensors provides more opportunity for false positives. So the issues we often hear about are that the machine reports low milk levels despite full reservoirs.

TopBrewer Pro

Two of our clients located in London, who operate various machines in their enterprises, have informed us that malfunctions occur more frequently with their TopBrewers. However, they both also mentioned that the appealing design is a significant factor they are willing to compromise on. The unique design of the TopBrewer requires that the coffee travel upwards against gravity after brewing. This extra step is something other types of machine don’t have to compete with.

7. Allergen friendliness

Schaerer Soul 12

Whilst it can be set up for twin milk, it’s not as allergen-friendly as the other two. The process for cleaning the milk pathways is not certified. This means users can’t guarantee no cross-contamination for users with dairy allergies.

Egro NEXT

The Egro NEXT has the option for a dual milk setup, with certifications that make it an allergen-safe setup.

TopBrewer Pro

These coffee dispensers can be specified with a dual milk option to allow an allergen-free option for those who need it. If you have team members with serious allergies, make sure you thoroughly investigate the allergen certifications for your options. This isn’t health advice or a guarantee, it’s just a collation of the information available online.

Final comparison table

Feature	Schaerer Soul 12	Egro NEXT	TopBrewer Pro
Design	Premium, stylish	Classic, clean	Minimalist, unique
Footprint	Medium	Medium	Smallest (countertop)
Energy use	Unknown	Efficient	Unknown
Exclusivity	Widely available	Widely available	Scanomat exclusive
Servicing	Supplier service plans	Supplier service plans	Manufacturer call-out only
Cleaning	Semi-automated	Semi-automated	Manual
Reliability	Users have reported breakdowns in certain modules, such as the hot chocolate unit, which can affect heavy-use environments.	Callouts are fairly common, often related to sensors reporting false errors.	Finicky design; maintenance must go through Scanomat, and some users report slow service response.
Allergen friendliness	Not certified	Certified dual milk option	Certified dual milk option

Conclusion

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. If you want a countertop machine with a bit of flair and a large display, Schaerer Soul 12 is a strong choice, though some reliability issues have been reported and it’s not certified allergen-safe.

If you need high-performance heft with efficient energy usage, the Egro NEXT is hard to beat. It is certified dual milk setup for allergen-conscious teams. Though its self-diagnosis features can be both a blessing and a curse.

If you prefer aesthetic, TopBrewer Pro offers a unique experience. But be prepared for more complicated maintenance and less reliable servicing according to reviews. Its dual milk option does allow for allergen-free drinks.

Bottom line: Don’t just ask, “Which machine makes the best coffee?” Ask, “Which one will still feel like the right decision two years from now, when I’m dealing with cleaning, service calls, and energy bills?”