For most beginners, the Brother SE700 is the best first embroidery machine. It sews and embroiders, stitches designs up to 4 x 4 inches, and lists at under $600. If you already own a sewing machine, the embroidery-only Brother PE545 gives you the same 4 x 4 inch field for less. If you know your designs will be bigger than 4 x 4 inches, skip straight to the Brother PE900 (embroidery only) or the Brother SE2000 (sewing plus embroidery), both with a 5 x 7 inch field.

The biggest decision is the embroidery area, not the brand or the design count. Once you buy a machine, the largest design it can stitch in one hooping stays fixed.

Quick picks

Machine Best for Type Max embroidery area Built-in designs Sewing stitches Brother list price band
Brother SE700 Most beginners Sewing + embroidery 4 x 4 in 135 103 $550 to $600
Brother PE545 You already own a sewing machine Embroidery only 4 x 4 in 135 None $450 to $500
Brother PE900 Larger designs, sewing covered Embroidery only 5 x 7 in 193 None $1,100 to $1,200
Brother SE2000 One machine with the larger field Sewing + embroidery 5 x 7 in 193 241 $1,400 to $1,500

List prices are from Brother USA’s product pages on October 3, 2026. Retail prices move, and Amazon’s prices can differ from list. All four machines have wireless LAN for sending design files.

1. Brother SE700: best first machine for most beginners

The SE700 covers both jobs a new owner usually has: hems, repairs and simple sewing projects, plus monograms and small motifs. Brother lists a 4 x 4 inch maximum embroidery area, 135 built-in designs, 10 lettering fonts, 103 built-in sewing stitches and eight presser feet. It has a 3.2 x 1.8 inch LCD, a top sewing speed of 710 stitches per minute, and wireless LAN with support for Brother’s Artspira mobile app.

The box includes a 4 x 4 inch embroidery frame and pre-wound bobbins with 60-weight white embroidery bobbin thread, so you can stitch a first design before buying bobbin supplies.

Trade-offs: 4 x 4 inches is the ceiling. That suits left-chest logos, names on towels and small patches, but not a full tote front or jacket back. The screen is small compared with the 3.7 inch displays on the other three machines.

2. Brother PE545: best if you already sew

The PE545 is an embroidery-only machine with the same 4 x 4 inch maximum area and 135 built-in designs as the SE700, plus 10 fonts, a 3.7 inch color LCD, wireless LAN and Artspira support. It cannot sew seams. That is fine, and even convenient, if a sewing machine already sits on your table: you can leave the PE545 set up for embroidery while the other machine handles construction.

Trade-offs: If you don’t own a sewing machine, the SE700 costs less than $100 more at list price and does both jobs. The PE545 also shares the SE700’s 4 x 4 inch limit.

3. Brother PE900: best embroidery-only machine for larger designs

The PE900 raises the maximum embroidery area to 5 x 7 inches and ships with a 5 x 7 inch frame. Brother lists 193 built-in designs, 13 lettering fonts, a 3.7 inch LCD with on-screen editing, and wireless LAN with Artspira support.

Trade-offs: It lists at more than twice the PE545’s price and still doesn’t sew. Choose it when you already know you need a 5 x 7 field, not as a hedge against designs you may never stitch.

4. Brother SE2000: best combination machine with a 5 x 7 field

The SE2000 pairs the 5 x 7 inch embroidery area and 193 designs with 241 built-in sewing stitches. Brother lists a 3.7 inch color LCD, wireless LAN, a top sewing speed of 850 stitches per minute, and an included knee lifter. Brother also lists it as compatible with its 4 x 7 inch magnetic hoop, which is sold separately.

Trade-offs: At $1,400 to $1,500 list, it is the most expensive pick here. For a buyer who only wants small monograms, the SE700 does that job for well under half the price.

How to choose

  1. Do you already own a sewing machine? If yes, look at the embroidery-only PE545 or PE900. If no, look at the SE700 or SE2000.
  2. How big are your designs? Measure the largest design you actually plan to stitch. Up to 4 x 4 inches: SE700 or PE545. Up to 5 x 7 inches: PE900 or SE2000.
  3. How will you get designs onto the machine? All four list wireless LAN, so you can send files from a computer or the Artspira app. Check that the design files you plan to buy come in a format your machine reads.
  4. Budget for supplies. You’ll need embroidery thread, stabilizer suited to each fabric, embroidery needles and bobbin thread. Stitch a test on scrap fabric with the same stabilizer before you embroider the finished item.

Not embroidery machines

A sewing machine with hundreds of decorative stitches, such as the 600-stitch Singer Quantum Stylist 9960, is still a sewing machine: its product page lists no embroidery area, and it can’t stitch hooped design files. Brother’s naming helps here: the SE models in this list sew and embroider, and the PE models only embroider.

How this guide was researched

This is desk research from Brother’s published specifications and Amazon listing checks. Nobody tested these machines for this page. Stitch quality, noise and long-term reliability are not covered here.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is the Brother SE700 or PE545 better for a beginner?

Both have a 4 x 4 inch maximum embroidery area and 135 built-in designs. The SE700 also sews, with 103 built-in sewing stitches. The PE545 is embroidery-only, so it makes sense only if you already own a sewing machine.

Can a bigger hoop make a 4 x 4 machine stitch larger designs?

No. The maximum embroidery area is set by the machine. If your designs are larger than 4 x 4 inches, choose a machine rated for a 5 x 7 inch area, such as the PE900 or SE2000.

Is a sewing machine with decorative stitches an embroidery machine?

No. Decorative sewing stitches are not hooped machine embroidery. An embroidery machine moves a hooped fabric to stitch a design file, and its product page lists a maximum embroidery area.