KitchenAid Artisan vs. Professional Stand Mixers: What’s the Difference?

Are you shopping for a stand mixer but can’t decide between the KitchenAid Artisan and Professional series?

Both feature powerful motors, lots of attachment options, and the iconic KitchenAid design.

But which mixers are better? What are the main differences?

In this comparison of KitchenAid Artisan vs. Professional mixers, I break down how they differ in terms of features, colors, size, performance, price, and more.

By the end, you’ll have all the facts to decide with confidence which is right for you.

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Use the links below to navigate the comparison:

• KitchenAid Artisan vs. Professional: Comparison Chart
• Difference 1: Model Options
• Difference 2: Tilt-Head vs. Bowl-Lift
• Difference 3: Color Options
• Difference 4: Attachments and Extras
• Difference 5: Bowl Size
• Difference 6: Bowl Materials
• Difference 7: Soft Start
• Difference 8: Motor Power
• Difference 9: Price
• Difference 10: Warranty
• Bottom Line: Should You Buy a KitchenAid Artisan or Professional Mixer?

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KitchenAid Artisan vs. Professional: Comparison Chart

Before I get into the details, here’s a quick comparison chart of KitchenAid Artisan vs. Professional mixers.

Note: The Artisan series includes two models (Artisan and Artisan Mini), and the Professional series includes four models (Professional 5 Plus, Professional 600, Professional 6500 Design, Pro Line). Scroll or swipe to view the entire chart.

Swipe or scroll to view the entire chart.

Model	Artisan	Artisan Mini	Professional 5 Plus	Professional 600	Professional 6500 Design	Pro Line
Mixer Type	Tilt-head	Tilt-head	Bowl-Lift	Bowl-Lift	Bowl-Lift	Bowl-Lift
Soft Start	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bowl Size (quarts)	5	3.5	5	6	6	7
Bowl Materials	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	Glass	Stainless steel
Bowl Handle	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bowl Finish	Polished	Polished	Polished	Polished	Transparent (glass)	Polished
Pour Shield	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Color Options	40	11	8	13	5	6
Motor	325-watt	250-watt	525-watt	575-watt	1 HP (745 watts)	1.3 HP (969 watts)
Speeds	10	10	10	10	10	10
Height (inches)	14	12.5	16.5	17	16.5	16.5
Width (inches)	8.7	7.7	11.3	7.25	13.3	13.3
Depth (inches)	14	12.5	14.6	9	14.6	14.6
Weight	23 lb.	16.5 lb.	30 lb.	28 lb.	29 lb.	32 lb.
Price	$$$ (Amazon)	$$ (Amazon)	$$$ (Amazon)	$$$$ (Amazon)	$$$$ (Amazon)	$$$$$ (Amazon)

Difference 1: Model Options

Artisan stand mixers come in either a standard 5-quart model or 3.5-quart Artisan Mini version.

The Artisan is similar in size to KitchenAid Professional stand mixers. The Artisan Mini is more compact and takes up less counter space (more on the exact sizes later in the comparison).

Professional mixers are available in four models:

• Professional 5 Plus
• Professional 600
• Professional 6500 Design
• Pro Line

The main differences between each model are the attachments, motor power, and bowl size (again, I’ll cover those details later).

Difference 2: Tilt-Head vs. Bowl-Lift

One of the most significant differences between KitchenAid Artisan and Professional mixers is how you access the bowl.

Artisan mixers have a tilt-head mechanism, meaning you can unlock and tilt the “head” or hub up and down. While the head is up, you can easily add ingredients to the mixer bowl or switch attachments. When you’re done, you tilt the head back down and proceed with mixing.

Tilt-head mixers, like the Artisan, are compact and easy to maneuver, and accessing the bowl is simple. These mixers are ideal for home use, especially if you have limited counter space or minimal clearance between the counter and cabinets.

KitchenAid Professional mixers operate with a bowl lift mechanism. Instead of tilting the head back to access the bowl, you use a lever to raise and lower the bowl. Bowl-lift mixers provide more versatility and control while adding and mixing ingredients, and they’re more stable since the head is completely stationary.

However, bowl-lift mixers take up more overhead space, and switching attachments isn’t as convenient.

Learn more in my in-depth comparison of KitchenAid tilt-head vs. bowl-lift mixers.

Difference 3: Color Options

The Artisan series stands out when it comes to color variety; there are over 40 options available.

The most popular colors include white, black, red, rose, buttercup, ink blue, silver, antique copper, watermelon, and aqua sky blue (pictured below).

Periodically, new ones are added while others are switched out, so the color lineup varies depending on when you shop.

True to its name, the Professional series takes a more commercial approach to colors. These mixers are only available in up to 13 hues, with the most popular options being red, white, silver, and black (pictured below).

Below are the color options available with each Professional series mixer:

• Professional 5 Plus (8 options): aqua Sky, silver, milkshake, onyx black, empire red, silver, black matte, ink blue.
• Professional 600 (13 options): silver, white, onyx black, dark pewter, nickel pearl, copper pearl, blue velvet, empire red, cinnamon, purple plum berry, milkshake, aqua sky, black matte.
• Professional 6500 Design (5 options): frosted pearl white, candy apple red, onyx black, medallion silver, sugar pearl silver.
• Pro Line (6 options): onyx black, candy apple red, medallion silver, frosted pearl white, cast iron black, sugar pearl silver.

Difference 4: Attachments and Extras

The array of attachments that come with each mixer varies by model. Here’s a quick overview.

The Artisan mixer comes with a 5-quart stainless steel bowl (with handle), enamel-coated flat beater and dough hook, aluminum 6-wire whisk tool, and a clear plastic pouring shield.

The Artisan Mini includes a 3.5-quart bowl (with handle), a flex edge beater, an enamel-coated dough hook, and an aluminum 6-wire whisk/whip.

The Professional 5 stand mixer comes with a 5-quart stainless steel bowl (with handle), a coated flat beater, a PowerKnead spiral dough hook, and a 6-wire whisk.

The Professional 600 Series mixer includes a 6-quart stainless steel bowl (with handle), a coated flat beater, a PowerKnead dough hook, a wire whisk, and a clear pouring shield.

Finally, the Professional 6500 Design Series mixer includes a 6-quart glass bowl (with handle), a coated flat beater, a flex edge beater, a coated PowerKnead spiral dough hook, a 6-wire whisk, and a fitted lid. This model includes the most attachments out of the box.

The Pro Line Series mixer comes with a 7-quart stainless steel bowl (with handle), a coated flat beater, a metal PowerKnead dough hook, an 11-wire whip, and a pouring shield. The PowerKnead hook features a unique spiral design, making it more versatile than the standard coated hook included with KitchenAid Artisan mixers.

In addition to what comes with each KitchenAid mixer, you can purchase several other, more specialized attachments.

These extra attachments range from spiralizers to meat grinders to ice cream makers, and they’re compatible with all models. The one exception is the ice cream maker, which is not compatible with the Artisan Mini mixer.

Difference 5: Bowl Size

Another major difference between KitchenAid Artisan and Professional mixers is the bowl size.

Artisan and Professional 5 Plus models come with 5-quart bowls, while the Professional 600 and Professional 6500 Design mixers include slightly larger 6-quart bowls.

The Pro Line mixer has the largest bowl size with a 7-quart capacity, while the Artisan Mini lives up to its name and comes with a small 3.5-quart bowl.

Larger bowls allow you to make bigger batches with less effort but also take up more space.

For context, the chart below shows how many cookies you could make with each Artisan and Professional series mixer.

Mixer	Bowl Size	Cookies Per Batch
Artisan Mini	3.5 quarts	5 dozen
Artisan	5 quarts	9 dozen
Professional 5 Plus	5 quarts	9 dozen
Professional 600	6 quarts	13 dozen
Professional 6500 Design	6 quarts	13 dozen
Pro Line	7 quarts	14 dozen

The 5-quart bowl (Artisan and Professional 5 Plus models) is more than enough for most people. But avid bakers and professional kitchens could benefit from having more capacity.

Difference 6: Bowl Materials

In addition to bowl sizes, KitchenAid allows you to choose from a variety of bowl materials.

The range of options includes glass, stainless steel, and ceramic.

All Artisan and Professional Series mixers come with stainless steel bowls, except the Professional 6500 Design model, which comes with a glass bowl.

KitchenAid also offers 5-quart ceramic bowls that are compatible with the Artisan and Professional 5 Plus mixers.

All bowls are dishwasher-safe, but the glass and ceramic bowls are also microwave- and freezer-safe.

The ceramic bowls are the most versatile because they’re also oven-safe up to 475°F. Plus, they come in attractive floral designs and elegant textures like mermaid lace (pictured below).

Difference 7: Soft Start

The soft start feature is a setting that starts the mixer slowly, allowing for the gradual mixing of ingredients.

This feature prevents lighter ingredients, like flour or melted butter, from being pushed out or splattering all over your counters.

The Artisan Mini and all Professional line mixers come with the soft start feature, but the 5-quart Artisan model does not.

Difference 8: Motor Power

KitchenAid mixers are incredibly powerful, and all models can mix batter, knead dough, and whip eggs with ease.

That said, Professional series mixers have much more powerful motors than Artisan series mixers. Even the Professional 5 Plus, which includes the same 5-quart bowl as the Artisan mixer, has 200 more watts of power.

Do you really need that much power? Does it make a difference?

In most cases, no. The power you get with Artisan mixers is more than enough. However, the extra power is helpful with stiff, dense bread doughs.

Power also has a long-term impact on the overall durability of the machine. All else equal, mixers with more power last longer because they can handle thick dough without stressing the motor.

This comparison chart gives you an idea of the power differences: 

Model	Motor Power
Artisan	325 watts
Artisan Mini	250 watts
Professional 5 Plus	525 watts
Professional 600	575 watts
Professional 6500 Design	1 HP (745 watts)
Pro Line	1.3 HP (969 watts)

Difference 9: Price

It’s no secret that KitchenAid mixers, in general, are pricey. But when comparing the Artisan series vs. the Professional series, Artisan is the more budget-friendly option.

The Artisan (standard) and Professional 5 Plus are comparable in price, while the other Professional models are pricier. Artisan Mini mixers are the most affordable since they’re the smallest and least powerful.

The exact price of each mixer will vary by retailer, so shop around before you make a purchase.

To help you compare, the chart below shows the current prices on Amazon of each KitchenAid Artisan and Professional mixer: 

Difference 10: Warranty

Every mixer besides the Pro Line includes a 1-year warranty — the Pro Line comes with a standout 5-year warranty.

If the mixer fails within the warranty period, KitchenAid will ship you a replacement for free. The warranty will also cover the replacement mixer. 

If certain parts are defective, the warranty covers the repair and/or replacement parts. But the service needs to be done by an Authorized KitchenAid Service Center.

The warranty is only valid if you’re using the mixer for regular residential use and doesn’t cover issues resulting from misuse, abuse, or accidents (i.e., dropping the mixer). 

Bottom Line: Should You Buy a KitchenAid Artisan or Professional Mixer?

Now you know the key differences between the KitchenAid Artisan and Professional stand mixers.

But, which series and model is best for you?

Before I give you my recommendation, let’s recap the key points:

• The Artisan series includes two models (5-quart and 3.5-quart Artisan Mini), while the Professional series includes four models.
• With Artisan mixers, you access the bowl by tilting the head back, while Professional mixers have a lever that lifts the bowl up and down.
• Artisan mixers are available in over 40 colors. Professionals are available in seven standard colors.
• Each mixer comes with a beater, dough hook, and whisk, but the design and material of these attachments vary by model.
• Artisan mixer bowls are either 5 quarts or 3.5-quarts (Mini). Professional mixer bowls range from 5 to 7 quarts.
• All mixers come with a stainless steel bowl except for the Professional 6500 Design model, which comes with a glass bowl.
• All KitchenAid mixers include a “soft start” feature, except for the Artisan model.
• Professional mixers have more powerful motors than Artisan mixers.
• All KitchenAid mixers are expensive, but the Artisan and the Professional 5 Plus models cost less than the Professional 600, Professional 6500 Design, and Pro Line models.
• All Artisan and Professional mixers come with a 1-year limited warranty, except for the Pro Line model, which comes with a 5-year warranty. 

The right mixer for you comes down to the kind of baking/cooking you plan to do, the size of your kitchen, and your personal design preferences.

If you want a more customizable mixer that takes up less space, and if you plan on making only small or moderately-sized batches, the Artisan or Artisan Mini models are your best bet.

You get a range of colors to choose from, and the tilt-head functionality makes it easy to access the bowl and change attachments.

However, if you regularly cook for a crowd, plan to mix large batches of dough, and have a generous amount of counter space, KitchenAid Professional mixers are worth a look.

In terms of capacity and power, Professional mixers are the best of the best. If you can afford it, go for the Pro Line model. It has the most powerful motor (1.3 HP), the largest bowl (7 quarts), and the best warranty (5 years).

To learn more about KitchenAid Artisan and Professional series mixers, check them out at the links below:

• Artisan Series Mixers on KitchenAid.com and Amazon
• Professional Series Mixers on KitchenAid.com and Amazon