Head to head
Brother SE700 vs PE800
One sews and has a small field. One has a big field and cannot sew at all. The question is not which is better - it is what you already own.
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The short answer
The PE800, if you already own a sewing machine. The SE700 if you do not.
Brother publishes a 5 x 7 in field for the PE800 and states plainly that it is a dedicated embroidery machine - no straight stitch, no seam, no hem.
The SE700 publishes a 4 x 4 in field and over 103 sewing stitches.
35 square inches against 16: the PE800 has 119% more design area. But if this is your only machine, a machine that cannot hem a pair of trousers is not a machine, it is an accessory.
Side by side, on published figures
| Specification | SE700 | PE800 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum embroidery area | 4 x 4 in (16 sq in) | 5 x 7 in (35 sq in) |
| Sews? | Yes, over 103 stitches | No - dedicated embroidery machine |
| Work area (needle to arm) | 6.4 x 4.0 in | Not published |
| Built-in embroidery designs | 135 | 138 designs, 11 fonts |
| Included hoop | Not stated on the product page | 5 x 7 in |
| Display | 3.2 x 1.8 in LCD | 3.2 x 1.8 in |
| Maximum embroidery speed | Not published | Not published |
| Magnetic frame support | Not listed | Listed for the SAMF180N 4 x 7 in frame |
What 119% more actually means in practice
4 x 4 = 16 sq in. 5 x 7 = 35 sq in. 35 / 16 = 2.19.
Concretely: a standard left-chest logo fits in 5 x 7 in with margin around it, and is marginal at 4 x 4 in. A hand-towel border fits at 5 x 7 in and does not at 4 x 4 in. A quilt label with several lines fits at 5 x 7 in and is cramped at 4 x 4 in.
This is the largest proportional jump anywhere in the embroidery category. The next step, 5 x 7 in to 6 x 10 in, is only 71%.
Feature by feature: the only dimensions that differ
Field
16 square inches against 35. This is the whole reason to consider the PE800, and it is a large reason.
Sewing
The SE700 does it and the PE800 does not, at all. Brother is not vague about this - the product page says dedicated embroidery machine. People buy the PE800 as a first machine and are surprised, and it is worth being blunt.
Magnetic frame support
Brother lists the PE800 among the machines compatible with its SAMF180N 4 x 7 in magnetic frame, alongside the PE900, SE1900, SE2000, NS1250E and NS2850D series. The SE700 is not on that list.
That matters if you hoop toweling, knits or fleece, where a screw-tightened ring leaves a visible impression.
Everything else
Design counts are within three of each other. Both have a 3.2 x 1.8 in display. Neither publishes a maximum embroidery speed. Neither has wireless.
Who should buy each
Buy the PE800 if you already own a sewing machine you like. You get 119% more design area for less than a comparable combination machine, and your sewing machine stays threaded for piecing.
Buy the SE700 only if this will be your only machine and your honest answer to “what will I make?” is monograms and small logos. The 4 x 4 in ceiling is fixed in hardware.
Skip this
Neither - get the Brother SE2000
If this is your only machine and you want more than monograms, the SE2000 is the machine this comparison is really pointing at: 5 x 7 in and 241 sewing stitches, plus wireless transfer, a 3.7 in color touchscreen and both published speed figures.
It costs more than either machine here. It also removes the trade this whole page is about, which is the trade most people regret making.
The picks
Both machines, and the one that does both jobs
Brother
Brother PE800
Mid embroidery-only tier
5 x 7 in of field with no sewing head to pay for. If you already own a sewing machine you like, this is the cheapest route to a 5 x 7 in hoop.
Skip it if: This would be your only machine. It does not sew: no straight stitch, no seam, no hem.
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Brother
Brother SE700
Entry combo tier
The cheapest honest way into machine embroidery, and the machine most people outgrow first. A 4 x 4 in hoop is 16 square inches of design area: it will monogram, it will do a left-chest logo, and it will not do the back of a jacket.
Skip it if: You already know you want designs bigger than a coaster. The 4 x 4 in ceiling is fixed in hardware and no accessory hoop lifts it.
#ad We hold no verified live price for this machine, so we show none. How this site is funded.
Brother
Brother SE2000
Upper combo tier
The combo machine to buy if you are upgrading rather than starting: 5 x 7 in of field, 241 sewing stitches, a 3.7 in color screen, wireless design transfer, and published speed figures, which most of Brother's range does not have.
Skip it if: You are going to want 6 x 10 in within a year. Buy the field you will need, not the field you need today.
#ad We hold no verified live price for this machine, so we show none. How this site is funded.
How this was ranked
Machines we claim to have tested: none. Everyone in this category says they tested twenty. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we did instead: built the candidate set from what Amazon actually stocks, read the published specification off each manufacturer’s own page, normalized every measurement into the same units and the same order, did the arithmetic on what each step up buys, and left every figure the maker does not publish visibly blank rather than filling it in. Every number on this page links to where it was published, so you can check the work in about five minutes.
- Sponsored placements
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- Free machines accepted
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- Specs linked to a maker page
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Questions people actually ask
Frequently asked
Is the Brother PE800 better than the SE700?
For embroidery, substantially - 5 x 7 in against 4 x 4 in is 119% more design area. But the PE800 does not sew at all, so if this is your only machine the SE700 is a real machine and the PE800 is an accessory to one you do not have.
Does the Brother PE800 sew?
No. Brother’s product page states plainly that it is a dedicated embroidery machine. There is no straight stitch, no seam and no hem.
How much bigger is the PE800's hoop than the SE700's?
5 x 7 in is 35 square inches; 4 x 4 in is 16. That is 119% more design area - the largest single step in the embroidery category.
Which is faster, the SE700 or the PE800?
Brother publishes no maximum embroidery speed for either machine, so there is no manufacturer answer. We leave that row blank rather than estimating it.
Can I use a magnetic hoop on both?
Brother lists the PE800 as compatible with its SAMF180N 4 x 7 in magnetic frame. The SE700 is not on that published list, so we do not claim it fits.
Sources
Every specification on this page was read from one of these pages on 1 September 2026.