What is the main difference between the Brother PE900 and SE700?

The PE900 is an embroidery-only machine with a 5x7 inch maximum field and 193 built-in designs. The SE700 is a combination sewing and embroidery machine with a 4x4 inch maximum embroidery field and 135 designs, plus 103 sewing stitches. The PE900 costs $1,179.99. The SE700 costs $579.99 regular. The difference is field size, machine type, and roughly $650.

Is the Brother SE700 good for embroidery?

Yes, for designs that fit a 4x4 inch space. The SE700's 4x4 field covers left-chest logos, small monograms, pocket designs, and most patches. It does not cover large back designs, wide lettering, or any design that exceeds roughly 3.8 inches in either dimension. For buyers who want to embroider and also sew, the SE700 is a strong value at under $600.

Can the Brother PE900 do regular sewing?

No. The PE900 is an embroidery-only machine. It does not include sewing stitches, a buttonhole function, or a sewing presser foot set. If you need both sewing and embroidery from one machine, the SE700 (or a different combo machine) is the right category.

Which is faster, the PE900 or SE700?

The SE700 runs at up to 710 stitches per minute for sewing. The PE900's embroidery speed is up to 650 stitches per minute. In practice, embroidery speed differences matter less than field size: a larger field means fewer re-hoopings per project, which saves more time than a 60 spm speed advantage.

Should I buy the PE900 or SE700 for monograms?

For standard 3-4 inch monograms, the SE700's 4x4 field is sufficient and costs roughly half the price. For large towel monograms (4-6 inch) or monograms that include decorative frames extending past the 4x4 boundary, the PE900's 5x7 field handles them without splitting. If most of your work is standard-size monograms, buy the SE700 and use the savings.

Brother PE900 vs SE700: Which One to Buy

The Brother PE900 costs $1,179.99 and embroiders in a 5x7 inch field. The SE700 costs $579.99 regular and embroiders in a 4x4 inch field. It also sews. These are the two facts that decide the purchase for most buyers. The rest of the comparison is detail on top of that.

Specs verified on Brother USA, June 2026. Both machines are currently listed as out of stock on Brother’s site; pricing from the active product pages.

The spec comparison

Spec	PE900	SE700
Machine type	Embroidery only	Combo sewing and embroidery
Max embroidery area	5” x 7”	4” x 4”
Built-in designs	193	135
Embroidery fonts	13	10
Built-in sewing stitches	0 (embroidery only)	103
Buttonhole styles	None	10
Max sewing/stitch speed	650 spm (embroidery)	710 spm
Display	3.7” color LCD	3.2” x 1.8” color LCD
Wireless LAN	Yes	Yes
USB port	Yes	Yes
Weight	17.64 lbs	15.06 lbs
Price (verified June 2026)	$1,179.99	$579.99 regular
Warranty	1/2/25 year limited	1/2/25 year limited

A person operating a computerized embroidery machine with a hoop and fabric in place — Both the SE700 and PE900 use the same Brother interface, the same hoop mechanism, and the same design-loading workflow. The difference shows at the hoop size: a 5x7 frame handles designs up to about 4.8 inches wide in one run; a 4x4 stops at roughly 3.8 usable inches. Any design that touches the 4x4 border with a decorative surround or extended lettering needs either resizing or the PE900's larger field. *Photo via Unsplash. Unsplash License.*

What the field size actually means

The single most consequential difference between these two machines is the embroidery field: 5x7 inches versus 4x4 inches. Here is what fits in each:

Design category	Typical size	SE700 (4x4)?	PE900 (5x7)?
Small left-chest logo	3” wide	Yes	Yes
Standard 3-letter monogram	2.5–3.5”	Yes	Yes
Jacket pocket design	3–4”	Borderline	Yes
Large towel monogram	4–6” wide	No	Yes
Baby blanket center design	4–5”	No	Yes
Mid-size back design	5–7” wide	No	Yes
Wide lettering (name across back)	6–7”	No	No (PR680W needed)

The “borderline” category is real: designs near the 4x4 limit often need the entire hoop to register accurately, and anything with an outer decorative border around a 3.5-inch center motif will clip. The SE700’s 4x4 field is a genuine, firm ceiling. The PE900’s 5x7 field is not a ceiling for most home embroidery use.

The sewing question

The SE700 is a combo machine. It runs 103 built-in sewing stitches, 10 buttonhole styles, and comes with eight presser feet covering everything from blind hem to overcasting. If you plan to sew garments, quilts, or home goods in addition to embroidering, the SE700 gives you both functions in one machine at roughly half the PE900’s price.

The PE900 does not sew. At all. There is no bobbin-work stitch mode, no zipper foot, no buttonhole. Buying the PE900 and separately buying a dedicated sewing machine adds cost.

The practical question: how much sewing do you actually expect to do? If the honest answer is “occasional straight seams and basic hemming,” a separate entry-level sewing machine costs under $200, and the PE900 plus a budget sewing machine still comes in below the PE900 alone if you factor in the SE700’s price. If the answer is “I want to sew seriously,” the SE700’s combo capability is worth keeping.

Embroidered monogram letters on folded linen fabric — Most home embroidery starts with monograms. The SE700's 4x4 field handles standard 3-inch monograms cleanly. At 4-5 inches with a decorative surround frame, the PE900's 5x7 field becomes the deciding factor. The machine you buy sets the ceiling on what you can do without splitting designs or buying additional equipment. *Pexels. Pexels License.*

Design count and built-in content

The PE900 ships with 193 built-in designs and 13 embroidery lettering fonts. The SE700 ships with 135 designs (75 motifs, 60 alphabet/frame designs) and 10 fonts. Both machines connect to the iBroidery platform, which has 5,000+ additional designs available for purchase. Both support the Artspira app for custom pattern creation.

In practice, neither machine’s built-in library will be the limiting factor for what you produce. Serious embroiderers build their own design files or buy from designers. The design count difference is a tie-breaker at best, not a primary selection criterion.

A macro view of machine-embroidered stitching — The two machines stitch alike; the fork is structural. The SE700 also sews garments at a 4x4 ceiling, while the PE900 is embroidery-only with nearly double the field. *Jina Lee via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.*

Wireless and connectivity

Both machines support wireless LAN and Brother’s Design Database Transfer software for sending files from a PC without USB. Both have a USB port for direct file loading. Neither requires a specific digitizing software package for connectivity.

The wireless feature is more useful on the PE900 because embroidery-only users tend to manage larger design libraries from a computer. The SE700’s wireless is equally capable for the same workflow. This is not a differentiating factor.

Who should buy the SE700

Buy the SE700 if most of your embroidery projects fit a 4x4 inch space AND you also want to sew. This is the majority of beginning-to-intermediate home sewists: left-chest logos, standard monograms, patches, small designs on shirts and bags. The $579.99 price point is substantially more accessible than the PE900, and the combo capability means you are not buying two machines.

It is also the right buy if you are not sure how much embroidery you will do. At under $600, the entry cost is lower, and graduating to a PE900 or PR-series machine later involves less sunk cost.

Who should buy the PE900

Buy the PE900 if you know embroidery is the primary use and you regularly need designs larger than 4x4 inches. Large towel monograms, baby blanket centers, mid-size back pieces, and any design with wide lettering or a decorative border around a center motif require the 5x7 field.

Also buy the PE900 if you want to be certain that a design you purchase from a designer will fit without re-digitizing it. The 5x7 field covers almost everything in the standard home embroidery design marketplace without modification.

The full Brother PE900 review covers owner reports, tension patterns, and the monthly consumables budget. The SE700 review covers the same for that machine. For the next step up past the PE900, the PR680W review covers the 6-needle commercial tier.

Colorful thread spools arranged in rows on a surface — Thread costs are identical across both machines: 40wt polyester runs under $0.30 per design at retail prices, and the SE700 and PE900 accept the same spool sizes, bobbins, and stabilizer formats. The consumables budget does not change between them. The field size and machine type are the only numbers that separate them in this comparison. *Thomas Hawk via Flickr. CC BY 2.0.*

For buying either machine, the SE700 is available on Amazon and cutaway stabilizer sheets are the required backing for both machines.

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