I don't have one so no experience to tell the difference, I love my Vitamix, it sits on my counter (it is the 48oz, short size) and I use it daily for protein shakes, also use it to make p-nut butter, flaxmeal, chiameal etc etc etc. It can be pricey but it has been worth every penny. I spent $ on other products that I ended up not being happy with, had I purchased the Vitamix first instead of trying to save $ I wouldn't have been more $ behind. It will do cheese, make hamburg out of steak, etc etc. You can watch a video of it on QVC which is where I bought mine, to see all that it can do.