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Best 3D Printers – Buyers Guide

September 16, 2024

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This overview contains basic product specs & prices for our pick of the best consumer-grade 3D printers of 2024. We’ll cover FDM printers at various price points, build sizes as well as a selection of resin 3D printers.

We regularly update this list, so you can always check back to find out what the best 3D printers in each category are.

Quick jump to:

  1. Best Budget FDM 3D Printers
  2. Best Mid-Price FDM 3D Printers
  3. Best FDM 3D Printers Over $1000
  4. Best Resin 3D Printers
  5. Best Large Consumer Grade FDM 3D Printers

Best Budget FDM 3D Printers

Filament extruding 3D printers come in all shapes and sizes, and price points. In this section we will look at some of the best budget FDM systems, retailing for under $300 USD.

Creality Ender 3 v3KE

The Creality Ender 3 v3KE is the most recent iteration of the ever-popular Ender 3 series equipped with loads more features, in a smaller footprint.

  • - Print size: 220 x 220 x 240 mm
  • - 500mm/s print speed
  • - 300°C printing capability
  • - smart features
  • - wide range of filaments
More details »
$279.00 Creality Store
Buy Now

Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo

The Anycubic Kobra 2 is 6X Faster than previous offerings, with a 300mm/s maximum print speed and comes at a very affordable price point.

  • - Print size: 250 x 220 x 220 mm
  • - flexible magnetic build plate
  • - LeviQ 2.0 auto-leveling
  • - filament runout sensor
More details »
$159.99 Anycubic Store
Buy Now

Best Mid-Price FDM 3D Printers

It’s true, that you get what you pay for. So when spending a little bit more money on an FDM system, you can expect to get extra features and a higher quality machine than found on budget price 3D printers. Here are our favorite mid-price consumer-grade 3D printers in the price range of $300 to $1000.

Flashforge Adventurer 5M

The new Flashforge Adventurer 5M is aimed at those new to 3D printing and has a host of easy-to-use features making plug-and-play easy and fun.

  • - Print size: 220 x 220 x 220 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - PEI build plate
  • - quick-release nozzle
  • - auto-leveling
  • - cloud-control
More details »
$299.00 Amazon
Buy Now

Creality K1

The Creality K1 is the flagship of the Creality family of 3D printers, and is a smart and fast workhorse.

  • - Print size: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - dual-gear direct extruder
  • - AI camera for remote monitoring and fault detection
More details »
$499.00 Creality Store
Buy Now

AnkerMake M5

The AnkerMake M5 3D Printer is packed with modern and advanced features while remaining easy to use and affordable for everyone.

  • - Print size: 235 x 235 x 250 mm
  • - Onboard error-detecting camera
  • - auto bed leveling
More details »
$400.00 AnkerMake Store
Buy Now

Creality K1 Max

The Creality K1 Max features a large build volume, hands-free auto bed leveling, a sturdy unibody die-cast frame & more

  • - Print size: 300 x 300 x 300 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - dual-gear direct extruder
  • - AI camera for remote monitoring and fault detection
More details »
$764.00 Creality Official
Buy Now

Best FDM 3D Printers Over $1000

Spending more than $1000 on a consumer-grade 3D printer will get you increased speed & reliability. Many printers in this category come equipped with more than one extruder (and some with an IDEX system), and many will allow printing at higher temperatures.

Bambu Lab X1 Carbon AMS Combo

This combo offers a large build volume, includes AI-assisted quality-of-life features like dual auto bed leveling & is capable of multi-color and multi-material 3D printing.

  • - Print size: 256 x 256 x 256 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - Built-in camera monitoring
More details »
$1,499.00 MatterHackers
Buy Now

Snapmaker J1S

The sleek Snapmaker J1S comes with independent dual extruders (IDEX) and a solid cast metal frame for rigidity.

  • - Print size: 300 x 200 x 200 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - easy-swap hotend system
  • - built-in nozzle wipers
More details »
$1,099.00 MatterHackers
Buy Now

Best Resin 3D Printers

Thanks to the wonders of LCD technology, 3D printing with resins has become a lot more affordable over the last few years. So if you are a fan of photopolymer 3D printing, then take a peek at our favorite resin printers currently on the market.

Phrozen Sonic Mighty Revo 14K

The Phrozen Sonic Mighty Revo is a user-friendly, reliable workhorse with 14K resolution for high-quality, realistic prints.

  • - Print size: 223 x 126 x 235 mm
  • - max speed 450 layers per hour
  • - 16.8 x 24.8 micron print accuracy
  • - 10.1-inch Mono LCD screen
  • - 14K resolution
More details »
$999.99 Phrozen store
Buy Now

Anycubic Photon M5S

The Anycubic Photon M5S is the world’s first 12K resolution mSLA desktop printer and can print items at blistering speeds and with superb levels of detail.

  • - Print size: 218 x 123 x 200 mm
  • - 19 micron print accuracy
  • - 10.1 inch mono screen
  • - 12K resolution
  • - resin level sensor
  • - smart fault detection
  • - cloud app
More details »
$399.99 Anycubic Store
Buy Now

Phrozen Sonic Mega 8KS 15 inch

The Phrozen Sonic Mega 8KS 15 inch is the latest in the Mega 8K family, offering reliable, large resin printing capabilities at a reduced price.

  • - Print size: 330 x 185 x 300 mm
  • - 43 µm accuracy
  • - 15 inch mono LCD screen
  • - fast build time
  • - accurate print details
  • - built-in drip hanger.
More details »
$1,499.99 Phrozen Store
Buy Now

Best Large Consumer Grade FDM 3D Printers

Most consumer grade filament 3D printers have a fairly small build area, often in the range of 250 mm (XYZ) to 320 mm (XYZ). This is all very well and good if you want to print small parts, but what if you need something a little bigger. In this category, we will be looking at consumer grade 3D printers with larger build plate areas, with a build area of 325 mm and upwards.

QIDI Tech X-Max 3

The QIDI Tech X-Max 3 has a heated build chamber permitting the printing of a variety of materials at high quality.

  • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
  • - fully enclosed
  • - hot build chamber (65℃)
  • - excellent price point
  • - KLIPPER firmware.
More details »
$899.00 QIDI Store
Buy Now

Creality CR-M4

The Creality CR-M4 is a prosumer machine, built to industrial quality, and offers a huge build volume, reliability, and speed.

  • - Print size: 450 x 450 x 470 mm
  • - dual y-axis linear rails
  • - can print for 30 days non-stop
  • - print via USB-C
  • - LAN
  • - cloud or thumb drive
More details »
$879.00 Creality Store
Buy Now

Comgrow T500

The Comgrow T500 is a no-nonsense, rugged machine with a huge build volume and high quality frame for extra stability.

  • - Print size: 500 x 500 x 500 mm
  • - print speed: 200mm/s
  • - max acceleration 8000mm/s²
  • - real linear rails on all axes
  • - highly stable
More details »
$799.00 Sovol Store
Buy Now

Anycubic Kobra 2 Max

The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max is an FDM printer that offers huge value in terms of build volume for a very small price. You would be hard pushed to find a printer this big for any cheaper.

  • - Print size: 500 x 420 x 420 mm
  • - max speed 500mm/s
  • - 4.3 inch LCD Touch-Control Screen
  • - LeviQ 2.0 Automatic Leveling System (49-point)
  • - Anycubic app
More details »
$499.00 Anycubic Store
Buy Now
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  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now

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