Top 3d printers compared

About Top 3d printers compared

Printers are bought outright, so the entry price is the whole outlay and the warranty term is the only commitment that outlives delivery. That reframes the usual price question. The 24 brands behind this category feed a shortlist judged on what a machine costs when you buy it, what the range around that price includes, and how far the seller ships. Entry prices here show a median of €262.21, with most brands landing between €167.73 and €656.84, a wide enough gap that a starter machine and a large enclosed printer can share the same list. Build volume is the other divider, sitting at a 350 median here. Reach matters as well, since some sellers on this list cover a wide spread of countries while others ship to a single market. Support splits the field too: help centres are common, phone lines are rarer, and chat and community boards fill the gap. Every entry below says what the range covers, where the machines run, and who answers when a print fails.

How we picked

Scores come from weighted signals: cost at 40%, offer at 40% and trust at 20%. Cost and offer carry equal weight, so a cheap machine with a thin shelf cannot outrank a mid priced maker with a broad catalogue, and trust settles the margins. Each score is built from figures the brand publishes: entry price, build volume, maximum speed, warranty length, the product types sold, the countries served and the support channels listed. Category spread comes from the pool behind this ranking, with entry prices spanning €78.05 to €2,302.03, build sizes 220 to 1,800 mm and warranty terms 1 to 3 years. Where a brand states a figure, that figure is used as printed, and where figures pull in different directions, the one that affects what you pay or what you can print decides it. Partner listings appear first, then everyone else in score order. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score. Figures a brand does not publish are never held against it, which means the list reflects what each seller states rather than what it leaves out.

Our top picks

1. 2. Creality

   Creality sits in the middle of this ranking with the most balanced set of figures. Entry is $199, the build 350 mm against a 350 median, and speed reaches 600 mm/s. Enclosed and multi colour models are both listed, the range spans fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner including scanners and laser engravers, and laser output is 60 W. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, and the seller is Creality 3D Technology LLC, founded in 2014 and reaching US, MX and DE. The Creality entry ranked next shares the same $199 start and the same fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner, so capacity is the separator here. For a buyer balancing outlay against build room, this is the tidiest middle ground on the list.

   • Price from: $199
   • Largest build size (mm): 350
   • Multi-colour printing: Yes

   Pros

   • The catalogue spans fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner, so printing, scanning and laser work stay under one brand.
   • Multi colour printing is available, and 89.5% of brands in the printer ranking offer it too.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, giving phone and a help centre alongside email.
   • Builds of 350 mm match the median build size in the printer ranking, 350.
   • The store sells across US, MX and DE, so the same range reaches buyers in several regions.

   Cons

   • Starting price ranks 11 of 27 brands, so cheaper entry points sit elsewhere.
   • Build size ranks 13 of 23 on the same measure, which leaves the biggest machines to other brands.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre with no live chat listed, so quick answers wait on email, phone or the community board.
   • MatterHackers adds cutting machines to fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner, so jobs outside printing and laser need a second supplier.

2. 3. Creality

   Creality holds this slot in this ranking on range and support rather than on capacity. It lists an enclosed, multi colour range at $199, sold by Creality Co., Ltd.. Printers and resin machines sit under fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner, with scanners and laser engravers alongside, and laser output of 60 W. Support runs on email, phone and help centre. The 300 mm build is the reason it sits behind Creality rather than level with it, the two sharing a $199 entry. Flashforge, ranked next, starts higher at $249, narrows the range to fdm printer and resin printer, and lists US, CA and GB as its markets, so it suits a buyer who wants a smaller machine and a wider country list.

   • Price from: $199
   • Largest build size (mm): 300
   • Multi-colour printing: Yes

   Pros

   • Breadth: fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner covers FDM printers, resin printers, scanners and laser engravers, where fdm printer and 3d scanner stops at FDM printers and scanners.
   • Multi colour printing is offered and enclosed models sit in the same range, so buyers chasing either feature keep a single supplier.
   • The laser line includes a 60 W engraver, so printing and engraving arrive through the same catalogue.
   • Support covers email, phone and help centre, so a machine that stops mid print has a phone route as well as written answers.

   Cons

   • Build size of 300 mm is modest for oversized work, and Creality ranks 18 of 23 brands on that measure.
   • Creality's fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner ends at laser engravers, while fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner also includes a cutting machine, so sheet and vinyl cutting sit with another seller.
   • On price from the brand sits mid field at 11 of 27, so the entry price is fair rather than the cheapest on the table.

3. 4. Flashforge

   Flashforge is in this ranking as a focused maker. Founded in 2011 in CN as Zhejiang Flashforge 3D Technology Co., Ltd., it lists fdm printer and resin printer with enclosed and multi colour models, a 256 mm build, speeds of 600 mm/s and entry at $249 under a 1 year warranty. It ships to US, CA and GB. Support is email, help centre and community, so the help centre and community carry the work without a phone line. Against Newark, the next name in the ranking, Flashforge builds its own machines while Newark distributes fdm printer and 3d scanner across US, CA and MX with the wider email, chat and phone support set.

   • Price from: $249
   • Largest build size (mm): 256
   • Multi-colour printing: Yes

   Pros

   • Multi colour and Enclosed printing are both offered, a pairing that is rare this close to the entry price of $249.
   • Maximum print speed of 600 mm/s keeps the enclosed range competitive on throughput.
   • The catalogue covers fdm printer and resin printer, so filament and resin buyers stay with one maker.
   • Warranty of 1 year ranks 5 of 20 here, a stronger showing than the price rank of 15.
   • Ships across US, CA and GB, so direct orders work outside a single home market.

   Cons

   • Build size of 256 mm trails the category median of 350 mm, so oversized parts will not fit.
   • Support runs on email, help centre and community only, with no phone line listed.
   • Warranty of 1 year matches the category floor 1, well under the longest cover on record at 3.
   • The range covers fdm printer and resin printer only, while MatterHackers also carries fdm printer, resin printer and 3d scanner, so scanners, engravers and cutters mean another seller.

4. T8. TwoTrees: best for TwoTrees

   TwoTrees sells 3D printers, laser engravers and desktop CNC routers with free shipping and a one-year warranty.

5. I9. Impresoras3D: best for Impresoras3D

   Impresoras3D is a Spanish 3D printing store selling 3D printers, filament, components, electronics and accessories.

   • Markets: ES

6. E10. Eryone: best for Eryone

   Eryone is the official store for affordable 3D printers and 3D printing products.

   • Markets: IT

What to look for

Entry price

Start with the number you actually pay. The median entry price in this ranking is €262.21, the middle of the field running from €167.73 to €656.84. The floor is €47.95 and the ceiling €2,302.03, so a brand can be cheap on a single model and far from cheap on the next.

Build volume

Build size decides what fits in a single run, and it is the spec most buyers check after price. The median here is 350, the lower quartile 300 and the upper 475, across a category spread of 220 to 1,800. Large parts and quick small ones need different machines.

Warranty after the sale

Warranty is the only term that outlives delivery, since a printer is paid for once. In this ranking the median is 1 years, the upper quartile 1 and the longest 3, while the wider category pool runs 1 to 3 years. A short term on an expensive machine is the hidden cost.

Support you can reach

A help centre is the norm here, listed by 95.8% of these brands, with email on 83.3% and community boards on 91.7%. Phone lines appear on 54.2% and live chat on 25%. Check who you can reach before a first build, since faults usually surface early.

Enclosed design and multi colour

Enclosed bodies appear on 94.4% of these brands, and multi colour printing on 89.5%. Both matter when you work with materials that need a steady chamber and fewer colour changes between parts, and together they separate the serious machines from the starter printers in this category.

Frequently asked questions

Top 3d printers compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV