Best 3D printers of 2024 (2024)

We've tested over thirty of the best 3D printers - and these are the ones we recommend for business, beginners, and anyone making crafts and miniatures.

3D printing is becoming increasingly popular in recent years, letting people build everything from professional product prototypes to models and miniatures. Coming in all shapes and sizes, from enterprise-level machines to 3D printers for the home, these units have become faster, quieter, more accessible, and more affordable, delivering astoundingly levels of detail and precision.

Our team of review experts have gone hands-on with more than thirty different 3D printers to find out which models are the best for you. Testing each recommended 3D printer, we compared accuracy, supported filament and resin, and build areas, exploring the best 3D printers for miniatures and those featuring a large print area for prototyping. We even tried out all the extra tools like the best laser engravers built-in for the complete crafting experience.

The quick list

Best 3D printer overall

The best 3D printer for just about everyone, the Bambu Lab P1P is quick to set up, easy to use, and we found the speed at which the printer works is remarkable.

For those looking for the ultimate in customization, Bambu Labs provides templates for printing your custom side panels. The P1P allows up to 16 colors through its Automatic Material System (AMS). Control the printer with an onboard screen or connect with Bambu slicing software and mobile app.

With a customizable and advanced 3D printing experience. The P1P borrows from its larger siblings with 20000 mm/s^2 CoreXY acceleration, vibration compensation, and pressure advance technology. The printer also has an automatic bed leveling sensor and a Direct-drive Extruder for better filament control.

In our experience, the 3D printer proved to be slightly restrictive when handling the more advanced materials that need a bit of a heated chamber and hard to customise (and, therefore, not very adaptable). But overall, this printer has wholly shocked us with its price for features and just how good of a printer this model is. We genuinely think this will disrupt the 3D printing market thanks to its price for abilities.

Read our full Bambu P1P 3D Printer

Best budget 3D printer

Hobbyists and novices need not spend a lot of money on a capable, feature-rich 3D printer. There's a lot out there that are affordable, including the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, but the Mingda Magician X2 is a cheap 3D printer that straddles that line between performance and affordability.

We found during our tests that there are a lot of stand-out features here, particularly for beginners. For example, the 16-point auto levelling, quick swap extruder, and filament detection and removable PEI build platform will all helped make it easy for beginners to use. And we thought the touchscreen LCD was absolutely adept at displaying useful feedback like a hotbed temperature indicator, adjustments such as easy-to-understand baby-step Z-Axis tuning, all of which enhanced the printing experience.

Overall, the printer itself delivers great performance as well, delivering excellent high-quality prints during testing.However, we did feel the print times were slow. While it can hit up to 100 mm/s, the recommended print speed is 60 mm/s. In comparison, the speedy Bambu Lab P1P can reach print speeds of up to 500mm/s.

Being on the affordable side, there are compromised here like the limited nozzle options and the fine-tuning you do have to make for better print quality. However, you're getting a pretty fantastic deal for how much you're paying here.

Read our full Mingda Magician X2 review

Best 3D printer for small businesses

Creality consistently enhances its 3D printers, and the Ender-5 S1 is no exception. Though resembling the Ender-5, its overhauled control board and hotend significantly improve speed and print quality. Priced in the mid-range, it competes with more expensive printers in terms of output quality.

The machine's assembly took longer than the Ender-3, but the four columns, we found, provide a stable base. All the usual test print rattled off the build plate at speed during out tests, with the printer's solid build minimizing shake and vibration, which had a huge impact on the quality of its prints. And its compact design encloses all components within the printer's perimeter, and two carry handles enable easy portability.

The advanced control board and tool head elevate the printer, while the potential addition of the Sonic Pad and a sleek casing make it a strong contender. The Ender-5 S1 appeals to enthusiasts, modellers, product designers, and anyone seeking top-quality prints from a moderately priced device.

Read our full Creality-5 S1 review

Best for precision

Snapmaker, known for its exceptional three-in-one machines, introduces the J1, a dedicated 3D printer. This all-metal machine doesn't transform into a CNC or laser engraver but stands out as a unique 3D printer.

The J1 features an IDEX design, making it a dual-material machine with almost independent hotends for faster material swapping and printing. It offers fast, normal, and smooth print presets to suit various needs, with the smooth setting providing finer surfaces and better dimensional accuracy, ideal for prototyping.

The Snapmaker J1's design is impressive, even though a lid hinge for PLA printing could be a useful addition. This one of the more accessible systems we have used, as we found its ease of use and ability to quickly assign support structures through the software amazing. More importantly, it's an affordable, reliable, and fast IDEX printer with excellent print quality. Although there are cheaper dual-material options, the J1 excels in quality and ease of use, making it the best in its class.

Read ofull Snapmaker J1 review

Best large-scale 3D printer

The Anycubic Kobra Plus is a 3D printer that effortlessly combines large-scale printing capabilities with a wealth of features to empower your creativity. Its massive build volume might be the first thing you notice, but it's the printer's remarkable reliability and ease of use that truly set it apart in a competitive market.

At first glance, the Kobra Plus may seem daunting due to its size and weight; however, it's intuitive design and lightweight construction make it a breeze to set up and operate. Once assembled, you'll appreciate the seamless integration of features such as auto bed levelling, filament detection, and a user-friendly touchscreen.

The Kobra Plus doesn't shy away from delivering high-quality prints, ensuring our projects looked exceptional every time. Its glass print bed did occasionally pose challenges when removing prints, but this minor inconvenience was overshadowed in our experience by the printer's outstanding performance.

Despite a few areas that could use refinement, the Anycubic Kobra Plus offers incredible value for its price. This 3D printer is an ideal choice for those who require a large-scale, reliable, and feature-packed machine to bring their creative visions to life.

Read our full Anycubic Kobra Plus review

Best 3D printer for beginners

The Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro is one of the best 3D printers for beginners - if you don't mind a certain level of investment.

Notable features of the Neptune 4 Pro include the dual-gear direct drive extruder, which ensures smooth and consistent filament extrusion, and the intelligent segmented heatbed, offering precise temperature control. The printer's sturdy construction adds to its overall reliability and durability.

Compared to its predecessors, the Neptune 4 Pro significantly improves speed, bed levelling, and extruder performance. These enhancements make it a worthwhile upgrade for those seeking enhanced printing capabilities. During our testing, the Neptune 4 Pro showcased reliable and consistent print quality. The dimensional accuracy, which initially showed some deviations, was easily rectified by us with belt tension adjustments, resulting in precise and smooth models. While there were a few minor challenges, such as initial dimensional accuracy adjustments and software compatibility, these issues were easily overcome.

The Neptune 4 Pro offers an excellent proposition regarding value for money. Its competitive pricing, robust features, and reliable performance make it a compelling choice in its price range.

Read our full Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro review

Best premium 3D printer

The Original Prusa MK4 is, in our experience with the machine, a best-in-class performer. A premium price-tag is the only reason this isn't the best 3D printer overall. It's a feature-rich FDM printer that builds on the success of its predecessor, the MK3S with new advanced features and impressive performance.However, expect to pay a fair amount for this premium pro device.

In our tests, it proved to be an outstanding 3D printer from a company whose heart remains tied to the open source community. The new Loadcell sensor ensures trouble-free first-layer printing, while the next-gen extruder (Nextruder) enhances ease of maintenance and safety.

All aspects of the machine have been enhanced, including the 32-bit heart of the machine that enables great flexibility for remote printing, quick-swap nozzles, and a customizable UI. The MK4 also supports various materials, from PLA and PETG to Nylon, ASA, PVA, and more. Reliability, automatic first-layer calibration, impressive printing speed, and a host of safety features like filament sensors and power panic all make the latest Original Prusa MK4 the printer to own.

Expect excellent speed and accuracy with a device that we found was deceptively easy to use, despite packing a complex toolset. Overall, we felt its advanced features, automatic bed leveling, and compatibility with various materials make it a versatile and powerful tool for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Read our full Original Prusa MK4 review

Best 3D printer for professionals

This elegant delta design should get your attention if you’re looking for a professional 3D printer for fairly large and complex projects. It uses FDM technology to build 3D models from rolls of filament.

Still, instead of the more common cartesian printers, the TRILAB DeltiQ 2 has a fixed round build plate with the extruder suspended between three arms that move the print head along three axis. It gives this model a fairly small footprint, while its high tower design ensures it can print some quite large pieces.Unlike most 3D printers, it has two extruder options, one for standard PLA and PETG and the other for flexibles. It just requires a little retooling to swap between them.

The TRILAB DeltiQ 2 is designed for the professional market, and it proved to be fast at printing large objects with excellent dimensional accuracy.But we did find that slight tweaks to the profiles depending on the type of model were necessary to get the best from the printer. But this is also a printer uses some of the best components available in its construction, and the interface is a smartphone running a dedicated app, allowing it to sit well in any laboratory, studio, or classroom.

Read our full TRILAB DeltiQ 2 review

Best open-source 3D printer

The LulzBot TAZ SideKick 747, with over 50% 3D printed parts, demonstrates confidence in its Open Source heritage. This workhorse delivers precision, reliability, and exceptional print quality, catering to tinkerers and enthusiasts alike.

With a significant redesign under new ownership, the SideKick 747 feels more connected to the Open Source community than ever before. With LulzBot's outstanding support and plug-and-play capabilities via Cura LE, we were able to start printing quality objects right away.

The design, upgrades, and high volume of 3D-printed parts make it a versatile and customisable printer. The BL Touch sensor required initial adjustments during our testing, but the machine rans smoothly afterwards.

While Wi-Fi connectivity and a touchscreen interface would be welcome additions, the SideKick 747 remains a fantastic choice for home or professional use. With multiple tool head options, it's a perfect base for those who love to experiment and expand their printer's capabilities. The LulzBot TAZ SideKick 747 is among the top 3D printers on the market.

Read our full LulzBot TAZ SideKick 747 Review

Best 3D printers: FAQs

How to choose the best 3D printer for you

To select the best 3D printer, you'll need to consider what you're going to do with it. If you're going to be printing small objects, then a small-size printer is apt, but a large printer is naturally the best option for bigger creations.

For printing high-quality objects with fine details, you'll need a high resolution printer, but these prints will cost more and take more time to get ready.

Look out for the printer's interface and the overall ease of use, along with other aspects like the kind of software it uses, the type of filament, build platform, and pricing.

Find our more in our guide How to get started in 3D printing.

How we test the best 3D printers

We've tested, reviewed, and rated a whole range of printing tools, tech, and services, from the best printers for home and office to the best business card printing services. Whether we're evaluating and comparing the best all-in-one printers or 3D printing equipment, we apply the same rigorous testing process to every model so you can make an informed choice.

Our testing of the best 3D printers use a collection of bespoke benchmarks that help show the strengths and weaknesses of each model that, after time, can be compared against other products. These will differ depending on printer type, but a filament printer will be tested for stringing, bridging, and speed, as well as additional commentary on detail, achieved, and noise levels.

This will be done fairly, with dues given to different materials and printer types, with resin printers being subject to smaller, more detailed models to replace the stringing test. Design, price, and performance will also be explored as sections within the reviews.

All our tests are conducted from the perspective of the printers target market where possible, so expect to see a lot of tabletop miniatures and figurines alongside the usual 'benches' (test models that are also dubbed as 'torture tests' to see where a printer needs to be better optimized for future prints).

We tested the best 3D modeling software - these are our recommendations