I’ve been deep into the 3D printing world for years now, and there’s still nothing quite like watching an idea come to life layer by layer. Designing custom game pieces, fixing things around the house and experimenting with cosplay props have made 3D printing more than a hobby -- it’s a creative outlet that constantly surprises me. The best part? It is not as expensive as it sounds. There are several affordable 3D printers that are just as capable as some high-end models. You will be impressed by the level of detail and reliability they offer without the premium price tag. Thinking of starting an Etsy shop? Want to craft one-of-a-kind gifts for friends? Or maybe you just want to try your hand at something new? A good budget 3D printer can open up a whole world of creative potential -- and maybe even a side hustle while you’re at it.
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What's the best budget 3D printer?
Budget 3D printing is a growing category. For your money, the best you can buy is the . While you can buy it with a color system to print four different colors, the standalone printer is a great choice for just $450. It's fast and accurate, and the print quality is hard to beat at this price point.
These budget 3D printers all cost under $500 (although prices can drift a bit from month to month), and some are better suited for beginners than others. Our list of picks for the best 3D printer overall covers a much wider range of choices, but these are excellent for getting started -- or for buying several at once. If you are thinking of creating a print farm, buying several Anycubic S1's is an excellent way to get started.
Best budget 3D printers
Best Overall budget 3D printer
Pros
- Fully enclosed to control temperature
- Large LCD display makes working on the printer easier
- Color system available
Cons
- Software is not as feature-rich as others
The Anycubic S1 has been specifically designed to compete with the Bambu Lab P1S, a midrange powerhouse and one of the best 3D printers of the last few years. It does exceptionally well for its price. I have been using it with the optional ACE color system, and so far, I've had very little in the way of complaints. The only real issue is the software, as it lacks some of the core features that other slicers have. Thankfully, most 3D printers work with most slicers at this point so that you can choose a third-party option.
The print area is a good size at 250 by 250 by 250 mm, and the enclosure allows you to print different filaments like ABS and PETG without issue. The door and removable top also help ventilate the S1 when you're printing PLA, so you get the best of both worlds.
Best color-ready fast 3D printer
Pros
- The best setup experience
- 4-color printing on a budget
- Good app experience
- Surprisingly fast
Cons
- No real modification path
- AMS Lite is wobbly
- Awkward shape and footprint
The A1 Mini Combo is an almost perfect entry to the world of color 3D printing. It's well priced, and while the build area is small, the print quality and the fact that you can print in four colors straight out of the box is amazing. If you're looking for your first printer and want to try color printing, this is a no-brainer. I have been using the Mini pretty much constantly since it arrived at my door, and if I want a print that doesn't fail and looks amazing, this is the machine I use.
The only real downside to the A1 Mini is the print bed size. At 180mm x 180mm, it is the smallest on this list, and yet, with the AMS color system attached, it takes up the most space of any 3D printer here. Remember that if you only have a small space to build your 3D printing workshop.
Best moddable budget 3D printer
Pros
- Great price for a CoreXY
- Great quality
- Excellent networking
Cons
- Spool holder on the back
The Adventurer 5M and the 5M Pro are two excellent 3D printers from Flashforge. They aren't fancy, and you can see they take heavy influence from the P series from Bambu Lab -- but what they do, they do well, and they do it at an enticing price. A solid CoreXY printer that can print solidly at 300mm/s is not to be sniffed at, and one that's under $300 is well worth your time. I especially like the Flashprint software that allows you to network several printers at the same time effortlessly. Great for schools and small print farms.
Best budget resin 3D printers
Most beginner printers use a plastic filament to create models, but plenty of affordable resin 3D printers are available, too. Liquid resin is a little more difficult to use than standard 3D printing material and requires safety equipment, but it also produces amazingly detailed results.
Best starter resin printer
Pros
- Amazing price for a fast machine
- Excellent quality for a machine this cheap
Cons
- Small build area means printing in batches
This small resin printer is a popular option from Elegoo's Mars line. Because of the 9K monochrome LCD (these printers use light from an LCD to cure liquid resin), it can print much faster than older printers. Standard 3D printing simply can't reproduce the level of detail on models. The Elegoo Mars 5 is the latest and greatest, but at this price the Mars 4 is the better budget machine.
If you are looking to make small batches of D&D minis or custom jewelry pieces for cosplay, then the Mars series is the right machine.
Best midsize resin 3D printer
Pros
- Incredibly fast print speed
- A great size for any print job
- The new tilting lid is so helpful
Cons
- I can't think of a single complaint
The Elegoo Saturn 4 is my favorite resin printer right now. It prints incredibly detailed models at a speed that is often astonishing. The bed size is much larger than the printers in the smaller category, while its footprint is much easier to deal with than other, larger printers. You can print finely detailed cosplay pieces or multiple tabletop miniatures with equal ease with the Saturn 4, making it perfect for a small business.
What to consider when buying a budget 3D printer
Materials
The material you will be using is an important factor in choosing which budget printer you should buy. If you are looking to use basic materials like PLA or PETG, then most printers will have no issues. If you want something like carbon fiber, you may need to look at a more expensive machine or upgrade parts of a cheaper one. I would recommend learning to print with PLA and PETG before trying out some of the other, more exotic filaments. I have a much more detailed article about filament" target="_self you can use to help decide.
Build volume
The build volume of a printer is also important. The Bambu Lab A1 Mini is a fantastic printer but its build volume may be too small for someone looking to make cosplay armor or shelving brackets. Make sure you are thinking about what you want to make and how big the end result might be.
Budget 3D printer FAQ
What material should I use to print with?
What settings should I use?
What are supports?
Is 3D printing difficult to learn?
How long does it take to 3D print an object?
How we test 3D printers
Testing 3D printers is an in-depth process. Printers often don't use the same materials, or even the same process to create models. I test SLA 3D printers that use resin and light to print, and FDM printers that melt plastic onto a plate. Each has a unique methodology. Core qualifiers I look at include:
- Hardware quality
- Ease of setup
- Bundled software
- Appearance and accuracy of prints
- Repairability
- Company and community support
A key test print, representing the (now old) CNET logo, is used to assess how a printer bridges gaps, creates accurate shapes and deals with overhangs. It even has little towers to help measure how well the 3D printer deals with temperature ranges.
When testing print speed, we slice the model using the standard slicer the machine is shipped with on its standard settings, then compare the real-world duration of the print to the statement completion time on the slicer. 3D printers often use different slicers, and those slicers can vary wildly on what they believe the completion time to be.
We then use PrusaSlicer to determine how much material the print should use and divide that number by the real-world time it took to print to give us a more accurate number for the speed in millimeters per second (mm/s) the printer can run at.
Every build plate is supposed to heat up to a certain temperature so we use the InfiRay thermal imaging camera for Android to check how well they do. We set the build plate to 60 degrees Celsius -- the most used temperature for build plates -- waited 5 minutes for the temperature to stabilize, and then measured it in six separate locations. We then took the average temperature to see how close the 3D printer got to the advertised temperature.
Testing resin printers requires different criteria, so I use the Ameralabs standard test: printing out a small resin model that looks like a tiny town. This helps determine how accurate the printer is, how it deals with small parts and how well the UV exposure works at different points in the model.
Many other anecdotal test prints, using different 3D models, are also run on each printer to test the longevity of the parts and how well the machine copes with various shapes.
For the other criteria, I researched the company to see how well it responds to support queries from customers and how easy it is to order replacement parts and install them yourself. Kits (printers that come only semi-assembled) are judged by how long and difficult the assembly process is and how clear the instructions are.