The Best 3D Printers in 2026
PCMag’s best overall 3D printer is the Bambu Lab P2S ($449 on sale at Bambu Lab, normally $549), while Tom’s Hardware picks the dual-nozzle Bambu Lab X2D. On a budget, Tom’s Hardware likes the enclosed Elegoo Centauri Carbon, and beginners can start small with the Bambu Lab A1 mini.
Disclosure: PickedTech is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. This never affects which products we recommend or how we rank them. How we make money.
How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
PCMag’s best overall 3D printer is the Bambu Lab P2S ($449 on sale at Bambu Lab, normally $549), while Tom’s Hardware picks the dual-nozzle Bambu Lab X2D. Best overall: Bambu Lab P2S, $449. Best high-end: Bambu Lab X2D, $589. Best budget enclosed: Elegoo Centauri Carbon. Best for beginners: Bambu Lab A1 mini, $199. Best multicolor: Snapmaker U1, $699.
Last updated Prices checked Nov 11, 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Pick | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Bambu Lab P2S | most people | $449 (sale; $549 normally) |
| Best high-end | Bambu Lab X2D | engineering materials and less waste | $589 (sale); AMS Combo $789 |
| Best budget enclosed | Elegoo Centauri Carbon | a fast enclosed printer on a budget | Unavailable at Elegoo |
| Best for beginners | Bambu Lab A1 mini | beginners and small spaces | $199; Combo $299 |
| Best multicolor | Snapmaker U1 | multicolor prints with less waste | $699 (sale) |
| Best resin | Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra | miniatures and fine detail | $284 |
Most picks here are filament (FDM) printers for toys, tools and household parts. Pick a resin printer only if you want very fine detail, such as tabletop miniatures, and can handle liquid resin safely.
Which should you buy? Our quick picks
How do they compare?
| Printer | Price seen | Type | Build volume | Who picks it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab P2S | $449 at Bambu Lab (sale; normally $549) | FDM, enclosed | About 10.1-inch cube | PCMag best overall | Most people |
| Bambu Lab X2D | $589 at Bambu Lab (sale; normally $649); AMS Combo $789 | FDM, dual nozzle, heated chamber | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | Tom’s Hardware best overall; PCMag | Engineering materials and less waste |
| Elegoo Centauri Carbon | Unavailable at Elegoo (successor Centauri Carbon 2 Combo $399) | FDM, enclosed | 256 x 256 x 256 mm | Tom’s Hardware fastest budget | A fast enclosed printer on a budget |
| Bambu Lab A1 mini | $199 at Bambu Lab; Combo $299 (sale; normally $219 / $329) | FDM, open | About 7.1-inch cube | PCMag | Beginners and small spaces |
| Snapmaker U1 | $699 at Snapmaker (sale; normally $999) | FDM, four tool heads | 270 x 270 x 270 mm | Tom’s Hardware best multicolor; PCMag | Multicolor prints with less waste |
| Prusa CORE One | $1,202.78 assembled, $925 kit (CORE One+ at Prusa) | FDM, enclosed | 250 x 220 x 270 mm (Prusa) | Tom’s Hardware best premium | Tinkerers who want an open, repairable printer |
| Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra | $284 at Elegoo (normally $338) | Resin, 9K | 153 x 77 x 165 mm | Tom’s Hardware; PCMag | Miniatures and fine detail |
| Qidi Q2 | $449 at Qidi (normally $499; ships from China) | FDM, heated chamber | Not listed | PCMag best budget | A budget printer with a heated chamber |
The picks in detail
1. Bambu Lab P2S
Best for: most peoplePCMag’s[2] best overall 3D printer. It’s enclosed, has a 10.1-inch-cube build area and a 1080p camera, and works with Bambu’s AMS 2 Pro unit for multicolor printing. PCMag’s cons are its large footprint and proprietary parts. PCMag saw $569 at Amazon; on Nov 11, 2026 Bambu Lab’s US store had it at $449 (normally $549).
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $449 (sale; $549 normally) Source
Pros
- Excellent all-rounder
- Multicolor ready
- Built-in camera
Cons
- Large footprint
- Proprietary parts
2. Bambu Lab X2D
Best for: engineering materials and less wasteTom’s Hardware’s[1] best 3D printer overall, also on PCMag’s[2] list. It has two nozzles and an actively heated chamber, so you can print tough materials with the door closed. The Combo includes the AMS 2 Pro. Tom’s Hardware notes the auxiliary nozzle uses an external Bowden drive. Its deal tracker showed about $899; Bambu sells it direct.
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $589 (sale); AMS Combo $789 Source
Pros
- Dual nozzle
- Heated chamber
- Fast CoreXY motion
Cons
- Pricey
- Auxiliary nozzle quirks
3. Elegoo Centauri Carbon
Best for: a fast enclosed printer on a budgetTom’s Hardware’s[1] fastest budget 3D printer. It’s fully enclosed, uses fast CoreXY motion and doesn’t need cloud access, because it runs on Elegoo’s fork of the open Klipper firmware. It has no heated chamber, poor lighting, and its cold build plate isn’t very sticky. Tom’s Hardware’s deal tracker showed about $424. On Nov 11, 2026 Elegoo’s US store redirected it to the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo ($399, normally $449), and its global store listed the original as unavailable.
Price (Nov 11, 2026): Unavailable at Elegoo Source
Pros
- Fast
- Enclosed
- No cloud account needed
Cons
- No heated chamber
- Weak lighting
4. Bambu Lab A1 mini
Best for: beginners and small spacesPCMag[2] likes it as an easy, compact starter printer that costs under $400 even with Bambu’s four-color kit. Its 7.1-inch build area is small, and multicolor printing wastes filament.
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $199; Combo $299 Source
Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable multicolor
Cons
- Small build area
- Multicolor waste
5. Snapmaker U1
Best for: multicolor prints with less wasteTom’s Hardware’s[1] best multicolor 3D printer, also on PCMag’s[2] list. Instead of purging filament for every color change, it swaps between four tool heads, which saves material. It runs Klipper and works with the Orca slicer. Tom’s Hardware notes it started as a Kickstarter project and the enclosure costs extra. PCMag saw $749 at Amazon ($849 list).
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $699 (sale) Source
Pros
- Four tool heads
- Little filament waste
Cons
- Enclosure costs extra
- Kickstarter origins
6. Prusa CORE One
Best for: tinkerers who want an open, repairable printerTom’s Hardware’s[1] best premium 3D printer. Prusa’s enclosed CoreXY machine is very quiet and lays a perfect first layer, and you can upgrade a Prusa MK4S into one. Tom’s Hardware listed it at $1,199 assembled, $949 as a kit or $449 as an MK4S conversion. On Nov 11, 2026 Prusa’s US store listed the updated CORE One+ (Gen 2) at $1,202.78 assembled or $925 as a kit.
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $1,202.78 assembled; $925 kit Source
Pros
- Quiet
- Excellent first layers
- Upgradeable
Cons
- Expensive
7. Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra
Best for: miniatures and fine detailBoth outlets recommend this resin printer for tabletop gamers. It has a 9K screen for very fine detail, a tilting vat that reduces peel forces and automatic leveling. Tom’s Hardware[1] warns prints can be hard to remove with default settings. It launched at $338 and was $269.99 at Elegoo when Tom’s Hardware checked.
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $284 Source
Pros
- Very fine detail
- Tilting vat
Cons
- Resin is messy
- Small build area
8. Qidi Q2
Best for: a budget printer with a heated chamberPCMag’s[2] budget filament pick. It has a heated chamber for materials such as ABS, which is rare at this price, but its stock print profiles need tuning. PCMag saw $499 ($549 list).
Price (Nov 11, 2026): $449 Source
Pros
- Heated chamber
- Good value
Cons
- Profiles need tuning
Also considered
Formlabs Form Studio 1: PCMag’s[2] best mainstream resin printer ($699 at Formlabs); accessories add cost.
Creality SPARKX i7: Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best printer for beginners.
Anycubic Kobra X: Tom’s Hardware’s best budget four-color printer; it launched at $279.
Bambu Lab H2C: Tom’s Hardware’s best professional printer; the base model costs $2,499.
Elegoo Neptune 4 Plus: PCMag’s large open-frame budget pick ($309 at Elegoo); no filament included.
Specs that matter (checked Nov 11, 2026)
Details from Bambu Lab's and Prusa's own product pages, checked Nov 11, 2026.
- Prusa CORE One: Prusa now sells it as the CORE One+ at $1,202.78 assembled or $925 as a kit. Build volume is 250 × 220 × 270 mm (14.9 liters), with a 1080p camera with night vision. Prusa says it takes about 10 minutes from unboxing to first print.
- Bambu Lab P2S: enclosed, with a chamber that reaches 50 °C for engineering-grade filaments. Hardened steel nozzle and extruder gear, a quick-swap nozzle, and a 1080p camera. Works with the AMS 2 Pro for multicolor printing.
- Bambu Lab A1 mini: open frame, with 10,000 mm/s² acceleration and automatic nozzle-based z-offset. Supports the AMS lite for multicolor and has a physical camera cover.
The tradeoffs: Open printers like the A1 mini are cheap and easy, but they struggle with ABS and ASA, which warp without a warm enclosure. The P2S and CORE One handle those materials. The Prusa kit saves about $278 if you're willing to build it yourself.
Filament or resin?
Filament (FDM) printers melt plastic and suit most household projects. Resin printers cure liquid resin with light and capture much finer detail, but the resin is toxic until cured, so you need gloves, ventilation and an alcohol wash.
Cloud accounts and open firmware
Bambu Lab printers are the easiest to use but rely on Bambu’s software and parts. Printers running Klipper, such as the Elegoo Centauri Carbon and Snapmaker U1, can run without a cloud account. For regular paper printing, see best printers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best 3D printer?
What is the best 3D printer for beginners?
What is the best cheap 3D printer?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Nov 11, 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
- Tom’s Hardware: The best 3D printers (October 2026) (tomshardware.com)
- PCMag: The best 3D printers (updated October 21, 2026) (pcmag.com)
- Prusa: CORE One (prusa3d.com)
- Bambu Lab: P2S (bambulab.com)
- Bambu Lab: A1 mini (bambulab.com)
- Bambu Lab US store: X2D (us.store.bambulab.com)
- Bambu Lab US store: P2S (us.store.bambulab.com)
- Bambu Lab US store: A1 mini (us.store.bambulab.com)
- Elegoo US: Centauri Carbon 2 Combo (us.elegoo.com)
- Elegoo US: Mars 5 Ultra (us.elegoo.com)
- Snapmaker US: U1 (us.snapmaker.com)
- Qidi: Q2 (qidi3d.com)
Related
The Best Printers in 2026
For most homes, Wirecutter’s pick is the Brother MFC-J4355DW inkjet all-in-one ($180 to $209), which comes with a year of ink. If you mostly print black-and-white text, a cheap mono laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($210) costs less to run and rarely clogs.
best ofBest Laptops of 2026
For most people, the MacBook Air M5 is the safest buy. The Dell XPS 13 is the best Windows alternative, and the $699 MacBook Neo is the value pick.
best ofThe Best Gaming PCs in 2026
Tom’s Hardware’s best gaming PC is the Corsair Vengeance a7500 (Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti). PC Gamer and Tom’s Guide both pick the iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro, and the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme is the budget pick for 1080p.