Best 3D Printers

Markforged is an industrial 3D printing company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company pioneered continuous fiber reinforcement, a process that embeds continuous strands of carbon fiber, fiberglass, or Kevlar into printed nylon parts, and later expanded into metal 3D printing for manufacturers in aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial production.

Its current lineup includes the desktop Mark Two composite printer, the industrial X7, and the combined metal and composite FX10 and flagship FX20 systems. Machines are managed through Eiger, Markforged's cloud based software for print preparation, fleet monitoring, and enterprise system integration through a documented API. Most industrial models are quote based rather than listed at a fixed public price.

Raise3D is a 3D printing company founded in Shanghai in 2012 that designs professional and industrial grade FDM printers for engineering, prototyping, and small batch production. The company is headquartered in China with additional offices in Irvine, California and Rotterdam, Netherlands, and its printers are used by manufacturers, universities, and service bureaus worldwide.

Current models include the entry professional E2 and E2CF, the engineering grade E3, and the higher throughput Pro3 and Pro3 HS series, which offer dual independent extrusion, heated enclosed chambers, and industrial materials support including carbon fiber composites. Printers pair with Raise3D's own ideaMaker slicing software and RaiseCloud remote monitoring platform, available on desktop and mobile.

Artillery 3D is a 3D printer brand founded in 2018 by Shenzhen Yuntuchuangzhi Technology, a former 3D printer parts supplier, and is based in Shenzhen, China. The company built its early reputation on the budget friendly Sidewinder and Genius printer lines before shifting its current lineup toward enclosed, high speed CoreXY machines.

Its current models are led by the enclosed M1 Pro and M1 Pro S1 CoreXY printers, which include active chamber heating and speeds up to 600mm/s, alongside the larger bed Sidewinder X4 Pro and X4 Plus machines. All current printers run Klipper firmware and pair with Artillery Studio, the company's own slicing software for Windows and Mac computers.

QIDI Tech is a 3D printer manufacturer founded in 2014 and based in Zhejiang, China, known for enclosed CoreXY desktop printers built around actively heated chambers and high-temperature hotends. The company sells directly to consumers, makers, and small businesses worldwide through its own online stores and has partnered with major retailers such as Amazon.

Current models span the budget-focused Q2 series, the mid-range Plus4, the enclosed Q1 Pro, the large-format X-Max 3, and the high-temperature multi-material Max4. Printers ship with Klipper-based firmware, automatic bed leveling, and chamber heating up to 65 degrees Celsius for engineering plastics like ABS, ASA, and nylon. QIDI Studio slicing software and the QIDI Link mobile app handle print preparation and remote monitoring.

Sovol is a Shenzhen, China based hardware manufacturer founded in 2018 that builds budget friendly, open source fused deposition modeling 3D printers under its SV series. The company sells directly through its own online store and ships to the US, Canada, Europe, UK, and Australia, positioning itself as a value alternative to pricier consumer 3D printing brands.

Current models range from the entry level SV06 ACE to the high speed CoreXY SV08 and the large format SV08 Max. Most printers run Klipper firmware with direct drive extruders, automatic bed leveling, and print speeds up to 700mm/s. Sovol also distributes its own fork of OrcaSlicer for print preparation on Windows and Mac.

Snapmaker is a Chinese hardware manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, founded in 2016, known for desktop 3-in-1 machines that combine FDM 3D printing, laser engraving or cutting, and CNC carving in one modular frame. The Artisan is its premium 3-in-1 model with a 400 by 400 by 400 millimeter work area, the 2.0 A350T is a smaller modular printer, the J1s is an independent dual-extruder (IDEX) printer built for speed, and the U1 is a four-toolhead machine for multi-color printing.

Machines work with Snapmaker's own Luban and Snapmaker Orca slicers, both free, plus third-party software such as Cura, PrusaSlicer, and LightBurn. The Snapmaker App and Orca Cloud Mode allow remote print monitoring from a phone. Printers are one-time hardware purchases, with prices running from about $700 for the J1s to roughly $2,100 for the Artisan.

Formlabs is an American 3D printer manufacturer headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, founded in 2011. The Form series uses stereolithography (SLA) with Low Force Display technology for fast, precise resin printing, led by the Form 4 and larger format Form 4L, plus biocompatible Form 4B and Form 4BL models for dental and medical work. The Fuse series uses selective laser sintering (SLS) to print nylon powders into functional, support-free parts.

Formlabs printers use PreForm, a free slicer for layout, orientation, and support generation, and connect to Dashboard, a free cloud based tool for remote monitoring, fleet management, and notifications, backed by a documented web API. Formlabs offers more than 40 materials, including engineering, dental, and biocompatible resins. Pricing is one-time hardware purchase, starting around $2,600 for the Form 4 and reaching well past $80,000 for the industrial Fuse X1.

UltiMaker is a Dutch 3D printer manufacturer headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 2011 and now operating alongside its MakerBot brand. The S series (S3, S5, S7, S8) offers dual-extrusion desktop FDM printers with swappable print cores and active bed leveling, while the Method series adds a heated build chamber for engineering materials such as ABS, ASA, and carbon-fiber composites, up to the large-format Method XL.

UltiMaker Cura, a free open-source slicer, prepares models for printing, and the cloud based Digital Factory platform adds remote monitoring, fleet management, and a documented API for connecting printers to other business systems. Printers are sold as one-time hardware purchases, with prices running from roughly $3,000 for the S3 up to $14,000 for the industrial Method XL.

FlashForge is a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Jinhua, Zhejiang, founded in 2011, that makes desktop FDM 3D printers for home users, schools, and small businesses. Its Adventurer series covers entry-level and enclosed high-speed printers, while the Creator series uses a four-toolhead FlashSwap system for tool-changing multi-color and multi-material printing without a purge tower.

Printers use Flash Studio Desktop, a free slicer built on the open-source OrcaSlicer project, alongside the Flash Studio Mobile app for phone-based monitoring and control. Machines commonly include auto bed leveling, built-in cameras, and Wi-Fi connectivity, with the enclosed Creator 5 Pro adding active chamber heating for engineering filaments. One-time hardware prices span roughly $300 to $950 across current models.

Elegoo is a Shenzhen, China based manufacturer founded in 2015 that builds desktop FDM and resin 3D printers for hobbyists and small workshops. Its FDM lineup includes the budget Neptune series and the faster, enclosed CoreXY Centauri series, while its resin lineup covers the entry-level Mars series and the higher-resolution Saturn and Jupiter series for miniatures, jewelry, and dental models.

Printers ship with Elegoo's free ElegooSlicer software for both FDM and resin workflows, and resin machines are also compatible with ChiTuBox. Select resin models pair with the Elegoo Matrix mobile app for remote monitoring, and the Centauri Carbon includes a built-in camera and automatic bed leveling. Pricing is one-time hardware purchase, with models ranging from under $200 to around $600.