Best Budget 3D Printers 2024: High-Quality Output on the Cheap

What's the best budget 3d printer you can buy today? Whether you want to dive into 3D printing as a hobby or use it to start a small business, you may not want to just spend hundreds or thousands of dollars right off the bat. Purchasing a beginner or budget-friendly 3D printer is a good way to get started or, if you're an experienced maker, to build out your farm. 

The good news is that you won't lack for choices if you are trying to find the best budget 3D printer to suit your needs. There are dozens of capable budget 3D printers that sell for less than $300 and even some that go for below $200. The bad news is that, with a huge variety of makes and models, it can be difficult to find the right one.

At Tom's Hardware, we've tested dozens of consumer and prosumer-level 3D printers each year, measuring their speed, output quality, features, and ease of use. To help you choose, we've listed the best budget 3D printers available right now, along with the pros and cons of each.

Check out our shopping tips section below for a short checklist of things to keep in mind before buying the best budget printer for you. If you have room to spend more on premium options, we have a list of Best 3D Printers and Best Resin 3D Printers for more recommendations. 

If you are looking for fast printers, check out our 3D Printer Speed Hierarchy, where we include the top high-speed FDM models and rank them according to quickness and output quality.

Best Budget 3D Printers

The Best Budget 3D Printers You Can Buy Today

Best Budget 3D Printer Overall

The Creality Ender 3 V3 SE is simply the best budget FDM 3D printer you can buy today. It's an ideal beginner-friendly machine that is packed with deluxe features and retails at an affordable $199. 

The Ender 3 V3 SE is easy to use as it comes almost fully assembled and only took us 15 minutes to build before we were ready to get printing. Creality includes a printed manual to guide you through the building process as well as installing or changing filaments. Video instructions are also available online for your convenience.

With a maximum speed of 250mm/s, the V3 SE may not be among the fastest 3D printers around today, but it's faster than the Anycubic Kobra Neo (our previous best budget pick), which had a max speed of 60mm/s. Our tests turned out clean prints, some with tiny wisps like with the Domsculpts Chibi Totoro.

It's also smaller than the Kobra Neo, so it takes up less space, but it has the same build volume (220 x 220 x 250 mm) and has a slightly bigger LED interface with knob controls. Sadly, it does not have a touch screen or WiFi support. It does have CR Touch for auto bed leveling and a Sprite direct drive, which are features reserved for Creality's premium models like the S1.

Creality made significant improvements to the Ender 3 V3 Series with the SE model but kept the cost low to benefit budget-conscious makers - new and old.

More: Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review

Best Budget 3D Printer for Beginners

The Neptune 4 Pro is a great machine for new makers who are thinking of diving into 3D printing or even as an additional printer for your business. With a mid-size build volume of 225 x 225 x 265mm, you can build and explore printing various neat projects. In our print tests, we found it can easily handle the printing of detailed models like the Sandcastle by Kijai or even ones with compliant mechanisms like the Blaster by BYU_CMR.

The Neptune 4 Pro requires some assembly, but it's not too complicated for a novice to handle. Similar to most bed slingers, it just takes a few easy steps (screwing a few bolts and connecting wires), and the unit is ready for printing.

As an upgrade to the Neptune 3 Pro, this model is quite similar to its predecessor at first glance, but it is a better value for its high-speed performance, cooling capability, and sub-$300 pricing.

The Neptune 4 Pro is on sale at Amazon for $269 and directly at Elegoo for an even more affordable price of $219.

More: Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro 3D Printer Review

Best Budget 3D Printer for Multicolor Printing

Some of the best things come in small packages, and this is so true with Bambu Lab's A1 Mini. This tiny machine is capable of producing nearly flawless multi-color models in record time. It can print at a maximum speed of 500mm/s and go toe-to-toe with its big brothers without breaking a sweat, thanks to its excellent input shaping. This is why it lands a place in our 3D printer speed hierarchy as one of the fastest printers we've tested.

The A1 Mini is also packed with the premium features from Bambu Lab that we've come to expect - from automatic bed leveling, flexible PEI coated build plate, easy to navigate smart menu and its all metal direct drive hotend that can reach up to 300 degrees. It comes almost fully assembled and makes it easy for new makers to put the rest together and start color printing right away. It's also a very quiet machine, so you can have a job running at odd hours or during a call and not even hear it working. 

It debuted for $299, which is just over half the price of a P1P. Even better, it is currently on sale for $199, which is a hundred dollars less than its MSRP. 

The Bambu Lab A1 Mini is your best bet if you are looking to dabble into color printing for the first time. The combo costs $399 (on sale for $349), and you can use up to four spools for printing. The A1 Mini is also compatible with other third-party filaments, so your options are limitless.

More:  Bambu Lab A1 Mini Review

Best Budget 3D Printer for Fast Printing

The Creality Ender 3 V3 KE is one of the most affordable high-speed printers available with Klipper enabled. It is currently on sale for $279, which is $40 less than our previous fast-budget pick, the Sovol SV07. This makes the ideal choice for makers who are looking for fast printing on a limited budget. With an additional $15 discount, you can purchase it directly from Creality for $265.

The KE is a step-up version of Ender V3 SE. Here are some of its notable features: open source platform provides flexibility, Wi-Fi connectivity for PC and mobile notifications and controls, has K1-based hot end capable of printing using a wide variety of filaments, supports high-speed printing with a maximum speed of 500mm/s and acceleration of 8000mm/s2.

For the most part, our test prints came out smooth and clean. However, some prints, like the one for the Maker’s Muse Clearance Castle, needed some tuning to fix minor issues. 

If you have the budget or want an even faster machine with more premium features, consider upgrading to the Creality CR10 SE, currently on sale for $399.

More: Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review

Best Budget Resin 3D Printer for Beginners

The Anycubic Photon Mono 2 gets our nod as the best start-up printer for anyone who wants to get into resin 3D printing without breaking the bank. Designed specifically for first time resin users, this printer comes mostly assembled for easy setup, user friendly and includes an anti-scratch film screen protection.

It is lightweight and small, making it easy to store when not in use. However, despite its compact size, the Photon Mono 2 features a bigger build volume than its Photon Mono cousins. During our tests, we were able to fit six supported miniatures on the build plate at once.

The Photon Mono 2 is a great printer for miniature models and small builds. It also comes with its own custom slicer, the Photon Workshop V3. Priced at $209, this machine is a solid and affordable option if you are looking to get started with resin 3D printing. It's on sale directly from Anycubic for $149. You can also get it from Amazon at $199.

More: Anycubic Photon Mono 2 Review

Best Budget 3D Printer for Miniatures

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra has everything a tabletop enthusiast needs to print out clean miniature models with razor-sharp details. (TIP: Use high-definition resin for even better results.) The Mars 5 Ultra includes a smart sensor to detect resin levels, a built-in camera to monitor your prints and check for failures, and a tilt release mechanism for quick and easy removal of prints when you are done. These features make it easy to use and a great option for makers who want to start getting into resin 3D printing.

During our testing, we ran several test prints using different Elegoo resins (and one with Prusa’s Resin Model Color Kit), and each resulted in successful prints with clear and smooth details. We did encounter a "sticking" issue on our first test, but it was easily fixed by adjusting some settings. Check out our review for more details.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is currently on sale for $269.99 at Elegoo. If you want something with a bigger build volume and don't mind a slightly slower machine, you can get the Anycubic Photon Mono X2 for a steal at $149.

More: Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra Review

Best Budget 3D Printer Shopping Tips

Here are a few important points to consider when choosing the best budget 3D printer.

✅ Cost? How much can you afford to spend? If your budget is really tight, you can grab a model that's less than $200 but a sub-$300 budget will get you farther. 

✅ FDM or Resin? The two main types of 3D printers are FDM, which involves spools of filament that are extruded onto the build plate or resin (aka SLA), which uses light to shape liquid resin. FDM printers are easier to use and don't have the safety concerns that come with handling noxious chemicals. If you can handle them properly, Resin printers give you a bit more detail, particularly for miniatures. Given the ease of use, though, we think FDM is best for most people. 

✅ Features: Look for auto bed leveling, easy setup, and a good UI. On FDM printers, getting a PEI build plate or direct drive design is a real plus. For resin, look for a high output resolution (2K, 4K or higher).

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