--- title: "Best 3D Printer for Print Farms in 2026: Fleet Picks" slug: best-3d-printer-for-print-farms description: The best 3D printer for print farms in 2026, ranked on proven compatibility, automation, price per machine and real fleet use, and how open each brand is. target_keyword: best 3d printer for print farm secondary_keywords: - print farm printers - 3d print farm audience: farms category: comparisons buyers_guide: farm buyers_guide_picks: open: prusa-core-one tags: - print farm - fleet - buying guide schema: TechArticle last_modified: 2026-10-19 published: 2026-10-18 author: simplyprint og_image: https://cdn.simplyprint.io/i/landing/articles/best-3d-printer-for-print-farms/og-2.jpg og_image_alt: "The best 3D printers for print farms: the Prusa CORE One, Bambu Lab P2S and Creality K2 Pro" tldr: | The best 3D printer for a print farm is one you can buy many of, run unattended and keep printing for years. Our picks are ranked from our catalog when you open the page: proven SimplyPrint compatibility, how many run in real fleets, price per machine, automation kits and how much each brand's own cloud you would depend on, with a pick for every budget. cta_inline: text: Run your whole farm from one queue with SimplyPrint url: /panel/signup cta_final: text: Start your print farm on SimplyPrint, free url: /panel/signup related_articles: - how-to-start-a-3d-print-farm - continuous-3d-printing-print-farm - staggered-start-3d-print-farm faq: - q: Should a print farm use one printer model? a: | Mostly, yes. Identical machines share spare parts, slicer profiles and know-how, and any job can run on any printer. Many farms keep one main model and add a second for bigger parts or materials the main one can't print. - q: Can a print farm mix printer brands? a: | Yes. SimplyPrint runs printers from more than 130 brands in one queue, so a job goes to the next free printer that can print it, whatever its brand. A mixed farm is also less exposed to one maker's firmware changes or outages. - q: How many printers do I need to start a print farm? a: | Fewer than you might think. Start with what your orders keep busy, often four to ten printers, and grow from there once you know your best sellers and failure rates. Our guide to starting a print farm walks through the numbers. --- Choosing the best 3D printer for print farm work means looking past the spec sheet. A 3D print farm needs a printer it can buy many of and run unattended for weeks. Every machine should print the same part the same way, and a small team should be able to keep them all running. This guide ranks the printers on sale today for exactly that, from what our printer catalog knows right now. It weighs proven compatibility with SimplyPrint, how many already run in real fleets, price per machine in your region, automation kits, and how much each one depends on its maker's cloud. **Our take for 2026** We've worked with hundreds and hundreds of print farms, and we've watched which printers keep running. Most of the farms we see go the distance run Bambu Lab's P1S or, now, its successor the **P2S**; it's the common thread. There are outliers, of course: some farms love the **Prusa XL** for its build volume and toolchanger. It's a great printer and honestly an engineering marvel, but the P2S is great too, for a fraction of the price. If you need a little more, the **H2S**, **H2D** and **H2C** are great printers as well. The **Snapmaker U1** is popular for multi-colour: it costs less than the H2C, and some farms prefer it. If you print something specialised, such as prosthetics, a specialised printer like Proteor's (a SimplyPrint partner) fits better than any of these. We recommend printers that work well with SimplyPrint, and every one named here does. For anything else, check our [compatibility list](/compatibility). And pick a printer you can automate: see [automation below](#automate-from-day-one). Think about the long run as well. Bambu Lab makes great printers, and it decides what they can do: in January 2025 it announced firmware that requires its authorization before third-party software can start a print, and later added an optional Developer Mode that keeps local control open, without Bambu Lab's support ([what that means for SimplyPrint](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/bambu-lab-security-firmware-authorization-control-system-update-will-i-still-be-able-to-use-simplyprint-y2uoor/)). On your own network, a printer only changes when you install an update. ## Our picks: the best 3D printer for print farms in 2026 The best printer for a farm overall, then the best for each budget and for printing around the clock. Every reason under a printer is read from its data and our assessment of it for farms, and the score is out of 100. Only printers verified or confirmed to work with SimplyPrint are in the running: a farm can't wait for "expected to work". ### Bambu Lab P2S _Best overall for print farms · Best for printing around the clock_ · Score 76 of 100 · Verified by SimplyPrint The P2S is Bambu Lab's enclosed CoreXY printer and the successor to the P1S, with a 5-inch touchscreen, a quick-swap nozzle, AI failure detection and a 256 mm build cube. It is for anyone who wants an easy, fast printer that handles ABS and ASA as well as PLA and PETG. - The successor to the P1S that Bambu says is the backbone of print farms, verified with SimplyPrint, with FarmLoop available for unattended runs. - A built-in camera, for watching prints from anywhere - AutoPrint kits for it (FarmLoop), to start the next print by itself - Fully enclosed, so ABS and ASA print well - Launched October 14, 2025 - Watch out: By default it runs through Bambu Lab's own software and cloud, which some organisations' compliance rules don't allow; with SimplyPrint it can run without them and use SimplyPrint's European cloud, in Bambu Lab's LAN-only mode (with Developer Mode on current firmware, which Bambu Lab doesn't support). - Watch out: Multi-colour prints produce a lot of purge waste (TechRadar, Tom's Hardware, Wired). - Watch out: Bambu Lab rates "Mostly closed" on our openness scale: see the brand notes below - Watch out: Bambu Lab has had setbacks in the last three years: see the brand notes below [Specs, reviews and setup](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-p2s) ### Prusa CORE One _Most open choice_ · Score 65 of 100 · Compatible - AutoPrint kits for it (FarmLoop), to start the next print by itself - Fully enclosed, so ABS and ASA print well - Launched January 2025 - Reviewed by Tom's Hardware, TechRadar, CNC Kitchen - Prints PETG, TPU & flexibles, ABS & ASA, Nylon (PA), Polycarbonate (PC) well, as well as PLA [Specs, reviews and setup](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/prusa-core-one) ## Print farm printers, ranked The top ten for farms. Open a printer for its specs, reviews and setup guide, or compare the top four on our [printer comparison](/compatibility/compare). | # | Printer | Score | From | With SimplyPrint | Brand openness | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [Bambu Lab P2S](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-p2s) | 76 | - | Verified by SimplyPrint | Mostly closed | | 2 | [Bambu Lab H2C](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-h2c) | 72 | - | Verified by SimplyPrint | Mostly closed | | 3 | [Bambu Lab H2S](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-h2s) | 70 | - | Verified by SimplyPrint | Mostly closed | | 4 | [Bambu Lab X2D](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-x2d) | 70 | - | Verified by SimplyPrint | Mostly closed | | 5 | [Prusa CORE One](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/prusa-core-one) | 65 | - | Compatible | Open | | 6 | [ELEGOO Centauri Carbon](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/elegoo-centauri-carbon) | 65 | - | Compatible | Mostly open | | 7 | [QIDI Q2](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/qidi-q2) | 65 | - | Compatible | Mostly open | | 8 | [Snapmaker U1](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/snapmaker-u1) | 64 | - | Compatible | Mostly open | | 9 | [Bambu Lab H2D](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/bambu-lab-h2d) | 63 | - | Verified by SimplyPrint | Mostly closed | | 10 | [Creality K2 Plus](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/creality-k2-plus) | 62 | - | Compatible | Mostly open | _QIDI sends us some of its new printers free of charge._ [Compare the top four side by side](https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/compare?compare=bambu-lab-p2s,bambu-lab-h2c,bambu-lab-h2s,bambu-lab-x2d#compare) ## What a print farm needs from a printer ### Uptime, not top speed A printer that runs at half its top speed and never fails makes more parts than a fast one. The fast one needs a person after every few jobs. Look for printers many other farms run (their failure modes are known and fixed), automatic calibration, and a hardened or easily swapped nozzle. ### One model, many times Identical machines share spare parts, slicer profiles and know-how. Before you buy twenty, check that the maker sells every wear part in your country, and keep a shelf of nozzles, build plates and belts. Our [maintenance checklist](/articles/3d-print-farm-maintenance-checklist) lists what to keep in stock. ### One queue for every printer With many printers, the hard part is deciding what prints where. SimplyPrint puts every job in one [print queue](/features/print-queue) and sends it to the next free printer that can print it, [staggers the start](/features/staggered-start) so a room of heated beds doesn't trip a fuse, and [AI failure detection](/features/ai-detection) stops a print that goes wrong. See how it fits together on our [print farm page](/print-farms). ### The maker's cloud is part of your farm If every printer needs its maker's cloud to start a job, an outage or a policy change stops the whole farm at once. It happens: in January 2025 Bambu Lab [announced firmware](https://blog.bambulab.com/firmware-update-introducing-new-authorization-control-system-2/) that requires its own authorization to start a print, and later added an optional local Developer Mode. Prefer printers you can run on your own network, keep firmware updates under your control, and know what you would do if the maker changed the rules. Our brand ratings below show how much each one depends on its own cloud. ## Automate from day one The plate is the bottleneck of every farm: a finished print waits until someone clears it, so the printers stand still at night and at weekends. Choose a printer you can automate, and that wait goes away. [AutoPrint](/features/autoprint) starts the next job by itself, in one of three ways: - **A plate-swapping kit** loads a fresh build plate and stacks the finished one. For the P2S there is FarmLoop. For the A1 Mini there are SwapMod, FarmLoop, 3D Printomat Pro and the Chitu PlateCycler. - **A part-ejecting kit** pushes the part off the plate, then the next job starts. - **Pushing the part off** with the print head, where the printer and the part allow it, with no kit at all. Our picks above name the kits made for each printer, and the "printing around the clock" pick weighs them. Start with one automated printer and your real best sellers: you'll learn which parts eject cleanly before you convert the farm. Kits are third-party add-ons: check what fitting one does to the printer's warranty, keep smoke detection in any room that prints unattended, and know that we earn a commission on some of them. More in [continuous 3D printing for print farms](/articles/continuous-3d-printing-print-farm). ## Before you buy twenty: a checklist - **Run one for a month first.** Print your real best sellers, count the failures, and time how long a plate takes to clear. - **Price the whole fleet, not one printer.** Twenty printers, spare nozzles and plates for each, shelving, power and network. - **Check the wear parts.** Nozzles, build plates, belts and hotends: are they sold in your country, and how fast do they arrive? - **Check what runs locally.** Can you start, stop and monitor a job with the maker's cloud down? - **Plan the clearing.** Who clears plates at night, or which AutoPrint kit does it? - **Plan the power.** A room of heated beds warming up at once draws a lot; stagger the starts. ## Open or walled garden: the brands behind the picks Some printer makers work like Apple: their printer, slicer, cloud and spare parts work together, on their terms. Others work like Android: open firmware, any slicer, any filament, parts you can buy or print. A farm lives with that choice for years and dozens of machines. We rate each brand in six areas from public sources, with a dated record of recalls, layoffs and policy changes. ### Prusa: Openness: Open (4.9 of 5) Prusa Research is a Prague company founded in 2012 by Josef Průša, who came from the open-source RepRap project. It designs and builds the Original Prusa and Prusa CORE printers, makes Prusament filament, develops the PrusaSlicer slicer and runs the Printables model site. Printers are built in Prague and at its US site in Delaware, sold assembled or as kits, and used by hobbyists, schools, businesses and print farms. - Firmware and custom firmware: 5/5. Firmware for current printers is published on GitHub under GPL-3.0 and updated with every release. Official firmware is signed, but Prusa documents how to flash custom firmware by breaking a seal on the board and says this does not void the warranty. Prusa says firmware and printable parts are shared right away and electronics schematics later. - Local control and integrations: 5/5. PrusaLink, built into the CORE One, MK4S, MK3.9, MK3.5 and XL, handles monitoring, file uploads and print control on the local network without internet or an account, and printing from USB works offline. Prusa publishes PrusaLink's HTTP API as an OpenAPI specification on GitHub, and its help centre covers OctoPrint setup. Prusa Connect is an optional cloud service for remote access. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 5/5. Printers are open to any filament; PrusaSlicer is GPL-licensed and other slicers work. Instead of a locked RFID system, Prusa created OpenPrintTag, an NFC spool-tag standard that is free for any brand to use and works offline. - Repairs and spare parts: 5/5. The e-shop sells spare parts for each printer, printable parts are published, and the full CORE One CAD files are released. Prusa's open-source page says its goal is printers that stay moddable and easy to repair for decades, and its licence explicitly allows making spare parts for your own machines. - Data and privacy: 4/5. No account is needed for local use through PrusaLink or USB. Prusa Connect needs a Prusa account and stores G-codes and telemetry in the cloud. Prusa Research is an EU company and publishes its privacy policy and a Trust Center. - Community and documentation: 5/5. Large community around Printables and the forum, a detailed knowledge base, and firmware and slicer developed in public on GitHub with open issue trackers. - July 2026: Printed Solid, the Delaware company Prusa Research bought in 2022, was renamed Prusa USA. Its Wilmington site builds the MK4S and CORE One+, makes filament and is Prusa's US service centre. - December 2025: Prusa released the full CAD files of the CORE One under its new Open Community License (OCL). OCL allows modifying, sharing mods and in-house commercial use, and grants patent and repair rights, but bars selling machines built from the files without an agreement, so it is not a standard open-source licence. Prusa said it is also filing patents on its designs. - October 2025: Prusa launched OpenPrintTag, a published NFC standard for smart filament spools that any brand can use without licence fees, starting with redesigned Prusament spools. - November 2024: Prusa announced the CORE One, its first fully enclosed CoreXY printer with active chamber temperature control. - March 2023: Josef Průša wrote that open source in 3D printing was under strain from cloners and licence violations. With the MK4, Prusa released firmware sources and models of the plastic parts but held back the electronics plans, planning to publish them later under a new licence. ### QIDI: Openness: Mostly open (4.2 of 5) QIDI Tech is a Chinese 3D printer maker formed in 2014. It sells enclosed, Klipper-based CoreXY printers such as the compact Q2 and the larger Plus4 and Max4, and develops the open-source QIDI Studio slicer and the QIDI Link app. - Firmware and custom firmware: 4/5. QIDI printers run QIDI's editions of Klipper and Moonraker with Fluidd. QIDI publishes them and per-model firmware packages on GitHub under GPL (for example the Q2 in January 2026 and the Max4 in August 2026) and answers issues there. - Local control and integrations: 5/5. QIDI printers run Klipper and Moonraker with Fluidd on the printer, and QIDI Studio connects to them on the local network by IP without an account. QIDI publishes its Moonraker edition on GitHub, and other software can use Moonraker's documented API. Only the QIDI Link phone app needs an account and QIDI's cloud. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 4/5. Third-party filament works; QIDI Studio is open source, and as Klipper and Moonraker printers they work with other Moonraker-compatible software. Hotends and nozzles are QIDI parts made per model. - Repairs and spare parts: 4/5. QIDI's store lists many individual parts, including motherboards, eMMC modules, fans, extruders, hotends and Wi-Fi cards, and its wiki has replacement guides such as the Plus4 hotend. - Data and privacy: 3/5. Local use needs no account. QIDI Link requires one and says which server it uses (Aliyun in China, AWS elsewhere). The published privacy policy covers the online store, not the printers or the app. - Community and documentation: 4/5. Firmware is released and issues are taken on GitHub, and QIDI keeps a wiki per model with manuals, maintenance and troubleshooting guides. - August 2026: QIDI published the firmware repository for the Max4 on GitHub under GPL-3.0. - January 2026: QIDI published the Q2's Klipper-based firmware on GitHub under GPL-3.0, with update packages and an issue tracker. ### Snapmaker: Openness: Mostly open (4.1 of 5) Snapmaker is a Shenzhen company founded in 2016, built around machines that swap tool heads; its Original, 2.0 and U1 machines were launched on Kickstarter. It sells the U1, a CoreXY printer with four tool heads that change in about five seconds for multi-colour printing, and the Artisan, which combines 3D printing, laser engraving and CNC carving. Its buyers are makers, hobbyists and small workshops. - Firmware and custom firmware: 4/5. The U1 runs modified Klipper, Moonraker and Fluidd. Snapmaker published its changes on GitHub under GPL-3.0 on 30 March 2026, about three months after Kickstarter deliveries finished. Firmware for the Snapmaker 2.0 and, since August 2026, the Artisan controller is also on GitHub under GPL. - Local control and integrations: 5/5. The U1 runs Klipper, Moonraker and Fluidd on the printer and prints from Snapmaker Orca over Wi-Fi or from a USB drive, so other software can use Moonraker's documented API; Snapmaker publishes its Moonraker changes on GitHub. For the Artisan, Snapmaker documents its G-code commands and has Luban pass jobs from OrcaSlicer over the OctoPrint protocol. The Snapmaker app is for remote monitoring. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 3/5. Third-party 1.75 mm filament works and the U1 is supported in OrcaSlicer, but its RFID filament recognition is proprietary and only reads Snapmaker spools, and its hotends are proprietary one-piece units. Snapmaker documents using Cura, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer with its older machines. - Repairs and spare parts: 4/5. Snapmaker's shop sells most U1 parts on their own, including the main board, heated bed, extruder motor, toolhead board, belts, fans and touchscreen, and its wiki has replacement guides such as the U1 XY motor. Hotends can only be replaced as a whole unit. - Data and privacy: 3/5. Cloud features need a Snapmaker account. The privacy policy says personal data is stored on servers in the United States, may be shared with affiliates and third parties in China for some functions, and some data is kept for three years. - Community and documentation: 4/5. Active forum and a wiki with detailed FAQs and guides, firmware and slicer sources on GitHub, and frequent public updates and livestreams during the U1 campaign. - August 2026: Snapmaker published the Artisan's Marlin-based controller firmware on GitHub under GPL-3.0. - March 30, 2026: Snapmaker published its modified Klipper, Moonraker and Fluidd for the U1 on GitHub under GPL-3.0, on the last day of the deadline it had set itself. - December 2025: Snapmaker says all U1 Kickstarter orders shipped by 23 December 2025, ahead of its schedule. It says it delivered all three of its Kickstarter campaigns. - September 2025: The U1 Kickstarter raised $20.2 million from more than 20,000 backers by 30 September 2025, the most for any 3D printer on the platform. Snapmaker gives the final total as $20.6 million from 20,680 backers. ### ELEGOO: Openness: Mostly open (3.8 of 5) ELEGOO is a Shenzhen company founded in 2015 that makes FDM and resin 3D printers, filament, laser engravers and STEM electronics kits. Its FDM range is the Centauri Carbon, an enclosed CoreXY printer, and the Neptune 4 series of open-frame Klipper printers, sold to hobbyists at budget to mid-range prices. DJI became a shareholder in 2025. - Firmware and custom firmware: 3/5. The Neptune 4 series runs Klipper. For the Centauri Carbon, which went on sale in February 2025, ELEGOO published its modified source on GitHub under GPL-3.0 in September 2025, saying it did so in response to user feedback. - Local control and integrations: 5/5. ELEGOO's printers connect to its slicer on the local network by IP without an account. The Neptune 4 series serves Klipper's web interface and Moonraker, which OrcaSlicer reaches as an Octo/Klipper host. For the Centauri Carbon and Centauri Carbon 2, ELEGOO published Elegoo Link on GitHub in January 2026, an Apache-2.0 SDK for local discovery, status, file upload and print control. The Matrix phone app adds remote printing while the printer is online. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 4/5. Third-party filament works; ElegooSlicer is an open-source OrcaSlicer-based slicer, OrcaSlicer works with the Neptune 4, and ELEGOO published the data format of its RFID filament tags so others can use it. - Repairs and spare parts: 3/5. ELEGOO sells hotend, extruder and nozzle kits and some boards for the Neptune 4, and its wiki has many replacement guides, including the Centauri Carbon motherboard. The store's Centauri Carbon parts list is short (hotend kit, touchscreen, upper shell). - Data and privacy: 3/5. LAN printing needs no account; the Matrix app and cloud do. The privacy policy names the companies responsible for personal data in each region (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, United States) but is written mainly for the online store. - Community and documentation: 3/5. Active community and a wiki with guides per model; firmware and slicer sources are on GitHub, although the Centauri Carbon source came after users asked for it. - May 2026: ELEGOO's parent closed a B+ financing round of over 500 million yuan (about $73 million) from investors including Meituan, Hillhouse Capital and Shenzhen Capital Group. It reported 2025 revenue of 2.3 billion yuan. - April 27, 2026: CANVAS, the multi-colour system for the Centauri Carbon, became available, five months after ELEGOO said it could not give a release date. - November 18, 2025: DJI and Hangzhou Jiangyu Technology became shareholders of ELEGOO's parent company, according to a business registration update reported by TechNode. The size of the stake was not disclosed. - November 2025: ELEGOO said the multi-colour system it was developing for the Centauri Carbon did not yet perform as it wanted and that it could not guarantee a release date. It offered owners a choice of a $50 filament coupon, a 365-day warranty extension or $80 off a Centauri Carbon 2 Combo. - September 26, 2025: In response to user feedback, ELEGOO published the modified source code of the Centauri series firmware on GitHub under GPL-3.0. - February 2025: ELEGOO opened pre-orders for the Centauri Carbon, its first enclosed CoreXY printer, on 17 February 2025. ### Creality: Openness: Mostly open (3.6 of 5) Creality is a Shenzhen 3D printer maker founded in 2014. Its low-cost Ender series, launched in 2017, made desktop 3D printing affordable for many hobbyists. It now sells Klipper-based K-series CoreXY printers, Ender and CR open-frame printers, the Hi and SPARKX beginner lines, the CFS multi-material system, 3D scanners and laser engravers, and runs the Creality Cloud model platform. It listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2026. - Firmware and custom firmware: 3/5. Creality publishes Klipper firmware source for the K1, K2, Hi and Ender-3 V3 KE on GitHub under GPL, but after launch: the K1 source came about three months after the series launched in May 2023, the K2 and Hi sources in September 2025. Earlier K1 printers have an official root option with a published guide, but Creality's wiki says the 2025 K1C and K1 Max do not support root access. - Local control and integrations: 4/5. Creality Print sends jobs over the local network with no account, and Creality Cloud is optional. The K2 series and Ender-3 V3 serve Fluidd on the printer, so other software can use Klipper's documented Moonraker API. On the K1 series, Creality's firmware notes treat Fluidd and Mainsail as add-ons owners install themselves, and Creality says the 2025 K1C and K1 Max do not support root access. The SPARKX i7 is set up through the Creality Cloud app. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 4/5. Third-party filament works; Creality Print is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) slicer and OrcaSlicer supports Creality printers. Creality sells nozzle, hotend and extruder kits per model; newer K2 parts such as its nozzle kit are Creality designs. - Repairs and spare parts: 4/5. Creality's store sells extruder, hotend, heating-block and print-head kits per model, and its wiki has parts lists and replacement guides for current printers (for example the K2 Plus and SPARKX i7 hotends). - Data and privacy: 3/5. Local printing needs no account; Creality Cloud and its app need one. Creality's published privacy policy is written for its websites and services, allows use of data for targeted advertising, and says little about printer data or where it is stored. - Community and documentation: 4/5. One of the largest user bases (second in consumer 3D printers by 2025 sales value, per figures in its listing), a public wiki with model-specific guides, firmware and slicer sources on GitHub, and an official forum. - May 2026: Creality listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (3388.HK), raising about HK$1.27 billion net. Its prospectus showed 2025 revenue of RMB 3.13 billion and a net loss of RMB 182.4 million, after a profit in 2024. - November 2025: Creality's wiki states that the 2025 revisions of the K1C and K1 Max do not support root access, which earlier K1 printers offered through an official option and guide. - September 2025: Creality published the Klipper source for its K2 series and for the Hi on GitHub under GPL-3.0. - August 2023: About three months after the K1 series launched, Creality published its K1 Klipper source on GitHub, followed by a repository with a root guide and Fluidd and Mainsail install instructions. ### Bambu Lab: Openness: Mostly closed (2.3 of 5) Bambu Lab is a Shenzhen company founded in 2020 by former DJI engineers. It makes FDM printers in four families (A, P, X and H), the AMS multi-material units, the Bambu Studio slicer, the Bambu Handy app and the MakerWorld model site, and designs them to be used together. Its printers are used by beginners, hobbyists, schools and print farms. - Firmware and custom firmware: 1/5. The printer firmware is Bambu's own and closed; in 2022 Bambu said it would keep it in-house. Its security white paper describes secure boot that only runs verified firmware on X1, H2, P1 and A1 printers. Bambu publishes the GPL parts it uses (Linux kernel, U-Boot, BusyBox) but not the printer software. Rooting the X1 only became possible through a security flaw the X1Plus project used in 2024; Bambu then published a one-off rootable X1 firmware for owners who give up their warranty, and blocks rooting in later firmware. - Local control and integrations: 2/5. LAN Only mode prints and monitors from Bambu Studio or Bambu Connect without internet or an account; the Handy app, printing from outside the network and print history need Bambu's cloud. Since the 2025 authorization firmware, other software can only read status in normal mode. Full control needs Developer Mode, which cuts the cloud link and which Bambu says it cannot support because the protocols are not official. Bambu documents no local protocol; it offers a file hand-off to Bambu Connect and a Local Server SDK on application. - Third-party filament, slicers and parts: 3/5. Third-party filament works, and Bambu publicly denied in 2025 that it would restrict it. OrcaSlicer and other slicers can be used, but since the 2025 firmware they send and control prints through Bambu Connect or Developer Mode. Hotends are Bambu's own designs, and Bambu says it cannot promise long-term support for accessories that control the printer unless it approved them first. - Repairs and spare parts: 4/5. Bambu's store sells individual spare parts down to motors, belts, encoders and boards, and its wiki has step-by-step replacement guides for each model (for example the P2S hotend and the H2D/H2C AP board). Many parts, hotends included, are Bambu-specific, so spares come from Bambu. - Data and privacy: 3/5. Cloud features need a Bambu account, while LAN Only mode keeps jobs on the local network. Bambu publishes a Trust Center and a 38-page security white paper, says it holds ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701 and TRUSTe certifications, and runs a paid bug bounty. In August 2023 a cloud outage made some printers start earlier jobs on their own; Bambu apologised. - Community and documentation: 4/5. Very large user community, the MakerWorld model site, a detailed wiki and a blog where Bambu explains its policy changes. Bambu Studio is developed in public on GitHub with an open issue tracker. The printer protocol is not documented, and Developer Mode is unsupported. - September 2026: A US federal jury in Texas found that Bambu Lab's X1, P1 and A1 printers infringe Stratasys patents on prime towers and bed levelling, and awarded Stratasys $27.6 million. No injunction was placed on the printers. Bambu told Tom's Hardware it disagrees with the verdict and intends to seek post-trial review and appeal. Stratasys had filed two suits in 2024; more patents are still to be decided. - May 2026: Bambu Lab pressed the developer of 'OrcaSlicer-bambulab', a fork that restored direct cloud printing from OrcaSlicer, to remove it, according to Manufactur3D. On 7 May Bambu said the fork impersonated the official Bambu Studio client to its cloud, which its user agreement does not allow, and that modifying and sharing its AGPL code remains fine. The developer disputed the claims. - October 2025: Bambu Lab opened a Trust Center with a security white paper and listed ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701 and TRUSTe privacy certifications. A year later it said its bug bounty had worked with over 100 researchers and that it had added a public security update log. - January 20, 2025: After criticism from users and print farms, Bambu Lab announced an optional Developer Mode for X1, P1, A1 and A1 mini that leaves MQTT, FTP and the live stream open for third-party software in LAN mode, without official support. It also said LAN mode via Bambu Connect needs neither internet nor an account, and that third-party filament would not be restricted. - January 16, 2025: Bambu Lab announced firmware with 'authorization control', first for the X1: starting prints, moving axes, changing temperatures and binding the printer now require Bambu-approved software, also in LAN mode. On updated printers, third-party slicers and accessories such as the Panda Touch could no longer control the printer except through Bambu Connect; reading status still worked. Bambu cited security and up to 30 million unauthorised cloud requests a day; older firmware stayed optional. - March 2024: After the X1Plus jailbreak, Bambu Lab published a one-off rootable firmware for the X1 series for owners who give up their warranty support. It said it does not support X1Plus, and that firmware after it would block rooting again. - February 2024: Bambu Lab extended its A1 heatbed-cable callback to a recall of all A1 printers and asked owners to stop using them. It reported electrical faults in under 0.1% of units and offered a full refund plus an $80 voucher, or a redesigned heatbed plus a $120 voucher and six extra months of warranty. The A1 mini was not affected. - January 2024: Community developers rooted the X1 series through a security flaw in its firmware (up to version 1.07) and released the X1Plus custom firmware. Bambu Lab closed the flaw in later firmware. - August 2023: During a Bambu cloud outage on 15 August 2023, some printers started print jobs without user action, because jobs stuck in the cloud were resent when service returned. Bambu apologised, took responsibility and said it would add checks before a print starts. - May 2022: Before its first printers shipped, Bambu Lab said its firmware would stay closed and in-house to remain competitive, and promised to open-source everything if the company ever could not survive. ## Where they come from, and staying compliant Most of the best 3D printers today come from Chinese companies, and this ranking reflects that: right now they give you the most printer for the money. That's no judgement of the people who make them. But for some buyers, where a printer comes from matters: customers in defence, government or other regulated industries may ask where your machines come from and where their files go. 9 of the top 10 printers in this guide come from a Chinese company. Here are the best-ranked from EU companies: None ranks in this guide yet. ### Any printer, on your terms, with SimplyPrint Whoever makes your printer, SimplyPrint decides what it talks to: - **Off its maker's cloud.** Most printers connect through the SimplyPrint Client on your own network, or in their local-network mode (Bambu Lab's LAN-only mode, with Developer Mode on its newer printers), so they never need their maker's cloud. You can block them from the internet entirely and let only the SimplyPrint Client connect out. - **Your data stored in Europe.** SimplyPrint's cloud is hosted in Frankfurt, Germany, under the GDPR. See [how we keep it secure](/security) and [who processes data for us](/legal/subprocessors). - **One place for access.** Users, permissions, [single sign-on](/single-sign-on) and an audit log, for every printer, whatever its brand. - **On your own servers, if you need it.** See [cloud vs. on-premise](/cloud-vs-on-premise). ## How we choose No brand pays for its place in this guide. The ranking is a formula over our catalog, the same for every printer, and it runs again each time the page loads. For print farms it weighs proven compatibility, real fleet use and price per machine most: | What we weigh | Points | How it is measured | | --- | --- | --- | | Our assessment for this use | 18 | Our written assessment of the printer for this kind of buyer: great, good, OK or poor. A printer we rate poor for it is left out. Not every printer is assessed yet; for those, this factor is left out and the others count for more. | | Works with SimplyPrint | 16 | Verified by SimplyPrint, compatible, or expected to work from how it connects. | | How many are in use | 12 | How many printers of the model run on SimplyPrint, on a log scale: a sign of how many people trust it. | | Price | 11 | The lowest current price for your region, compared on a log scale with the others in the guide. No current price counts low. | | Built-in camera | 6 | A camera built in, for watching prints and failure detection. | | AutoPrint kits | 6 | Whether a plate-swapping or part-ejecting kit is made for it. | | Enclosure | 5 | Fully enclosed counts most, partly enclosed half. | | Rating by SimplyPrint users | 4 | What SimplyPrint users rate it, when they have. | | Independent reviews | 4 | How many respected reviewers (press and YouTube) have reviewed it, up to four. | | How new it is | 4 | Launched this year or last counts fully, less each year after. | | Materials it prints well | 3 | How many kinds of filament it prints well, from its temperatures, enclosure and the maker's list. | | Multi-colour and multi-material | 3 | Whether it ships with or works with a multi-material unit, a toolchanger or two extruders. | | Ethernet | 3 | An Ethernet port, for a steady connection on a busy network. | | The brand's openness | 3 | The brand's place on our open-to-walled-garden scale, below. Not rated yet counts as the middle. | | The brand's track record | 2 | Negative events in the brand's last three years (recalls, layoffs, policy changes that took features away), each with its sources. Not researched yet counts as a small deduction. | The score picks the printers, with one exception: where our own hands-on experience with a printer disagrees with its score, our editor can choose a different pick, and that pick says so. A printer replaced by a newer model we recommend instead is left out. A few makers send us printers or work with us directly; where one does, the guide says so next to its printers. Openness areas: Firmware and custom firmware (30%), Local control and integrations (30%), Third-party filament, slicers and parts (15%), Repairs and spare parts (10%), Data and privacy (10%), Community and documentation (5%). Some buying links earn us a commission at no cost to you; they never change the ranking. We make SimplyPrint, which runs printers from every brand here, so "works with SimplyPrint" is one factor: for a farm it is the software that runs the fleet. _Built from our catalog: 162 printers ranked out of 222 on sale that work with SimplyPrint._