Are you looking for the best 3D printer but your budget is limited? Don’t worry because here we have compiled a list of the best cheap 3D printers available in the marketplace.
A long time ago, 3D printers were used by engineers and scientists which costs over $100,00. But with more improvements in technology and high demand, you can find a lot of low-cost 3D printers in the market. Due to an increase in demand, many brands have started manufacturing high-quality 3D printers with different budgets and requirements.
If you have just started in 3D printing and looking for a reliable DIY 3D printing machine, then you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to buy a good one. Here, we have listed the top 10 best 3D printers under $500 that are great to start your 3D printing career and produce quality prints.
Before exploring into details, let’s take a look at the comparison chart of the top affordable 3D printers in 2023.
Image | Name | Rating | Build Vol. (mm) | |
Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer | 4.1/5 | 150 x 150 x 150 | Buy Now | |
FlashForge Finder 3D Printer | 4.1/5 | 140 x 140 x 140 | Buy Now | |
QIDI TECH X-one2 | 4.6/5 | 145 x 145 x 145 | Buy Now | |
Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro | 4.3/5 | 220 x 220 x 250 | Buy Now | |
ADIMLab 3D Printer | 4.2/5 | 310 x 310 x 410 | Buy Now | |
TEVO Tornado 3D Printer | 4.5/5 | 300 x 300 x 400 | Buy Now | |
TRONXY XY-3 3D Printer | 4.6/5 | 310 x 310 x 330 | Buy Now | |
Creality 3D Printer CR-10S | 4.1/5 | 300 x 300 x 400 | Buy Now | |
SainSmart x Creality Ender-3 PRO | 4.1/5 | 220 x 220 x 250 | Buy Now | |
HICTOP Creality CR-10 | 3.7/5 | 300 x 300 x 400 | Buy Now |
Best 3D Printers Under $500 in 2023
For those looking for the best cheap 3D printers under $500, here are some of the popular brands you should consider. All of these are from popular manufacturing brands and are priced below $500. So, go through out the list and choose one that suits your budget and requirements.
1. Monoprice 133820 Voxel 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 150 x 150 x 150
- Printing Speed – 60mm/sec
- Materials – ABS, PLA, PVA, HIPS, Flexible TPE/TPU, Metal, Wood
- Layer Height – Down to 50 micron
Monoprice Voxel is a budget-friendly 3d printer that is best suitable for hobbyists with its unique and easy-to-use design. The printer comes with a fully-enclosed design that performs 3D printing with a simple menu system displayed on a 2.8″ color IPS touchscreen. The printer offers a build area of 150x150x150mm and a removable & flexible build plate that you can easily replace with a second build plate if it becomes damaged or swapped.
This 3d printer features a quick change nozzle that allows you to change the nozzle in seconds without the help of any tool. This feature makes it great as compared to other 3d printers which require tools and 20-40 minutes of work to replace the nozzle. Its build plate can be heated up to 60 degrees Celsius and has a printing speed up to 60mm/sec.
Additionally, the printer offers 8GB of internal memory, a USB port, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a built-in camera for monitoring print operations. Best of all, the Voxel is the best fully assembled cheap 3D printer which delivers good value for the money.
2. FlashForge Finder 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 140 x 140 x 140 mm
- Filament Size – 1.75mm
- Materials – PLA only.
- Layer resolution – 100-400 microns, adjustable
FlashForge Finder is a wallet-friendly 3D printer that is packed with easy-to-use features and is a great choice for kids and newbies. This printer comes with a slide-in build plate having a 140x140x140mm build area. It allows you to remove the finished 3D prints easily and clean the bed coupled with it by sliding. It has a cool touch screen having a 3.5-inch IPS display with intuitive icons for easy and smooth operation.
Apart from that, the printer is equipped with 8GB internal memory, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity. It is compatible with Mac OS and Windows operating systems to give you quality 3D prints. The FlashForge Finder also supports a 3D cloud function that lets you edit, share, store, and check printing status online with a massive model database.
The printer uses only non-toxic PLA material for printing and the heated components are safely encased. With all these features, the FlashForge Finder is the best affordable 3D printer under $500 for novices and educators.
3. QIDI TECH X-one2 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 145 x 145 x 145
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – ABS, PLA, TPU, Nylon, PETG
- Build Plate Material – 6mm CNC machined aluminum alloy
QiDi Tech X-one2 is an affordable and high-quality 3D printer under $500 that comes with a fully assembled design. It is an excellent starter 3D printer for newbies who have never seen a 3D printer in real life. The printer is equipped with a 3.5-inch touchscreen display interface that shows various parameters such as print bed temperature and printing progress etc.
The printer offers a high-quality aluminum heated print bed that is non-removable, so it can be difficult to remove completed prints. The heating platform of this printer supports both PLA as well as ABS filament. For connectivity, the printer is featured with a USB port and an SD card slot, however, you can’t connect using Wi-Fi, unlike FlashForge Finder.
The printer has a professional 3D printing motherboard which improves the stability of the machine and extends the life of printer. You’ll get six months warranty or free repair or spare parts replacement.
4. Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro
- Build area (mm) – 220 x 220 x 250
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA
- Max Traveling Speed – 180mm/s
- Heated bed temperature – 110℃
Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro is a low-cost 3D printer that produces astonishing quality prints at such an affordable price. It is an excellent choice for hobbyists, makers, and educated beginners. It offers many powerful features that you don’t find in more expensive 3D printers. The printer comes with a decent build volume of 220 x 220 x 250mm with a C-magnet build surface plate that ensures consistent temperature between the build surface and provides all-around protection.
This printer comes with a UL Certified power supply that protects your 3D printer from an unexpected power outage. The print bed can heat up to 110 ℃ in just five minutes to meet the requirement of fast heating and longtime printing. It can resume printing from the end-record extruder position even after suffering unexpected power outages.
You’ll get 12 months warranty, lifetime technical support, and 24 hours of professional customer service. Overall, Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro is the best budget DIY 3D printer which delivers good printing quality and excellent performance for enthusiasts.
5. ADIMLab 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 310 x 310 x 410
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA, ABS, PC, Wood, HIPS, TPE, and Flexible PLA
- Build Plate Material – Aluminum base heated bed
The ADIMLab 3D Printer is easy to use and an affordable 3D printer that comes with high-quality construction and easy setup. It is a partially assembled 3D printing machine that usually takes 10-20 minutes to set up. It comes with a large build area of 310x310x410mm which can accommodate larger designs. Due to this feature, it is an excellent choice for those who want to make large objects.
The temperature of its print bed ranges from 0 to 100°C whereas the maximum extruder temperature is 260°C. The ADIMLab allows you to choose from a wide range of filaments like PLA, ABS, Wood, HIPS, PC, TPE, and flexible PLA. The printer is also featured with a motor silencer which allows you to bring this printer into the classroom and teach over the noise.
It comes with a 1-year warranty for each part of the 3D printer. Overall, this 3D printer is good for newbies who want to learn and grow with a printer.
6. TEVO Tornado 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 300 x 300 x 400
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA, ABS, PETG, Wood, PVA, Carbon Fiber, flex filament, etc
- Max Print Speed – 150mm/s
The Tevo Tornado is a large-volume 3D printer that looks to be an exact clone of the Creality CR10 but comes at a cheaper price. It has a large 300X300X400 mm build size which delivers high-accuracy printing quality. This printer comes 95 percent pre-assembled which makes it easy to install. It is featured with TEVO Titan Extruder which brings lightness to prints and also improves the printer’s performance.
The printer comes with a 0.4mm diameter nozzle and provides a maximum print speed of 150mm/sec. It is also featured an LCD controller screen which allows you to view and select files easily and make your printing process smooth. It supports most filament types like PLA, Nylon, Carbon fiber, ABS, Wood, HIPS, and more.
The printer has a fast-heating silicon bed with an insulation layer that helps in heating up the bed faster. It offers high-accuracy printing quality of up to 50 microns making it ideal for standard 3D printing designs. All-in-all, Tornado is the best 3D printer for beginners in terms of looks, build quality, stability, and performance.
7. TRONXY XY-3 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 310 x 310 x 330
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA, ABS, HIPS, Wood, PC, PVA, etc
- Max Print Speed – 2-100mm/s
TRONXY XY-3 is a powerful yet low-cost 3D printer for beginners and hobbyists to start with. This budget 3D printer is designed to provide quality prints and impressive performance. It comes with a large print size of 310x310x300mm which lets you create large printing models with ease. It consists of a 3.5-inch full-color touch screen to help you control the printer settings and adjust them according to your desire.
The printer supports multiple types of filaments including PLA, ABS HIPS, PolyCarbonate, wood, PVA, etc. It comes with a semi-assembled aluminum steel frame which leads to easy to install process. The Tronxy features a metal frame structure which increases the stability during the printing process.
It also has flex magnetic stickers which allow you to remove your prints easily from the hotbed. The printer offers a printing speed of 2mm to 100mm per second and has a nozzle temperature of 260 degrees. With better heat dissipation, stable performance, and longer machine life, the TRONXY XY-3 is worth every penny.
8. Creality 3D Printer CR-10S
- Build area (mm) – 300 x 300 x 400
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA, TPU, Wood, Carbon fiber
- Max Print Speed – 200mm/s
Creality CR-10S is an exceptionally functional and affordable 3D printer that is great to fulfill all your large model 3d printing needs. It’s an upgrade of Creality CR-10 and comes with a large build area of 300x300x400mm which is an extraordinary feature for a 3D printer in the sub-500 price range. It has a cool feature of print resume which allows the printer to resume printing from where it stopped due to the power outage.
It features a simple and reliable design with a heated bed and a glass print surface, which makes it ideal for working with PLS filaments. It offers an easy-to-install process, you just need to install the Z-plane kit on the XY plane which will take about 20 minutes.
The other great feature of this 3D printer is its filament monitoring alarm protection system that sends an alert if the filament runs out and brings the printing to a halt. However, PLA is the recommended filament for CR-10S but it also supports a wide range of materials such as ABS, TPU, PETG, PC, wood, copper, etc.
9. SainSmart x Creality Ender-3 PRO
- Build area (mm) – 220 x 220 x 250
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA, TPU, ABS, PETG
- Max Print Speed – 180mm/s
Ender-3 PRO is an upgraded version of Ender-3 and offers many outstanding features for such a budget price. The printer boasts a removable and flexible magnetic printing bed which allows you to pluck your prints from the build plate easily. With a large build area of 220x220x250mm, this 3D printer allows you to create large and complex models.
This printer provides a resume printing system that allows the printer to resume from where it stopped due to the electric power outage. It offers a fast-heating hotbed that reaches its operating temperature in 5 minutes or less. The printer has a 40×40 aluminum extrusion for the Y-axis base which provides stability and improves print quality.
The combination of an extruder and heated print bed aids in handling various filament types like PLA, ABS, TPU, and PETG. The printer features a “C-magnet” magnetic sticker which is completely removable, flexible and can better adhere to build platform.
10. HICTOP Creality CR-10 3D Printer
- Build area (mm) – 300 x 300 x 400
- Filament Size – 1.75 mm
- Filament Type – PLA
- Max Print Speed – 200mm/s
HICTOP Creality CR-10 is a fully assembled budget 3D printer that comes with an extra-large build space. This cheap printer is equipped with a fast-heating aluminum hotbed and a glass board that is held in place by four clips. It has a control box that contains the power supply, the LCD screen, and the motherboard which are safe, good-looking, and easy to use.
This 3D printer has a single extruder and its nozzle temperature reaches up to 250°C. The printer comes with three parts that you need to put together when assembling and it takes just about 10 minutes to build. The printer provides high-accuracy bearings and quality parts which make the printer more stable and quiet while printing.
Their customer support is excellent, they’re always ready to help you with any troubleshooting issue. Overall, HICTOP Creality CR-10 is a good 3D printer that offers large build sizes and excellent performance under a $500 price range.
Final Words
These are the best 3D printers under 500 dollars price range. All of them are great for hobbyists as well as 3D printing beginners. If you have any queries or suggestions, let us know in the comment section below.
Also read: