Top 10 Desktop 3D Printers
for December 2023

The Monoprice Cadet 3D Printer is easy to set up and use, and prints nicely, though it's slower than the Editors' Choice HP Sprocket. It's exactly what most people need: compact, lightweight, affordable, and easy to get started. It has a small footprint, so it takes up little space on your desk. The auto-leveling feature makes it even easier, as it will automatically level the print bed every time you print. The Cadet has a 6.6-pound weight, which is plenty heavy to withstand being moved around. The printer has a fairly large build volume, and the output quality is decent for a desktop printer, though not as impressive as the HP Sprocket. The Cadet also prints faster at 6 inches per second, compared to the HP Sprocket's 4.8 inches per second. The Cadet has a 2- by 3-inch build area, and prints up to 2.75 inches by 4.75 inches, which is a little small for our liking. However, the Cadet's lower cost and small size make it a good option for desktop printers, with a bit more room than the Editors' Choice HP Sprocket.

The Flashforge Dreamer Desktop 3D Printer is a workhorse that can produce quality prints for large objects. It's the quietest, most stable desktop 3D printer we've tested, and it prints reliably at almost any speed, from 10 to 100 mm per second. In our tests, the Dreamer delivered quality prints in ABS and PLA that were on a par with or better than those from more expensive 3D printers. The Dreamer's heated build plate was better than the build plates on our two prior picks, and the Dreamer's print bed is also larger than both of those, so it's less likely to warp. The Dreamer's dual extruders produce detailed, precisely shaded prints. The Dreamer's cooling fans are quiet, and the machine stays cool to the touch even when running at full speed for a prolonged period. The Dreamer's Wi-Fi feature allowed us to print directly from our laptop over Wi-Fi, eliminating the need to physically connect the printer to a computer. The Dreamer's support structures were fairly easy to remove, and Flashforge's free Cura software makes it easy to create, edit, download, and print 3D models. The Dreamer's touchscreen control panel is intuitive, and it includes helpful on-screen prompts for each step in the printing process. Setup was quite easy, and Flashforge's customer service has been helpful and responsive. The Dreamer is the least expensive 3D printer we recommend, and its price tag puts it in competition with professional-grade 3D printers.

The JGAURORA A5S is an extremely powerful 3D printer, with outstanding print quality and repeatability. It's better in several ways than our previous pick, the Ultimaker 3, which costs twice as much. The A5S is faster, quieter, and more reliable. It prints faster, too, with print speeds measuring up to 500mm/min. The A5S's build volume is 305x305x320mm, slightly larger than the Ultimaker 3's, but small enough that you'll usually be printing smaller models. The A5S includes a new high-precision aluminum frame with oversized x-carriage, and an upgraded Y-axis box. The frame is rigid, and it feels sturdier than the Ultimaker 3's frame, which is made of plastic. The A5S's assembly is easier than on the Ultimaker 3, and it's faster, too. The A5S's extruders, nozzle, and build platform are partially heated, so you can print ABS or PLA without a heated build platform, which is an advantage in low lighting or if you want to print smaller models. The A5S's filament rack is large, and it has a 300g spool of PLA, a 150g spool of ABS, and 2.5g spools of PLA and ABS. The A5S's print quality is outstanding. Our test prints were beautiful, with smooth, consistent layers. The A5S's nozzle glides smoothly over the surface of the print, and it's quiet. The A5S's control panel is intuitive and easy to use. The A5S's heated bed is large, with a 305x305x320mm printing area, and it's heated to 60C. The A5S's bed is flat, so it's easy to set up. The A5S's rear control panel has buttons for power, filament run-out detection, and automatic memory. The A5S's user interface supports English, Chinese, and Japanese. The A5S's wiring is cleaner and more flexible than the Ultimaker 3's, so it's less likely to break. The A5S's bed leveling is more precise than on the Ultimaker 3, and it rolls out more easily. The A5S is smaller than the Ultimaker 3, so it's easier and quicker to take on and off your desk.

The Anet A8 was our first pick for the best value 3D printer, and continues to offer one of the best bang-for-your-buck deals on the market. The A8's build platform is 0.4-inch thick, and works with most 0.75- and 1.75-inch filament spools, so it's compatible with most aftermarket 3.5mm filament. It performed well on our stress tests, and had no trouble printing large objects with multiple colors. The A8's build tray is small, but easily accommodates large objects. It has a 2004-color LCD and 8G SD card for loading files, and it's easy to set up and use. The A8 also comes with two 0.4mm nozzle extruder heads, a 5-key control board, and a filament spool holder. The Anet A8 is a great 3D printer, and is the same price as our previous pick, the Anet A8+, which also features a larger build platform but a smaller LCD screen and no SD card. The A8+ is worth considering if higher resolution printing or a larger build platform are important to you, but for most users the A8 will suffice.

Junco's Model A-Smart Desktop 3D Printer is in many ways the most full-featured desktop 3D printer we've reviewed. It offers more control, flexibility, and ease of use than any other desktop 3D printer in this price range, and it has more 3D-printing experience than most. The Model A-Smart is easy to set up, use, and customize, and its print quality is second only to the MakerBot Replicator 2. The Model A-Smart has a larger build volume than all but a handful of midrange 3D printers, and its printer bed is 6 inches (15.2 cm) wide, which is more space than most of the other 3D printers we tested have. The printer's hardware is sturdy and durable, and it prints at 24 cph, one of the fastest speeds we've tested. The Model A-Smart's user interface is well-designed and easy to navigate, and the printer's technical support is excellent. The Model A-Smart's price is more than $1,000 higher than the average midrange 3D printer, but if you're a serious hobbyist or advanced user, it's well worth it.

The Apollo 3D Saturn20 desktop 3D printer is very well built, easy to use, and has plenty of printing space. The printer's design is sophisticated, but straightforward, and though the printer requires upgrades (which the company sells separately), the upgrades are easy to install. The printer's heated build plate has two sets of leveling feet, so it's easy to get the plate perfectly level. The printer uses a proprietary filament called PLA, which the company sells in 1.75- and 3.75-pound spools. These spools, along with the printer, come with a 90-day money back guarantee, so you can try them out and see whether they're right for you. The printer takes about two hours to install and about an hour to print a 2-inch cube, which is fast for a desktop printer. The printer's print bed is 5.75 x 5.75 x 4.5 inches, so it's big enough to accommodate most objects. The printer's software is easy to use, and the printer responds quickly to commands. The printer's print quality is also good, though it's a bit noisier than some printers. The printer's low price makes it a good buy for beginners and hobbyists, and if you're looking for an excellent 3D printer for your home, the Apollo 3D Saturn20 is a superb choice.

The Rotrics Dexarm Maker is an affordable and easy-to-use all-in-one desktop robot arm. The Rotrics Dexarm Maker comes with three modules: a drawing module, a laser cutting module, and a 3D printer module, all of which are easy to attach and detach. The Dexarm Maker comes with built-in sensors, so you don't need to buy a separate IR sensor, and it can detect objects up to 4.2 inches away. The Dexarm Maker also comes with remote control software, which you can use to control it via a computer. The Rotrics Dexarm Maker's touchscreen is colorful and 3.5 inches in size, and it comes with a stylus, so you can draw or engrave on the touchscreen without using a computer screen. The Rotrics Dexarm Maker comes with 1-year warranty and 24 hours customer service.

The KACSOO Mini 3D Printer for Kids, Beginners, Building Size 100 x 100 x 100MM Portable Desktop with 10M 1.75mm PLA Filament, Magnetic Removable Plate (Blue) is a good entry-level 3D printer. It prints well, and it's reasonably easy to assemble. It has a small build volume, and while it can print small objects, it won't be able to print anything larger than an ornament. The KACSOO Mini 3D Printer for Kids, Beginners, Building Size 100 x 100 x 100MM Portable Desktop with 10M 1.75mm PLA Filament, Magnetic Removable Plate (Blue) works best with PLA filament, and it's the only 3D printer we tested that accepts 10M 1.75mm PLA filament. It comes with two spools of filament, which is more than most printers come with. However, the two spools of filament are 1.75mm in diameter, so they won't fit most standard 1.75mm filament spools, and you need to use the KACSOO Mini 3D Printer for Kids, Beginners, Building Size 100 x 100 x 100MM Portable Desktop with 10M 1.75mm PLA Filament, Magnetic Removable Plate (Blue)'s filament spools to print with 1.75mm filament. The KACSOO Mini 3D Printer for Kids, Beginners, Building Size 100 x 100 x 100MM Portable Desktop with 10M 1.75mm PLA Filament, Magnetic Removable Plate (Blue)'s instructions walk you through assembling the printer, but the instructions are in Chinese only. The printer also comes with a small manual in English, but it isn't a step-by-step guide. The user manual is adequate, but it's in Chinese only, so it's no substitute for reading the Chinese manual.

The Da Vinci mini is a reasonably compact 3D printer, but it has a smaller build volume than some of the smaller models we tested, and it doesn't have any heated bed. As a result, some models we tested, such as the FlashForge Creator Pro, performed better. The Da Vinci mini's print quality is decent, but it's not as good as some of the models we tested, such as MakerGear's M2. The Da Vinci mini is also one of the more expensive printers we tested, coming in at about half the cost of most printers in our roundup, but it's worth considering if you want a 3D printer that you can print with at home, and you don't need a heated bed. The Da Vinci mini's 300-gram spool of PLA plastic is enough for 10-15 small objects, and the cartridges are also reasonably priced. The Da Vinci mini comes with a wireless USB dongle, and you can connect the printer to your network wirelessly or via ethernet cable. The Da Vinci mini's compact design makes it a good choice for a home 3D printer, but it won't print as fast as some of the larger models we tested, and it's also more expensive.

The Anycubic Mega X 3D Printer is the bigger sibling of the Anycubic Mega S, both models made by Anycubic Printing. The Mega X has more build volume, and it's less expensive, but it's a slower printer. The Mega S has the same build volume as the Mega X, but it prints faster, and its print quality is better. The Mega X's print quality is good enough for prototypes, but it's better to print on plastic or resin that can withstand abrasion. The Mega X prints slowly, and while it does a good job of leveling the bed, its print bed leveling takes longer and requires more fine-tuning than on the Mega S. Also, the Mega X's touch screen is smaller and less user-friendly than on the Mega S, and it cannot preview the 3D model you're about to print. But the Mega X's build volume, print quality, and affordability make it a great 3D printer for beginners.