| Product name | Build volume (mm) | Category | Dimension (inches) | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product name | 160x150x150 | Under $500 | Weighs 33.1 pounds | View on Amazon |
| ADIMLab 3D Printer Assembled 24V Prusa I3 3D | 310x310x410 | Under $500 | 23 x 25.2 x 8.7 | View on Amazon |
| ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer | 115 x 65 x 155 | Under $500 | 7.9 x 8.7 x 15.8 | View on Amazon |
| Comgrow Creality Ender-3 Pro 3D Printer | 218 x 218 x 248 | Under $500 | 17.3x16.1x18.3 | View on Amazon |
| FlashForge Finder 3D Printers | 140 x 14 x 140 | Under $500 | 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 | View on Amazon |
| Foxnovo Creality Ender 3 3D Printer | 220x220x250 | Under $500 | 17.3 x 18.3 x 16.1 | View on Amazon |
| Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer v2 | 120 x 120 x 120 | Under $500 | 11.3 x 7.5x13.5 | View on Amazon |
| Da Vinci Mini Wireless 3D Printer | 152x152x152 | Under $500 | 20 x 16 x 18 | View on Amazon |
Gone are the days when money is the limiting factor to own a 3d printer. Right now, you can get a 3d printer as low as $200, depending on what you want to do with it, and they are available in the market in good number.
We have ransack the internet to select the best 3d printing under $500, all you need to do is to move your mouse to the options and click on your favorite.
To get your favorite 3d printer with ease, we divided the best printer under $500 into 3 categories so you can choose depending on your budget.
Best printer under 500$, Best printer under 500$ (under $300), Best printer under 500$ (under $200).
We recommend you read the reviews to facilitate your decision, so read on!
| Product name | Build volume (mm) | Unique feature | Dimension (inches) | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QIDI TECH 3D Printer | 160x150x150 | Touch screen/fully enclosed | Weighs 33.1 pounds | View on Amazon |
| ADIMLab 3D Printer Assembled 24V Prusa I3 3D | 310x310x410 | Large print volume | 23 x 25.2 x 8.7 | View on Amazon |
| ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer | 115 x 65 x 155 | Resin vet printer | 7.9 x 8.7 x15.8 | View on Amazon |
QIDI TECH 3D Printer, X-Smart Intelligent Printer with 3.5 Inch Touchscreen, Fully Metal Structure
The QIDI TECH 3D printer’s removable plate makes it convenient and easy to remove prints also reduces damages or offsets to the build platform.
The 3d printer has aluminum frame, and it is an all metal hot-end 3D printer, which makes it possible to print with different materials such as PLA, ABS, and TPU. And it likewise helps to ensure cleaner prints as well as low maintenance.
The printer is fully enclosed with transparent window, which makes it excellent to use around kids without fear of safety. It uses single extruder with extra cooling coupled with the CNC machining aluminum alloy to ensure stable print with good quality. It is provides quiet operation, which makes it suitable to use at home, it is also dust proof.
And with the touch screen and intuitive icons you can expect a smooth printing process, as it allows you to view and select files with convenience and ease. This is suitable for home use, schools, and libraries. It is also perfect for businesses and institutions.
In addition, it supports WI-FI connection, and likewise comes with QIDI print slicer software.
It comes fully assembled- just bring it out from the box and start printing. And if you experience any difficulty with the product, you can contact the responsive customer support.
Features include:
Product Dimensions: N/A
Weighs 33.1 pounds
Build volume: 160x150x150mm
Filament: 1.75mm PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG
6-month year limited warranty
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ADIMLab 3D Printer Assembled 24V Prusa I3 3D
The ADIMLAB 3D printer provides fast build time, within 10 to 20 minutes (if you are new to 3d printing).
Besides, they have excellent technical support if you experience an issue with the installation or any hitch apart from the installation, and it has a nice build volume.
After setting up the printer, you can kick start the 3d printing with the print models on the included SD card, and the print quality will amazes you.
This is a good 3D printer for beginner and for a professional looking for a large print volume. It is compatible with the software cura, and it supports the format STL, G-Code, AMF, and OBJ. It likewise supports both the USB and SD card. But, it is not an enclosed 3d printer, so you might want to treat with caution.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 25.2 x 8.7 inches
- Weighs 24.2 pounds
- Printing technology: FDM
- Build volume: 310x310x410 mm
- Max printing Speed:120 mm/s
- Material: PLA, ABS, Wood, HIPS, PC, TPE, Flexible PLA
- Compatible with windows, MAC and Linux
- 3 inch LCD Display
- 1-year limited warranty
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ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer Assembled Innovation with 2.8'' Smart Touch Color Screen
ANYCUBIC 3D printer is a printer with a difference with the excellent features that comes with it, ranging from the 2K LCD masking screen to the intelligent touch screen and more.
This is an affordable UV LCD resin printer i.e. it uses a laser on a UV-sensitive resin based on photo-polymerization- this differs from the filament printer. ANY CUBIC uses a unique Resin vat for the photo-polymerization.
Though it might not meet the standard of the relatively expensive Resin 3D printer, it is an excellent 3d printer for the money.
The 2K LCD masking screen allow the users to have precise printings as it gives very fine printing details to few micrometers.
With the colorful touch screen you can preview your print models from the SD card, which is similar to windows OS mode of previewing pictures before you print.
The colorful touch screen is equipped with the photon to enhance the functionality. Besides this, it features a real-time display printing process. And you don’t have to tether to your computer to print, you can print right from the USB without the need to buy any extra hardware with good speed.
With the proprietary software, photon slicer you can get your job done within a minute.
It has responsive customer support, but, they are based in the Asian part, which may be an issue for a user living in different time zone with huge time difference.
It has wide range of applications, which includes: baby toys, garden tools, and medical application, as well as the dental sector to print the denture.
And it has a growing community on reddit, facebook, which can be helpful for new users to learn one or two things from people’s experiences with the product.
However resin vet printer is not where to start from as a beginner to 3d printing, because of the post processing cleaning, and it is a little bit complicated compared to the FDM technology.
Features include:
- Smart touch color screen
- Technology: Digital light processing (DLP)
- Build volume: 115 x 65 x 155 mm
- Product dimensions: 7.9 x 8.7 x 15.8 inches
- Weighs: 20.9 pounds
- Uses UV sensitive resin
- 2560×1440(2k)HD masking LCD
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| Product name | Build volume (mm) | Unique feature | Dimension (inches) | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comgrow Creality Ender-3 Pro 3D Printer | 218 x 218 x 248 | Upgrade Cmagnet Build Surface Plate | 17.3x16.1x18.3 | View on Amazon |
| FlashForge Finder 3D Printers | 140 x 14 x 140 | full color touch screen | 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 | View on Amazon |
| Foxnovo Creality Ender 3 3D Printer | 220x220x250 | upgraded MK-10 extruder | 17.3 x 18.3 x 16.1 | View on Amazon |
Best 3d printer under $500 Most of these inexpensive 3d printers does not come assembled, they are DIY kit 3d printers, in other words, you have to assemble them yourself using the manual, instructional video or YouTube videos, and you might want to call in for technical assistance if you encounter any difficulty assembling the product, that being said, they are pretty easy to assemble 3d printers.
Comgrow Creality Ender-3 Pro 3D Printer with Glass Plate, Upgrade Cmagnet Build Surface Plate
This printer has an excellent print quality that competes with the print quality of most expensive ones. It has an excellent innovative design; the nozzle that comes with the machine is for general purpose printing. And it likewise comes with additional glass plate.
This is an upgraded version of the Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Upgrade Cmagnet Build Surface Plate
You don’t have to be an excellent DIYer before you assemble this machine for it comes partially assembled to make assemble easy, and within few minutes irrespective of your level of skillfulness.
It has a safe power supply that guards your printer from unexpected power, also provides safety for the fast heating and longtime printing.
And no worries if you suddenly experience power outage, for the ender 3 pro will resume printing from the last layer.
It has a Cmagnet build surface plate to offer protection to the printer build plate, make sure that the temperature is consistent throughout the build surface, also makes it easy to remove the printing model after cooling.
It has a growing community on thingiverse and reddit- search for “ender 3 mod” on thingiverse and Ender 3 3d printer on reddit.com.
Moreover, it has an excellent and reliable customer support that provides lifetime technical service coupled with a 12-month warranty.
Features include
- Modeling technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling）
- Product Dimensions: 17.3×16.1×18.3 inches
- Build Volume: 218 x 218 x 248 mm
- Weighs 8.6 kg
- Filament: 1.75 mm PLA
- UL certified power supply
- Comes with USB cable
- Online compatible and offline compatibility printing using micro SD
- File format: STL, OBJ, G-code
- maximum speed of 180mm/s
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
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FlashForge Finder 3D Printers with Cloud, Wi-Fi, USB cable and Flash drive connectivity
FlashForge finder 3d printer is user friendly, budget friendly also home friendly. The FlashForge 3D printer is easy to use, just plug and play that’s all, and it likewise provides easy operation, thanks to the 3.5 inch full color touch screen and the intuitive icons,
The machine is sturdy, and safe to use with the built-in non-heated build plate. It is compatible with WI-FI, USB, flash drive, and cloud connectivity.
It includes an assisted bed-leveling system to make it easy to use. This is a good choice of 3d printer for both beginners and educators.
It is designed to fit classroom use, home use also use in the kids’ room without fear of safety. Thanks to the quiet operation and easy to use loaded features. And it only uses non-toxic PLA (Polylactic acid) filament.
With the built-in 2nd generation WI-FI connection, you can send 3D files from your computer to the printer 8 GB memory through the WI-FI network under AP or STA modes.
The cloud connectivity allows you to have a database for your wonderful and sightseeing printed models, and of course, it allows you to edit, store, share, and print online.
It has a slide in plate that allows you to remove the print models easily, and it is made from plastic alloy construction to ensure stable prints.
The 3D printer features an upgrade from time to time to provide customers the best 3d printer experience. All you need to do is to update the firmware to the latest version to have a better 3d printer experience.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches
- Weighs 24.2 pounds or 16 kg
- Build volume: 140 L x 140 W x 140 H mm
- Uses non-toxic PLA filament
- Printing technology: fused Filament fabrication (FFF)
- You can print via WI-FI, USB cable, USB stick and cloud
- Compatible with OS windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, MAC OS and Linux
- File format or type: STL, obj
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm
- Layer resolution: 100-400 microns. Adjustable
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Foxnovo Creality Ender 3 3D Printer DIY Kit Prusa I3 V-Slot with Resume Printing Function, Building Volume
Foxnovo printer is an excellent printer perfect for an entry level user, but, don’t think for a minute that an advanced user cannot benefit from this economical, space saving 3D printer.
It is suitable for use in the home and schools. It has a compact size that permit easy carrying as well as large build volume that allows you to create large and complex models coupled with good print quality.
It has an efficient power supply protection, which allows you to use the product without heating issues. It will also machine resume printing from the last layer, if there is occurrence of power outage or lapses. It has a built-in fan for heat loss.
And it ensures smooth printing- no clogging and no warping, thanks to the upgraded MK-10 extruder that reduces plugging risk and bad extrusion for high resolution and perfect models.
The V-slot POM wheels allows the nozzle to glide smoothly and silently, the CNC machined Y-axis mounting slot ensures the high precision positioning of the nozzle when printing, and the four big twist nuts make sure the printing platform is easier to move.
This machine is useful in homes and schools for teaching children who have interest in 3D printing with animal models, toy models, also architectural models.
To make assembling easy- it comes semi assembled coupled with the kits to finish it up the within minutes. However, if you encounter difficulty in assembling this unit you can call in for technical assistance.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 18.3 x 16.1 inches
- Build volume: 220x220x250 mm
- Weighs 17.6 pounds
- Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm
- Printing technology: FDM (Fused Deposition modeling)
- Maximum speed: 180mm/s
- Layer thickness: 0.1 to 0.4 mm
- Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
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Best 3d printer under $500 (under $200)
If any of the best 3d printers under $500 in the under $300 subsection does not meet your budget then you can check out any of these printers under $200 subsection. But, they are definitely entry level printers.
| Product name | Build volume (mm) | Unique feature | Dimension (inches) | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer v2 | 120 x 120 x 120 | Fully assembled | 11.3 x 7.5x13.5 | View on Amazon |
| Da Vinci Mini Wireless 3D Printer | 152x152x152 | Compact size | 20 x 16 x 18 | View on Amazon |
Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer V2
The Monoprice mini 3D printer has good quality, and it is a good buy for the money for an entry level printer though it has its cons. It comes fully assembled for you to start printing right out from the box with the preloaded models on the MicroSD card coupled with the free sample PLA filament.
This 3d printer is also helpful to print architectural models to showcase in school or elsewhere.
The Monoprice Select mini printer can work with the PLA and ABS filament, it is also compatible with the advanced filament types such as conductive PLA, and dissolvable PVA. For more supported filaments, check the manual. It is relatively easy to use with the PLA filament compared to other filaments.
It is compatible with windows, MAC operating systems, also compatible with USB and micro SD card. And it is likewise compatible with cura, and Repetier.
It has an excellent technical assistance to listen to your queries via live chat or phone call, and it has a robust user community.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 7.5 x 13.5 inches
- Weighs 9.9 pounds
- Build volume: 120 x 120 x 120 mm
- Compatible with Micro SD card, USB and WI-FI
- Comes with micro USB preinstalled with models
- filament diameter: 1.75 mm
- Sample filament size: 10ft
- Filament color: natural/clear
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Da Vinci Mini Wireless 3D Printer
Da vinci mini 3d printer can connect with the wireless network for easy and convenient 3d printing, and of course, it is space saving due to the compact size.
This 3d printer works through a single push button, and it likewise provides different LED colors to show the printing conditions. The printer comes with CAD software and slicing software.
The mini size makes it an ideal printer for a beginner coupled with its user friendliness that will not just help with printing, but, also help with the modeling.
You can kick start your journey into the world of 3D printing by making use of any of the 3d models available on the Da vinci online XYZ 3D gallery, which include toys, games, art pieces, engineering, also educational items.
This 3D printer is also made to help educators incorporate 3D into teaching of different subjects such as K-12 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics coupled with the free online curriculum educational programs that can benefit both the teachers and the students.
Apart from the online ticketing system, they also provide technical assistance through Skype and telephone in case you experience difficulty while printing.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 18 inches
- Weighs 22.1 pounds
- Build volume: 152x152x152 mm
- Materials: PLA / PETG / Tough PLA/ Antibacterial PLA/ Carbon Fiber/Metallic PLA
- Maximum Speed: 120mm/s
- Resolution: 100-400 microns
- Self leveling bed
- Color printing: mono
- Connector type: Wi-Fi, USB 2.0
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Conclusion
The best 3d printers under $500 though affordable, produce good quality prints, and come with excellent features to make 3d printing worthwhile
So choose depending on your budget, the features and specifications that meet your use. However, they may not be have the ability to do more compared to their relatively expensive ones- they are a good buy for the money, and the quality of their output will surprise you.