5 Best 3D Printers Under $200 – Great for Beginners & Hobbyists
Our Picks:
3D printing has been on the market for a while now and with time comes advancement in printing technologies but also at a much cheaper price. Back when 3D printers first hit the market you couldn’t get a printer for anywhere close to the affordable options today. We’ve comprised a list of the best printers for a budget.
This list will be a mixture of FDM printers (fused deposition modeling) and resin printers. FDM printers use an extruder to heat filament and then deposited through the nozzle onto the print bed.
FDM can be a great option for rapid prototyping and uses heated print bed leveling to start printing quickly without much setup.
Resin printers involve liquid resin in a resin vat and using UV light and most use an LCD screen to cure the resin into it’s hardened form.
Note that resin printers involve a little more care such as wearing the proper safety equipment such as glasses, mask, and gloves, and avoiding contact with skin. There’s a little post processing of cleaning the models but resin printers give you some of the best quality in terms of detail over most printers.
Understand that these are budget tier options and with that can be lacking in some functions such as automatic bed leveling but if you’re on a tight budget these are our picks for the best 3d printers under 200.
What Are The Best 3D Printers Under 200?
1. Creality Ender 3 – $189
The Ender 3 is one of the most bought 3D printers and has one of the biggest communities of people and companies modding their printer and making parts for you to do the same. Even though this is under $200 you can make some modifications to upgrade it substantially and make it your own printer. It also has a resume printing function to keep printing after interruption such as a loss of power.
Pros:
- Affordable price for a quality 3D printer
- Large build volume (220 x 220 x 250 mm)
- Easy to assemble and use
- Resume Printing Function
- Open-source design with a large user community for support and upgrades
Cons:
- Manual bed leveling can be difficult for beginners
- Some users have reported issues with print quality and consistency
- Basic features with limited upgrade options
2. Elegoo Mars 2 Pro – $149
The Mars 2 Pro is a phenomenal resin printer and even though the msrp is over 200 dollars you can often find it well below that price making this our pick for the best resin printer under 200. Because this is a resin printer it has a very good print quality with more detail than what you get with most fdm printers. This printer can produce some good quality prints especially on a small scale. This is a great printer that produces great quality for the price.
Pros:
- Best print quality for entry level resin prints
- High resolution printing capability (up to 0.02mm)
- User-friendly software and interface
- Compact and easy to use
Cons:
- Limited build volume (120 x 68 x 155 mm)
- Printing with resin requires additional safety precautions
- Resin can be expensive and messy
- Resin prints require post-processing and curing
3. Creality Halot-One – Resin – $169
The Halot – One is Creality’s budget resin printer that gives you great detail for high quality printing especially with smaller scale objects such as figurines. A decent size print bed will give you room if you decide you want to print larger objects.
Pros:
- Low cost of entry for resin printing
- Large build volume (127 x 80 x 160 mm)
- High resolution printing capability (up to 0.01mm)
- User-friendly software and interface
Cons:
- Printing with resin requires additional safety precautions
- Resin can be expensive and messy
- Resin prints require post-processing and curing
- Some users have reported issues with print quality and consistency
4. Anet A8 – $179
The Anet A8 has a large build plate compared to other printers at this price point. It will take some time for the assembly process but I’m sure that’s how they can keep the price down. The 220 x 220mm heated print bed gives you a lot of room for large prints.
Pros:
- Low cost of entry for a large build volume
- Customizable design with a large user community for support and upgrades
- Easy to assemble and use
- Open-source design
Cons:
- Safety concerns due to a lack of safety features (fire hazard)
- Requires significant upgrades for better quality and safety
- Print bed leveling can be difficult for beginners
- Basic features with limited upgrade options
5. Tronxy Crux1 – $189
Of all the printers on this list the Crux 1 has a large print area which makes it great for 3D printing larger pieces. It also has a respectable printing speed of 60 mm/s and with a metallic handle and compact size it’s very easy to move around. The retraction of filament isn’t too great so you may have stringing to clean up after the print.
Pros:
- Large build volume (235 x 235 x 260 mm)
- Customizable design with a large user community for support and upgrades
- Easy to assemble and use
- Affordable price for a quality 3D printer
Cons:
- Some users have reported issues with print quality and consistency
- Manual bed leveling can be difficult for beginners
- Basic features with limited upgrade options
- Retracting isn’t the best
In Conclusion
The printing world is filled with a lot of options and can be pretty expensive but we have advanced so much in 3D printing that there are some great printers below the 200 price point that we’ve only just been able to achieve. It doesn’t have all the fancy features that the best 3D printers have like being fully assembled, auto bed leveling, or fast print speeds but this price point covers the essence of a 3D printer that can produce great quality prints even if it may take a little longer to set up.
If you’re looking for a budget printer these are some of the best 3d printers under 200 you can buy. Don’t let the price point fool you though; these printers can output some good prints and if you also consider being able to modify your printer later to make it even better the 200 price point allows you to experience the world of 3D printing and still make great prints.
If you want to know the best 3D printers for printing miniatures check out this article.
