Mid-cycle — watch for announcements before buying
Best for: Makers who need a very large print area for props, architectural models, or batch production — and want multicolor without paying professional-tier prices.
Full details →First-generation product — recently released, still early days
Best for: Budget-conscious makers who want built-in 4-color multicolor printing under $400 — primarily for PLA and PETG. Open frame, so not suited for ABS or engineering filaments without the add-on enclosure.
Full details →| Anycubic Kobra 3 Max | Flashforge AD5X | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Professional | Prosumer |
| Motion | BedSlinger | CoreXY |
| Build Volume | 420 × 420 × 500 mm | 220 × 220 × 220 mm |
| Max Speed | 300 mm/s | 600 mm/s |
| Multicolor | ✅ 4 slots | ✅ 4 slots |
| Enclosure | ❌ | ❌ |
| Auto Calibration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open Source | ❌ | ❌ |
| Upgrade Kit | — | — |
| Materials | PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU | PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PETG-CF |
| Released | Oct 15, 2024 | Jun 15, 2025 |
| Cycle length | ~450 days | — |
| Cycle advice | Caution | Buy |
| Deals advice | Caution | Caution |
| Next model | Kobra 4 Max (Expected late 2026) | — |
One of the largest build volumes available at a consumer price — ideal for life-size props, large terrain tiles, and batch production.
Few printers offer multicolor at this scale. The ACE Pro system enables filament switching across the full 420×420 bed area.
Delivers large-format multicolor at a fraction of professional large-format printer costs.
The AD5X undercuts comparable multicolor setups on price with IFS built directly into the printer — no separate accessory needed.
No cloud dependency or mandatory account. OrcaSlicer is community-standard open-source slicer software — familiar to most experienced makers.
Ships ready for PLA-CF and PETG-CF without requiring a nozzle upgrade — a genuine differentiator at this price point.