First-generation product — recently released, still early days
Best for: Budget-conscious makers who want multicolor printing at the lowest possible entry price and don't need a large build volume or premium features.
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 X | Flashforge AD5X | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Entry | Prosumer |
| Motion | BedSlinger | CoreXY |
| Build Volume | 260 × 260 × 260 mm | 220 × 220 × 220 mm |
| Max Speed | 500 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 | Mar 1, 2026 | Sep 1, 2025 |
| Cycle length | — | — |
| Cycle advice | Buy | Buy |
| Deals advice | Caution | Caution |
| Next model | — | — |
At $279–299 with ACE 2 Pro included, the Kobra X is one of the most affordable ways to get into multicolor FDM printing.
A slightly larger cube-format build volume than the Kobra 3 V2's 255×255×260 mm bed — practical for most everyday prints.
The second-generation ACE 2 Pro offers improved filament switching reliability over the original ACE Pro, with support for up to 4 colors per print.
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.