Creality
Creality K1
$389
Released 2023
Best 3D Printers · head-to-head
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro is cheaper at $219. Every spec and price links to its source.
Creality
$389
Released 2023
Elegoo
$219Cheaper
Released 2023-06
On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro is the cheaper at $219.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices verified at capture; live price may differ.
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $389 | $219 |
| Brand | Creality | Elegoo |
| Released | 2023 | 2023-06 |
| Technology | FDM | FDM |
| Build volume (mm) | 220 x 220 x 250 mm | 225 x 225 x 265 mm |
| Max speed mms | 600 | 500 |
| Auto leveling | Yes | Yes |
| Multicolor | No | No |
| Enclosed | Yes | No |
| Max hotend temp c | 300 | 300 |
| Release year | 2023 | 2023 |
Sources — Creality K1: matterhackers.com (verified 2026-06-27). Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro: us.elegoo.com (verified 2026-06-27).
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (3 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
Two whitelisted testers (Tom's Hardware, TechRadar) hands-on reviewed the exact Creality K1 and both recommend it, praising fast speeds, print quality/accuracy and the enclosed Core XY design. Tom's Hardware flagged a clumsy locked-down Klipper, an awkward rear spool holder and reliability hiccups; TechRadar's only real gripe was no multi-filament plus AI camera/LiDAR being paid extras. K1 Max, K1C and K1 SE variants excluded. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)
Praised: Fast print speeds; Excellent print quality and accuracy; Fully enclosed Core XY design handles ABS/ASA well.
Flagged: No multi-filament / single-color only; Awkward rear-mounted spool holder makes loading fiddly; Locked-down, modded Klipper (cloud bind required, no console/config/Z-offset access).
Only one whitelisted tester with a live page — Tom's Hardware, hands-on — covered this exact model. It earns an Editor's Choice: wildly fast sub-19-minute Benchy prints, a best-in-class adhesive textured PEI bed, and linear rods on X/Y, though the mixed manual/automatic bed leveling is called its primary weak point. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Wildly fast print speeds — high-speed Benchy printed in ~18 minutes; Best-in-class textured PEI bed adhesion; parts release easily after cooling; Linear rods on X/Y and a powerful 5.2:1 direct-drive extruder, uncommon sub-$300.
Flagged: Bed leveling requires manual input (mixed auto/manual) — a step back from the Neptune 3 Pro; Sport-mode part cooling fans are very loud, audible across a room.