Anycubic vs Elegoo 2026: Which 3D Printer Brand Should You Buy?

Anycubic and Elegoo are the two brands budget-focused makers compare most in 2026 — and for good reason. Between them they own the affordable end of both resin (MSLA) and filament (FDM) printing, and they have spent years leapfrogging each other with cheaper, faster, higher-resolution machines. If you are spending under $600 on your first or next printer, one of these two brands almost certainly makes the model you are looking at. This guide compares them head to head on the things that actually decide a purchase: resin quality, FDM performance, build volume, price, software, and community.

Anycubic vs Elegoo at a glance

The 30-second verdict

Elegoo is the better choice for value and resin. Its resin lineup — the Mars 5 Ultra and the Saturn 4 Ultra — is the one most reviewers point beginners toward, and the Centauri Carbon dragged enclosed CoreXY FDM printing down to about $299, a price Anycubic has struggled to match on an equivalent machine. Add the largest resin owner community for troubleshooting, and Elegoo is the safest default for first-time buyers.

Anycubic is the better choice for big prints and multi-color FDM. It consistently offers some of the largest build plates in the consumer class — the Photon M3 Max’s 298 × 164 × 300 mm resin bed is a cosplay and prop-maker favorite — and the Kobra S1 pairs 600 mm/s speed with full multi-color printing via its ACE Pro system. If you print large single-piece models or want hands-off color changes, Anycubic has the edge.

For a broader buying framework, see our best 3D printer pillar guide and, for resin specifically, the best resin 3D printer roundup — both rank specific Anycubic and Elegoo models.

Resin printing: Elegoo’s home turf

Resin is where the two brands compete hardest, and where Elegoo has the momentum. Elegoo has “consistently been seen as the value-for-money choice in the resin market,” per 3D-printing coverage of its 2026 range, and that lineup is anchored by two machines:

• The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is a 9K printer with an 18-micron pixel size and a 10.1-inch mono LCD — the most-recommended first resin printer for miniatures, tabletop models, and jewelry-scale detail. It is cheaper than Anycubic’s comparable M7 by roughly $230, per specs-comparison sites.
• The Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K (about $549–$599) is “widely regarded as the best-overall pick,” combining 16K resolution, smart tank heating, AI failure detection, WiFi cluster printing, and a tilt-vat mechanism that improves reliability over standard MSLA.

Anycubic answers with a genuinely strong resin range of its own. The Photon Mono M7 Pro pushes 14K resolution with an effective ~19-micron pixel on a larger 200 × 122 × 245 mm build plate, and the Photon M3 Max offers one of the largest consumer resin beds available at 298 × 164 × 300 mm — popular with cosplay prop makers, architectural modelers, and dental labs printing large single pieces. The newer Photon Mono M7 Max adds a COB light source, Fresnel lens for better light uniformity, and an “Intelligent Release 2.0” system to speed up peel.

Bottom line: For detail-per-dollar and community support, Elegoo wins resin for most buyers. If you need the biggest resin build volume you can get for the money, Anycubic’s Photon M3 Max is the standout.

FDM printing: a genuine toss-up

On the filament side, the two brands are much closer, and both made big 2026 leaps into enclosed CoreXY territory.

Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon is the value story of the year: an enclosed CoreXY FDM printer with a 256 × 256 × 256 mm build volume, up to 500 mm/s speeds, and a 320 °C hotend that handles PETG, ABS, ASA, and carbon-fiber blends — all for around $299–$309. TechRadar’s testers called the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo an “exceptionally good” deal, and a Centauri Carbon 2 with multi-material support is arriving in Q1 2026 per Tom’s Hardware.

Anycubic’s Kobra S1 counters with more speed and color. It prints at up to 600 mm/s on a 250 × 250 × 250 mm bed and, crucially, supports full multi-color printing through its ACE Pro system — something Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon cannot do until the Carbon 2 lands. The Kobra S1 Combo runs about $429, with the ACE 2 Pro Combo near $459.

Bottom line: Choose the Elegoo Centauri Carbon for the best enclosed-FDM value, or the Anycubic Kobra S1 if speed and multi-color matter more than saving $130. See our best budget 3D printer guide for where each fits.

Build volume and materials

Both brands cover PLA, PETG, and — on their enclosed machines — ABS and ASA. The differences are at the extremes. In resin, Anycubic’s Photon M3 Max gives you dramatically more build volume than any Elegoo Mars, while Elegoo’s Saturn 4 Ultra strikes a balance of size and 16K resolution. In FDM, the two are near-identical (a ~250–256 mm cube), with Elegoo’s 256 mm bed a hair larger than Anycubic’s 250 mm on the Kobra S1. For high-temperature filaments, both enclosed machines trap chamber heat well; match the material to the machine using our best 3D printer filament guide.

Software, ecosystem, and community

Both brands ship capable slicers — Anycubic’s Photon Workshop (resin) and its FDM slicer, and Elegoo’s Voxeldance-based Elegoo Slicer — and both integrate WiFi monitoring on their flagship machines. The real differentiator is community. Elegoo’s Mars and Saturn owner groups are the largest resin communities on Facebook, which means faster answers, more tested resin profiles, and more troubleshooting help for beginners. Anycubic’s community is large and active too, but Elegoo’s scale is a genuine advantage for a first-time buyer who will lean on peer help.

Price: Elegoo holds the value crown

Elegoo is typically the cheaper brand at list price:

• Starter resin: Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra ($220–$260) vs Anycubic Photon Mono M7 ($230 more, per specs-comparison sites).
• Enclosed FDM: Elegoo Centauri Carbon ($299–$309) vs Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo ($429).
• Flagship resin: Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K (~$549–$599) vs Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Max (premium, larger-plate feature set).

Anycubic frequently matches or beats these numbers during sales and combo bundles, so always check current listings — but the default value pick leans Elegoo.

Which should you buy?

Choose Elegoo — Mars 5 Ultra or Centauri Carbon

For filament printers, Elegoo’s enclosed CoreXY value pick is hard to beat at the price.

Choose Anycubic — Kobra S1 or Photon Mono M7

For resin makers who want maximum resolution or a large build plate, Anycubic’s Photon line delivers.

Related guides

• Best 3D printers of 2026 — our head-to-head pillar ranking across every budget.
• Best resin 3D printer — top MSLA picks, including Elegoo and Anycubic models.
• Best budget 3D printer — top affordable machines under $300.
• FDM vs resin 3D printer — which technology fits your projects.
• Best 3D printer for miniatures — the sharpest machines for tabletop and models.
• Best 3D printer filament — PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA spools, explained.
• Bambu Lab vs Creality — how the FDM giants compare if you are also weighing them.