3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Anycubic Kobra S1 vs FlashForge Creator 5
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Anycubic Kobra S1 comparisonsMore FlashForge Creator 5 comparisons
| Property | Anycubic Kobra S1COREXY | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | FlashForge |
| Class | COREXY | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Anycubic Kobra S1[1] | Flashforge Creator 5, sold as "Creator 5 4-Toolheads Multi-Color 3D Printer"[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the Anycubic store from 2 January 2025 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Announced with a $10 deposit programme; shipping to deposit backers by 19 May 2026. One secondary source puts general release in early May 2026[5][6] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | Not documented | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[5][6] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $349.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $549.00 ($401.00 for the EU plug variant)[4] | $799.00 on flashforge.com, in stock, with $100 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026[2][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | The CoreXY line, not to be confused with the gantry/bed-slinger Kobra 3, Kobra 4 and Kobra X. Within the S line the Kobra S1 Max is a much bigger machine: 350 mm cube against 250, a 350 C hardened-steel nozzle against 320 C, 65 C active chamber heating that the S1 does not have at all, and 25.7 kg against 9.37 kg. Multicolour is sold separately on both (ACE Pro / ACE 2 Pro)[1][7] | Paired with the Creator 5 Pro at $949, which adds a sealed enclosure, 65 °C active chamber heating and HEPA13 + carbon filtration. Motion system, 256 mm build volume, four toolheads, 600 mm/s and 30,000 mm/s2 are the same on both, so enclosure and chamber are the only reliable discriminators[2][8][5][6][3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 250 x 250 x 250 mm[1] | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[5][6][9] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 400 x 410 x 490 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 9.37 kg net, 20.2 kg packaged[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[5][6] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed - Anycubic's own wording is "Fully Enclosed CoreXY Construction". There is no active chamber heating on the S1 (that is the S1 Max's addition)[1][7] | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[5][6][9] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY (stated outright in Anycubic's specification table)[1] | CoreXY with four independent toolheads on a FlashSwap changer. FlashForge claims a physical head swap in about 7 seconds[5][6][9] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 300 mm/s recommended[1] | 600 mm/s maximum, reported by both secondary sources as a travel-speed figure (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration, 10000 mm/s2 recommended (manufacturer claims)[1] | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive ("short distance extrusion")[1] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Quick-release hotend; 0.4 mm standard nozzle expandable to 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 320 C maximum nozzle temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Not documented | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[5][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel build plate - the highest bed ceiling of any Anycubic machine in this file except the S1 Max[1] | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset, plus area levelling[1] | Fully automatic calibration and levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection with auto resume, filament entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Multicolour is sold separately - the ACE Pro / ACE 2 Pro units are not included with the bare S1[1] | Four independent toolheads swapped physically rather than shared through one nozzle, which FlashForge markets as zero purge waste and up to 500% faster multi-colour printing[2][5] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Kobra OS, with pressure advance and flow calibration supported[1] | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[6] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen[1] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Touchscreen plus slicing software, the Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object-skip supported[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Printer UI, slicing software, Anycubic app, USB (print only)[1] | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[5][6] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Standard HD camera fitted, but only 480p - lower than the 720p units on the S1 Max, Kobra 4 and Kobra X[1][7][10] | 1080p camera at 30 fps. A camera module is also sold separately at $29.90, so verify whether a given SKU ships with it[5][6][3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA[1] | Not documented |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | 46 dB or less in standard mode and 44 dB or less in quiet mode - manufacturer figures with no distance or method stated, so not comparable with an independently measured reading[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | One year on the complete machine (excluding gifted and second-hand machines), with component warranty periods that vary by part; the period starts on the delivery date and is suspended while a replacement is in transit. Anycubic states it will follow longer local statutory periods where they apply[11] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Anycubic Kobra S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store search results for Creator 5 (live prices) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Kobra S1 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro launch report 3dprinting.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 and 5 Pro breakdown antonmansson.com · 2026-08 · review
- Anycubic Kobra S1 Max product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor