3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M5s vs Creality K2 Plus
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M5s comparisonsMore Creality K2 Plus comparisons
| Property | ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M5sRESIN | Creality K2 PlusCOREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | Creality |
| Class | RESIN | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M5s[1][2] | Creality K2 Plus[3] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $609.00 on store.anycubic.com, with the compare-at price also $609.00, but marked Sold out, checked Aug 2026. 3DJake also shows it sold out and delisted[1][2] | $999.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026[4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Older and smaller than the M7 family: 12K LCD (11520 x 5120) vs 14K, 218 x 123 x 200 mm vs 223 x 126 x 230, an LED-matrix light source rather than COB + Fresnel, and 105 vs 150-170 mm/h on high-speed resin. Note Anycubic's spec table lists the machine dimensions in H x W x D order[1][2][5][6] | Largest and only fully specified K2. It is the only one with a 350 C nozzle, a 120 C bed, 30000 mm/s2 acceleration, step-servo motors on Z as well as X/Y, automatically adjusted belt tension, two auxiliary cooling fans, two air filters, a 1080p chamber camera, dual-band Wi-Fi and a 4.3-inch screen. Its "smart auto levelling" is listed as arriving via firmware update rather than shipping enabled, unlike the K2 and K2 Pro. A separate K2 SE model also exists[3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 218 x 123 x 200 mm (Anycubic quotes 5.4 L; the table writes it as 200 x 218 x 123 mm in H x W x D order)[1][2] | 350 x 350 x 350 mm[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 460 x 270 x 290 mm (H x W x D per Anycubic; 3DJake writes 270 x 290 x 460 mm)[1][2] | 495 x 515 x 640 mm[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | 8.9 kg[1][2] | 35 kg[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open-frame MSLA with a UV-blocking cover[1] | Enclosed with chamber temperature control up to 60 C and two air filters[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 60 C max chamber temperature (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | MSLA, single Z axis on double linear guides, straight-lift peel[1][2] | CoreXY - Creality groups the K2 series with its CoreXY flagships and quotes 600 mm/s with step-servo motors on the X and Y axes[3] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Double linear guides, 10 um precision[1] | Not documented |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Not documented | Automatically adjusted belt tension - the K2 and K2 Pro are tensioned by hand[3] |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | Not documented | Step-servo motors on the X, Y and Z axes and the extruder[3] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 600 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 30000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim) - 50% above the rest of the K2 family[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct drive with a 0.4 mm hardened "unicorn" quick-swap nozzle[7] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 350 C claimed max nozzle temperature[3] |
| Heater cartridge power (W) | Not documented | 100 W rated hotend power[3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 120 C max heatbed temperature[3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Laser-engraved aluminium-alloy build platform[1][2] | Coated steel flex plate, heated, removable[7] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Levelling-free design[1][2] | Smart auto levelling listed as "Available via Firmware Update" rather than shipping enabled; automatic flow-rate calibration via the nozzle AI camera[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament run-out sensor fitted[7] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Two auxiliary cooling fans and two air filters[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Total rated power draw | 100 W rated[1][2] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not documented | Creality OS, a Klipper derivative. Creality publishes the K2 firmware source as CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper on GitHub under GPL-3.0, last pushed March 2026[8][9][3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1][2] | 4.3-inch touchscreen[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | Touch UI with a built-in RFID reader; Creality notes the K2 Plus has no alarm sounds, which the K2 and K2 Pro do have[3] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB Type-A 2.0 and Wi-Fi[1][2] | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), RJ45 Ethernet, USB drive and a Creality 485 port; 32 GB eMMC[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | One chamber camera at 1080p 30 fps plus the nozzle AI camera[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | 405 nm photopolymer resin; no closed compatibility list published on this page[1] | PLA, PETG, PET, ABS, ASA, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PPA-CF[3] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | Not verified directly. Creality publishes the K2-series firmware as CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper (GPL-3.0); upstream Klipper ships the verify_heater thermal-runaway check, but whether the stock configuration enables it was not checked here[8][9] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | Creality's US store states "Up to 12-Month Warranty", a 14-day return and refund window and "Lifetime Customer Support" on its printer product pages. The "up to" wording means the term is not uniform across parts[10] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Benchmark print times (source + settings) | Not documented | Benchy in 15 minutes 56 seconds - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, which noted visible layer lines and slightly droopy overhangs at that speed[7] |
| Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date) | Not documented | Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[7] |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 10.1-inch monochrome masking LCD at 12K, 11,520 x 5,120 px, 480:1 contrast, XY pixel pitch 19 x 24 um (manufacturer specification)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light source | LED matrix UV light source. Anycubic does not publish wavelength or collimating optics for this model[1][2] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | 105 mm/h with high-speed resin, 70 mm/h with standard resin (manufacturer claims; Anycubic labels these average printing speeds and does not state the layer height assumed)[1][2] | Not documented |
| LCD life & replaceability | Swappable scratchproof screen protector film over the masking LCD. Anycubic publishes no rated screen life in hours[2] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Unibody resin vat with scale lines. Capacity not published; no auto-refill and no level sensing stated for this model[1] | 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 Photon Mono M5s product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M5s technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Creality K2 series product page, including the Compare K2 Series table (K2 / K2 Pro / K2 Plus) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Creality US store - K2 Plus 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Tom's Hardware - Creality K2 Plus Review (spec box and measured Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/K2_Series_Klipper repository metadata (GPL-3.0, last push Mar 2026) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor