3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 KE vs QIDI Plus4

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Creality Ender-3 V3 KE vs QIDI Plus4 — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 KEBEDSLINGERQIDI Plus4COREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityQIDI
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 KE[1]QIDI Plus4, sold as "Plus4 3D Printer". QIDI's own wiki files it under X-Plus4[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedAnnounced September 2024; QIDI ran launch promotional pricing in the week of 20-27 September 2024 (secondary reporting, not a QIDI press release)[4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$259.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026; Creality's own product page shows $279.00 on the same day[5][1]$649.00 on us.qidi3d.com for the Plus4 + 1 filament variant against a $799.00 compare-at price; $699.00 on qidi3d.com against $799.00. Checked Aug 2026[2][3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Sits between the SE and the V3 in the Ender-3 V3 family. Against the SE: linear rail on X instead of wheels, 500 mm/s instead of 250, 300 C ceramic hotend instead of 260 C, 4.3-inch touchscreen instead of a 3.2-inch knob screen, Wi-Fi instead of SD-card only. Against the V3: the KE keeps the conventional bed-slinger layout while the V3 is CoreXZ and reaches 600 mm/s. Build volume also differs subtly - 220 x 220 x 240 mm on the KE against 220 x 220 x 250 mm on the SE and V3[1][6][7][8]Two purchasable variants: Plus4 + Filament x1 at $649 and Plus4 Combo + Filament x1 at $799 (Combo adds the QIDI Box multi-material unit). Distinct from the older X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 350 °C) and from the newer Plus5 (320x320x300)[3][2]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Not documentedSuperseded at the top of the large-format line by the Plus5, launched 5 August 2026 with 18% more build volume; Plus4 still listed and in stock Aug 2026[9][10]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 240 mm - 10 mm shorter than the SE and V3, a difference that is easy to miss[6]305 x 305 x 280 mm advertised. No independently measured usable envelope found[2][4]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)433 x 366 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware)[6]505 x 487 x 550 mm[4]
Net weight (kg)7.8 kg[6]32 kg gross (3DJake). QIDI does not publish a net weight on the product page[4]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedEnclosed CoreXY chassis with double-layer chamber insulation; QIDI does not publish a frame material breakdown[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Fully enclosed, double-layer insulated chamber with second-generation active heating to 65 °C[2][4]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documented65 °C, actively heated by a 400 W heater which QIDI says reaches setpoint in about 8 minutes (manufacturer claim)[2][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian bed-slinger with a linear rail on X[1]CoreXY[4]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Steel linear rail on the X axis with a ball-bearing carriage; Creality Lab quotes a 0.04 friction coefficient[1]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashNot documentedDual independent Z motors on 10 mm linear shafts and screws[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)500 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab)[1]600 mm/s (manufacturer claim, tool-head maximum)[4]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)Not documented<=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[4]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect-drive extruder paired with the ceramic-heated high-flow hotend[1]Direct drive with hardened steel dual gears, 1.75 mm filament[2][4]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Hotend with a 60 W ceramic heater, a bi-metal copper/titanium-alloy heatbreak to resist thermal creep, and a copper nozzle[1]Second-generation 80 W bimetal hotend with a multi-metal composite hardened-tip nozzle; 0.4 mm standard, 0.2/0.5/0.8 mm optional[2][4]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C claimed max nozzle temperature (Creality Lab test at 25 C room temperature)[1]<=370 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[2][4]
Heater cartridge power (W)60 W ceramic heater cartridge (manufacturer figure)[1]80 W hotend heater (manufacturer figure)[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documentedConflicting manufacturer figures: QIDI's own Plus4 page states a 100 °C bed temperature, 3DJake's spec table states <=120 °C. Not resolved; the lower vendor-published figure is used as the sortable value[2][4]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[6]6 mm aluminium-substrate heated bed with a double-sided textured PEI plate[2][4]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)One-tap self-test covering Z offset and auto levelling; Tom's Hardware records automatic levelling with automatic Z as well[1]Full-auto calibration; QIDI markets "hands-free automatic" levelling and does not name the probe technology on the product page[2][4]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[6]Filament run-out sensor, plus a filament cutter and filament tangle detection (tangle mechanism not described)[4]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathNot documentedQIDI Box multi-material unit supported; sold bundled as the Plus4 Combo[2][3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designTwo part-cooling fans, one on each side of the printhead, cooling the freshly printed section from both sides[1]Auxiliary part-cooling fan plus a chamber circulation fan; fan sizes and duct design not published[4]
Electronics & Power
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[4]
Total rated power drawNot documented450 W plus 400 W for chamber heating (rated)[4]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality OS, which Creality states is "Based on the popular Klipper firmware", with open-source files published; the source is on GitHub as CrealityOfficial/Ender-3_V3_KE_Klipper, described as a clone of upstream Klipper, GPL-3.0. Input shaping and motion advance (pressure advance) are exposed as features[1][11][12]Klipper v0.12, described by QIDI as open source. Fork details and current release not published on the product page[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch touchscreen[6]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[2][4]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Touch UI with a tab bar, real-time model preview, motion graphics for print parameters and a one-tap self-test[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveWi-Fi and USB; LAN printing and cloud printing through Creality Print on PC or the Creality Cloud app, with multi-printer print-farm management[6][1]Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Ethernet, USB[2][4]
Cloud service & phone app; LAN-only mode possible?Not documentedMobile and computer control, remote cloud or LAN-only operation[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedBuilt-in low-frame-rate camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported[2][4]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printNot documentedQIDI claims about 10 minutes from unbox to printing[2]
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-loss recovery listed; mechanism not published[4]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listHyper PLA, PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU (95A) and ASA[1]PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC, PA-CF/GF, PET-CF/GF, PPA-CF/GF, PPS-CF and other CF/GF-filled polymers[2][4]
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Not verified directly. Creality states the Ender-3 V3 KE runs a Klipper-based Creality OS and publishes CrealityOfficial/Ender-3_V3_KE_Klipper (GPL-3.0) as a clone of upstream Klipper, which ships the verify_heater thermal-runaway check; the stock configuration was not checked here[11][12][1]Not documented
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)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[13]1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, 30-day price protection[2]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy in 19 minutes 48 seconds under Speed Boat Rules in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware[6]Not documented
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[6]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

  1. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. QIDI Plus4 product page (global store) qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI Plus4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. QIDI Tech Plus4 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 KE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  7. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  8. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. QIDI Plus5 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. QIDI Plus5 launch write-up 3dprintbeginner.com · 2026-08 · review
  11. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3_V3_KE_Klipper repository metadata ("clone from https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  12. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor