3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus

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

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE guideELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Creality Ender-3 V3 SE comparisonsMore ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus comparisons
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGERELEGOO Neptune 4 PlusBEDSLINGER
Identity
BrandCrealityELEGOO
ClassBEDSLINGERBEDSLINGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[1]ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedListed on the ELEGOO US store from 20 September 2023 (Shopify publish date), the same date as the Neptune 4 Max[3][4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$186.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026; Creality's own product page shows $199.00 for the same machine on the same day, so the two Creality properties disagree[5][1]$309.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $425.00. Only a Ribbon-Cable printhead variant is listed for the Plus, unlike the Neptune 4 and 4 Max which also offer a Type-C version[3][6][4]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)The cheapest of the Ender-3 V3 family and mechanically the most conservative: it keeps a conventional i3 bed-slinger layout, while the Ender-3 V3 and V3 Plus use CoreXZ and the V3 KE keeps the bed-slinger layout but adds an X-axis linear rail, a 60 W ceramic hotend and Klipper-based Creality OS. Speed ceilings differ sharply - 250 mm/s and 2500 mm/s2 on the SE against 500 mm/s on the KE and 600 mm/s on the V3/V3 Plus. The SE also stops at a 260 C nozzle where the others reach 300 C[1][7][8][9][10]Middle model of the Neptune 4 family. Against the base Neptune 4: bigger (320 x 320 x 385 mm), but a lower bed ceiling (100 C rather than 110 C) and much lower acceleration (12000 rather than 20000 mm/s2). Against the Max: smaller and lighter (14.4 kg against 18.1 kg) but with a higher bed ceiling (100 C against 85 C) and higher acceleration (12000 against 8000). Its Z drive is 2 lead screws with 2 tie rods, where the Centauri machines use 3 lead screws[2][11][12][13]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[9]320 x 320 x 385 mm; printing platform 330 x 330 mm[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[9]533 x 517 x 638 mm; ELEGOO also publishes a maximum size for machine activity of 578 x 750 x 860 mm including rack and tray, so allow 750 mm of depth[2]
Net weight (kg)7.12 kg[9]14.4 kg net, 16.65 kg gross[2]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedCNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune 4 family)[11]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Open frame, no enclosure[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian i3 bed-slinger - Creality describes "neat X, Y, Z-axis, smooth T-shaped profiles" with a rigid dual Z-axis and a moving build platform on the Y axis[1]Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[2]
Y-axis guide typeY axis runs on a pair of 8 mm steel linear shafts carrying the build platform[1]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashRigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[1]Two lead screws with two tie rods[2]
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)Not documented"Silent Drive (All Axes)" is all ELEGOO publishes; the driver part number is not given on the product page[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[1]30-500 mm/s printing speed, with 250 mm/s given by ELEGOO as the recommended figure - the 500 mm/s number is a ceiling, not a working speed[2]
Recommended/typical print speedNot documented250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[2]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[1][9]12000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default acceleration 5000 mm/s2[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameCreality "Sprite" direct-drive extruder, which Creality says works with PLA, PETG and flexible TPU and had shipped over 500,000 units as of June 2023[1]Dual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans (the Centauri machines use a 1-fan version)[2][13]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Direct-drive hotend with a 0.4 mm high-flow nozzle (Tom's Hardware description); Creality does not describe an all-metal path for the SE[9]Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, with a titanium-alloy heat break[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)260 C maximum nozzle temperature per Tom's Hardware's spec box - the lowest of the Ender-3 V3 family, where the V3, V3 Plus and KE all reach 300 C[9][8]300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documented100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[9]PEI spring steel sheet; ELEGOO notes it is now upgraded to a dual-sided textured PEI + PLA-specific surface[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)CR Touch inductive/mechanical probe for auto bed levelling plus a separate strain sensor for automatic Z offset - Creality's pitch is no levelling screws and no paper method[1]Manual levelling combined with 121-point auto-levelling[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[9]Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery; no camera, no clog detection, no auto filament unloading[2]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designTwo fans on the printhead: a front-mounted fan onto the hotend heatsink and a second fan in the shroud with twin ducts aimed at the nozzle (Tom's Hardware teardown description)[9]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Not documentedELEGOO describes it only as a "Klipper High-Speed Quiet Motherboard" - no board model or MCU is published[2]
Total rated power drawNot documented320 W rated power; 24 V output; 110-120 V / 220-240 V input[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality publishes an open-source firmware repository for this model, CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE on GitHub under GPL-3.0 (last pushed July 2024). Unlike the KE, K1 and K2 repositories, it is not described as a Klipper clone, and Creality does not call the SE a Creality OS machine on its product page[14][15][7]Klipper (ELEGOO names the system "Klipper" outright for the Neptune 4 Plus, rather than the ELEGOO OS branding used on the Centauri machines)[2][13]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[9]4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[2]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Knob-driven colour UI using motion graphics to show levelling progress and print parameters; auto filament load/unload from the menu[1]Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer is recommended, with Orca and Cura also supported[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveSD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[9]USB, LAN and Wi-Fi[2]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printKit-style assembly from a small number of pre-built sections; Creality claims printing within 20 minutes of unboxing[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[9]PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon[2]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Not documentedOperating sound is published as 65 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no measuring distance or method given, so it is not comparable with a reviewer's dB reading[2]
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[16]12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[17]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy in 41 minutes under Speed Boat Rules (2 walls, 3 top/bottom layers, 10% grid infill, 0.25 mm layer height, 0.5 mm width) in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, not a manufacturer figure[9]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[9]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 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Creality Ender-3 V3 product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  10. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  11. ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  15. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor