3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality K1 vs QIDI X-Plus 3

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

Creality K1 guideQIDI X-Plus 3 guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Creality K1 comparisonsMore QIDI X-Plus 3 comparisons
Creality K1 vs QIDI X-Plus 3 — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality K1COREXYQIDI X-Plus 3COREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityQIDI
ClassCOREXYCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality K1 (store title "Creality K1 Speedy 3D Printer")[1][2]QIDI X-Plus 3, listed in QIDI navigation as X-Plus3[3][4]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedNot published by QIDI on the pages checked (Aug 2026)[3][4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$299.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026. Creality's own K1-series comparison page shows $389 against a struck-through $599 on the same day[2][1]$699 on QIDI's official US page, which routes purchases to its AliExpress and Amazon stores; checked Aug 2026. 3DJake lists the model as sold out[4][3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Base model of the K1 family. The differences that matter are in the hotend: the K1 uses a metal + PTFE-tube hotend with a copper nozzle, while the K1C is all-metal with a steel-tipped nozzle integrated with the heatbreak and adds an air filter and a 1080p AI camera. Creality's own comparison table annotates the K1 hotend "Changing to All-metal Soon", so the hotend on a given unit depends on when it was built - check before buying. The K1 Max is the 300 mm version with 1000 W rated power and Ethernet; the K1 SE has a PA+30%GF hotend and an epoxy plate[1][5]Two headline-speed figures circulate for this model: QIDI's own US page says 600 mm/s and 35 mm3/s, 3DJake's spec table says <=500 mm/s and 30 mm3/s. This is exactly the kind of sibling contamination the 3-series suffers (X-Max 3 is 600 mm/s / 35 mm3/s). Siblings: X-Max 3 (325x325x315, 900 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heat, 300 °C)[3][4][6][7]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[1]280 x 280 x 270 mm advertised[3][4]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)355 x 355 x 480 mm[1]511 x 527 x 529 mm[3]
Net weight (kg)12.5 kg (Tom's Hardware measurement)[8]24.3 kg net[3]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedAll-metal frame per QIDI's US page; no further breakdown published[4]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidEnclosed with passive chamber heating only - Creality's comparison table lists "Passive Heating" for the K1, K1C and K1 Max and no chamber heating for the K1 SE[1]Fully enclosed with a heated chamber[3][4]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documented65 °C, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[3][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)CoreXY (Creality's own K1-series comparison table)[1]CoreXY[3]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Not documentedLinear optical axis of high-strength steel[3]
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashNot documentedDouble Z axis[3]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim). Creality's own footnote says the 600 mm/s figure was achieved in Creality Lab and that the typical speed is 300 mm/s[1][5]Conflicting manufacturer claims: QIDI's US page says 600 mm/s, 3DJake's spec table says <=500 mm/s. The lower, more conservative figure is used as the sortable value[3][4]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s typical printing speed with 12000 mm/s2 typical acceleration, stated by Creality alongside the 600 mm/s headline[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20000 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1]20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[4]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)Not documentedConflicting: 30 mm3/s (3DJake) vs 35 mm3/s (QIDI US page). Lower figure used[3][4]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDual-gear direct-drive extruder[1]High-flow direct-drive extruder, 1.75 mm filament[3][4]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Metal hotend with a PTFE (Teflon) tube in the filament path and a copper nozzle. Creality's own comparison table adds "(Changing to All-metal Soon)", so this is a moving target across production runs[1]Ceramic heating core. Copper-alloy nozzle head for normal materials, hardened-steel nozzle head for abrasives. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1]<=350 °C claimed[3][4]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit100 C max heatbed temperature[1]<=120 °C claimed[3][4]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedCoated steel flex plate, heated, removable[8]Double-sided flexible magnetic RF plate[3]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Automatic bed levelling (Tom's Hardware); unlike the K1 Max there is no lidar[8][9]Automatic bed levelling; probe technology not named[4]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[8]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designClosed-loop part-cooling fan; PWM hotend cooling fan[1]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded LinuxNot documentedCortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[3][4]
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3]
Total rated power draw350 W rated power[1]800 W rated[3]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality OS, a Klipper derivative. Creality publishes the source as CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper on GitHub, whose own description is "clone from https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/", GPL-3.0, last pushed December 2025[10][11][1]Klipper[4]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch 800x480 colour touchscreen[1]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Colour touch UI; remote monitoring, time-lapse, failure detection and build-surface detection are all optional on the K1 because they depend on the optional AI camera[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveWi-Fi only - no Ethernet (the K1 Max adds RJ45); 8 GB of on-board storage[1]Wi-Fi (150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)AI camera optional, not fitted as standard - unlike the K1C and K1 Max, which include a 1080p camera[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listHyper PLA, PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS - a notably shorter list than the K1C, because of the PTFE-lined hotend[1]Not documented
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Not verified directly. Creality's published firmware for the K1 series (CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper, GPL-3.0) is described by Creality itself as a clone of upstream Klipper, and upstream Klipper ships the verify_heater thermal-runaway check; whether Creality's stock printer.cfg enables it, and with what thresholds, was not checked here[10][11]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[2]1-year coverage (QIDI standard store terms)[12]
Independently Measured Performance
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Tom's Hardware rating 4 out of 5 in the page's structured data - the lowest of the K1 family, where the K1C and K1 Max both score 4.5[8][9][13]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 - Compare K1 Flagship Series (K1 / K1C / K1 Max / K1 SE side-by-side spec table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. QIDI X-Plus 3 official US page qidiusa.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality K1C product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1 Max Review (spec box) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  10. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/K1_Series_Klipper repository metadata ("clone from https://github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/", GPL-3.0, last push Dec 2025) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  11. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  12. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Tom's Hardware - Creality K1C Review (spec box and measured print time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review