3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Mars 5 vs Original Prusa i3 MK3S+
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Mars 5 comparisonsMore Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Mars 5RESIN | Original Prusa i3 MK3S+BEDSLINGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | Prusa Research |
| Class | RESIN | BEDSLINGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Mars 5. Elegoo's own product handle spells the configuration out: mars-5-4k-6-6inch-monochrome-lcd-resin-3d-printer[1][2][3] | Original Prusa i3 MK3S+. The only version still listed in Aug 2026 is the "Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 10th Anniversary Edition"[4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $179.00 on us.elegoo.com against a $225.00 compare-at price (20% off), in stock, checked Aug 2026. The live product feed shows the same $179.00[2][3] | $1,199.00 assembled, $899.00 as a kit, for the 10th Anniversary Edition on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. This is above the price the standard MK3S+ sold at, so do not read it as the MK3S+ street price[4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Sold beside the Mars 5 Ultra, which is a materially different machine: 7-inch 9K masking LCD vs 6.6-inch 4K, 18 um vs 35 um pixels, 150 vs 70 mm/h, a 4.0-inch capacitive control screen vs 3.5-inch resistive, and Wi-Fi (the plain Mars 5 is USB only). Elegoo lists ten further Mars 5 / Mars 5 Ultra bundle SKUs pairing the printers with Mercury wash-and-cure stations at $302-$432; those are not printer prices[1][5][2][3] | Only the 10th Anniversary Edition remains on sale; the standard MK3S+ is gone from Prusa's printer listing. Two official upgrade paths change the machine substantially and are frequently confused with it: MK3.5 (xBuddy board and new LCD, keeps the MK3 extruder) and MK3.9 (adds the Nextruder). A caution on Prusa's own pages: the "Awards & Press Reviews" paragraph about the MK3S is reproduced verbatim on the MINI+ product page, so award text found on a Prusa page does not necessarily belong to the printer on that page[4][6][7][8] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Superseded by the MK4/MK4S line. Prusa cut MK3S+ prices at the MK4 launch in March 2023 and said it would keep selling the MK3S+ at a lower price and hold spare parts in stock[7][8] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 143.43 x 89.6 x 150 mm[1] | 25 x 21 x 21 cm = 250 x 210 x 210 mm (manufacturer figure)[4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 230 x 230 x 433.5 mm[1] | 500 x 550 x 400 mm (X x Y x Z), without the spool holder[4] |
| Net weight (kg) | Approximately 6.6 kg[1] | 7 kg (without spool)[4] |
| Frame construction & material | Metal frame with adjustable foot pads[1] | Cut aluminium frame - Prusa's MK4 announcement contrasts "the cut aluminum frame we used so far" with the MK4's new die-cast frame[7] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open-frame MSLA with a removable UV-blocking cover[1] | Open frame; the Original Prusa Enclosure is an optional separate product[7] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | MSLA — UV LCD masked stereolithography. Single Z axis, build plate lifting straight out of the vat (no tilt-release on this model, unlike the Mars 5 Ultra)[1][5] | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger. Prusa's MK4 announcement notes the MK3S+ Y-axis profiles and heatbed were among the few parts carried into the MK4[7] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Trinamic 2130 drivers at 256 microstepping on the EINSY RAMBo 8-bit board, co-developed with UltiMachine; sensorless homing on X and Y[4] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max travel speed | Not documented | "200+ mm/s" max travel speed (manufacturer figure, no measurement basis given)[4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct drive with Bondtech gears and an E3D V6 hotend[4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[4] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 120 C max heatbed temperature[4] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Laser-engraved build plate with a quick-release design[1] | Removable magnetic spring-steel sheets in several finishes; heatbed with cold-corner compensation[4] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Automatic levelling, one click. An intelligent mechanical sensor detects resin residue to prevent LCD damage[1] | SuperPINDA inductive probe (Prusa's temperature-drift-free replacement for the original PINDA), driving automatic mesh bed levelling and a self-test routine[4] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | IR filament sensor built in, supporting filament auto-loading; the print pauses when filament runs out[4] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | EINSY RAMBo 8-bit board, co-developed with UltiMachine[4] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 3 A[1] | Custom Delta PSU with hardware-based power panic[4] |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | Power consumption 80 W on PLA settings, 120 W on ABS settings[4] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by Elegoo. Supported slicers are Voxeldance Tango and CHITUBOX; STL and OBJ accepted[1] | prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware on GitHub, GPL-3.0, whose README states it is "proudly based on Marlin 1.0.x" and covers the MK3S/MK3/MK2.5S/MK2.5 line; last pushed August 2025. Updated over USB from a PC[9] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB only — no Wi-Fi on this model[1] | SD card (16 GB card included); Ethernet and Wi-Fi only via an optional Raspberry Pi[4] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | 405 nm photopolymer resin. Elegoo does not publish a resin compatibility list on this listing[1] | PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, CPE, PVA/BVOH, PVB, HIPS, PP, Flex, nGen, Nylon, carbon-filled, woodfill and other filled materials[4] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | Prusa shipped Thermal Model protection to the MK3 line as a firmware update shortly before the MK4 launch; the firmware is open-source and auditable[7][9] |
| Firmware safety limits (max temp cutoffs — exact values) | Intelligent overheating protection stops printing above 80 °C[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[10][11] |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 6.6-inch 4K monochrome masking LCD, 4098 x 2560 px, XY pixel pitch 35 x 35 um (manufacturer specification)[1][3] | Not documented |
| Light source | COB LED at 405 nm. Elegoo does not publish an LED count or collimating optics for this model[1] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | 70 mm/h maximum (manufacturer claim). Elegoo does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[1] | Not documented |
| Release film | PFA film with a non-stick surface. No rated life published[1] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Replaceable resin tank with two pouring openings and screw caps. An intelligent mechanical sensor detects resin residue in the vat. Capacity not published; no auto-refill[1] | Not documented |
| Fume extraction | None fitted. Elegoo states compatibility with the separately sold MARS MATE air purifier for odour reduction[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
- Elegoo Mars 5 product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Mars 5 Series collection (live US prices) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Mars 5 Series live product feed us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 10th Anniversary Edition product page (Technical Parameters + Full Features List) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MINI+ Semi-assembled 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + Full Features List, January 2025 Edition) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware (MK3 line, GPL-3.0, based on Marlin 1.0.x) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor