3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro vs Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)

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

2 selected · all documented properties

ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro vs Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) — documented properties and sources
PropertyELEGOO Neptune 3 ProBEDSLINGERPrusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)COREXY
Identity
BrandELEGOOPrusa Research
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro[1]Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2). Prusa's e-shop lists "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)" and "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) Assembly kit"[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 11 November 2022 (Shopify publish date)[4]The CORE One+ (Gen 2) refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately, with the first assembled units shipping at once and kits, upgrade kits and individual parts rolling out over the following weeks. It succeeds the CORE One and CORE One+ on the same platform[5]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$259.99 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, with the compare-at price also $259.99 - notably more than the newer and far faster Neptune 4 at $219[4][6]$1,202.78 assembled, $925.00 as an assembly kit, on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. Bundles run to $1,301.85 with camera and advanced filtration. Prusa's own marketing table on the same page quotes "from $1,299" assembled, which does not match the live e-shop price[3][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)The last Neptune 3 still listed; the 3 Plus and 3 Max are gone from the store's Neptune section. Do not read Neptune 4 figures onto it: the 3 Pro runs Marlin, not Klipper, tops out at 180 mm/s rather than 500, uses a 36-point mesh rather than 121-point, and its nozzle stops at 260 C rather than 300 C. Its machine size, 475 x 445 x 515 mm, is identical to the Neptune 4's, so body dimensions will not tell them apart[1][7][8]Three generations share the CORE One name: the original CORE One, the CORE One+, and the CORE One+ (Gen 2), with paid upgrade kits between them (CORE One+ to CORE One+ (Gen 2), and an MK4S to CORE One+ (Gen 2) conversion kit). The specifications recorded here are those published on Prusa's current CORE One+ (Gen 2) page and should not be assumed to hold for a first-generation CORE One. The INDX 4-tool and 8-tool machines are variants of the same product page, and the CORE One L is a larger, separate machine[2][3][9]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Superseded by the Neptune 4 series and, in ELEGOO's current marketing, by the Centauri line[8]Current model and Prusa's mainstream enclosed machine, above the MK4S and below the CORE One L+[3]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable225 x 225 x 280 mm; printing platform 235 x 235 mm[1]250 x 220 x 270 mm (manufacturer figure)[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)475 x 445 x 515 mm - the same body as the Neptune 4. ELEGOO's maximum size for machine activity is 475 x 580 x 725 mm[1][7]415 x 444 x 555 mm (X x Y x Z)[2]
Net weight (kg)8.1 kg net, 10.15 kg gross[1]22.5 kg[2]
Frame construction & materialCNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune family)[7]All-steel exoskeleton (Prusa's own comparison wording, against "aluminium extrusions and frame" for the MK4S)[10]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Fully enclosed with a door-open sensor and active chamber temperature control up to 55 C; HEPA/advanced filtration is an optional add-on[2][10]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documentedActive chamber heating, maximum 55 C (manufacturer figure)[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1]CoreXY - stated as such in Prusa's own comparison table against the Cartesian MK4S[2]
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashTwo lead screws[1]Not documented
Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known)Not documented0.9 degree X and Y stepper motors[2]
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)"Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1]Trinamic 2130[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)30-180 mm/s, with 60 mm/s given by ELEGOO as the recommended speed - a pre-Klipper machine, and the slowest in this file apart from the OrangeStorm Giga[1]Not documented
Recommended/typical print speed60 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[1]Nextruder direct drive, E3D V6 compatible with an adapter; planetary gear system with a 10:1 ratio; aluminium heatsink and all-metal hotend[2]
Gear ratio & drive gear materialNot documented10:1 planetary gearbox[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1]Quick-swap nozzle system; high-flow Prusa brass CHT 0.4 mm nozzle supplied. An optional HT hotend raises the ceiling to 400 C[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)260 C claimed max nozzle temperature - 40 C below the Neptune 4 series[1][7]290 C claimed max nozzle temperature. Prusa's comparison table adds "400 C w/ HT" for the optional HT hotend, which its 13 August 2026 blog post says will only become available in September 2026 - so 400 C is a forthcoming option, not a shipping specification[2][5]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1]120 C max heatbed temperature[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI spring steel sheet[1]Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; whole-bed heating regardless of object size[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)36-point auto-levelling (the Neptune 4 family moved to 121 points)[1][11]Load-cell sensor - fully automatic first-layer calibration with the nozzle as the probe[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery[1]Two filament sensors, plus a door sensor and five Semitec thermistors with fan RPM monitoring[2][10]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathNot documentedMMU3 for five filaments, or the INDX system for up to eight, both officially supported[2]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designNot documentedHigh-performance turbine part-cooling fan with 360-degree cooling, the same arrangement as the MK4S[2]
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Not documentedCustom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32[2]
PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage)Not documented240 W PSU with hardware power panic[2]
Total rated power draw300 W rated power, 24 V output[1]Power consumption 90 W printing PLA, 110 W printing ABS (manufacturer figures)[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Marlin - ELEGOO names the system "Marlin" for the Neptune 3 Pro, against "Klipper" for the whole Neptune 4 family[1][11]Open-source Prusa Buddy firmware. The source tree (prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy on GitHub) explicitly covers the Original Prusa MINI/MINI+, MK4, XL and CORE One and was last pushed to in August 2026. Updates are applied from a USB drive, through Prusa Connect or through the Prusa mobile app[12][10]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[1]3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen with touch control[2]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1]On-device touch UI; remote monitoring and printing through Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app; firmware updates from USB, Prusa Connect or the app[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveTF (microSD) card and USB cable only - no LAN and no Wi-Fi[1]Ethernet and Wi-Fi (NFC receiver plus an optional Wi-Fi module), USB drive for print files[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedOptional in-chamber camera solution (Buddy3D camera bundle listed at $1,237.03 against $1,202.78 for the bare printer)[2][3]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA - no Nylon, unlike the Neptune 4 family[1][7]PLA, PETG, Flex, PVA, PC, PP, CPE, PVB, and - as advanced materials in the heated chamber - ABS, ASA, HIPS and PA[2]
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Not documentedThe xBuddy platform carries hardware overcurrent protection that cuts heater and heatbed power above 15 A, and the firmware is open-source and auditable[13][12]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Operating sound published as 48 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated[1]Not documented
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)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[14]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[15][10]

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. ELEGOO compare-products page, which embeds the full per-model specification JSON for every Neptune, Centauri and OrangeStorm machine us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/CORE One L comparison) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
  6. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Prusa CORE One L+ product page (CORE One L+ Technical Specifications) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  13. 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
  14. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc