Printer comparison
ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro vs QIDI Plus4
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro comparisonsMore QIDI Plus4 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Neptune 3 ProBEDSLINGER | QIDI Plus4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | QIDI |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro[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) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 11 November 2022 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Announced September 2024; QIDI ran launch promotional pricing in the week of 20-27 September 2024 (secondary reporting, not a QIDI press release)[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] | $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) | 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] | 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| Market position: superseded?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? | Superseded by the Neptune 4 series and, in ELEGOO's current marketing, by the Centauri line[8] | Superseded at the top of the large-format line by the Plus5, launched 5 August 2026 with 18% more build volume; Plus4 still listed and in stock Aug 2026[9][10] |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 usable | 225 x 225 x 280 mm; printing platform 235 x 235 mm[1] | 305 x 305 x 280 mm advertised. No independently measured usable envelope found[2][5] |
| 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] | 505 x 487 x 550 mm[5] |
| Net weight (kg) | 8.1 kg net, 10.15 kg gross[1] | 32 kg gross (3DJake). QIDI does not publish a net weight on the product page[5] |
| Frame construction & material | CNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune family)[7] | Enclosed CoreXY chassis with double-layer chamber insulation; QIDI does not publish a frame material breakdown[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure[1] | Fully enclosed, double-layer insulated chamber with second-generation active heating to 65 °C[2][5] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C, actively heated by a 400 W heater which QIDI says reaches setpoint in about 8 minutes (manufacturer claim)[2][5] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1] | CoreXY[5] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Two lead screws[1] | Dual independent Z motors on 10 mm linear shafts and screws[2] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1] | Not documented |
| 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] | 600 mm/s (manufacturer claim, tool-head maximum)[5] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 60 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | <=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[5] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[1] | Direct drive with hardened steel dual gears, 1.75 mm filament[2][5] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[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][5] |
| 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] | <=370 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[2][5] |
| Heater cartridge power (W) | Not documented | 80 W hotend heater (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | Conflicting 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][5] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI spring steel sheet[1] | 6 mm aluminium-substrate heated bed with a double-sided textured PEI plate[2][5] |
| 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] | Full-auto calibration; QIDI markets "hands-free automatic" levelling and does not name the probe technology on the product page[2][5] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery[1] | Filament run-out sensor, plus a filament cutter and filament tangle detection (tangle mechanism not described)[5] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | QIDI Box multi-material unit supported; sold bundled as the Plus4 Combo[2][3] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Auxiliary part-cooling fan plus a chamber circulation fan; fan sizes and duct design not published[5] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[5] |
| Total rated power draw | 300 W rated power, 24 V output[1] | 450 W plus 400 W for chamber heating (rated)[5] |
| 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] | 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 colour capacitive touch screen[1] | 5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[2][5] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | TF (microSD) card and USB cable only - no LAN and no Wi-Fi[1] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Ethernet, USB[2][5] |
| Cloud service & phone app; LAN-only mode possible? | Not documented | Mobile and computer control, remote cloud or LAN-only operation[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Built-in low-frame-rate camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported[2][5] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | QIDI 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 documented | Power-loss recovery listed; mechanism not published[5] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA - no Nylon, unlike the Neptune 4 family[1][7] | 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][5] |
| 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[12] | 1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, 30-day price protection[2] |
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 compare-products page, which embeds the full per-model specification JSON for every Neptune, Centauri and OrangeStorm machine us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Plus4 product page (global store) qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Plus4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech Plus4 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Plus5 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Plus5 launch write-up 3dprintbeginner.com · 2026-08 · review
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor