Printer comparison
ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro vs QIDI X-Max 3
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 X-Max 3 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Neptune 3 ProBEDSLINGER | QIDI X-Max 3COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| 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 X-Max 3, listed by QIDI as "Qidi Tech X-Max 3 3D Printer" and in navigation as X-Max3[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 11 November 2022 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Not published by QIDI; the product page carries a discontinuation notice rather than a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2] |
| 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][5] | $899.00 (from a $999.00 sale reference) on us.qidi3d.com but marked Sold Out and discontinued, checked Aug 2026. 3D Printers Online Store lists $1,099 USD, also out of stock[2][6] |
| 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] | Same-generation siblings X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 500 mm/s, 800 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heating, 300 °C, 350 W). All three share the Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz / 1 GB DDR3 / 8 GB eMMC control board, so shared-board specs are not evidence of shared print specs. Replaced by the Max4[3][9][10][11] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Superseded by the Neptune 4 series and, in ELEGOO's current marketing, by the Centauri line[8] | Discontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2] |
| 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] | 325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][6] |
| 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] | 553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][6] |
| Net weight (kg) | 8.1 kg net, 10.15 kg gross[1] | 30.2 kg net[3][6] |
| Frame construction & material | CNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune family)[7] | Enclosed CoreXY chassis, fully assembled from the factory. QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure[1] | Fully enclosed, with a chamber circulation blower and activated-carbon air filter[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C maximum, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[2][3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1] | CoreXY[3] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear optical axis (polished steel rod) of high-strength steel[3] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Two lead screws[1] | Double Z axis[3] |
| 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)[2][3][6] |
| 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)[2] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 35 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[1] | High-flow direct-drive extruder; QIDI states a 9.5:1 gear ratio for this model[2][3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 9.5:1[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1] | Ceramic heating core. Two interchangeable nozzle-head sets shipped: copper alloy for standard materials, hardened steel for abrasives. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[2][3] |
| 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] | <=350 °C claimed[2][3][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | <=120 °C claimed[3][6] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI spring steel sheet[1] | Double-sided flexible magnetic plate (QIDI's "HF" plate)[2][3] |
| 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][12] | Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery[1] | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Auxiliary part-cooling fan? | Not documented | Additional (auxiliary) cooling fan fitted[3] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Not documented | Chamber circulation blower with activated-carbon air filter[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded Linux | Not documented | Cortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[2][3] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 300 W rated power, 24 V output[1] | 900 W rated[3][6] |
| 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][12] | Klipper with the Fluidd web console. Fork and version not published[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[1] | 5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3] |
| 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 (QIDI states 150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA - no Nylon, unlike the Neptune 4 family[1][7] | ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, nylon, carbon fibre, PC[6] |
| 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[13] | 1-year coverage[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 X-Max 3 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.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 Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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