3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
FlashForge Creator 5 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 FlashForge Creator 5 comparisonsMore QIDI Plus4 comparisons
| Property | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER | QIDI Plus4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | QIDI |
| Class | TOOLCHANGER | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Flashforge Creator 5, sold as "Creator 5 4-Toolheads Multi-Color 3D Printer"[1][2] | QIDI Plus4, sold as "Plus4 3D Printer". QIDI's own wiki files it under X-Plus4[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Announced with a $10 deposit programme; shipping to deposit backers by 19 May 2026. One secondary source puts general release in early May 2026[5][6] | Announced September 2024; QIDI ran launch promotional pricing in the week of 20-27 September 2024 (secondary reporting, not a QIDI press release)[7] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[5][6] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $799.00 on flashforge.com, in stock, with $100 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026[1][2] | $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[3][4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Paired with the Creator 5 Pro at $949, which adds a sealed enclosure, 65 °C active chamber heating and HEPA13 + carbon filtration. Motion system, 256 mm build volume, four toolheads, 600 mm/s and 30,000 mm/s2 are the same on both, so enclosure and chamber are the only reliable discriminators[1][8][5][6][2] | 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)[4][3] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Superseded at the top of the large-format line by the Plus5, launched 5 August 2026 with 18% more build volume; Plus4 still listed and in stock Aug 2026[9][10] |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 | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[5][6][11] | 305 x 305 x 280 mm advertised. No independently measured usable envelope found[3][7] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 505 x 487 x 550 mm[7] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 32 kg gross (3DJake). QIDI does not publish a net weight on the product page[7] |
| Frame construction & material | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[5][6] | Enclosed CoreXY chassis with double-layer chamber insulation; QIDI does not publish a frame material breakdown[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[5][6][11] | Fully enclosed, double-layer insulated chamber with second-generation active heating to 65 °C[3][7] |
| 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)[3][7] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with four independent toolheads on a FlashSwap changer. FlashForge claims a physical head swap in about 7 seconds[5][6][11] | CoreXY[7] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | Dual independent Z motors on 10 mm linear shafts and screws[3] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s maximum, reported by both secondary sources as a travel-speed figure (manufacturer claim)[5][6] | 600 mm/s (manufacturer claim, tool-head maximum)[7] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] | <=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[7] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct drive with hardened steel dual gears, 1.75 mm filament[3][7] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | 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[3][7] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | <=370 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[3][7] |
| Heater cartridge power (W) | Not documented | 80 W hotend heater (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[5][6] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] | 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[3][7] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | 6 mm aluminium-substrate heated bed with a double-sided textured PEI plate[3][7] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Fully automatic calibration and levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology[1] | Full-auto calibration; QIDI markets "hands-free automatic" levelling and does not name the probe technology on the product page[3][7] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament run-out sensor, plus a filament cutter and filament tangle detection (tangle mechanism not described)[7] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Four independent toolheads swapped physically rather than shared through one nozzle, which FlashForge markets as zero purge waste and up to 500% faster multi-colour printing[1][5] | QIDI Box multi-material unit supported; sold bundled as the Plus4 Combo[3][4] |
| 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[7] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[7] |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 450 W plus 400 W for chamber heating (rated)[7] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[6] | Klipper v0.12, described by QIDI as open source. Fork details and current release not published on the product page[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | Not documented | 5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3][7] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[5][6] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Ethernet, USB[3][7] |
| Cloud service & phone app; LAN-only mode possible? | Not documented | Mobile and computer control, remote cloud or LAN-only operation[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | 1080p camera at 30 fps. A camera module is also sold separately at $29.90, so verify whether a given SKU ships with it[5][6][2] | Built-in low-frame-rate camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported[3][7] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | QIDI claims about 10 minutes from unbox to printing[3] |
| 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[7] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Not documented | PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC, PA-CF/GF, PET-CF/GF, PPA-CF/GF, PPS-CF and other CF/GF-filled polymers[3][7] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, 30-day price protection[3] |
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
- Flashforge Creator 5 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store search results for Creator 5 (live prices) flashforge.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
- Flashforge Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro launch report 3dprinting.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 and 5 Pro breakdown antonmansson.com · 2026-08 · review
- QIDI Tech Plus4 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.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
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review