3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
FlashForge Creator 5 vs UltiMaker S5
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 UltiMaker S5 comparisons
| Property | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER | UltiMaker S5INDUSTRIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | UltiMaker |
| Class | TOOLCHANGER | INDUSTRIAL |
| 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] | UltiMaker S5 3D Printer[3] |
| 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[4][5] | Not documented |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[4][5] | 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] | Starting at $6,950 at MatterHackers, in stock, checked Aug 2026[3] |
| 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][6][4][5][2] | Three generations share the same 330 x 240 x 300 mm envelope and are easy to confuse: S5 (280 °C nozzle, glass bed to 140 °C, 4.7-inch screen), S7 (PEI-coated flexible plate, Wi-Fi 5 GHz added, $5,999) and S8 (340 °C, 500 mm/s, 50,000 mm/s2, PEI plate to 120 °C). Build-volume figures alone will not tell them apart[3][7][8] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Superseded by the S7 and then the S8, but still sold[3][7][8] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[4][5][9] | 330 x 240 x 300 mm[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 495 x 585 x 780 mm assembled with the spool holder[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 20.6 kg[3] |
| Frame construction & material | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[4][5] | Fully assembled professional chassis[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[4][5][9] | Not documented |
| 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[4][5][9] | Dual-extrusion gantry with an articulating nozzle-lifting print head. UltiMaker does not publish the kinematic layout in this spec table[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)[4][5] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[4][5] | Not documented |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | Build speed under 24 mm3/s (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Dual-geared feeder rated for advanced composites; dual extrusion with swappable print cores[3] |
| Filament diameter | Not documented | 2.85 mm[3] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 180-280 °C nozzle temperature range; heat-up under 2 minutes[3] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | Not documented | 0.4 mm standard; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm available[3] |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[4][5] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[4][5] | Heated glass bed, 20-140 °C[3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Heated glass build plate[3] |
| 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] | Automatic advanced levelling; probe technology not stated in this table[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| 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][4] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 500 W maximum power output[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[5] | Not published; print preparation is UltiMaker Cura and UltiMaker Essentials[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | Not documented | 4.7-inch colour touchscreen[3] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[4][5] | Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB[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[4][5][2] | Not documented |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | Under 50 dBA operating sound, manufacturer figure. No independent measurement; distance and method not stated[3] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | Not documented | XYZ resolution 6.9 / 6.9 / 2.5 micron (manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement)[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
- UltiMaker S5 3D Printer listing matterhackers.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
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- UltiMaker S7 product listing shop3duniverse.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- UltiMaker S8 3D Printer listing matterhackers.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review