3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Original Prusa MK4 vs QIDI Plus5

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Original Prusa MK4 vs QIDI Plus5 — documented properties and sources
PropertyOriginal Prusa MK4BEDSLINGERQIDI Plus5COREXY
Identity
BrandPrusa ResearchQIDI
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Original Prusa MK4[1]QIDI Plus5, sold as "QIDI Plus5 3D Printer"[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Announced 29 March 2023 with assembled printers shipping immediately from stock; kits opened for ordering about two weeks later[1]Launched 5 August 2026, 09:00 EDT / 15:00 CEST[4]
Launch MSRP (USD)1099 USD assembled, 799 USD as a kit, VAT included, at launch[1]$749 regular launch price; a launch-window member discount put it under $700[4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)Not documented$749.00 for the standard model on us.qidi3d.com, checked Aug 2026. Other variants: Polar Cooler bundle $899.00, Plus5 Combo $899.00, Combo + Polar Cooler $1,049.00. No compare-at price listed[2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Superseded by the MK4S, which is the same machine plus a 360-degree turbine part-cooling fan, a high-flow CHT nozzle and firmware/profile work; Prusa sold a 99 USD MK4-to-MK4S upgrade kit and automatically converted unshipped MK4 orders to the S version. The MK3.5 and MK3.9 upgrades convert an MK3S+ to part of the MK4 electronics stack but are not an MK4[5][1]Four purchase variants at the US store: Standard, Polar Cooler bundle, Combo (adds QIDI Box), and Combo + Polar Cooler. The Polar Cooler is a pre-sale add-on shipping separately, so its specs are not Plus5 specs. Replaces the Plus4 (305x305x280, 450 W + 400 W chamber)[2][4]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Discontinued. No MK4 appears in Prusa's Aug 2026 3D-printer listing, and the MK4 product-page slugs redirect to the MK4S page, so no live first-party price could be recorded[6][5]Current flagship of QIDI's large-format line as of Aug 2026; sits below the Max4 (390x390x340)[2][7]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable250 x 210 x 220 mm (manufacturer figure)[1]320 x 320 x 300 mm advertised — QIDI states this is about 18% more volume than the Plus4[2][3][4]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)Not documented500 x 488 x 558 mm[3]
Net weight (kg)Not documented29.0 kg net[3]
Frame construction & materialDie-cast aluminium frame - Prusa replaced the MK3S+'s cut-aluminium frame for the MK4, keeping only the Y-axis profiles, some bearings, the heatbed and the power supply[1]Enclosed CoreXY chassis; QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame; the Original Prusa Enclosure is an optional add-on[1]Fully enclosed, with a 3-stage air filter (G3 pre-filter + H12 HEPA + coconut-shell activated carbon)[2][3]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documented65 °C, actively heated, 550 W chamber heater — reported as a 37.5% increase in heater power over the Plus4 (manufacturer claim)[3][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian bed-slinger of the Prusa i3 family - Prusa's MK4 announcement records that the MK3S+ Y-axis profiles and heatbed were carried over[1]CoreXY[3]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Not documentedHigh-precision linear rails on X[2][4]
Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?)Not documented1.5GT belts, 9 mm wide — wider than the 2GT 6 mm belts common in this class[2][4]
Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known)400-step (0.9 degree) stepper motors, stated by Prusa to prevent vertical fine artefacts[1]Not documented
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)Trinamic TMC2130-LA silent stepper drivers on the xBuddy board[1]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)Not documented600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[3]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)Not documented<=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[3]
Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping
Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary)Not documentedResonance compensation listed as a feature; implementation not named on the product page[3]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameNextruder direct drive with a planetary gear system, 1:10 gearbox ratio; aluminium heatsink, all-metal hotend, no PTFE tube in the filament path[1]Direct drive with hardened dual gears[3]
Gear ratio & drive gear material1:10 planetary gearbox[1]Not documented
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Quick-swap nozzle system, 0.4 mm default, other diameters supported[1]Ceramic heating-plate hotend with a bimetal nozzle; 0.4 mm standard, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C claimed max hotend temperature in Prusa's MK4 announcement table - note the MK4S product page publishes 290 C for the same hotend family[1][8]<=370 °C claimed[2][3]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit120 C max heatbed temperature[1]<=120 °C claimed, described by QIDI as an even-heating bed[2][3]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedMagnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; compatible with the MK3 sheets (smooth PEI, satin, textured PEI, PA nylon)[1]Aluminium silicone heated bed with a dual-sided textured PEI plate[3]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Load-cell sensor: fully automatic first-layer calibration with the nozzle as the probe, plus automatic mesh bed levelling over the print area[1]Automatic levelling using an integrated load cell; QIDI describes it as direct nozzle-contact detection[3][4]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Built-in Hall-effect filament sensor supporting automatic filament loading[1]Filament run-out sensor, plus a filament cutter[3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)Not documented3-in-1 filtration: G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA, coconut-shell activated carbon; QIDI claims 99.5% capture of airborne particles and dust[2][3][4]
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Custom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32, designed and built in-house, with a separate extruder breakout board[1]Not documented
PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage)240 W Delta PSU with hardware power panic[1]Not documented
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100/240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)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[9][8]Not stated on the product page. QIDI's slicer ecosystem is QIDI Studio, and Orca/PrusaSlicer are listed as supported[3]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen[1]4-inch touchscreen, 480 x 320[3]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)On-device colour UI with one-click printing and status LEDs; Prusa Link is integrated and Prusa Connect adds remote printing[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveEthernet built in, optional ESP Wi-Fi module delivered with the printer, USB drive; print files can also arrive over LAN or the internet via Prusa Connect[1]Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz, Ethernet, USB; 32 GB eMMC storage plus USB 2.0 flash drive[3]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedAI camera with failure detection, up to 1080p, timelapse supported (low frame rate)[2][3][4]
LED chamber/toolhead lightingNot documentedRGB status light[2]
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-loss recovery listed; mechanism not published[3]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPrusa's launch table says "any thermoplastic including Nylon and Polycarbonate"; the enclosure is still needed in practice for ABS/ASA-class materials[1]PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC, carbon- and glass-fibre-reinforced polymers[3]
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)xBuddy hardware overcurrent protection disconnects heater and heatbed power when total current exceeds 15 A; firmware is open-source and auditable[1][9]Not documented
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)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[10][8]QIDI store terms: 1-year coverage, lifetime tech guidance, 14-day no-reason return[7]

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. 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
  2. QIDI Plus5 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI Tech Plus5 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. QIDI Plus5 launch write-up 3dprintbeginner.com · 2026-08 · review
  5. Prusa blog - The Original Prusa MK4S is Here! (published 12 August 2024) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
  6. Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc