3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Original Prusa MK4 vs QIDI Q1 Pro
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Original Prusa MK4 comparisonsMore QIDI Q1 Pro comparisons
| Property | Original Prusa MK4BEDSLINGER | QIDI Q1 ProCOREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Prusa Research | QIDI |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Original Prusa MK4[1] | QIDI Q1 Pro, listed by QIDI as "Q1 Pro 3D Printer". QIDI traded as Qidi Tech until end-2024[2] |
| 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] | Not stated on QIDI's own product page; the page now carries a discontinuation notice instead of a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2][3] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | 1099 USD assembled, 799 USD as a kit, VAT included, at launch[1] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Not documented | $499.00 on both qidi3d.com and us.qidi3d.com, checked Aug 2026 — but the listing is marked Sold Out and the page states "This model has been discontinued". qidi3d.com shows it against a $599.00 regular price; the US store shows compare-at $499.00[2][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Superseded by the MK4S, which is the same machine plus a 360-degree turbine part-cooling fan, a high-flow CHT nozzle and firmware/profile work; Prusa sold a 99 USD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[4][1] | Succeeded by the QIDI Q2, which QIDI's own comparison on the Q1 Pro page distinguishes as 270x270x256 mm (vs 245x245x240), 370 °C hotend (vs 350 °C) and 65 °C chamber (vs 60 °C). Do not read Q2 figures onto the Q1 Pro[2][3] |
| Market position: superseded?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[5][4] | Discontinued and out of production; QIDI states spare parts and support for existing owners remain available. Replaced by the Q2[2][3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 250 x 210 x 220 mm (manufacturer figure)[1] | 245 x 245 x 240 mm advertised (QIDI). No independently measured usable envelope found[2][6] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 477 x 467 x 489 mm machine dimensions (QIDI)[2][6] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 17 kg net, 20.3 kg gross (QIDI). 3DJake lists the 20.3 kg figure as gross weight[2][6] |
| Frame construction & material | Die-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] | Metal CoreXY motion frame with panelled enclosure; QIDI publishes no frame-material breakdown for this model[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame; the Original Prusa Enclosure is an optional add-on[1] | Fully enclosed with independent chamber heating to 60 °C; QIDI does not publish the panel materials for this model[2][6] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 60 °C, actively heated (manufacturer claim — this is a heater setpoint, not a measured passive figure)[2][6] |
| 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[6] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | 10 mm linear steel rods with automatically tensioned belt (manufacturer description)[6] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | Independent dual Z lead-screw motors[6] |
| 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 documented | 600 mm/s, worded by QIDI as maximum tool-head speed (manufacturer claim, not a sustained printing speed)[2][6] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | <=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2][6] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Nextruder 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 extruder with hardened steel gears[2][6] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | 1:10 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] | Tri-metal hotend with a ceramic heater plate and a bimetal nozzle, 0.4 mm standard[2][6] |
| 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][7] | <=350 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[2][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C max heatbed temperature[1] | <=120 °C claimed. No firmware limit verified for this model[2][6] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; compatible with the MK3 sheets (smooth PEI, satin, textured PEI, PA nylon)[1] | Double-sided textured PEI plate on an aluminium substrate bed[2][6] |
| 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; QIDI markets it as "hands-free automatic levelling" with dual sensors, without naming the probe technology[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Built-in Hall-effect filament sensor supporting automatic filament loading[1] | Filament run-out sensor fitted; QIDI also lists filament tangle detection without describing the mechanism[6] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Auxiliary part-cooling fan plus a chamber circulation fan (fan count and duct design not published)[6] |
| 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 documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[6] |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 350 W plus 300 W for chamber heating (rated)[2][6] |
| 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[8][7] | Klipper, running on a 64-bit processor per QIDI. Exact fork and version not published on the product page[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen[1] | 4.3-inch touchscreen, 272 x 480[2][6] |
| 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-drive | Ethernet 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 6 (QIDI states "150M 2.4G") and USB 2.0. No Ethernet listed for this model[2][6] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Built-in camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported. Framerate not published[2][6] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Ships fully assembled[2] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Not documented | Power-loss recovery listed as a feature; mechanism not published[6] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Prusa's launch table says "any thermoplastic including Nylon and Polycarbonate"; the enclosure is still needed in practice for ABS/ASA-class materials[1] | QIDI lists compatibility with common filaments; storage 32 GB eMMC. No per-material list published on the current page beyond the general claim[2] |
| 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][8] | 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[9][7] | 1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, lifetime tech guidance (QIDI's standard terms as shown on its store)[10] |
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
- 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
- QIDI Q1 Pro product page (global store) qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Q1 Pro product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - The Original Prusa MK4S is Here! (published 12 August 2024) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech Q1 Pro technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor