Printer comparison
Original Prusa XL+ Dual-Head vs QIDI Max4
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Original Prusa XL+ Dual-Head comparisonsMore QIDI Max4 comparisons
| Property | Original Prusa XL+ Dual-HeadTOOLCHANGER | QIDI Max4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Prusa Research | QIDI |
| Class | TOOLCHANGER | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Original Prusa XL+, Dual-Head variant ("Prusa XL+ Dual-Head" in the e-shop variant data)[1] | QIDI Max4, sold as "Max4 High-Temp 3D Printer"[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | The XL+ refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately in all toolhead configurations, with assembled printers shipping later in August 2026 and upgrade kits for existing XL owners from around the end of August. The original Original Prusa XL predates it[4] | Not published on QIDI's product page; the machine is listed as the current replacement for the discontinued X-Max 3 (checked Aug 2026)[2][5] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $2,768.52 on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026 (lowest listed price for the Dual-Head variant; the 2-toolhead Enclosure bundle starts at $3,128.70)[1] | $1,099.00 standard on us.qidi3d.com against a $1,149.00 compare-at price, checked Aug 2026. Variants: Polar Cooler bundle $1,249.00 (was $1,348.00), Max4 Combo $1,249.00 (was $1,299.00), Combo + Polar Cooler $1,399.00[2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | One of three XL+ configurations - Single-Tool $2,128.70, Dual-Head $2,768.52, Five-Head $3,610.18 (Aug 2026). The frame, bed, electronics and 360 mm cube build volume are identical across all three; only the toolhead count, the price and the achievable multi-material workflow change. Toolheads can be added later[1][6] | Four variants at the US store: Standard, Polar Cooler bundle, Combo (adds QIDI Box), Combo + Polar Cooler. Direct replacement for the X-Max 3, which it differs from on every headline figure: 390x390x340 vs 325x325x315, 800 vs 600 mm/s, 370 vs 350 °C. Do not carry X-Max 3 specs across[2][5] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Current large-format flagship as of Aug 2026; QIDI's X-Max 3 page directs buyers here[2][5] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 360 x 360 x 360 mm, which Prusa states as 46.7 litres[1] | 390 x 390 x 340 mm advertised[2][3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | About 700 x 900 x 720 mm (Prusa's own figure is approximate)[1] | 558 x 578 x 612 mm[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | About 30 kg[1] | 46.5 kg net[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Aluminium extrusions and steel sheets (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[7] | Enclosed CoreXY chassis; QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame. The Enclosure for Prusa XL+ is an optional add-on; Prusa says the printer is ready for chamber temperatures up to 60 C, that the new better-sealed enclosure reaches around 50 C on the printer's own waste heat, and that 60 C needs an upcoming chamber heater for which no shipping date has been given[1][4] | Fully enclosed with a 3-in-1 air filter (G3 pre-filter + H12 HEPA + coconut-shell activated carbon)[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C, independent active chamber heating (manufacturer claim), with a 4-pin PWM chamber fan with RPM feedback[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with 1.5 mm GT belts, Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[1] | CoreXY[3] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | 2 mm lead Z screw with an anti-backlash nut[2] |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | 1.5 mm GT belts[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | Not documented | FOC closed-loop stepper motors[3] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 800 mm/s (manufacturer claim, maximum)[3] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 30,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim, maximum)[3] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 40 mm3/s rated flow (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[1] | Input shaper listed as a feature[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Nextruder direct drive; each toolhead carries its own extruder, hotend, nozzle and filament[1] | Direct drive, dual hardened-steel gears, 8.9:1 reduction[3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 8.9:1; drive gears hardened steel[3] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Quick-swap nozzles - 0.25 mm for detail, 0.6/0.8 mm for speed, hardened steel for abrasives, high-flow CHT for throughput; toolheads ship with high-flow nozzles[1] | Multi-metal hotend with a ceramic heater and a 0.4 mm bimetal nozzle; ceramic throat[3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1] | <=370 °C claimed[2][3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C max heatbed temperature[1] | <=120 °C claimed on a 390 x 390 mm bed QIDI markets as ultra-uniform (no thermal imaging published)[2][3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Segmented heatbed of 16 individually controlled tiles across the 360 x 360 mm surface, so only the tiles under the part are powered; removable double-sided satin print sheet supplied[1] | Aluminium plate with silicone heater; double-sided magnetic PEI build plate[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Load-cell sensor - the nozzle is the probe, which Prusa says automatically accounts for nozzle changes, surface textures and thermal expansion and removes manual Z-offsets. Toolhead-to-toolhead alignment on the XL+ uses a separate permanently mounted eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor, replacing the removable mechanical pin used on the original XL[1][4] | Automatic levelling; probe technology not named by QIDI[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament sensors fitted; Prusa's comparison table lists two filament sensors for the XL[7] | Filament run-out sensor and filament tangle detection (tangle mechanism not described), plus a filament cutter[3] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Two independent toolheads with automatic tool changing - two materials or two nozzle sizes in one job, with no purge tower waste between materials because each head keeps its own nozzle[1] | QIDI Box multi-colour unit supported; sold bundled as the Max4 Combo[2][3] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | 360-degree part cooling on each toolhead, new on the XL+ and matching the MK4S and CORE One arrangement; Prusa states it delivers more airflow and distributes it more evenly around the nozzle. Additional fans and heatsinks cool the electronics. Fan sizes are not published[1][4] | Toolhead, model and auxiliary fans are all 4-pin PWM with RPM feedback; mainboard and chamber fans are closed-loop, chamber fan high-power turbo[3] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Not documented | 3-in-1 filtration: G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA, coconut-shell activated carbon[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Custom 32-bit xBuddy electronics with STM32 (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[7] | Not documented |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 110 V / 220-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Open-source firmware - Prusa states "Firmware: Open-source; ships with the full current Prusa feature set", and the XL is covered by the prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy source tree[1][8] | Not stated on the product page; QIDI Studio, PrusaSlicer and Orca are the supported slicers[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 3.5-inch 65k-colour screen with touch control (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[7] | 5-inch touchscreen, 480 x 800[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | On-device touch UI; Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app are optional - Prusa states the machine is fully offline capable[7][1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi; USB drive for print files. Prusa Connect optional and fully offline operation supported[1][7] | Wi-Fi, LAN, USB[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | AI camera with print-failure detection[2][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[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, PA (nylon), TPU, PVA, HIPS, PP, CPE, PVB and carbon-fibre composites. Prusa states an open material policy - any brand of 1.75 mm filament, no chips and no subscriptions[1] | PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC, and glass- and carbon-fibre-filled polymers[3] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Open-source firmware on the xBuddy platform, which carries hardware overcurrent protection cutting heater and heatbed power above 15 A[9][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[10][7] | 1-year coverage, lifetime tech guidance, 14-day no-reason return[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
- Original Prusa XL+ product page (spec block and variant price data) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech Max4 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- QIDI X-Max 3 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.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 blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc