Best 3D Printers Under $300 in 2026

2 MACHINES IN STOCK RIGHT NOW · PRICES CHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026

Right now, two 3D printers under $300 are worth buying without hesitation: the Creality Ender-3 V3 SE ($199) for the lowest real entry cost, and the ELEGOO Centauri 2 ($259) for CoreXY speed and a bigger 256mm bed. A third strong option, the Ender-3 V3 KE, is temporarily sold out at Creality as of this update.

This site does not own or test printers. Specs come from manufacturer pages. Strengths and limitations come from aggregated owner reports and independent review coverage, cited in the text. See How We Research.

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Quick Picks

Cheapest real buy

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — $199

In stock now. Auto bed leveling, direct drive, 250mm/s. The lowest all-in cost among machines we can verify are actually shippable today.

Best overall

ELEGOO Centauri 2 — $259

In stock now. CoreXY motion at up to 500mm/s, a bigger 256×256×256mm bed, and full auto calibration for $60 more than the SE.

How They Compare

Spec	Ender-3 V3 SE	Centauri 2
Price (checked Sep 2026)	$199	$259 (was $299)
Build volume	220 × 220 × 250mm	256 × 256 × 256mm
Motion system	Bedslinger (Cartesian)	CoreXY
Max speed	250 mm/s	500 mm/s
Auto leveling	CR Touch	Full-auto calibration
Multicolor	No	No (CANVAS module sold separately)
In stock (Sep 2026)	Yes	Yes

Prices checked September 2026 directly on store.creality.com and us.elegoo.com. Both stores run frequent sales; the CTA links below always go to the live current price.

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE

The V3 SE is the cheapest printer we can currently verify is both real and in stock. CR Touch auto-leveling and a direct-drive extruder remove the two most common first-printer failure points, and Creality's Ender ecosystem means spare parts and upgrades are easy to find years from now.

Falls short: 250mm/s is the slowest machine on this list. No multicolor path at any price. The 220×220×250mm bed is on the small side for a bedslinger.

Check price: Ender-3 V3 SE →

ELEGOO Centauri 2

The Centauri 2 is a genuine step up in architecture, not just spec-sheet numbers. CoreXY motion at 500mm/s and full auto calibration are features that cost significantly more a year ago. The 256mm cube bed is the largest build volume on this list.

Falls short: no multicolor out of the box; ELEGOO sells a CANVAS module separately for that. Newer to market than the SE, so the owner-report base is thinner.

Check price: Centauri 2 →

Also Worth Knowing

Creality Ender-3 V3 KE ($259 normally): runs Klipper firmware and is usually one of the best-value machines in this bracket, but it is sold out at Creality as of this update. Worth checking back on rather than ruling out.

Check Ender-3 V3 KE availability →

Bambu Lab A1 Mini: shows up at the top of almost every other "best under $300" list, and for good reason, it is a genuinely strong machine, often on sale in the $219 to $249 range. We are not recommending it here because we do not have a verified cash-affiliate path for Bambu Lab printers to check against; see how we research.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best 3D printer under $300 right now?

Of the machines we can currently verify are in stock, the ELEGOO Centauri 2 ($259) is the best overall for its CoreXY speed and bigger bed. The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE ($199) is the better pick if price is the deciding factor.

Is the Ender-3 V3 KE worth waiting for?

If you specifically want Klipper firmware, yes. Otherwise the SE is available today for $60 less.

What about the Bambu Lab A1 Mini?

It is well regarded and frequently recommended elsewhere, but we do not have a verified cash-affiliate program for Bambu Lab, so it is not covered as a buy recommendation on this site.

Can I get multicolor printing under $300?

Not out of the box from either machine on this list. The Centauri 2 supports ELEGOO's CANVAS multicolor module as a separate purchase.