Best Budget Multicolor 3D Printer (2026): AD5X vs Centauri 2 vs Kobra X vs A1

The cheapest way to print in four colors with less purge waste is the $299.99 Anycubic Kobra X, which finished a three-color print about two hours sooner than a Bambu Lab A1 Combo and purged 12 g less plastic, according to Rist Innovations, a YouTube channel that tested the two head to head. Kobra X in stock sells for about $299.99.

Every printer here pushes four filaments through one nozzle, so each color change purges plastic. The difference is how much. In a separate same-model test by Figure Feedback, a channel that compares printers, the $349 Flashforge AD5X wasted 6.5 g to the A1’s 8.3 g and finished in about 40 minutes vs 49.

The $328.99 Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo is the value pick for a larger CoreXY machine with a 350 °C hotend, and Tom’s Hardware called its CANVAS four-color system “pretty much bulletproof.” The A1 needs the AMS lite, sold separately or as the A1 Combo, to print in color.

Best budget multicolor 3D printer: color systems and purge waste compared

Prices from Amazon at time of writing. I may earn a commission from links, at no cost to you.

Anycubic Kobra X: Least waste and fastest color changes

The Kobra X builds Anycubic’s ACE Gen 2 system into the toolhead, with a filament cutter set low in the head. Anycubic says that cuts filament change length by 81.25%. Rist Innovations timed a single black-to-white change at 1 minute 31 seconds on the Kobra X vs 2 minutes 16 seconds on the A1, and on a long dinosaur print measured 15 hours 55 minutes and 269 g of waste vs 21 hours 37 minutes and 301 g on the A1 (Rist Innovations, “NEW ANYCUBIC Kobra X vs. Bambu Lab A1 – Which is BETTER?”). $299.99. See the Anycubic Kobra X on Amazon.

• Native four colors; up to 19 with ACE 2 Pro units (Anycubic). The older ACE Pro is not compatible.
• 260 × 260 × 260 mm; 300 mm/s recommended, 600 mm/s max
• 300 °C hardened steel nozzle
• RFID reader assigns Anycubic filament color and material automatically (Rist Innovations)
• Open frame; 3D Print Dood says that is fine for PLA and PETG

Flashforge AD5X: Smallest footprint four-color pick

The AD5X integrates Flashforge’s Intelligent Filament System, with four spools mounted on the side of the machine. ItsMeaDMaDe, a channel that tested every multicolor printer it could find under $500, said two AD5X units fit in the space of some rival setups and that it “rose to the top” of the group (ItsMeaDMaDe, “Which Multicolor 3D Printer Under 500 Dollars Is Actually Worth It?”). In Figure Feedback’s same-model test it purged 6.5 g vs 8.3 g on the A1 (Figure Feedback, “Bambu Lab A1 vs. Flashforge AD5X – Which Printer Wastes More Filament?”). $349.00. See the Flashforge AD5X on Amazon.

• Four-color IFS built in; auto filament loading and refill
• CoreXY; 600 mm/s travel, 300 mm/s max print speed, 20,000 mm/s² (Flashforge)
• 300 °C extruder; 110 °C bed
• 220 × 220 × 220 mm build volume; not enclosed out of the box

Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo: Most capable hardware for four colors

The Centauri 2 Combo includes Elegoo’s CANVAS unit with RFID recognition, auto refill and tangle detection, on a 256 mm CoreXY printer with a 350 °C hotend and 110 °C bed. Elegoo’s FAQ for the CANVAS-equipped Centauri Carbon 2 Combo says the single-nozzle design purges on each color or material change and that the purge tower must fit inside the build area. Tom’s Hardware found the system reliable and advises double-checking spools three and four when assigning colors, since the numbering follows the feed order. $328.99. See the Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo on Amazon.

• CANVAS four-color system; instant color switching via independent motor control (Elegoo)
• Open frame; enclosure, camera and lights are optional add-ons
• 500 mm/s, 20,000 mm/s²
• TPU prints natively on the printer, but not through CANVAS

Bambu Lab A1 with AMS lite: Best software ecosystem

The A1 is the baseline both reviewers tested against, and its print quality held up: Figure Feedback gave the A1 the edge on sharpness, and Rist Innovations found the two printers’ calibration tests similar. A long-term owner mounts the AMS lite on the wall and advises printing separate parts in separate colors when possible to save filament (Mark Spurrell, Bambu Lab A1 review). $299.99 for the printer; color needs the AMS lite. See the Bambu Lab A1 on Amazon.

• Full-auto calibration before every print
• 256 × 256 × 256 mm; silent mode under 48 dB (Bambu Lab)
• MakerWorld one-click printing from the Bambu Handy app
• AMS lite cannot feed TPU (Rist Innovations)

Why Multicolor Printers Waste Filament

With one nozzle, the printer has to unload one filament, load the next and purge the old color before it can keep printing, 3D Print Dood explains (3D Print Dood, “The 4 BEST Budget 3D Printers – Find the Right One for YOU!”). The channel showed a bucket of purge waste in another video and noted that most of it ends up in a landfill (3D Print Dood, “The BEST 3D Printer for YOU – Don’t Buy the Wrong One!”).

Waste depends on the model. Figure Feedback’s small keychain produced a few grams of purge on each printer. Rist Innovations’ large three-color dinosaur produced about 270 g to 300 g, roughly a quarter to a third of a standard 1 kg spool.

How to Cut Purge Waste

• Print parts separately. Mark Spurrell prints separate parts in separate colors when the model allows (Mark Spurrell, Bambu Lab A1 review).
• Paint or glue instead. 3D Print Dood prints single-color parts and paints them with acrylics or snaps colored parts together (3D Print Dood, “The BEST 3D Printer for YOU – Don’t Buy the Wrong One!”).
• Mind the purge tower. Elegoo says the purge tower and other helper structures must fit inside the build area.

The Next Step Up: Tool Changers

Multi-toolhead printers keep each filament in its own head and swap heads instead of purging. Snapmaker says its U1 tool changer creates up to 85% less waste than shared-nozzle printing. 3D Print Dood estimates such machines cost about $600 to $900, outside a budget category, but says they are worth a look for anyone who knows they will print a lot in color (3D Print Dood, “The 4 BEST Budget 3D Printers – Find the Right One for YOU!”).

How These Picks Were Chosen

I have not tested these printers myself. Specs and waste claims come from Anycubic, Flashforge, Elegoo and Bambu Lab pages, prices from Amazon listings at time of writing, and waste and timing measurements from the reviewers credited above.

What Reviewers Found About Budget Multicolor Printers

• Kobra X vs A1 Combo, three-color flexi print: 4 h 5 min and 62 g of waste vs 6 h 13 min and 74 g (Rist Innovations, “NEW ANYCUBIC Kobra X vs. Bambu Lab A1 – Which is BETTER?”).
• AD5X vs A1, same keychain and filaments: 6.5 g vs 8.3 g of waste, about 40 vs 49 minutes (Figure Feedback, “Bambu Lab A1 vs. Flashforge AD5X – Which Printer Wastes More Filament?”).
• Of the multicolor printers tested under $500, the AD5X came out on top (ItsMeaDMaDe, “Which Multicolor 3D Printer Under 500 Dollars Is Actually Worth It?”).
• The Centauri 2 Combo’s CANVAS system is reliable and the UI well designed (Tom’s Hardware).

Video: Rist Innovations, “NEW ANYCUBIC Kobra X vs. Bambu Lab A1 – Which is BETTER?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest multicolor 3D printer here?

The Anycubic Kobra X, at $299.99 with four colors built in, on Oct 17, 2026.

Which budget multicolor printer wastes the least filament?

In reviewer tests, both the Kobra X and the AD5X wasted less than the A1. No single test compared all four.

Can these printers mix TPU with other filaments?

The Kobra X printed PLA and TPU together in Rist Innovations’ test, and Flashforge lists TPU64D-75D for AD5X multicolor printing. The A1’s AMS lite and the Centauri 2 Combo’s CANVAS do not feed TPU.

Sources

• Amazon listing: Anycubic Kobra X
• Amazon listing: Flashforge AD5X
• Amazon listing: Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo
• Amazon listing: Bambu Lab A1
• Anycubic Kobra X product page
• Flashforge AD5X product page
• ELEGOO Wiki: Centauri Carbon 2 Combo FAQ
• Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo product page
• Tom’s Hardware: Elegoo Centauri 2 Combo review

Related: Bambu Lab A1 vs Flashforge AD5X | Anycubic Kobra X vs Bambu Lab A1 | Best 3D Printer Under $500