Creality Ender 3 Pro vs Anycubic i3 Mega: Which of these two 3D printers should you buy? Read our comparison guide to see how the two printers compare against each other.
Huge news first: Creality Ender 3 3D printer is now fully open source.
Creality is one of the leading 3D printer manufacturers on the market and I’m curious about what the company will bring in the near future, especially in the area of SLA printers.
Creality Ender 3 Pro vs Anycubic i3 Mega
In this guide, we are going to pit the Anycubic i3 Mega against the Ender 3 Pro. We’ll look at the features, performance, price, and quality of prints of these two printers.
At the end of the review, you will have a good idea of how the printers compare against each other and which one will be right for you.
Let’s get started.
Creality Ender 3 Pro Overview
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Creality Ender 3 Pro Specs
| Installation space (print size) | 220 x 220 x 250 mm |
| Filament diameter | 1.75 mm |
| Max. Hotend temperature | 255°C |
| Max. Heatbed temperature | 110°C |
| Max. Printing speed | 180mm / s |
| Extruder nozzle | 0.4mm |
| resolution | 0.1-0.4 mm |
| Printing accuracy | +/- 0.1mm |
Ender 3 V2 Vs. Ender 3 Pro
The Ender 3 V2 comes with a number of upgrades , including:
- Silent Stepper (TCM2208)
- New larger color display
- Filament sensor
- Filament wheel for quick filament changes
- Tool compartment
- Belt tensioner on the X / Y axis
- Larger adjustment wheels for leveling
- Carborundum glass plate (similar to the Ultrabase)
- Self-developed mainboard
Read the full review of the Ender 3 V2 here.
Compared to the Ender 3 pro, the Ender 3 V2 has received some upgrades that users usually has to install or convert afterward. The pre-order price is around $100 more expensive than the Ender 3 Pro, which is fine in itself.
However, it is challenging to get certain spare parts for the V2. For example, the new mainboard is not easily replaceable.
The Ender 3 V2 does not have a touch display. This helps to keep the price of the machine down.
The Ender 3 V2 is significantly quieter thanks to the built-in TCM2208 drivers. The printbed is secured with a clamp so that you can also use the back if you need a pure glass print bed.
The printer’s mainboard has more RAM and a 32-bit system and the stepper drivers are permanently installed there. Should the drivers get damaged, you may have to replace the whole mainboard. The upgrade to the 32-bit mainboard is good. The only downside is you may have to replace the whole mainboard in case the stepper drivers get damaged.
Here is a video showing the test prints from the Creality Ender 3 V2
Anycubic i3 Mega Overview
The Anycubic i3 Mega is one best printers for beginners as it’s easy to get started with. You basically only have to tighten 2 screws and the printer is completely assembled.
The printer has some nice sensors and features, including:
- 2 Z-axis sensors left and right to ensure that the axis is always correctly aligned in height.
- Touchscreen with a simple user interface for quick operations
- 32 bit board with fixed drivers
- Run out of filament sensor. With this sensor, your print will automatically stop if your filament is not enough to complete a print. After changing the filament, you can continue printing.
- Powerloss recovery. If power is interrupted, the printer can continue printing.
The Anycubic i3 Mega also has its own printing plate known as Ultrabase. The base provides great adhesion for every type of printer.
The frame of the Anycubic is very stable and the entire printer boasts of quality workmanship. There is also a nice cladding of the printer.
Read the full Anycubic i3 Mega review for everything you should know about the printer.
Anycubic i3 Mega S vs. i3 MEGA
The new Anycubic i3 Mega-s has a titanium extruder, which has been optimized to handle flexible filaments. If you are buying the original i3 Mega, you can also get the upgrade kit that will make it work like the S model.
What else has changed in the new model? The position of the filament sensor has been changed by screwing it to the frame and mounting a roll holder on the side.
Here is a video review of the Anycubic i3 Mega S 3D printer.
Buy Anycubic i3 Mega S on Amazon
Anycubic i3 Mega Specs
| Technology | FDM single extruder |
| Print size | 210 x 210 x 205 mm |
| Layer height | 0.1-0.4 mm |
| Nozzle diameter | 0.4mm |
| Filament diameter | 1.75mm |
| Print speed | 20 – 60 mm / s |
| Speed of movement | 80 mm / s |
| Supported filaments | PLA, ABS, PETG, WOOD |
| Max. Hotend temperature | 260 ° C |
| Max. Heatbed temperature | 100 ° C |
| Printer size | 410 x 475 x 458 mm |
Creality Ender 3 Pro vs Anycubic i3 Mega
Now let’s quickly go through the features of both the Anycubic i3 Mega and the Ender 3 Pro so that you can decide which one would be right for you
Anycubic i3 Mega -S
What I like:
- Touch screen
- Better hotend
- Better motherboard
- Run-out-of filament sensor
- 2 Z-axis sensors (end stopper)
- Improved extruder for TPU
What I Don’t Like
- smaller printing space
Ender 3 Pro
What I Like
- Well suited for flexible filaments
- Flexible print bed
- Larger printing space
- More technical design
- Larger pressure bed wheels
What I Don’t Like
- No run-out of filament sensor
- “Only” an 8-bit board
- Fixed drivers
- Has no bootloader
- Initially a hotend that took some getting used to
- No glass print bed
- The flexible printing bed is not really good at high temperatures as these then lose their magnetic properties
Conclusion
I really like the Anycubic i3 Mega. This is the right printer for me mainly because of the filament sensor. During the period that I’ve been using my Anycubic, I haven’t had a print detached from the plate. My printing results have been great so far.
Moving on, the Ender 3 Pro also delivers good results and has the potential to produce better quality models and be more reliable.
Both these two printers of the upper entry-level class produce quality prints and their price/performance ratio is simply great.
I’m really excited to see how Creality will develop the 3D printer market. If you want to buy the Ender 3 Pro, you should possibly use the Ender 3, as the “upgrades” are not worthwhile compared to the price.
