Best multi-colour 3D printer in 2026: AMS, ACE Pro, CFS, MMU3, dual nozzle or toolchanger
Best multi-colour 3D printers: A1 or A1 mini with AMS lite, P1S or X1 Carbon with AMS, Kobra 3 with ACE Pro, K2 Plus with CFS, MK4S with MMU3, H2D, Prusa XL.The short answer
For most people the best multi-colour 3D printer is the Bambu Lab A1 with the AMS lite (launched at $559 together), or the A1 mini with the AMS lite ($459 at launch) if a 180 mm bed is enough. Enclosed, the P1S with AMS ($949 at launch) is the default and the X1 Carbon with AMS adds hardened parts. The Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo is the budget alternative, the Creality K2 Plus with CFS the large one, and the Prusa MK4S with MMU3 the open one. All of those purge filament at every colour change; the Bambu Lab H2D (two nozzles) and the Prusa XL (toolchanger) do not, and cost accordingly.
Three ways to change colour, and what each wastes
Single-nozzle spool changers (AMS and AMS lite, ACE Pro, CFS, MMU3) pull one filament out of the hotend, push the next one in and purge until the colour runs clean. Every change costs a few grams of waste plus time, and a print with hundreds of changes per layer can throw away more filament than it uses. They are also the cheapest way to get four or five colours, and the AMS, CFS and ACE Pro double as filament storage (the ACE Pro dries it actively).
Dual nozzles (H2D) keep two filaments loaded in two hotends, so switching between them needs no purge. Two materials at once is the point: a model and its soluble support, a body and a label colour. Add an AMS to an H2D and changes within one nozzle still purge.
Toolchangers (Prusa XL) park and pick up whole tool heads, one per filament, up to five. No purge tower, no waste, five materials at once. You pay per tool.
The picks
| Printer and unit | Method | Filaments loaded | Purge at change | Enclosure | Launch price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 + AMS lite | Spool changer | 4 | Yes | No | $559 with AMS lite |
| A1 mini + AMS lite | Spool changer | 4 | Yes | No | $459 with AMS lite |
| P1S + AMS | Spool changer | 4, up to 16 with four units | Yes | Passive | $949 with AMS |
| X1 Carbon + AMS | Spool changer | 4, up to 16 | Yes | Passive | $1,449 with AMS |
| Kobra 3 + ACE Pro | Spool changer, dries filament | 4 | Yes | No | About $450 as the Combo |
| K2 Plus + CFS | Spool changer | 4 per box, up to 16 | Yes | Heated to 60 °C | $1,100 to $1,300 range |
| MK4S + MMU3 | Spool changer | 5 | Yes | Optional | $799 kit, $1,099 assembled; MMU3 sold separately |
| H2D | Dual nozzle, AMS 2 Pro optional | 2 at once, more via AMS | Not between the nozzles | Heated to 65 °C | $1,899, $2,399 with AMS 2 Pro |
| Prusa XL | Toolchanger | 1 to 5 | No | Optional | From about $2,000, single tool |
Bed sizes and other specs are on each printer's page; the ones below come from the OrcaSlicer profiles.
Bambu Lab A1 + AMS lite
The A1 (256 x 256 x 256 mm) with the AMS lite, an open four-spool unit, launched at $559 together. Auto levelling, vibration and flow calibration, a direct drive and a quick-swap hotend to 300 °C come with it. For: the first multi-colour printer for most people: the setup is automatic and the slicer handles the purge tower. You give up: an open frame (no ASA at size), an open spool unit that does not keep filament dry, and the purge waste every spool changer has. A1 vs A1 mini settles the bed-size question; A1 vs P1S the enclosure one.
Bambu Lab A1 mini + AMS lite
The same system on a 180 x 180 x 180 mm bed, launched at $459 with the AMS lite, and very quiet. For: multi-colour on a desk or in a flat, for parts that fit 180 mm, which is most of them. You give up: 76 mm of bed in each direction compared with the A1. The Ender-3 V3 SE vs A1 mini page is for people wondering whether to skip multi-colour and spend less.
Bambu Lab P1S or X1 Carbon + AMS
The AMS proper is an enclosed four-spool unit; four of them give 16 filaments. On the P1S ($949 with AMS at launch) it sits on an enclosed printer with a 256 x 256 x 250 mm bed, an auxiliary fan and a carbon filter. On the X1 Carbon ($1,449 with AMS at launch) the printer adds a hardened nozzle and gears, lidar and a touchscreen. For: multi-colour with ABS and ASA, and two-tone parts in engineering filaments on the X1 Carbon. You give up: purge waste, a small screen and a stainless nozzle on the P1S. P1S vs X1 Carbon is the decision between them.
Anycubic Kobra 3 + ACE Pro
The Kobra 3 Combo launched at about $450: a 255 x 255 x 260 mm bed slinger with the ACE Pro, a four-spool box that also dries filament actively, which none of the Bambu units do. For: four colours at the lowest price here, with dry filament thrown in. You give up: an open frame, and a workflow that runs through the Anycubic app or Anycubic Slicer Next. A1 vs Kobra 3 is the head-to-head.
Creality K2 Plus + CFS
A 350 x 350 x 350 mm enclosed CoreXY with a chamber heated to 60 °C and the CFS (4 spools per box, up to 16, with RFID spools), launched in late 2024 in the $1,100 to $1,300 range depending on the bundle. For: multi-colour and soluble supports on large ASA and PC parts. You give up: floor space, and a single nozzle on a big machine means a lot of purge. See H2D vs K2 Plus.
Prusa MK4S + MMU3
The MK4S (250 x 210 x 220 mm, Nextruder, load-cell levelling, open source, launched at $799 as a kit and $1,099 assembled) takes the MMU3, a five-filament unit sold separately, and an optional enclosure. For: five materials on an open, documented platform you can repair, with PrusaLink taking uploads from a phone browser. You give up: a smaller bed than the Bambu machines, an add-on you assemble, and purge waste like every spool changer. See A1 vs MK4S and MK4S vs CORE One.
Bambu Lab H2D: dual nozzle
Two nozzles on a 350 x 320 x 325 mm bed (a little narrower in X when both are used), a chamber heated to 65 °C, a hotend to 350 °C, and the AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT for more spools, launched in March 2025 at $1,899 or $2,399 with the AMS 2 Pro. For: soluble or breakaway supports and two-material parts without purge, plus colours through the AMS when you want them. You give up: the price, and purge returns as soon as one nozzle has to swap spools. See H2D vs Prusa XL.
Prusa XL: toolchanger
A 360 mm cube with 1 to 5 tool heads and no purge tower, a segmented bed that heats only under the part, an optional enclosure and open-source hardware and firmware. It launched from about $2,000 for a single tool; five tools cost considerably more. For: true five-material printing with zero waste, at size. You give up: the most money per colour here, and an enclosure that is an extra. See H2D vs Prusa XL.
What multi-material means for functional parts
For figurines, multi-colour is the point. For brackets, enclosures and holders it mostly means two things. Soluble or breakaway supports: an internal channel, a horizontal hole or an overhung boss prints cleanly when the support is a different material, and this is where a second nozzle or a toolchanger earns its price, because a spool changer purges on every layer that has support. Two-tone labels: a raised 1 mm label or an inlaid marking in a second colour on a drawer bin or a control panel, which any spool changer does well because the changes are few. If neither is on your list, buy the single-colour version and spend the difference on filament.
What to check
- Purge per change. Slicers report it; a four-colour print with many changes per layer can waste its own weight in filament.
- Dry storage. The AMS and CFS are enclosed, the ACE Pro dries actively, the AMS lite is open.
- Enclosure. ABS and ASA in colour want the P1S, X1 Carbon, K2 Plus or H2D.
- What arrives in the box. Bundles and prices changed during 2025.
Your first two-tone part
Every printer here is in SpeakCAD's catalog of 380+ printers. Describe the part with millimetres in the browser, on a phone or a computer, check it on a virtual bed the size of yours, and download G-code sliced with the printer's official OrcaSlicer profile (a .gcode.3mf for the Bambu Lab machines), or the STL or 3MF for your own slicer. The colour assignment happens in your slicer: ask for a raised label or a recessed window in the description, then paint it in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer or PrusaSlicer. The live demo (free, no account) gives you three AI edits on a real part; your own parts use credits, from $5 once with no subscription. Which Bambu Lab printer should you buy goes deeper on the AMS family.
The decision
Colours for the fun of it: the A1 or A1 mini with the AMS lite, or the Kobra 3 Combo. Colours plus ABS and ASA: the P1S with AMS. Soluble supports on functional parts without waste: the H2D, or the XL if you want five tools. Everything in between, the compare pages above.
Prompts to start from
Open one in the builder, change the numbers to yours, and the model renders in your browser, usually within a minute or two. Keep adjusting in the chat before you print.A drawer bin 150 x 100 x 60 mm with 1.6 mm walls and a 40 x 12 mm label window recessed 1 mm into the front face, for a second colour.
A name plate 120 x 40 x 4 mm with 1 mm raised text reading WORKSHOP in a 20 mm tall sans-serif font and a 2 mm chamfered border.
A dry-box passthrough block for 4 mm PTFE tubes, 60 x 30 x 15 mm with four 4.1 mm holes on 10 mm spacing and two M3 screw holes 50 mm apart.
Questions
The Bambu Lab A1 with the AMS lite, which launched at $559 together, or the A1 mini with the AMS lite ($459 at launch) if a 180 mm bed is enough. Calibration is automatic and the slicer handles the purge tower. The Anycubic Kobra 3 Combo (about $450 at launch) is the budget alternative and dries its filament.
Single-nozzle systems (AMS, ACE Pro, CFS, MMU3) purge a few grams at every colour change, so a print with many changes per layer can waste as much filament as it uses. Dual-nozzle printers such as the Bambu Lab H2D and toolchangers such as the Prusa XL do not purge between their nozzles or tools.
An AMS-style spool changer gives four or more colours cheaply and purges at each change. A dual nozzle gives two materials at once with no purge, which is what soluble supports need. For colour prints buy the spool changer; for functional parts with dissolvable supports buy the H2D or a toolchanger.
In two cases: soluble or breakaway supports for internal channels and overhangs, and two-tone labels or markings on bins and panels. Most brackets and enclosures need neither, in which case the single-colour printer and more filament is the better buy.