--- title: "Which Prusa printer should you buy? MINI, MK4S, CORE One or XL" description: "MINI for a small desk, MK4S for most people, CORE One for ABS and ASA, XL for big or true multi-material parts. Kit or assembled, and the upgrade paths." canonical: https://speakcad.com/blog/which-prusa-printer-should-you-buy published: 2026-09-29 updated: 2026-09-29 publisher: SpeakCAD --- # Which Prusa printer should you buy? MINI, MK4S, CORE One or XL > MINI for a small desk, MK4S for most people, CORE One for ABS and ASA, XL for big or true multi-material parts. Kit or assembled, and the upgrade paths. ## The short answer The [MK4S](/printers/prusa-mk4s) is the Prusa most people should buy: a 250 x 210 x 220 mm bed slinger with load-cell levelling, open-source hardware and firmware, and an upgrade path into the CORE One. The [CORE One](/printers/prusa-core-one) is the one for ABS, ASA, polycarbonate and nylon, because it puts the same extruder in an enclosed CoreXY frame. The [MINI](/printers/prusa-mini) is for a small desk and a smaller budget. The [XL](/printers/prusa-xl) is for 360 mm parts and true multi-material with up to five tool heads. Every one of them comes as a kit or assembled, and all four take a G-code upload from a phone browser. ## The range in one table | Model | Bed (mm) | Frame | Enclosure | Extruder | Multi-material | Launch price | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | MINI (MINI+) | 180 x 180 x 180 | Bed slinger | None | Bowden | None (the MMU3 does not fit the MINI) | Around $400 kit, $460 assembled | | MK4S | 250 x 210 x 220 | Bed slinger | Prusa Enclosure optional | Nextruder planetary direct drive | MMU3, 5 filaments, optional | $799 kit, $1,099 assembled (Aug 2024) | | CORE One | 250 x 220 x 270 | Enclosed CoreXY | Passive chamber to about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan | Nextruder | MMU3, 5 filaments, optional | $949 kit, $1,199 assembled | | XL | 360 x 360 x 360 | CoreXY toolchanger | Optional | 1 to 5 tool heads | Toolchanger, no purge tower | From about $2,000 with one tool; five tools cost considerably more | Bed sizes are what the official OrcaSlicer profiles declare and can differ a few millimetres from the box. Launch prices are the only figures here: most moved in 2025 and vary by region, so check the store. ## MINI **Buy this if** the printer goes on a desk, 180 mm is enough, and you want the open-source ecosystem at its lowest price. It is compact and quiet, input shaping arrived by firmware update, and it comes as a kit or assembled. [A1 mini vs Prusa MINI](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-a1-mini-vs-prusa-mini) is the comparison most buyers are really making. **What you give up:** a Bowden extruder, which makes TPU harder, 180 mm in every direction, and no enclosure. The [Bambu Lab A1 mini](/printers/bambu-lab-a1-mini) launched at $299 with direct drive and a camera, so the MINI is a choice for openness rather than specification. ## MK4S **Buy this if** you want a printer that will still be printing, and still be supported, in ten years. The Nextruder is a planetary direct drive. Load-cell bed levelling means there is no Z offset to tune. Part cooling is 360 degrees, input shaping is standard, and the hardware and firmware are open source. It is made in Czechia, it comes as a kit or assembled, the MMU3 adds five filaments, and the Prusa Enclosure is optional. **What you give up:** launch prices of $799 for the kit and $1,099 assembled, against $399 for the [Bambu Lab A1](/printers/bambu-lab-a1) with a bigger 256 mm bed and a camera. You are paying for openness, repairability and support, not for the spec sheet. [A1 vs MK4S](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-a1-vs-prusa-mk4s) sets them side by side. ## CORE One **Buy this if** ABS, ASA, PC or nylon is on your list and you want it open source. The Nextruder sits in an enclosed CoreXY frame with a 250 x 220 x 270 mm bed, a passive chamber that reaches about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan, and a camera as an option. It comes as a kit or assembled, and as a conversion kit for an MK4S you already own. **What you give up:** the passive chamber is not a heated one, so very large ABS parts are still easier on a printer with a chamber heater. It was announced in December 2024, so it has less history than the MK4S. [MK4S vs CORE One](/printers/compare/prusa-mk4s-vs-prusa-core-one) is the in-house comparison. ## XL **Buy this if** you need 360 mm in every direction, or you need true multi-material: one to five tool heads, each with its own filament, so there is no purge tower and a two-material part costs no more plastic than a one-material part. The bed is segmented and only the tiles under the part heat, which saves time and power on small parts. It ships semi-assembled; the enclosure is optional. **What you give up:** a launch price from about $2,000 with a single tool, considerably more with five, and a large footprint. If you want a big heated chamber more than a toolchanger, the [Bambu Lab H2D](/printers/bambu-lab-h2d) is the other answer to purge waste; [H2D vs Prusa XL](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-h2d-vs-prusa-xl) compares them. ## Kit or assembled The kit saves money on every model and takes a weekend. You end with a printer you can take apart, because you put it together, and that is the point of owning a Prusa. Assembled costs more and is the right call if a weekend of small screws sounds like a chore, or if the printer is for someone else. Either way the printed parts are the same, and both are supported the same way. ## Upgrade paths Prusa sells upgrades between generations rather than replacing them. An MK4 becomes an MK4S with an upgrade kit. An MK4S becomes a CORE One with a conversion kit, which reuses the Nextruder and the electronics. This is unusual: with most brands the next model is a new purchase. If you are choosing between an MK4S now and a CORE One later, the conversion kit makes that a sequence rather than a mistake. ## Open source and repairability The hardware and firmware of all four are open source. Spare parts are sold individually, the printed parts have published files, and the community has designed replacements and modifications for a decade. Out of warranty, an open printer is fixed with a part and an afternoon; a closed one depends on the maker still stocking it. The cost is that Prusa's spec sheet trails the closed brands at a given price, and you have to decide what that decade is worth to you. ## Printing from a phone Every current Prusa has PrusaLink, a local web page served by the printer, and Prusa Connect, the cloud version. Both accept a G-code upload from any browser, a phone included, so a file sliced elsewhere can be sent from the sofa. A USB stick works too. There is no requirement for a desktop application in the path. ## Head to head - [MK4S vs CORE One](/printers/compare/prusa-mk4s-vs-prusa-core-one) - [Bambu Lab A1 vs Prusa MK4S](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-a1-vs-prusa-mk4s) - [Bambu Lab A1 mini vs Prusa MINI](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-a1-mini-vs-prusa-mini) - [Bambu Lab H2D vs Prusa XL](/printers/compare/bambu-lab-h2d-vs-prusa-xl) ## The first part on whichever you pick All four are in SpeakCAD's slicer catalog ([380+ printers](/printers), each with its official OrcaSlicer profile). Describe a part with millimetres in the browser, on a phone or a computer, check it on a virtual bed the size of the model you chose, and download G-code sliced with that printer's profile, ready to upload to PrusaLink from the same phone, or the STL or 3MF for PrusaSlicer. The [live demo](/demo) is free and needs no account: three AI edits of a real part. Your own parts use credits, from $5 once for 50 credits with no subscription. [Your first week with a new 3D printer](/blog/first-week-with-a-new-3d-printer) covers what to print first. ## The one-line version MK4S for most people, CORE One for engineering filaments, MINI for a small desk, XL for size or a toolchanger; buy the kit if you want to know your printer, and remember the MK4S can become a CORE One later. ## Prompts to try - A drawer that slides under a 3D printer, 230 x 200 x 40 mm outside, 1.6 mm walls, a 20 mm finger pull, with a 4 by 3 grid of 12 mm hex pockets for nozzles and hex keys in one corner. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520drawer%2520that%2520slides%2520under%2520a%25203D%2520printer%252C%2520230%2520x%2520200%2520x%252040%2520mm%2520outside%252C%25201.6%2520mm%2520walls%252C%2520a%252020%2520mm%2520finger%2520pull%252C%2520with%2520a%25204%2520by%25203%2520grid%2520of%252012%2520mm%2520hex%2520pockets%2520for%2520nozzles%2520and%2520hex%2520keys%2520in%2520one%2520corner.)) - A nozzle box 90 x 60 x 25 mm with a hinged lid, twelve 7 mm hex pockets 8 mm deep and a 12 x 20 mm label recess on the lid. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520nozzle%2520box%252090%2520x%252060%2520x%252025%2520mm%2520with%2520a%2520hinged%2520lid%252C%2520twelve%25207%2520mm%2520hex%2520pockets%25208%2520mm%2520deep%2520and%2520a%252012%2520x%252020%2520mm%2520label%2520recess%2520on%2520the%2520lid.)) - A wall bracket for a 200 mm filament spool with a 55 mm bore, an 80 mm long rod, 3 mm walls and two 4.5 mm keyhole slots 100 mm apart. ([open in SpeakCAD](https://app.speakcad.com/signup?next=%2F%3Fprompt%3DA%2520wall%2520bracket%2520for%2520a%2520200%2520mm%2520filament%2520spool%2520with%2520a%252055%2520mm%2520bore%252C%2520an%252080%2520mm%2520long%2520rod%252C%25203%2520mm%2520walls%2520and%2520two%25204.5%2520mm%2520keyhole%2520slots%2520100%2520mm%2520apart.)) ## FAQ ### Which Prusa is best for a beginner? The MK4S assembled, if the budget allows: load-cell levelling means nothing to tune, and the kit version is a good first build if you want to learn the machine. The MINI is the cheaper way in, at 180 mm and with a Bowden extruder. ### Should I buy the Prusa kit or the assembled printer? The kit is cheaper on every model and takes a weekend, after which you can repair anything on it. Buy assembled if a weekend of small screws sounds like a chore or if the printer is a gift. The printed parts and the support are the same. ### Is the CORE One worth it over the MK4S? If you will print ABS, ASA, PC or nylon, yes: the same Nextruder in an enclosed CoreXY frame with a passive chamber to about 55 °C. For PLA and PETG the MK4S does the same job on an open frame, and it can be converted into a CORE One later with a kit. ### Can I upgrade an MK4S to a CORE One? Yes. Prusa sells a conversion kit that moves the Nextruder and electronics into the CORE One frame, and an MK4 can first be upgraded to an MK4S. Upgrades between generations are a Prusa habit that most brands do not share. ### Can I send a file to a Prusa printer from my phone? Yes. PrusaLink (a local web page on the printer) and Prusa Connect (the cloud) both accept a G-code upload from any browser, including a phone's. SpeakCAD can produce that G-code with the printer's official OrcaSlicer profile, and a USB stick works too. ## About SpeakCAD SpeakCAD is the mobile-first AI 3D editor for 3D printing: describe a part in plain English on your phone or computer and get an instant, print-ready STL or 3MF, or G-code already sliced for your printer. SpeakCAD works inside ChatGPT and Claude as a plugin (an MCP server): ask the assistant for a part with its measurements and SpeakCAD's own CAD AI designs it, shows it in 3D in the chat and hands over a print-ready STL, 3MF or G-code sliced for your printer. - Live demo, no account: https://speakcad.com/demo - In ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP clients: https://speakcad.com/chatgpt-plugin, https://speakcad.com/claude-connector, https://speakcad.com/mcp-server - Pricing: https://speakcad.com/pricing - FAQ: https://speakcad.com/faq - Site index for AI assistants: https://speakcad.com/llms.txt