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Head to head · checked 29 September 2026
Bambu Lab P1S vs Prusa CORE One: closed and cheap, or open and enclosed
Both are enclosed CoreXY printers of similar size: 256 x 256 x 250 mm for the P1S, 250 x 220 x 270 mm for the CORE One. The P1S is cheaper ($699 against $949 as a kit at launch), takes the AMS for colour, and lives in Bambu's closed ecosystem. The CORE One is open-source and repairable, has a controlled exhaust that holds the chamber warm for ASA and PC, a load-cell first layer, and PrusaLink for uploads from a phone; colour is the MMU3. Buy the P1S for price and the AMS; buy the CORE One to own an open machine that prints engineering filaments.The short version
Who should buy which
Both printers are in SpeakCAD's slicer catalog with their official OrcaSlicer profiles, so this page has no printer to sell you. The numbers in the table come from those profiles; the prices are the makers' launch prices, and prices moved in 2025 and differ by region.2
Buy the CORE One if…
You want open hardware and firmware, PrusaSlicer, a chamber that stays warm on purpose, taller parts, a web page you can upload to from a phone, and a machine your future self can repair. Colour via the MMU3 is optional and more involved.3
Either way, the first custom part
Describe it with its measurements, check it on a virtual bed the size of the printer you chose, and download a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S or G-code for the CORE One, sliced with its official profile. The first render usually appears within a minute or two: a new part gets deeper reasoning through the geometry, and small edits land in seconds.Bambu Lab P1S vs Prusa CORE One: the numbers
| Bambu Lab P1S | Prusa CORE One | |
|---|---|---|
| Printable area in the profile | 256 x 256 x 250 mm | 250 x 220 x 270 mm |
| Frame | Enclosed CoreXY | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Enclosure | Enclosed, passive chamber (no heater), activated-carbon filter, auxiliary part-cooling fan | Enclosed, passive chamber to about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan |
| Extruder and hotend | Direct drive, 300 °C; stainless nozzle standard | Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling |
| Hardened nozzle for abrasive filament | Optional nozzle and extruder gears | Optional nozzle |
| Multi-colour | AMS, 4 spools (up to 16 with four units) | MMU3, 5 filaments (optional) |
| Nozzle variants in the profile | 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle | 0.25 nozzle, 0.3 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.5 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle |
| Layer heights in the print profiles | 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm and more | 0.05 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.16 mm and more |
| Filament profiles | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more |
| A file made on a phone | Wi-Fi. Bambu Handy monitors and starts files already on the printer; a sliced .gcode.3mf made on a phone goes to the microSD card or through Bambu Studio on a computer | PrusaLink and Prusa Connect take a G-code upload from a phone browser; USB stick |
| Ecosystem | Closed (Bambu Studio, Handy, MakerWorld); OrcaSlicer works | Open source; PrusaSlicer; kit, assembled, or a conversion kit from the MK4S |
| Sliced download from SpeakCAD | Sliced .gcode.3mf | G-code |
| Launch price (USD) | $699; $949 with AMS (July 2023) | $949 kit; $1,199 assembled (announced December 2024) |
| Best for | ABS and ASA without fuss, multi-colour, a quiet enclosed box | ASA, PC and nylon on an open-source machine; MK4S owners who want a box |
Printable area in the profileBambu Lab P1S: 256 x 256 x 250 mmPrusa CORE One: 250 x 220 x 270 mm
FrameBambu Lab P1S: Enclosed CoreXYPrusa CORE One: Enclosed CoreXY
EnclosureBambu Lab P1S: Enclosed, passive chamber (no heater), activated-carbon filter, auxiliary part-cooling fanPrusa CORE One: Enclosed, passive chamber to about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan
Extruder and hotendBambu Lab P1S: Direct drive, 300 °C; stainless nozzle standardPrusa CORE One: Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling
Hardened nozzle for abrasive filamentBambu Lab P1S: Optional nozzle and extruder gearsPrusa CORE One: Optional nozzle
Multi-colourBambu Lab P1S: AMS, 4 spools (up to 16 with four units)Prusa CORE One: MMU3, 5 filaments (optional)
Nozzle variants in the profileBambu Lab P1S: 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzlePrusa CORE One: 0.25 nozzle, 0.3 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.5 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle
Layer heights in the print profilesBambu Lab P1S: 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm and morePrusa CORE One: 0.05 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.16 mm and more
Filament profilesBambu Lab P1S: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and morePrusa CORE One: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more
A file made on a phoneBambu Lab P1S: Wi-Fi. Bambu Handy monitors and starts files already on the printer; a sliced .gcode.3mf made on a phone goes to the microSD card or through Bambu Studio on a computerPrusa CORE One: PrusaLink and Prusa Connect take a G-code upload from a phone browser; USB stick
EcosystemBambu Lab P1S: Closed (Bambu Studio, Handy, MakerWorld); OrcaSlicer worksPrusa CORE One: Open source; PrusaSlicer; kit, assembled, or a conversion kit from the MK4S
Sliced download from SpeakCADBambu Lab P1S: Sliced .gcode.3mfPrusa CORE One: G-code
Launch price (USD)Bambu Lab P1S: $699; $949 with AMS (July 2023)Prusa CORE One: $949 kit; $1,199 assembled (announced December 2024)
Best forBambu Lab P1S: ABS and ASA without fuss, multi-colour, a quiet enclosed boxPrusa CORE One: ASA, PC and nylon on an open-source machine; MK4S owners who want a box
Parts that fit both beds
Copy one, change the numbers to yours. Each opens in the editor with the text already typed.“A drawer organizer 200 x 140 x 45 mm outside, 1.6 mm walls, four equal compartments along the length, a finger notch on the front edge of each divider.”
Open this prompt in the editor“A spool holder with two 608 bearing rollers 80 mm apart for a 200 mm spool, 200 mm wide base, 2.4 mm walls.”
Open this prompt in the editor“A wall bracket for a 40 mm wide power strip: two 4.5 mm countersunk screw holes 60 mm apart, 2.5 mm walls, a 3 mm lip that holds the strip.”
Open this prompt in the editorTwo enclosed CoreXYs, two companies
Bambu sells a sealed appliance; Prusa sells an open design with a parts catalogue. Both boxes print ABS and ASA well, both are quiet, and both are about the same footprint.
Where the P1S wins
- Price: $699 against $949 (kit) or $1,199 (assembled) at launch.
- Colour: the AMS is designed in and chains to 16 spools; the MMU3 does 5 but is an add-on you set up.
- Bed width: 256 mm against 250 x 220 mm.
- Camera and app in the box.
Where the CORE One wins
- Chamber control: an exhaust fan keeps the chamber near a target temperature (up to about 55 °C), which helps ASA, PC and nylon; the P1S has no chamber control.
- Height: 270 mm against 250 mm.
- First layer: the Nextruder's load cell probes with the nozzle; no Z-offset ritual.
- Openness and repair: open source, PrusaSlicer, published parts, no account needed.
- Network from a phone: PrusaLink takes a G-code upload from a phone browser; Prusa Connect does it through the cloud.
- Upgrade path: MK4S owners can convert their printer into a CORE One.
What both give up
Neither has a heated chamber in the H2D sense (a heater); the CORE One manages the heat the bed makes. The P1S's screen is small; the CORE One's camera is optional.
Prices
Launch prices above; both makers changed prices in 2025 and they vary by region.
Verdict
The P1S is the better value and the easier colour printer. The CORE One is the better engineering printer and the one to own for a long time; it costs more and asks a little more of you.
Sliced for either one
SpeakCAD ships the OrcaSlicer profiles of the Bambu Lab P1S and the Prusa CORE One, like 380+ other printers. Describe a part in plain English on a phone or a computer, watch it render on a virtual bed of the size above, change it by chat, and download a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S or G-code for the CORE One, with the print time and filament weight. The STL and 3MF are always there for your own slicer. The Bambu Lab P1S and Prusa CORE One pages have prompts sized for each bed and the library parts made for them.
Questions
Better than the P1S: its controlled exhaust holds the chamber warm and the Nextruder reaches the temperatures those filaments need with the right nozzle. Neither has an active heater, so very large nylon parts still favour a heated-chamber printer.
It is a semi-assembled kit with a long, well-illustrated manual, in the Prusa tradition. Expect an evening or two. The assembled version cost $250 more at launch.
The CORE One, through PrusaLink (a web page on the printer) or Prusa Connect. The P1S takes a sliced .gcode.3mf from the microSD card or from Bambu Studio on a computer.
Yes, both, with the OrcaSlicer profile each maker ships: a sliced .gcode.3mf for the P1S and G-code for the CORE One, or an STL or 3MF for your own slicer. The bed sizes in the table are the ones the viewer shows while you design.
Keep comparing
Bambu Lab P1S: custom parts, sliced for itThe enclosed CoreXY Bambu with a 256 x 256 x 250 mm volume and the AMS, at home with PETG and ABS.Prusa CORE One: custom parts, sliced for itPrusa's enclosed CoreXY with a 250 x 220 x 270 mm volume, built for ASA, PC and other warm-chamber filaments.Bambu Lab P1S vs Bambu Lab X1 CarbonP1S vs X1 Carbon: same frame, bed and speed. The X1C adds a hardened nozzle, lidar, a touchscreen and a better camera for $500 more at launch. Who needs it.Bambu Lab A1 vs Bambu Lab P1SA1 vs P1S: same 256 mm bed. The A1 is an open bed slinger, $399 at launch; the P1S an enclosed CoreXY, $699, that prints ABS and ASA properly. Which fits you.Bambu Lab P1S vs Creality K1CP1S vs K1C: the K1C has a hardened nozzle and a Klipper web page for phone uploads on a 220 mm bed; the P1S a 256 mm bed, the AMS and polished software.Bambu Lab P1S vs Elegoo Centauri CarbonP1S vs Centauri Carbon: same 256 mm enclosed CoreXY class. A hardened nozzle at $299 launch on the Elegoo; the AMS and the ecosystem at $699 on the Bambu.Best 3D printers in 2026The same machines sorted by budget, bed size and filament.Every head-to-head24 pairs, with the numbers from their slicer profiles.