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Head to head · checked 29 September 2026
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro: the two budget bed slingers
The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE launched at $199 and does the basics right: direct drive, auto levelling, a spring-steel sheet, no Wi-Fi, no input shaping. The Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro launched around $300 with Klipper firmware, input shaping, 500 mm/s ratings, a touchscreen and a slightly larger bed (230 x 230 x 265 mm against 220 x 220 x 250 mm). Buy the Ender for the lowest price that works; buy the Neptune for speed and a web interface on the same budget.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 Neptune 4 Pro if…
You want Klipper speed and input shaping, a touchscreen, a Fluidd web page you can upload to from a phone over the LAN, and a little more bed, for about $100 more at launch.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 G-code for the Ender-3 V3 SE or G-code for the Neptune 4 Pro, 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.Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro: the numbers
| Creality Ender-3 V3 SE | Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Printable area in the profile | 220 x 220 x 250 mm | 230 x 230 x 265 mm |
| Frame | Open-frame bed slinger | Open-frame bed slinger |
| Enclosure | None | None |
| Extruder and hotend | Sprite direct drive; CR Touch levelling with a strain-gauge Z offset; no input shaping | Dual-gear direct drive; 121-point auto levelling |
| Hardened nozzle for abrasive filament | No | No |
| Multi-colour | No | No |
| Nozzle variants in the profile | 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle | 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle, 1.0 nozzle |
| Layer heights in the print profiles | 0.12 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.24 mm | 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.24 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 | SD card only | USB stick, or the Fluidd web page over the LAN port, which takes an upload from a phone browser |
| Ecosystem | Marlin-based; Creality Print or any slicer | Klipper firmware; Elegoo's Cura fork or OrcaSlicer |
| Sliced download from SpeakCAD | G-code | G-code |
| Launch price (USD) | $199 (September 2023) | About $300 (August 2023), usually less since |
| Best for | The cheapest printer that works out of the box | Klipper speed on a budget bed slinger |
Printable area in the profileCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: 220 x 220 x 250 mmElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: 230 x 230 x 265 mm
FrameCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: Open-frame bed slingerElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: Open-frame bed slinger
EnclosureCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: NoneElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: None
Extruder and hotendCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: Sprite direct drive; CR Touch levelling with a strain-gauge Z offset; no input shapingElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: Dual-gear direct drive; 121-point auto levelling
Hardened nozzle for abrasive filamentCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: NoElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: No
Multi-colourCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: NoElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: No
Nozzle variants in the profileCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzleElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: 0.2 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.6 nozzle, 0.8 nozzle, 1.0 nozzle
Layer heights in the print profilesCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: 0.12 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.24 mmElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.24 mm and more
Filament profilesCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and moreElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PLA-CF and more
A file made on a phoneCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: SD card onlyElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: USB stick, or the Fluidd web page over the LAN port, which takes an upload from a phone browser
EcosystemCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: Marlin-based; Creality Print or any slicerElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: Klipper firmware; Elegoo's Cura fork or OrcaSlicer
Sliced download from SpeakCADCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: G-codeElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: G-code
Launch price (USD)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: $199 (September 2023)Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro: About $300 (August 2023), usually less since
Best forCreality Ender-3 V3 SE: The cheapest printer that works out of the boxElegoo Neptune 4 Pro: Klipper speed on a budget bed slinger
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 answers to the same question
Both are open-frame bed slingers with direct drive, automatic bed levelling and a PEI sheet, and both print PLA and PETG well. The Ender is a Marlin machine built to a price; the Neptune is a Klipper machine built to a spec sheet.
Where the Neptune 4 Pro wins
- Speed: Klipper with input shaping; rated to 500 mm/s and usable at two or three times the Ender's practical speeds.
- Bed: 230 x 230 x 265 mm against 220 x 220 x 250 mm in the profiles.
- Interface: a detachable 4.3-inch touchscreen, and the Fluidd web page over the LAN port, which takes a G-code upload from any browser, phone included.
- Cooling: a large part-cooling fan bar for fast PLA.
Where the Ender-3 V3 SE wins
- Price: $199 at launch.
- Simplicity: fewer things to go wrong; a strain-gauge Z offset that sets itself.
- Noise at its speeds: it does not try to go fast, so it is not loud.
- Community: the Ender name has the largest pool of printed upgrades and answers.
What both give up
No enclosure, so ABS and ASA are not their material. No camera. Neither is quiet at full speed. Both want a USB stick or SD card if you do not run a network cable to the Neptune.
Prices
Launch prices above; both changed in 2025 and vary by region; the Neptune 4 Pro has usually sold below its launch price.
Verdict
The Neptune 4 Pro is the better printer; the Ender-3 V3 SE is the better $199. If the extra $100 is available, take the Neptune's Klipper, touchscreen and web page. If it is not, the Ender will print your parts.
Sliced for either one
SpeakCAD ships the OrcaSlicer profiles of the Creality Ender-3 V3 SE and the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro, 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 G-code for the Ender-3 V3 SE or G-code for the Neptune 4 Pro, with the print time and filament weight. The STL and 3MF are always there for your own slicer. The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE and Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro pages have prompts sized for each bed and the library parts made for them.
Questions
For functional parts, no. It prints at classic speeds, which means a typical bracket takes an hour or two rather than forty minutes. It lacks input shaping, so pushing it faster shows ringing on the walls.
It has an Ethernet port for the Fluidd web interface; Wi-Fi is not built in. Most owners print from a USB stick or run a cable.
Either. The Ender is simpler and cheaper; the Neptune is faster and has a better screen. If you plan to send files from a phone over the network, the Neptune's Fluidd page is the one that can.
Yes, both, with the OrcaSlicer profile each maker ships: G-code for the Ender-3 V3 SE and G-code for the Neptune 4 Pro, 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
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: custom parts, sliced for itThe budget Ender with auto levelling and the direct-drive Sprite extruder, on the familiar 220 x 220 x 250 mm volume.Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro: custom parts, sliced for itElegoo's Klipper bed slinger with a 230 mm bed in the profile and a direct-drive extruder, at 500 mm/s.Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Bambu Lab A1 miniEnder-3 V3 SE vs A1 mini: a 220 mm bed for $199, or a 180 mm bed with self-calibration, a camera, Wi-Fi and AMS lite colour for $299 at launch. Which to buy.Sovol SV06 vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SESV06 vs Ender-3 V3 SE: same 220 x 220 x 250 mm bed and direct drive. The SV06 is an open-source MK3-style design; the Ender is cheaper and simpler. Verdict.Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs Creality Ender-3 V3 KEEnder-3 V3 SE vs KE: same 220 mm bed and Sprite extruder. The KE adds Creality OS (Klipper), input shaping, Wi-Fi and a touchscreen for $80 more at launch.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.