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Head to head · checked 29 September 2026
Prusa MK4S vs Prusa CORE One: open bed slinger or enclosed CoreXY?
The MK4S is Prusa's open bed slinger (250 x 210 x 220 mm) and the CORE One its enclosed CoreXY (250 x 220 x 270 mm); both use the Nextruder, load-cell levelling, PrusaLink and PrusaSlicer, and both are open source. The CORE One cost $150 more as a kit at launch ($949 against $799) and adds an enclosure with a controlled exhaust, more height and a smaller footprint. Buy the MK4S for PLA and PETG with easy access and the lowest Prusa price; buy the CORE One if ASA, PC or nylon are in your future. MK4S owners can convert later.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 ASA, PC and nylon to work, a quieter printer in a smaller footprint, taller parts, and the same open Prusa workflow. You accept the door-open habit for PLA.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 MK4S 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.Prusa MK4S vs Prusa CORE One: the numbers
| Prusa MK4S | Prusa CORE One | |
|---|---|---|
| Printable area in the profile | 250 x 210 x 220 mm | 250 x 220 x 270 mm |
| Frame | Open-frame bed slinger | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Enclosure | None; the Prusa Enclosure is optional | Enclosed, passive chamber to about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan |
| Extruder and hotend | Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling, 360° part cooling | Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling |
| Hardened nozzle for abrasive filament | Optional nozzle | Optional nozzle |
| Multi-colour | MMU3, 5 filaments (optional) | MMU3, 5 filaments (optional) |
| Nozzle variants in the profile | 0.25 nozzle, 0.3 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.5 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 | 0.05 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 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 | PrusaLink (local web page) and Prusa Connect (cloud) take a G-code upload from any phone browser; USB stick | PrusaLink and Prusa Connect take a G-code upload from a phone browser; USB stick |
| Ecosystem | Fully open source (hardware, firmware, PrusaSlicer); kit or assembled; made in Czechia | Open source; PrusaSlicer; kit, assembled, or a conversion kit from the MK4S |
| Sliced download from SpeakCAD | G-code | G-code |
| Launch price (USD) | $799 kit; $1,099 assembled (August 2024) | $949 kit; $1,199 assembled (announced December 2024) |
| Best for | A repairable, upgradeable, open machine you keep for a decade | ASA, PC and nylon on an open-source machine; MK4S owners who want a box |
Printable area in the profilePrusa MK4S: 250 x 210 x 220 mmPrusa CORE One: 250 x 220 x 270 mm
FramePrusa MK4S: Open-frame bed slingerPrusa CORE One: Enclosed CoreXY
EnclosurePrusa MK4S: None; the Prusa Enclosure is optionalPrusa CORE One: Enclosed, passive chamber to about 55 °C with a controlled exhaust fan
Extruder and hotendPrusa MK4S: Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling, 360° part coolingPrusa CORE One: Nextruder planetary direct drive, load-cell bed levelling
Hardened nozzle for abrasive filamentPrusa MK4S: Optional nozzlePrusa CORE One: Optional nozzle
Multi-colourPrusa MK4S: MMU3, 5 filaments (optional)Prusa CORE One: MMU3, 5 filaments (optional)
Nozzle variants in the profilePrusa MK4S: 0.25 nozzle, 0.3 nozzle, 0.4 nozzle, 0.5 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 profilesPrusa MK4S: 0.05 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 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 profilesPrusa MK4S: 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 phonePrusa MK4S: PrusaLink (local web page) and Prusa Connect (cloud) take a G-code upload from any phone browser; USB stickPrusa CORE One: PrusaLink and Prusa Connect take a G-code upload from a phone browser; USB stick
EcosystemPrusa MK4S: Fully open source (hardware, firmware, PrusaSlicer); kit or assembled; made in CzechiaPrusa CORE One: Open source; PrusaSlicer; kit, assembled, or a conversion kit from the MK4S
Sliced download from SpeakCADPrusa MK4S: G-codePrusa CORE One: G-code
Launch price (USD)Prusa MK4S: $799 kit; $1,099 assembled (August 2024)Prusa CORE One: $949 kit; $1,199 assembled (announced December 2024)
Best forPrusa MK4S: A repairable, upgradeable, open machine you keep for a decadePrusa 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 editorThe same heart
Nextruder, load-cell first layer, input shaping, PrusaLink and Prusa Connect, PrusaSlicer, open source, kit or assembled, made in Czechia. Print quality on PLA is the same.
Where the CORE One wins
- Enclosure with a controlled exhaust: the chamber holds a target up to about 55 °C for ASA, PC and nylon.
- Height: 270 mm against 220 mm.
- Footprint: a CoreXY box against a bed that travels in and out.
- Noise: the panels keep it quieter.
- Tall parts: no moving bed to shake them.
Where the MK4S wins
- Price: $799 kit and $1,099 assembled against $949 and $1,199.
- Access: an open bed is easier to clear, clean and watch.
- PLA: an open frame sheds heat, no door to manage.
- Bed width: 250 x 210 mm against 250 x 220 mm is a wash; the CORE One is 10 mm deeper.
The conversion
Prusa sells a kit that turns an MK4S into a CORE One, reusing the Nextruder, electronics and much of the rest. Buying the MK4S now and converting later costs more in total than buying the CORE One outright, but spreads the spend.
Prices
Launch prices above; Prusa changed prices in 2025 and they vary by region.
Verdict
If you will print engineering filaments within the year, buy the CORE One now. If PLA and PETG are your materials, the MK4S is the cheaper, more accessible printer, with a conversion path if that changes.
Sliced for either one
SpeakCAD ships the OrcaSlicer profiles of the Prusa MK4S 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 G-code for the MK4S 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 Prusa MK4S and Prusa CORE One pages have prompts sized for each bed and the library parts made for them.
Questions
Yes, with Prusa's conversion kit, which reuses the Nextruder, the electronics and other parts. It costs more than the price difference between the two printers, so buy the CORE One outright if you already know you want it.
Not by a heater. The bed warms the enclosed air and a controlled exhaust fan holds the chamber near a target temperature up to about 55 °C, which is enough for ASA, PC and most nylons at this size.
Yes. Both host the PrusaLink web page and connect to Prusa Connect; a G-code file made on a phone uploads from the browser and prints.
Yes, both, with the OrcaSlicer profile each maker ships: G-code for the MK4S 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
Prusa MK4S: custom parts, sliced for itPrusa's current bed slinger with the Nextruder, a 250 x 210 x 220 mm volume and PrusaLink over Wi-Fi.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 A1 vs Prusa MK4SA1 vs MK4S: a 256 mm bed and AMS lite for half the price, or an open-source, repairable machine with phone uploads via PrusaLink. Specs, launch prices, verdict.Bambu Lab P1S vs Prusa CORE OneP1S vs CORE One: both enclosed CoreXYs. The P1S is $699 with the AMS option; the CORE One $949 as a kit, open-source, with a controlled chamber and PrusaLink.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.