Anycubic is a Chinese 3D printer maker founded in 2015 in Shenzhen. The company specializes in the budget-prosumer market, between truly cheap anonymous Chinese brands and premium Prusa/Bambu. Anycubic is best known for MSLA printers (Photon series, 5 generations, market leader in the budget resin segment) and FDM Kobra series. With over 1 million printers shipped by 2024, Anycubic is the third-largest consumer 3D print brand globally, after Creality and Bambu. This guide, the product range, when Anycubic is the right choice, and compared against Elegoo (their main competitor).
Anycubic founded 2015 by James Ouyang in Shenzhen. First product, Anycubic Mega FDM (2015), low-cost competitor to Prusa i3 kits. In 2018 launch of Photon SLA, €350 LCD-based resin printer when other resin machines were €1500+. Photon series was a singular disrupting force in the budget resin market.
MSLA / Resin printers:
Photon Mono M5s (€368), 12K display, 200×125×200mm build, auto-leveling, auto-resin-fill. Recommended for beginners MSLA, miniatures.
Photon Mono M5s Pro (€529), adds larger build 218×123×200mm, print-time predictor. For hobbyists ready for batch work.
Photon M3 Max (€699), 7K large format, 298×164×300mm build. Recommended for large resin parts (helmets, props).
Photon D2 (€471), DLP technology (not MSLA), better long-term hardware durability (no LCD replacement), but smaller build 130×73×165mm. Premium for budget-conscious users.
FDM Printers:
Kobra 2 Neo (€200), entry FDM, 220×220×250mm build, auto-leveling. Recommended for beginners on budget < €250.
Kobra 2 (€280), upgrade with better hotend, up to 250 mm/s speed. Recommended for hobby starters.
Kobra 2 Max (€450), large format 420×420×500mm build, powerful production printer for large parts.
Kobra 2 Plus (€350), middle ground.
Wash & Cure Stations:
Wash & Cure Plus (€110), best-in-class for MSLA post-process. Automates wash + cure cycles.
Photon Workshop, proprietary slicer for MSLA. Basic functional, but most users prefer Lychee Slicer (€60/year, much better support placement) or ChiTuBox (free, similar to Workshop).
Anycubic Slicer, for FDM Kobra series. Cura-based fork. Usable but not as polished as PrusaSlicer or Bambu Studio.
Direct competitor is Elegoo, nearly identical product range, similar pricing. Differences:
We recommend Anycubic when:
1. Beginner MSLA on budget, Photon Mono M5s is the standard recommendation. €368 + Wash & Cure Plus €110 = complete setup at €478.
2. Batch miniature printing, Saturn 3 Ultra (€402) or Photon Mono M5s Pro (€529) for large platform.
3. Hobby FDM on budget, Kobra 2 series. Don't expect Bambu quality, but €200-€300 offers OK printer for PLA prototypes.
4. Big resin prints, Photon M3 Max (€699) for helmets, props, large-format cosplay.
Not recommended when:
1. Professional design work, Bambu X1-Carbon (€1449) is significantly better OOBE and quality.
2. Heavy production farm, Prusa MK4S is more reliable long-term, EU service.
3. Multi-material multi-color, Anycubic FDM has no AMS-equivalent. Bambu owns this space.
4. Strict QC environments, Anycubic firmware closed, less auditable than Prusa.
Value proposition:Anycubic is best price/capability in MSLA segment under €700. Above that, Phrozen or Prusa give better quality.
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Mars 5 Ultra (€280) cheaper and absolute newcomer choice. M5s (€368) if you value auto-resin-feed convenience. Print quality equivalent, both print miniatures at 8K detail. For total cost (printer + Wash & Cure): Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra (€402) + Mercury Plus (€100) = €502 is the best combined deal.
Mono LCD service life:~2000 print hours typical, 4000 max. Replacement LCD: €30-€60. Recommend keeping a replacement-ready spare with the printer. DLP printers (Photon D2) don't have this issue (light engine instead, 10x longer life).
A1 mini (€280) always, same price as Kobra 2, significantly better firmware quality (input shaping, auto-load, AMS Lite ready). Bambu's software ecosystem is on a different level. Kobra 2 only if you prefer larger build (220×220×250 vs A1 mini's 180×180×180).
Anycubic EU warehouse (Poland, Germany), ship-back service. No on-place. Service time 2-3 weeks. Compared with Bambu (ship-to-China, 4-6 weeks), Anycubic faster. Compared with Prusa (EU partners on-place), Prusa faster. For serious production use, Prusa is better support.
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