The Best 3D Printers for Your Budget, Projects and Space

There is no single best 3D printer for everyone. A resin printer can make detailed miniatures, but it adds a lot of cleanup if you mainly want to print brackets. A large filament printer takes up unnecessary space if you mostly make small toys.

Before buying, think about four things: what you want to make, which materials you need, where the printer will go, and how much maintenance you are willing to do.

For a mix of household parts, models and prototypes, my first choice is the Bambu Lab X2D. It has an enclosed, heated chamber, straightforward software and a second nozzle that makes it easier to use separate support material.

Other printers make more sense for specific jobs. The cheaper P2S is enough for most single-material prints. The Snapmaker U1 wastes less plastic when printing in several colors. The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra captures finer detail, provided you have the space and equipment to handle liquid resin safely.

The recommendations below focus on consistent results, everyday use and maintenance. Choose the category that fits your projects, then compare prices. A bigger build area or longer feature list is only useful if you need it.

The Best 3D Printer for Each Kind of Buyer

Best Overall: Bambu Lab X2D

The X2D is my top pick for people who want to print a bit of everything: household parts, organizers, toys, models and prototypes. Its 256 × 256 × 260 mm build area is large enough for many common projects. The heated enclosure also helps it handle materials that are harder to print on an open machine.

Its second nozzle is especially useful for supports. The main nozzle prints the part, while the second can print a different material where the supports touch it. That can make the supports easier to remove and leave a cleaner surface.

The test results I reviewed showed clear benefits. The main nozzle produced a clean test cube.

A two-color batch used 11.5 grams of plastic in its prime tower, a small structure used to prepare the nozzle before printing. That was 101 grams less than the estimated waste from printing the same job with one nozzle. Longer tests also showed consistently good results with PLA, PETG, carbon-filled filament and two-material prints.

There are limits to the second nozzle. It uses a longer filament feed path than the main one, prints more slowly and is not suitable for ordinary soft TPU. Test samples also showed slight waviness on some walls. It works best for supports and a second color; the two nozzles do not have equal capabilities.

Bambu Studio provides the easiest software experience. If you want more freedom to use third-party tools or repair the printer with parts from other suppliers, the X2D may feel restrictive.

The P2S is the closest alternative. It costs about $100 less and makes more sense if you mostly print with one material and do not need a heated chamber. Choose the X2D if you expect to use dissolvable supports, easier-to-remove supports or two-material printing regularly.

Skip the X2D if you want four-color printing with very little waste, equally capable toolheads or more control over repairs. Consider the Snapmaker U1 or Prusa CORE One+ instead.

Routine maintenance is easier than on older Bambu printers. The hotends are quick to replace, and the steel rods that guide the printhead are simpler to maintain. You will still rely on Bambu for replacement parts.

As of September 4, 2026, the consumer warranty is two years in the US and Canada, with shorter coverage for some wear parts. You can also use the printer on a local network without an account, although some remote features will be unavailable.

Best Enclosed Beginner Printer: Bambu Lab P2S

The P2S is a good fit for beginners who want a printer that is straightforward to use. It arrives assembled, adjusts its settings automatically and shows instructions on the screen when it pauses. Bambu Studio’s presets give you a useful starting point, so you can focus on placing your model, adding supports and choosing filament.

The results I reviewed support that beginner-friendly reputation. The longest documented test ran for more than 300 hours without a failed print. Third-party cardboard spools did cause extra pauses, though. Size measurements showed an average error of 0.15 mm across the X and Y directions, with better accuracy on Y.

Other tests showed clean first layers, sharp details and good results on overhangs. Some flat walls had faint vertical lines that changed with print speed. The P2S is consistent, but you should still expect occasional surface flaws.

Useful features include automatic first-layer setup, clear software presets, on-screen help and a hotend that you can replace without tools. The camera can detect some print problems, but it will not catch every tangled spool, poorly supported model or dirty build plate.

The enclosure also does not eliminate the need for ventilation. Airflow tests I reviewed found that some air escaped through gaps without passing through a filter. Choose a suitable location and follow the guidance for the material you use.

At $549, the P2S costs more than a basic open printer. That price includes an enclosure and a hardened nozzle, which give you more filament options.

Start with the single-spool version. Add the AMS 2 Pro later if automatic color changes or filament drying are worth the extra cost. Multicolor printing also wastes plastic when the nozzle clears out the previous color.

The A1 mini is the closest alternative. It costs less than half as much and is a good beginner choice for PLA, PETG and TPU projects that fit within its 180 mm build area. Choose the P2S when you need a larger bed, an enclosure and a wider material range; the A1 mini remains my default beginner pick.

Skip the P2S if you only print small objects, need a heated chamber for demanding materials or want more freedom over software and repairs. Consider the A1 mini, X2D or CORE One+, respectively.

Best Low-Cost Printer: Bambu Lab A1 Mini

At $220, the A1 mini is the cheapest printer I confidently recommend for everyday use. It checks the bed and sets the nozzle height automatically. Its direct-drive extruder feeds filament close to the nozzle, and the software presets reduce the adjustments beginners need to make. It arrives almost fully assembled, with tools for setup.

In the tests I reviewed, automatic leveling worked without manual correction. A detailed PLA model printed smoothly over nine hours using the default 200–300 mm/s settings. PETG also printed cleanly, and TPU worked well when fed from the single-spool holder.

Size is the main limit. One test model had to be reduced to 85% to fit. The 180 × 180 × 180 mm build area suits small organizers, brackets, props and prototypes made in several pieces. A printer with a 256 mm bed gives you noticeably more flexibility.

Budget for a full spool of filament because the included sample will only get you started. For ordinary PLA and PETG printing, you do not need glue, an enclosure, a camera subscription or the optional AMS lite.

The AMS lite adds four-color printing, but it can cost more than the printer itself. It also takes up counter space and wastes plastic during color changes. For occasional colorful projects, painting the finished print or joining separately colored pieces may cost less.

The open frame makes the A1 mini a poor choice for materials that need steady heat to prevent warping. Its moving bed also needs space in front of and behind the printer.

Quick-change hotends and available replacement build plates make routine maintenance easier. Bambu’s connected features are part of the default setup, but microSD and local-network printing are available if you do not need remote access.

The Creality SPARKX i7 is the closest alternative if you need a roughly 260 mm bed or an inexpensive four-color package. The setup results I reviewed were straightforward, and it printed soft TPU well.

However, it is newer and has less long-term evidence behind it. The A1 mini remains my choice for compact, simple, single-color printing.

Moving up to the P2S gives you a larger build area, an enclosure and better tools for detecting print problems.

Skip the A1 mini if you plan to make helmets, wide cases, ABS or ASA parts, or objects that barely fit on its bed. A low price is less appealing if you have to cut almost every model into pieces.

Best for Multicolor and Multi-Material Printing: Snapmaker U1

The Snapmaker U1 can save time and plastic on prints with frequent color changes. It parks one toolhead and picks up another in seconds, using only a small tower to prepare the nozzles.

Each toolhead can have its own temperature and nozzle setup. This also makes it useful for combining rigid and flexible materials or printing with separate support material.

A comparison using the same PLA and print settings showed the difference. The U1 finished a batch of three-color spiders two hours faster than a Bambu P1P and discarded 25 grams less plastic. The U1’s tower and small scraps from loading totaled 4.4 grams.

A separate four-color test produced correctly aligned lettering and used 0.76 grams for material changes. Another set of results showed very little waste and accurate dimensions, although some unsupported spans sagged and some prints had fine strings of plastic.

Those results matter more to me than the maximum number of colors a printer advertises. Four separate toolheads can make frequent color changes more practical than feeding many colors through one nozzle. The U1 also levels the bed and aligns the toolheads automatically, reducing the manual setup work.

Snapmaker Orca is open-source. The company also published its changes to Klipper, Moonraker and Fluidd in March 2026, giving users more access to the software behind the printer.

Check the space requirements carefully. The U1 needs roughly 584 × 499 × 730 mm while operating, which is much more space than its build area alone suggests. The top cover costs extra and is required for higher-temperature materials.

The official US warranty is one year. Hotend components, toolhead parking pads and other consumables are excluded. When replacing a nozzle, you replace the whole hotend module.

Some owners have reported network problems, but the reports do not show how common those problems are. Test the connection while you are still within the return period.

The X2D Combo is the closest alternative. Choose it if a heated enclosure, a more established app experience and consistent everyday printing matter more than four efficient toolheads. Its AMS 2 Pro holds four spools, but prints using more than two colors require repeated flushing of filament from the nozzles.

Skip the U1 if most of your prints use one color, you have limited space or you want an enclosed printer without buying a separate cover. Its extra cost is easier to justify when you regularly use several colors or materials in one print.

Best for Large Objects: Bambu Lab A2L

The A2L offers a strong balance of size, reliability and price. Its build area provides more than twice the volume of a 256 mm cube. At $469, it also costs less than many enclosed printers with smaller beds.

The test results suggest that the extra space is useful in practice. Setup was straightforward, and automatic leveling worked without manual adjustment. One test unit did ask for grease on its Y-axis after only a few prints. A separate large-print review reported good reliability and rated dimensional accuracy four out of five.

Those tests cannot guarantee perfect results across every part of every bed. They do give me more confidence in the A2L than in cheaper oversized printers with less convincing results for keeping large prints attached to the plate.

Large prints need more preparation. A tall model can use most of a spool and take several days, making a late failure expensive. Place the 12.8 kg printer on a sturdy surface, leave room for the bed to move, clean the plate and check the whole first layer.

Leave some spare room around your model, too. Brims, which help a print stay attached, and lines used to prepare the nozzle can take up part of the bed. Wide, flat parts also need more care because they are more likely to warp.

The main compromise is material choice. The A2L has an open frame and a bed that reaches 80°C. It is intended for PLA, PETG, TPU and PVA, plus selected fiber-filled filaments when used with a hardened nozzle. It is a poor fit for large ABS, ASA or nylon parts that need a controlled chamber temperature.

Adding a homemade enclosure does not give it the same capabilities as a printer designed for high temperatures. It may also trap too much heat around the electronics.

The Prusa CORE One L+ is the closest alternative for large parts made from ABS, ASA, PC or nylon. Its 300 × 300 × 330 mm build area is slightly narrower, but its 60°C chamber and evenly heated aluminum bed help reduce warping. At about $2,000, it is harder to justify if you mainly print PLA props.

Skip the A2L if you need high-temperature materials, cannot leave enough room for the moving bed or rarely print large objects. If your projects fit on a smaller bed, the P2S gives you an enclosure in a more compact setup.

Best for Detailed Resin Prints: Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is my pick for miniatures, small figures and detailed models used to make jewelry molds. Its screen has 18 × 18 micron pixels, but the printed results matter more than that number alone.

The Mars combines sharp detail with automatic leveling, detection of solid residue in the tank and a tilting resin tank that helps each layer separate during printing. These features simplify setup, although handling resin still takes care.

The tests I reviewed showed crisp small features. Removing finished parts from the plate was sometimes difficult with the default settings. Later calibration prints also showed excellent detail, but one larger figure failed to print a leg without triggering a camera warning. The camera is useful, but you still need to check your prints.

Plan for the whole resin setup before buying. You will need chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection, cleaning tools, wash containers, a UV curing method and a way to collect contaminated waste. Printing, washing and curing can release particles and gases, so effective ventilation matters throughout the process.

A bedroom, kitchen counter or shared room without suitable ventilation is not a good location. A carbon filter that reduces the smell does not prove that the air is safe.

The printer costs $269, but a wash-and-cure station, resin, replacement film, cleaning solvent and protective equipment can add another few hundred dollars.

As checked on September 4, 2026, Elegoo’s US warranty covers the printer for one year and the LCD for three months. It does not cover the release film. These shorter terms matter because the screen and film are parts you may need to replace.

The Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is the closest alternative. It is better for larger figures or bigger batches and adds resin-tank heating. For individual miniatures, its $499 price and larger resin capacity do not automatically mean better detail than a well-adjusted Mars.

Skip the Mars 5 Ultra if you cannot set aside a ventilated work and cleanup area away from children and pets. It is also a poor default choice for parts that need to withstand heat, impacts or outdoor use. Consider filament printing or order resin prints from a service.

Best for Offline Use and Repairability: Prusa CORE One+

The Prusa CORE One+ is worth considering if you want to run your printer offline, handle repairs yourself and upgrade it over time. It accepts files by USB and has a removable Wi-Fi module. Prusa sells a maintenance kit and publishes instructions for replacing major parts, including the hotend, heated bed, motors, sensors and controller.

Print quality still matters at this price. Tests of the CORE One platform showed good first layers, accurate parts and effective temperature control. The August 2026 update added belts intended to reduce fine patterns on printed surfaces.

That update is recent, so long-term evidence for the new parts is still limited. Earlier CORE One tests tell us a lot about the basic machine and how it works, but they do not prove how every updated component will perform.

The X2D is the closest alternative. It costs roughly half as much and includes a better camera, an actively heated chamber and two nozzles. It also supports offline and local-network printing.

However, its full phone-monitoring and model-library features depend on Bambu’s services, and Prusa provides more detailed guidance for owners who want to do their own repairs.

Prusa’s warranty is one year for US buyers and two years for EU consumers. The kit warranty covers parts, but not assembly labor or shipping to the factory.

Skip the CORE One+ if your main goal is good PLA prints at the lowest price. The extra money buys more control, repair support and upgrade options. It is worth paying only if those benefits matter to you.

Best 3D Printer Under $1,000

The Bambu Lab X2D is my best all-around 3D printer under $1,000. It can handle household parts, models, prototypes and more demanding materials. At about $649, it leaves room for filament, an extra build plate and basic tools.

Its heated enclosure and second nozzle are the main reasons to spend more. These features are difficult to add to a cheaper open printer.

Choose the Bambu Lab P2S if you mainly want reliable single-material printing. It costs about $100 less and keeps much of the same easy-to-use software and automatic setup. You give up the heated chamber and second nozzle.

The Snapmaker U1 is a better choice if you regularly print with several colors or materials. Its four toolheads reduce the time and plastic wasted during changes, although the top cover costs extra.

You do not need to spend the full budget. The A1 mini can make equally attractive PLA prints if your models fit. The A2L gives you more room for large props and organizers. Buy the X2D when its enclosure, chamber heating or second nozzle will help with projects you actually plan to make.

Best 3D Printer Under $500

The Bambu Lab A1 mini is my best general-purpose 3D printer under $500. Its low price leaves room for filament and replacement parts. Automatic calibration and reliable software presets also make it easier to start than many older budget printers.

The main limit is its 180 × 180 × 180 mm build area. Check the dimensions of several projects you want to print before deciding whether it is large enough.

For bigger PLA and PETG projects, choose the Bambu Lab A2L. Its 330 × 320 × 325 mm build area can handle objects that would need to be split into pieces on the A1 mini. Just allow enough room for the moving bed and remember that its open frame is a poor fit for large ABS, ASA or nylon parts.

For detailed miniatures, the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is the resin option in this price range. Include ventilation, protective equipment, washing and curing in your budget.

At this price, you will need to choose your main priority. No single pick combines the A2L’s size, the Mars’s fine detail and the X2D’s heated enclosure.

Best 3D Printer Under $300

The Bambu Lab A1 mini is also my best filament printer under $300. It checks the bed, sets the nozzle height and feeds filament directly into the printhead. Its software presets make it a strong starting point for small household parts, toys, brackets and tabletop pieces in PLA, PETG or TPU.

Choose the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra instead if very fine detail is your main reason for buying a printer. The printer itself costs less than $300, but the complete resin setup will cost more. Gloves, eye protection, wash containers, cleaning solvent, curing equipment and waste supplies all add to the total.

Do not treat the printer’s price as your whole budget. Include a full spool of filament or bottle of resin, the right tools and any ventilation you need. If the A1 mini is too small or your room is unsuitable for resin, saving for a better fit makes more sense than buying twice.

FDM or Resin: Which Is Right for You?

Choose FDM for most practical parts and home projects. FDM printers melt plastic filament through a nozzle to build an object layer by layer. They work well for organizers, prototypes, cosplay pieces, terrain and many replacement parts.

Depending on the material, the finished part can be tough, flexible or heat-resistant. Cleanup usually means removing supports and stray plastic strings. Layer lines remain visible, and a standard 0.4 mm nozzle cannot match a good resin printer for tiny details such as a miniature’s face.

Choose resin when fine detail matters most. Resin printers suit miniatures, jewelry masters and small display models. An LCD resin printer exposes a whole layer at once, so adding more objects to the plate may add little printing time.

Resin prints can look very smooth, but they need to drain, be washed, dry and finish curing under UV light. Many standard resins are also more brittle than common filament materials.

Resolution numbers can be misleading. An 18-micron resin pixel and an 80-micron FDM layer measure different things: detail across the screen versus the height of each layer. Neither number tells you everything about the finished print.

Material, settings, supports, nozzle size and model placement all affect the result. Look for test prints similar to what you want to make.

Strength also depends on the design and material. FDM parts can split between layers. Standard resin parts may snap under impact, while tougher engineering resins cost more and still require careful chemical handling.

Both methods create waste. FDM leaves supports, discarded filament from color changes and failed prints, which can be difficult to recycle. Resin adds contaminated supports, cleaning liquid, wipes and protective equipment that need appropriate disposal.

Your workspace may decide the choice. Open filament printers can suit PLA and PETG, but their hot and moving parts are exposed. Enclosures help reduce drafts and accidental contact, though they do not automatically control emissions.

Resin needs a separate area with suitable ventilation, skin and eye protection, closed wash containers and a careful cleanup routine. If you cannot provide that space, choose filament printing or use a printing service.

For most useful household objects, start with the X2D, P2S or A1 mini. For large PLA props, consider the A2L. Choose the Mars 5 Ultra when fine detail is worth the extra handling and cleanup, or the Saturn for larger resin prints and batches.

How to Choose a 3D Printer You Will Keep Using

Match the Printer to Your Projects, Materials and Room

List the next ten things you want to print and check their width, depth and height. If nine fit within 180 mm and the tenth is easy to split into pieces, an A1 mini may be enough.

If several need about 250 mm of space, look at the P2S or X2D. Choose the A2L when printing objects over 300 mm in one piece will regularly save assembly work or make a stronger part.

Leave some room around each model. The full advertised build area may not be available once you add brims, nozzle-preparation lines and clearance for the printhead.

Wide, flat parts are more sensitive to uneven heat and shrinkage. Tall prints take longer and are more affected by movement. Reviews that test a whole bed tell you more about large-print performance than a small model printed in the center.

Next, choose your materials. PLA works well for models and many indoor objects. PETG offers useful toughness and moisture resistance. Flexible TPU needs a filament path that keeps it supported as it reaches the nozzle.

Large ABS, ASA, nylon and polycarbonate parts generally need an enclosure and controlled heat. A nozzle that reaches 300°C does not make an open printer suitable for every high-temperature material. Abrasive filled filaments also need wear-resistant gears and nozzles.

Finally, measure the space the printer needs while running and being serviced. Moving beds need front and rear clearance. Spools mounted on top add height. Doors, waste outlets and side-mounted spool holders need room, too.

Use a sturdy surface away from sleeping and food-preparation areas. Plan ventilation for the materials you will use, and keep children and pets away from hot parts, moving parts and resin supplies.

Check the Software and Everyday Steps

A 3D model needs to be prepared before a printer can make it. Design software creates or changes the model. A slicer divides it into layers and sets the printhead’s movements, temperatures and other instructions.

You will likely spend more time in the slicer than on the printer’s touchscreen. Try it before buying. Open a model, choose a material and preview the supports. Check whether the settings and instructions make sense to you.

Automatic calibration should reduce routine adjustments. Bed checks and automatic nozzle-height settings help with the first layer. Flow calibration adjusts how much filament comes out of the nozzle. These features cannot fix a dirty plate, damp filament, a weak model or poorly placed supports.

Look for useful error messages and clear help pages. If a print pauses, the instructions should help you decide whether it can continue successfully.

Also consider how you want to connect to the printer. Cloud services make phone notifications, remote cameras and file sending convenient, but they depend on an account and an online service. Check which features work through USB, a local network or removable storage, including file transfer and firmware updates.

Bambu supports offline and local-network printing with fewer remote features. Prusa’s cloud service and app are optional. Snapmaker accepts locally prepared files from Orca. Check that the software supports your computer and still receives updates. Outdated printer presets can make everyday use harder.

Add Up Supplies, Maintenance and Support

Build a complete shopping list before comparing prices. Include filament, the right nozzle and build plate, tools, ventilation and any multicolor system you expect to use. Resin printing also needs wash-and-cure equipment, gloves, eye protection, cleaning solvent, replacement film and waste containers.

For multicolor filament printing, open one of your own models in the slicer and check the estimated print time and discarded plastic. The number of supported colors does not tell you either cost.

Then check replacement-part prices. Nozzles, filament guide tubes, cutters, wipers and build surfaces wear out. Resin-tank film and LCD screens also need replacement and often have short warranties. Find the parts and repair instructions before buying. A free replacement part is less useful if you cannot confidently install it.

Warranty terms vary. As checked on September 4, 2026:

• Bambu Lab: two years for consumer printers in the US and Canada.
• Snapmaker U1: one year outside the specified European regions.
• Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra: one year for the printer and three months for the LCD.
• Prusa: one year for US buyers and two years for EU consumers.

All have exclusions for wear parts. Buy from an authorized seller, keep the receipt and test the printer’s main functions during the return period.

Customer service is difficult to judge from online complaints alone. Reports can reveal possible problems, but they rarely show how often those problems happen. Check whether the company provides reachable support, clear repair guides, available parts and ongoing software updates.

Spend more when it solves a real problem: a heated chamber for your material, a larger bed for your models, separate toolheads for frequent color changes or better repair support. The best value is a printer that makes the parts you need reliably at a total cost you can afford.

How I Chose These 3D Printers

I focused on completed prints, the materials and settings used, size accuracy, print time, recovery from problems and maintenance. I also checked build area, supported materials, software options, warranties, replacement parts and US availability. Specifications help narrow the choices, but they do not prove how well a printer works.

I gave more weight to comparisons that used the same model, filament and print settings. That is why the U1’s direct comparison with a single-nozzle Bambu matters more than unrelated maximum-speed claims.

I kept accuracy measurements tied to their original test methods and directions. Combining measurements from different tests can make a comparison look more precise than it is. I also looked for good first layers, prints that stayed attached across the bed, correctly aligned toolheads, easy support removal and repeated successful jobs.

The models and buying information were checked on September 4, 2026. Retired models, including the Bambu X1 Carbon and P1P, and older versions replaced by newer ones were excluded from the main recommendations. The P1S is still sold, but the P2S offers the newer features in a similar price range.

I did not select the Anycubic Kobra 3 Max because a V2 had appeared and evidence for long prints staying attached to the bed was mixed. QIDI’s Plus5 and several newly announced multicolor systems did not yet have enough established test results.

Industrial machines, products focused on laser work and preorder-only printers were outside the scope of this guide. Printers with unresolved safety recalls could not win a category.

A successful test lasting hundreds of hours is useful evidence, but it cannot tell us the failure rate across every printer sold. I used owner reports to identify possible faults and support issues. I looked for several supporting reports before describing a problem as recurring.

The biggest gaps involve the August 2026 updates to the Prusa CORE One+ and recent firmware changes across several brands. The Prusa recommendation rests on its offline options, repair support and established platform. There is not yet enough evidence to judge every new component over the long term.

Prices, bundles, warranties, firmware and availability can change. Check the current details before placing an order.

Common 3D Printer Buying Questions

Is a 3D Printer Worth Buying?

A 3D printer is easier to justify when you have regular projects, a suitable workspace and some willingness to learn maintenance. For a few decorative models, a makerspace or printing service may be better value.

Include learning and upkeep in your expectations. Even the P2S needs a clean build plate, dry filament and occasional lubrication. Resin adds washing, curing and contaminated waste.

There is no single number of prints that makes ownership worthwhile. A custom repair part may be valuable in a way that a decorative object is not. Your time matters as well as the cost of materials.

Should You Wait for a Sale?

Waiting can make sense when a replacement model has been announced, an older model is being cleared out with uncertain parts support, or a regular sale is close. Rumors alone are a weak reason to delay. At the September 4, 2026 check, every main recommendation here was available to buy in the US.

Choose the printer and accessories you need before setting a target price. A discount does not help if you buy the wrong machine or a color system you never use. Check the seller’s authorization, warranty, regional model and return-shipping costs.

Does a More Expensive Printer Always Make Better Prints?

No. Spending more can buy a heated chamber, larger bed, separate toolheads, better sensors or easier repairs. Those features matter when your projects need them. Extra colors, cameras and higher temperature limits may add little to simple PLA printing.

The A1 mini can make PLA parts that look as good as prints from more expensive machines, provided the model fits. The X2D costs more because it adds an enclosure, chamber heating and more support-material options. It does not make every model look several times better.

Think about what would limit your next ten projects. Pay to solve that problem. If a cheaper, well-supported printer meets your needs, there is no reason to spend more.