Bambu Lab overtakes Creality as the world's top-selling budget 3D printer brand — resurgence in 3D printer market fueled by budget options

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A 47% Q4 surge in entry-level shipments helped pull the entire 3D printing industry out of a two-year slump.

Bambu Lab X2D
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Bambu Lab claimed the top spot in global entry-level 3D printer shipments during 2025, overtaking longtime leader Creality, according to full-year market data from intelligence firm Context reported by All3DP on Saturday.

The Shenzhen-based company held a 37% share of the sub-$2,500 segment, with Creality, Elegoo, and Anycubic rounding out the top four. Entry-level shipments rose 47% year over year in Q4 and 26% across all of 2025, driving the broader 3D printing market out of a prolonged downturn.

In contrast, when Context published its Q1 2025 data, Creality still led the entry-level category with a 39% share despite a slight dip in unit sales, while Bambu Lab trailed in second place with 64% year-over-year shipment growth. Over the following three quarters, that growth rate widened the gap enough for Bambu Lab to take the lead. The company's MakerWorld model-sharing platform had reached approximately 10 million monthly active users by the end of 2025, with an 83% user retention rate after one year, according to data published by Bambu Lab on its WeChat channels in February.

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Context's findings align with separate data from AM Research, which pegged the total global 3D printing market at $16 billion in 2025 with roughly 10% year-over-year growth. AM Research's Q4 report described the year as split into two distinct halves: the first mirrored the sluggish conditions of 2023 and 2024, while the second saw momentum return, with total market revenue growing from $4 billion in Q3 to $4.26 billion in Q4.

Chinese manufacturers accounted for more than 90% of global entry-level 3D printer shipments in 2025, according to the Context data, with China’s concentration increasing even as the market attracts more outside capital. Creality is preparing for an initial public offering, and All3DP reported that other major players in the segment are drawing investment from Chinese financial firms.

Contrasts with the professional market

The professional 3D printer segment, covering systems priced between $2,500 and $20,000, moved in the opposite direction. Shipments fell 12% in Q4 and 15% for the full year, with Formlabs holding 38% market share in that category. Midrange systems, priced from $20,000 to $100,000, also declined, dropping 6% in Q4 and 12% for the year. Context attributed part of that decline to consolidation and mergers during 2025.

Context expects growth across every price segment in 2026, with entry-level systems forecast to expand the fastest and industrial shipments expected to post near double-digit percentage increases. The firm cited loosening U.S. interest rates, strength in China's domestic market, and continued momentum in aerospace and defense as factors behind that outlook.

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Luke James
Luke James
Contributor

Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist.  Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory. 

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • QuarterSwede
    This shouldn’t surprise. The mass market wants a 3D printer appliance and Bambu Labs excels in this.

    I’ve had an Ender 3 to learn and tinker with and then I upgraded to a Creality K1 enclosed printer and it’s certainly a lot closer to send file and forget about it till it’s done. Much better experience.
    Reply
  • vinay2070
    QuarterSwede said:
    This shouldn’t surprise. The mass market wants a 3D printer appliance and Bambu Labs excels in this.

    I’ve had an Ender 3 to learn and tinker with and then I upgraded to a Creality K1 enclosed printer and it’s certainly a lot closer to send file and forget about it till it’s done. Much better experience.
    Does the initial interest die out soon after you buy a 3D printer? Asking as I have a Quest 2 and dont even feel like upgrading to quest 3. I barely use it.
    Reply
  • jp7189
    vinay2070 said:
    Does the initial interest die out soon after you buy a 3D printer? Asking as I have a Quest 2 and dont even feel like upgrading to quest 3. I barely use it.
    I believe you're asking how much you will personally like 3d printing based on how much you didnt like VR..? = "does not compute"

    I'll say generally, 3d printing is most useful if you plan to do unique things with it. It cant replace the $0.10 plastic junk you might buy from online retailers. It can make customized stuff that would be a pain to order from said retailers.

    Now that I have had a 3D printer for a few years, I look at many situations as opportunities to design a physical solution to problems rather than settling for whatever I can find "on the shelf".
    Reply
  • QuarterSwede
    vinay2070 said:
    Does the initial interest die out soon after you buy a 3D printer? Asking as I have a Quest 2 and dont even feel like upgrading to quest 3. I barely use it.
    For a tinkerer version, yes. For an appliance? Hell no! I used it this weekend to print an espresso drying rack organizer. I’ve printed my chandelier and pendant lamp shades. I’ve fixed furniture with it. I’ve printed a mower blade mount adapter. I could go on. It’s incredibly useful for functional prints. More than likely someone will have designed and posted something to print that you need.

    Check out Makerworld (Bambu Labs) or Printables (Prusa). Those are the 2 sites that consistently have the highest quality prints, most for free. Even prints that do cost some money are dirt cheap for the value you get out of it.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    QuarterSwede said:
    For a tinkerer version, yes. For an appliance? Hell no! I used it this weekend to print an espresso drying rack organizer. I’ve printed my chandelier and pendant lamp shades. I’ve fixed furniture with it. I’ve printed a mower blade mount adapter. I could go on. It’s incredibly useful for functional prints. More than likely someone will have designed and posted something to print that you need.

    Check out Makerworld (Bambu Labs) or Printables (Prusa). Those are the 2 sites that consistently have the highest quality prints, most for free. Even prints that do cost some money are dirt cheap for the value you get out of it.
    Also Thingiverse
    Reply
  • vinay2070
    QuarterSwede said:
    For a tinkerer version, yes. For an appliance? Hell no! I used it this weekend to print an espresso drying rack organizer. I’ve printed my chandelier and pendant lamp shades. I’ve fixed furniture with it. I’ve printed a mower blade mount adapter. I could go on. It’s incredibly useful for functional prints. More than likely someone will have designed and posted something to print that you need.

    Check out Makerworld (Bambu Labs) or Printables (Prusa). Those are the 2 sites that consistently have the highest quality prints, most for free. Even prints that do cost some money are dirt cheap for the value you get out of it.
    Thanks mate, will have a look. Also it seems like 3D printing/printers have matured quite a bit and it's time to invest in one :)
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    vinay2070 said:
    Does the initial interest die out soon after you buy a 3D printer? Asking as I have a Quest 2 and dont even feel like upgrading to quest 3. I barely use it.
    I'm in the process of printing a series of little cars from my newest grandson.
    He is currently 6 months old.

    2-3" long, each with a customized license plate.
    Fred01, Fred02, Fred03.....one for each year, on his b-day.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    vinay2070 said:
    Does the initial interest die out soon after you buy a 3D printer? Asking as I have a Quest 2 and dont even feel like upgrading to quest 3. I barely use it.
    See this:
    https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/3d-prints.3813965/
    Post your creations if you want.
    Reply
  • sergeant_d
    QuarterSwede said:
    For a tinkerer version, yes. For an appliance? Hell no! I used it this weekend to print an espresso drying rack organizer. I’ve printed my chandelier and pendant lamp shades. I’ve fixed furniture with it. I’ve printed a mower blade mount adapter. I could go on. It’s incredibly useful for functional prints. More than likely someone will have designed and posted something to print that you need.

    Check out Makerworld (Bambu Labs) or Printables (Prusa). Those are the 2 sites that consistently have the highest quality prints, most for free. Even prints that do cost some money are dirt cheap for the value you get out of it.
    If all you intend to do is print models you download, then yes, eventually you will tire of printing endless dust collectors in between the useful functional pcs that actually solve an issue for you. The problem there is that you’re hoping your exact application was already designed by somebody else, and for many mundane things there are several designs of varying quality to choose from. Ultimately you’ll end up seeking to print random things to keep your printer running, and that’s how people end up with endless dust collectors all over the place.

    Learning how to design 3d models isn’t difficult to get started down the path of learning, and it’s quite easy to learn enough to be dangerous, and at least be able to put your creativity to actual good use, rather than being dependent on others. A 3d printer is an inexpensive, powerful tool in the hands of somebody that can properly leverage its capabilities. If you plan on going down that road, do yourself a favor and spend a week or two learning the basics well enough that you can at least understand the nomenclature, and how a model functions.

    Once you get to that point, the next dilemma will be this- just because you can 3d print something, should you? We’re all at that point early on, when we want to print everything. There are many things that you will be able to buy that are still likely cheaper than printing yourself once you factor in the cost of filament, and your time. Not to mention, mass-produced injection-molded stuff is functionally stronger most of the time, and is aesthetically more pleasing to look at, at a lower cost; economies of scale are a real thing ;).

    You will have fun in the beginning, no matter what.
    Reply