Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- Price
- $299
- Score
- 8.2/10
- Wins
- 1/5
Elegoo Centauri Carbon vs Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro
- The Elegoo Centauri Carbon wins, 8.2 vs 8 out of 10.
- Centauri Carbon prints 1.3× the volume (256³ ÷ 225×225×265 = 1.25) for $40 ($299 − $259) more.
- Same 500 mm/s top speed.
- Pick the Neptune 4 Pro if your prints fit in 26.5 cm.
Specs and US prices from the PrintPick catalog, checked 2026-09-29. Scores are PrintPick ratings out of 10.
Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro
- Price
- $259
- Score
- 8/10
- Wins
- 0/5
The verdict
Buy the Centauri Carbon.
8.2/10 vs Neptune 4 Pro's 8/10, and it wins 1 of 5 categories. Best value in 3D printing right now, full stop. Firmware is rough around the edges but nothing that kills the deal. If this is your budget, buy it.
Specs, side by side
Teal wins the row.
Centauri CarbonElegoo · FDM
vsNeptune 4 ProElegoo · FDM
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Neptune 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| $299 | Price | $259 (wins) |
| 16.8 L (wins) | Build volume | 13.4 L |
| 500 mm/s | Top speed | 500 mm/s |
| 0.1 mm | Finest layer | 0.05 mm (wins) |
| 17.5 kg | Weight | 10.5 kg |
Features
| Centauri Carbon | Feature | Neptune 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Enclosed CoreXY | No |
| Yes | Auto bed leveling (4 pressure sensors) | No |
| Yes | Chamber camera monitoring | No |
| Yes | 320C all-metal hotend | No |
| Yes | Pre-assembled and calibrated | No |
| Yes | Steel + aluminum + glass enclosure | No |
| No | Klipper firmware | Yes |
| No | Auto bed leveling | Yes |
| No | Direct drive | Yes |
| No | PEI build plate | Yes |
| No | Linear rails | Yes |
Value math
$299 ÷ 16.8 L and $259 ÷ 13.4 L. Lower is more printer for the money.
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Neptune 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| $17.82 (wins) | $ per liter | $19.31 |
| $0.60 | $ per mm/s | $0.52 (wins) |
Scores out of 10
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Neptune 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 10 (wins) | Value | 9 |
| 8 | Beginner Friendliness | 8 |
| 8 | Print Quality | 8 |
| 8 | Speed | 8 |
| 7 | Reliability | 7 |
| 8.2 (wins) | Overall | 8 |
Build space, front view, to one scale
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- 225 × 225 × 265 mm
What owners say
There's no reason to buy anything else at this price. It would be excellent at twice the cost.
Centauri Carbon owner, How-To GeekFinally an affordable CoreXY. The Centauri Carbon changes what you should expect for under $300.
Centauri Carbon owner, Tom's HardwareBuy two of these instead of one fancier printer at twice the price. Seriously.
Centauri Carbon owner, r/3DprintingLinear rails at $259 is wild. This thing flies.
Neptune 4 Pro owner, r/3DprintingElegoo came out swinging with the Neptune 4 series. Solid contender.
Neptune 4 Pro owner, Maker's Muse (YouTube)
Pros & Cons
Centauri Carbon
- +Enclosed CoreXY at $299. Yes, really.
- +PLA, PETG, ABS: all print well out of the box
- +Pre-assembled, printing within minutes of opening the box
- −Firmware needs attention after unboxing
- −Heat creep shows up on long prints above 270C
Neptune 4 Pro
- +Linear rails at $259 is a feature you normally pay $400+ for
- +Klipper pre-installed with decent out-of-box profiles
- +500mm/s sustained prints well with stock settings
- −Early units shipped with firmware bugs that needed patching
- −Elegoo's support community is a fraction of Creality's size
Buy these with it
A printer does nothing without these. Grab them in the same order.
- ELEGOO PLA filament, 1kgThe easy filament to start on. Prints at low temperatures and warps less.
- ELEGOO PETG filament, 1kgTougher and more heat tolerant than PLA, for parts that get handled or sit in the sun.
- SUNLU filament dryer S1 PlusWet filament causes stringing and rough surfaces. A dryer fixes that before you blame the printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon better than the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro?
By the numbers, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon scores higher (8.2/10). But "better" depends on your use case, the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro may be the smarter buy if you need budget.
Which is better for beginners, Elegoo Centauri Carbon or Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro?
Both score 8/10 for beginners. Go with the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro to save $40.
Is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon worth $40 more than the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro?
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon scores higher overall (8.2/10 vs 8/10). The extra $40 gets you enclosed corexy at $299. yes, really..
What's the main difference between Elegoo Centauri Carbon and Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro?
Build volume (256x256x256mm vs 225x225x265mm) and print speed (500 vs 500 mm/s). The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is best for budget; the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro targets budget.