Formlabs Form Studio 1 vs Snapmaker U1
Researched by Riley Hart · prices checked Nov 4, 2026
As of Nov 4, 2026, the Formlabs Form Studio 1 costs $699 and the Snapmaker U1 costs $699. The Formlabs Form Studio 1 scores higher in our ranking (8.0 vs 7.3 out of 10). Pick the Formlabs Form Studio 1 for hobbyists and small studios who want reliable, low mess resin printing. Pick the Snapmaker U1 for fast multi color with little waste. The Formlabs Form Studio 1 wins 2 of 5 points we can measure (2 tied).
Who wins, point by point
The Formlabs Form Studio 1 wins 2 of 5 points we can measure (2 tied). Built from today's prices, the specs and independent tests for these two robots.
| Form Studio 1 | U1 | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price today | $699 | $699 | Tie |
| TechRadar score | 5/5 | 4.5/5 | Form Studio 1 |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | Tie |
| Build volume | 200 x 125 x 235 mm | 270 x 270 x 270 mm | U1 |
| Release year | 2026 | 2025 | Form Studio 1 |
- You care most about techradar score (5/5 vs 4.5/5)
- You want the newer model (2026 vs 2025)
- Best for hobbyists and small studios who want reliable, low mess resin printing
- You care most about build volume (270 x 270 x 270 mm vs 200 x 125 x 235 mm)
- Best for fast multi color with little waste
- Build volume
- 200 x 125 x 235 mm
- Max speed
- Up to 130 mm/h
- Multicolor
- No
- Enclosure
- Yes
Formlabs' lowest priced resin printer, with auto fed resin cartridges
Full Formlabs Form Studio 1 review, pros and cons →- Build volume
- 270 x 270 x 270 mm
- Max speed
- Up to 500 mm/s toolhead
- Multicolor
- Yes
- Enclosure
- No
4 head tool changer for fast multi color with little purge waste
Full Snapmaker U1 review, pros and cons →Side by side
| Formlabs Form Studio 1 | Snapmaker U1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $699 | $699 |
| 3 year cost | $699 | $699 |
| Our score | 8.0/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Rank in 3D printers | #10 | #19 |
| Status | on sale | on sale |
| Warranty | 1 year on Formlabs hardware (Formlabs comparison page) | 1 year in the US for machines and modules (Snapmaker US store) |
| Build volume | 200 x 125 x 235 mm, 5.9 L (Formlabs) | 270 x 270 x 270 mm (Snapmaker) |
| Print speed | Up to 130 mm/h with Alpha Fast Resin at 250 micron layers; about 40 mm/h average across materials (TechRadar) | Up to 500 mm/s toolhead speed, 20,000 mm/s2 acceleration (Snapmaker) |
| Multi color | No, resin printer prints one resin at a time | Yes, 4 independent toolheads; tool swaps took about 10 to 12 s for Tom's Hardware and about 5 s for TechRadar, with very low purge waste |
| Enclosure | Yes, hood over the print area; Tom's Hardware found the hood mount flimsy | No, semi open; optional Top Cover sold separately for ABS, ASA, PA and PC (Snapmaker) |
| Auto leveling | Level check during onboarding (Tom's Hardware); automatic resin dispensing from cartridges (TechRadar) | Yes, mesh bed leveling and automatic toolhead offset calibration (Snapmaker) |
| Max nozzle temp | Not applicable, resin (MSLA) printer with no nozzle | 300 C, 0.4 mm stainless steel nozzles (Snapmaker) |
| Heated bed | No heated bed; heated chamber 25 to 45 C (TechRadar) with conduction resin heating (Tom's Hardware) | Yes, up to 100 C, flexible PEI plate (Snapmaker, TechRadar) |
| Filament types | Not applicable, uses Formlabs resins (nine validated per TechRadar, no biocompatible ones) plus Open Material Mode for third party resin | PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PCTG; PET, ABS, ASA, PA, PC with the Top Cover; carbon and glass fiber blends also need a hardened nozzle (Snapmaker) |
| Connectivity | Ethernet and Wi-Fi; PreForm and Dashboard software (Tom's Hardware, TechRadar) | Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz), USB flash drive (Snapmaker); Tom's Hardware also lists LAN. Klipper firmware, OrcaSlicer support |
| Camera | Yes, for live monitoring and timelapse (Tom's Hardware) | Yes, 2 MP chamber camera (Snapmaker); both reviewers hit an early bug where it did not work with Orca |
| Noise | No dB figure; TechRadar described a low, rhythmic background sound | No dB figure; TechRadar found it much quieter than competing multi filament machines |
| Assembly | About 5 minutes to set up (TechRadar) | Setup takes 15 to 30 minutes (TechRadar) |
| Weight | 14.5 kg; 342 x 315 x 502 mm (Tom's Hardware) | 18.2 kg; 584 x 499 x 730 mm (Snapmaker) |
| Resolution | 35 micron XY pixel pitch, 28 LED backlight; layers 30 to 250 microns (Formlabs, TechRadar) | n/a |
| Best for | hobbyists and small studios who want reliable, low mess resin printing | fast multi color with little waste |
| Skip if | you want the cheapest resin printer or many third party resins | you mostly print single color parts |
Specs are maker claims unless a reviewer is named. Prices from the stores we link, checked daily.
What reviewers found
Formlabs Form Studio 1
- Tom's Hardware: Editor's Choice. No print failures in testing. A figure took 10 h 56 min at 0.05 mm layers using 264 ml of resin. Print times felt slow with standard resin. Source
- TechRadar (5/5): Editor's Choice. No failed prints over a month, including a resin swap. A 100 mm model took about 10 hours; a tank model took 2 h 44 min. RFID cartridges were not recognized on beta software. Source
Snapmaker U1
- Tom's Hardware: Editor's Choice. Tool swaps took about 10 to 12 s versus about 90 s on Bambu Lab. A PLA spiders print took 3 h 20 min with 4.4 g of purge waste, where a P1P took about 2 hours longer and used about 25 g more. A multicolor lettering print wasted just 0.76 g. Source
- TechRadar (4.5/5): Scored 4.5 out of 5 with average dimensional error of 0.056 mm. Tool changes took about 5 s and multi color prints ran two to three times faster than before; a robot tortoise finished in under a day versus 36 hours previously. Cons were add ons needed for some materials and early connectivity bugs. Source
Questions buyers ask
Which is better, the Formlabs Form Studio 1 or the Snapmaker U1?
The Formlabs Form Studio 1 scores higher in our ranking (8.0 vs 7.3 out of 10). Pick the Formlabs Form Studio 1 for hobbyists and small studios who want reliable, low mess resin printing. Pick the Snapmaker U1 for fast multi color with little waste.
What is the difference between the Form Studio 1 and the U1?
Build volume: 200 x 125 x 235 mm, 5.9 L (Formlabs) on the Form Studio 1, 270 x 270 x 270 mm (Snapmaker) on the U1. Print speed: Up to 130 mm/h with Alpha Fast Resin at 250 micron layers; about 40 mm/h average across… on the Form Studio 1, Up to 500 mm/s toolhead speed, 20,000 mm/s2 acceleration (Snapmaker) on the U1. Multi color: No, resin printer prints one resin at a time on the Form Studio 1, Yes, 4 independent toolheads; tool swaps took about 10 to 12 s for Tom's Hardware and… on the U1.
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