A 47% Q4 surge in entry-level shipments helped pull the entire 3D printing industry out of a two-year slump.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
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.
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.
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.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/bambu-lab-overtakes-creality-as-the-worlds-top-selling-budget-3d-printer-brand#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- Quantum photonics roadmap — how Xanadu and PsiQuantum are looking to transfer qubits through beams of light
- Elegoo announces the Jupiter 2 resin 3D printer for $949, early bird price of $849 — new model offers massive print volume but is still physically smaller than
- Google and Pentagon in talks to run custom AI chips inside classified environments — Google pushes for tight controls for TPUs surrounding use for mass surveill
- Efficiency at Scale: NVIDIA, Energy Leaders Accelerating Power‑Flexible AI Factories to Fortify the Grid
- Press Start on April: GeForce NOW Brings 10 Games to the Cloud
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.