The topic Bambu Lab overtakes Creality as the world’s top-selling budget 3D printer brand… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
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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.
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Bambu Lab claimed the top spot in global entry-level 3D printer shipments during 2025, overtaking longtime leader Creality, according to the data 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 the data data published by Bambu Lab on its WeChat channels in February.
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 data 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.
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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.
