SUNLU vs ELEGOO PLA: Which Budget Filament Should You Buy?

SUNLU PLA+ is the better buy for most people, mainly on price: $10.69 per kilogram for black against $14.99 for ELEGOO PLA+. ELEGOO answers with a fuller published datasheet and a flat price across 17 colors, so choose it if you want complete print settings on the product page. The score gap is small (7.5 against 7.2 out of 10) because neither brand has independent diameter measurements for its PLA+.

The Practical Choice does not run its own lab. These picks come from published specs, store data and named third-party measurements, explained at how we score. Prices were read on the brand stores on Oct 23, 2026.

How do SUNLU PLA+ and ELEGOO PLA+ compare side by side?

They are close on paper and far apart on price, as the table shows. Both claim a diameter tolerance of 1.75 mm plus or minus 0.02 mm, and no independent source we found has caliper-checked either one.

The two tensile numbers come from different brands’ own test methods, so do not treat 46 against 38 as a head-to-head result. The length figure for ELEGOO is our own math: 1 kg divided by 1.30 g/cm3 and the cross-section of a 1.75 mm strand.

Which one costs less over three years?

SUNLU PLA+ costs about $77 less over three years at 6 kg per year. That is 18 spools: $192.42 for black SUNLU against $269.82 for ELEGOO. Shipping is not included for either.

Per 100 meters of filament the gap is wider than the sticker suggests. SUNLU works out to about $3.24 per 100 m and ELEGOO to about $4.68, because ELEGOO’s denser material gives slightly fewer meters per kilogram. If you buy SUNLU in the dearer colors at $13.49, the 18-spool total is $242.82, still below ELEGOO. ELEGOO’s plain PLA is $13.99 per kg; see our best PLA filament list for that comparison.

What does each brand do better?

SUNLU wins on price and color range; ELEGOO wins on how much it tells you before you buy. Each point below names where it comes from.

• SUNLU strength, price: $10.69 for black is $4.30 per kg below ELEGOO, the biggest gap in the table.
• SUNLU strength, colors: the store lists 36 PLA+ colors for US shipping, including seven transparent shades.
• SUNLU strength, AMS use: a Bambu Lab forum owner says SUNLU PLA+ spools work in the AMS and print well on the stock PLA Basic profile (May 2024).
• ELEGOO strength, datasheet: the product page lists nozzle, bed, chamber temperature, speed limit, pre-print drying time and tensile figures along the Z axis as well as X-Y.
• ELEGOO strength, one price: all 17 colors cost $14.99, so a color you like does not raise the bill.

Weak spots are real on both sides. SUNLU’s page text gives two different temperature ranges, 195-205 C and 205-215 C, so use the spec-table figures. ELEGOO’s cardboard spool draws complaints: two reviews in the review text we read mention damaged cardboard spools, and one says damaged spools jam in a Bambu AMS.

Should you choose SUNLU or ELEGOO?

Choose SUNLU PLA+ if you print a lot, buy in bulk, or want colors beyond the basics. Dry the spool before the first print, since a store reviewer reports light stringing out of the bag. A dryer such as the SUNLU FilaDryer S4 handles that; see the best filament dryers for alternatives. Our SUNLU PLA+ review has the full score breakdown.

Choose ELEGOO PLA+ if you want every setting on one page, you print at high speed up to 280 mm/s, or you already own an ELEGOO printer and want one brand. Check the spools when they arrive.

Neither is the pick for parts that must survive heat, because both list a heat deflection point near 56 C. For that, read PLA vs PETG.

FAQ

Is SUNLU PLA+ as good as ELEGOO PLA+?

On published data they are about equal. The independent figures we found are a 2023 First Quadcopter spool weight for each brand (plain PLA for ELEGOO) and a university tensile test of SUNLU plain PLA. No independent source has measured either brand’s PLA+ diameter.

Do SUNLU and ELEGOO work in a Bambu AMS?

Owners on the SUNLU and ELEGOO store pages and the Bambu forum report both working. Damaged ELEGOO cardboard spools are the one repeated exception, so inspect them first.

Do I need to dry PLA+ before printing?

ELEGOO lists 50 +/- 5 C for 8 hours and SUNLU lists 50 C without a time. A short dry cycle is cheap insurance if the bag has been open.

Which has the tighter diameter tolerance?

Both claim 0.02 mm. In 2023 First Quadcopter listed a looser 0.03 mm for SUNLU PLA+, so the claim may have changed since. Neither has been measured by a third party that we could find.

Are any of these filaments recalled?

We searched the CPSC SaferProducts recall database on Oct 23, 2026 and found no filament recall for either brand.