The 10 Best PLA Filaments for 3D Printing

Aside from offering standard PLA, Polymaker offers a varied assortment of special types of PLA, like PolyLite and PolyTerra.

PolyTerra PLA filament is designed to be an environmentally friendly alternative for users who are concerned about their 3D printer’s environmental impact. It comes on recycled cardboard spools and Polymaker plants one tree for every spool sold. PolyTerra is also slightly tougher than regular PLA and provides easier support removal.

Their PolyLite product is a premium PLA+ filament specially designed to avoid clogging or jamming the nozzle of your 3D printer. Note: PLA+ is a special blend of PLA. For more information we highly recommend our PLA+ vs PLA comparison guide.

FormFutura is a premium Dutch brand that has some of the best PLA filaments of any manufacturer listed so far. Their standard EasyFil PLA is softer than most filaments to make it more flexible and impact-resistant. Since one of PLA’s biggest weaknesses is its brittleness, this is a welcome improvement.

They also have several specialty PLAs such as antibacterial, recycled, heat-resistant, high-gloss, tough, glitter, and dual-color. Additionally, they offer a wide variety of “filled” infused-PLA filaments containing materials like copper, bronze, stone, and cork.

With their versatile filament options, it’s easy to get the exact look you want from your prints with FormFutura PLAs. One thing to keep in mind is that their suggested nozzle temperature range is slightly higher than other filaments, so be aware that you might have to run your printer a bit hotter than usual with their products.

As one of the more affordable options on the list, Overture PLA has amazing benefits for its price. Tested at 0.03mm +/- accuracy, their filament has better than average tolerances and gives more consistent results. It is five times tougher than regular PLA filaments and has a higher softening temp to avoid clogs and jams.

They also recently changed their product packaging towards the end of 2021, so all of their products now come on a more environmentally friendly cardboard spool. Coupled with their Eco PLA option that recycles the waste products from their other PLA products, Overture is one of the greener filament brands to choose from.

Made by the same company as high quality Prusa 3D printers, Prusament PLA is a high-quality filament at a great price. While many filament manufacturers aim for accuracy within 0.05mm +/- of the target diameter, Prusament is made and tested for a 0.02mm accuracy.

To ensure the spool’s quality, you can even check it yourself by scanning the QR code on the spool to bring up the quality control information for your specific batch.

These amazing tolerances result in better dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and overall print quality. This makes it an excellent choice for precision prints, like when 3D printing miniatures.

Additionally, you will experience fewer extruder jams in the printing process since the filament is closer to being a uniform size.

ColorFabb has a number of different PLA filament lines that combine excellent quality with innovative additions. Their standard PLA line combines PLA with PHA for added strength, flexibility, and impact resistance without compromising ease of use. You can expect great layer adhesion and dimensional accuracy, as well as smooth surfaces with ColorFabb filament.

In addition to the standard PLA products, they also offer specialty filaments. Their special lightweight PLAs combine a foaming agent that expands while printing for lighter parts. Their tough PLA line (only available in black and white at this time) gives prints even greater tensile strength than their standard PLA/PHA filaments.

Hatchbox is one of the most well-known PLA filament brands in the 3D printing space. Hatchbox PLA filaments are affordable, available in many colors, and of adequate quality. They also have an excellent selection of specialty colors like glow in the dark, sparkle, metallic, and stone.

While Hatchbox PLA occasionally has some quality issues, they are a great option if you are looking for something affordable or are just starting out. You can easily get great print quality and smooth surface finishes with their filament. Plus, it tends to have a pretty pleasant smell while printing, so you don’t need to worry about noxious odors.

Altogether, you can’t really go wrong with Hatchbox PLA. This is one of the reasons why we have also included it in our line-up of the best Ender 3 filaments.

If you have an Ultimaker 3D printer, Ultimaker PLA filament is by far the easiest and best to use with your printer. Formulated specifically for the Ultimaker machines, this filament only comes in 2.88mm diameter, which makes it harder to use in a standard 3D printer.

While their offerings are not as varied as some of the other filament manufacturers on this list (especially for colors and special filaments), their filament stands out thanks to its great surface finish and reliable tolerance. This should definitely be your go-to PLA material as an Ultimaker user.

Sunlu is another affordable option with excellent tolerances of 0.02mm +/- and plenty of color options to choose from. Sunlu PLA filament is a great choice if you want consistent quality on a budget. However, despite their many color options, it is often hard to find many of them in stock. Some users have also noted their products give off more 3D printer fumes than other brands of PLA filament.

Even so, their filaments produce excellent results. You get high detail, smooth PLA prints, good dimensional accuracy, and great layer adhesion with Sunlu PLA. Coupled with their affordable price, it is an excellent PLA filament to choose on a budget.

Proto-Pasta is well-known for its high-quality and specialty PLA filaments. As one of the first brands to offer options like conductive, carbon fiber, coffee, and even bacon PLA, they have gathered a following of loyal customers. Their HTPLA is also a popular item that prints like other PLA filaments but has higher temperature resistance when heat-treated after printing.

Aside from being known for its experimentation with small-batch specialty filaments, Proto-Pasta has also been quite transparent about its manufacturing process. Altogether, Proto-Pasta PLA filaments are a safe choice in our book.

Made to be a basic budget-friendly option for price-conscious makers, the MatterHackers Build PLA series is a great option for beginners. With price discounts when you buy multiple spools, MatterHackers PLA is perfect for large projects like 3D printed cosplay armor, 3D printed helmets, and cosplay props.

While MatterHackers’ PLA filament is a great way to enjoy 3D printing without a steep price tag, their basic PLA does tend to have some quality issues (like excessive stringing) that can take some tinkering with print settings to fix. They also have a Pro PLA line that is better suited for users looking for a more premium product.