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Klipper vs Marlin: Why Serious 3D Printing Moved to the Raspberry Pi

13 min read 3D Printing
3d-printingfirmwareklippermarlinraspberry-piinput-shapingfdmintermediate
Contents

Every consumer 3D printer runs firmware on a microcontroller. For most of the 2010s and early 2020s, that firmware was Marlin — the open-source, C++ codebase that grew out of the RepRap community and ran on AVR 8-bit chips, then on faster 32-bit STM32s as printers modernized. Marlin is still what ships on most Creality, Anycubic, and Elegoo FDM machines today. It works. It’s mature. It’s reliable.

And yet the serious hobbyist community has mostly moved to Klipper — a newer firmware that splits the stack, runs the heavy computation on a Raspberry Pi (or similar SBC) instead of the printer’s MCU, and communicates with a thin firmware layer on the microcontroller. The switch has real benefits (input shaping, pressure advance done right, smoother motion at high speeds) and real tradeoffs (more hardware, more setup, one more thing that can fail).

This post explains what each firmware does, why Klipper has become the power-user default, the practical setup for each, and which one is right for which situation. No tribalism — both firmwares are excellent, for different reasons.

The architectural difference

This is the single biggest thing to understand, because it drives every downstream difference.

Marlin is a traditional embedded firmware. It runs entirely on the printer’s microcontroller. G-code comes in (from the SD card, USB, or network module), the firmware parses it, calculates motion, commands the stepper drivers, and drives the heaters — all on a single chip. Everything the printer does happens there. A modern Marlin-capable board has an STM32F4 or similar ARM MCU at 180-480MHz with a few megabytes of flash.

Klipper splits the stack. The heavy lifting (motion planning, G-code parsing, feature logic, the web UI, the slicer-facing API) runs on a Linux SBC — typically a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, sometimes an Orange Pi or mini PC. The printer’s MCU runs a thin, tiny firmware (a few kilobytes) that does nothing but execute step/direction commands sent by the Pi over USB or CAN. The Pi sends “step this motor at time T, then that one at time T+100μs” commands at high precision; the MCU just obeys the schedule.

Consequences of this split:

  • Klipper’s motion planner runs on a CPU with orders of magnitude more compute than the MCU. Complex algorithms (input shaping, pressure advance, non-linear kinematics for exotic printers) are feasible on Klipper that are not practical on Marlin.
  • Klipper’s UI is a web app (Mainsail or Fluidd) running on the Pi. Marlin’s UI is a small LCD or touchscreen driven by the MCU.
  • Klipper updates are instant. Change a config value, save, restart. Marlin requires recompiling and flashing firmware — a 5-minute process on a good day.
  • Klipper’s hardware footprint is bigger. You need a Raspberry Pi, a power supply for it, a USB or CAN connection to the printer’s MCU, a case or mount. Marlin needs nothing extra beyond what came in the box.

Both approaches are legitimate engineering. Marlin is an embedded system in the traditional sense — self-contained, resource-constrained, robust. Klipper is a host-controller architecture — more capable but more complex.

What each firmware does well

Where Marlin excels

Simplicity. Marlin is one thing. No Pi, no SSH, no config files stashed across directories. The printer powers on and it works. For 95% of hobby use cases, this is genuinely sufficient.

Reliability. Marlin has been in the field for over a decade on millions of machines. The failure modes are well-understood. There’s no Pi that might lose its SD card. There’s no Linux layer that might hang. It’s a printer with firmware; the firmware just runs.

Wide hardware support. Every consumer printer supports Marlin out of the box. Every third-party upgrade board (SKR, BTT Octopus, MKS, etc.) has Marlin configs ready.

Pre-Klipper printer speed is fine. For prints at moderate speeds (100-200mm/s) on consumer geometry, Marlin produces prints that look just as good as Klipper-produced prints. The quality gap opens up at higher speeds.

LCD and touchscreen support. Marlin drives native displays. You can operate a Marlin printer entirely from its screen without a phone or computer nearby. Klipper’s native UI is web-only (though display mods exist).

Lower power consumption. A Marlin printer uses the 10-30W the printer itself draws. Adding a Pi to run Klipper adds another 5-15W continuously.

Where Klipper excels

Input shaping. This is the headline. Input shaping is a motion-planning technique that analyzes the printer’s mechanical resonance and modifies stepper commands to avoid exciting those resonances. The result: ringing/ghosting artifacts largely disappear, even at high print speeds.

Marlin added input shaping in version 2.1.x (2023-2024), and it works, but the implementation is compute-limited by the MCU. Klipper’s input shaping has been mature since 2019 and supports more shaping types (ZV, MZV, EI, 2HUMP_EI, 3HUMP_EI) with better tuning tools.

Pressure advance. Similar story. Klipper’s pressure advance is mature, well-tested, and easy to tune with a live adjustment during a test print (SET_PRESSURE_ADVANCE ADVANCE=0.04 while the print runs). Marlin calls its version “linear advance” and has less sophisticated tuning.

Accurate motion at high speeds. Klipper was designed for the speeds printers now routinely hit (300-500mm/s). Its step compression, lookahead planning, and precise timing handle high-speed motion without the jerk and stutter that Marlin can produce above its comfort zone.

Instant config changes. Edit printer.cfg, save, restart Klipper (30 seconds). No recompile. This transforms the iteration speed of tuning.

Web-based operation. Mainsail and Fluidd give you camera feeds, file management, macro libraries, time-lapse recording, and mobile-friendly UIs — all without installing anything on your computer. Just open a browser.

Macros as a real programming language. Klipper macros use Jinja2 templating; you can write real logic, loops, conditionals. Marlin’s G-code macros are flat and more limited.

Pressure-independent flow rate calibration via the exclude-object feature and per-slice tuning. Klipper’s abstractions let the slicer community build quality-of-life features on top that Marlin can’t host.

Multi-MCU support. You can have one MCU for the printer’s main steppers, a second MCU for the toolhead (via CAN bus), a third for an add-on like a laser or second extruder. Klipper coordinates across all of them.

Exotic kinematics. Deltas, Polars, CoreXZ, cable-driven machines — Klipper has configurations for all of them. Marlin supports most of these but less gracefully.

The hardware setup

A Marlin printer

You probably already have one. A printer with Marlin consists of:

  • The printer
  • A USB cable or SD card slot for G-code input
  • Possibly a WiFi module for network printing (Creality’s Cloud adapter, OctoPrint on a separate Pi, etc.)

Nothing else. The printer is a self-contained unit. To change a firmware setting, you:

  1. Download Marlin source (or the pre-configured variant for your board).
  2. Edit the relevant #define lines in Configuration.h or Configuration_adv.h.
  3. Compile with PlatformIO (Visual Studio Code extension).
  4. Copy the compiled firmware.bin to the printer’s SD card.
  5. Power-cycle the printer; it flashes on boot.

About 15 minutes per change, once you’ve done it a few times. Slower the first time.

A Klipper printer

A typical Klipper setup:

  • The printer (same hardware)
  • A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (~$60-80)
  • A short USB cable between the Pi and the printer’s MCU
  • A microSD card for the Pi (~$15)
  • A 5V power supply for the Pi (~$10) — though many tie into the printer’s PSU for cleaner wiring
  • Optionally: a case for the Pi, a camera module (~$25-50), a small touchscreen for the Pi

Software layers:

  • Klipper — the firmware (runs as a Linux daemon on the Pi, plus a tiny flashed layer on the printer’s MCU).
  • Moonraker — the API server that bridges Klipper to web UIs.
  • Mainsail or Fluidd — the web UI for day-to-day operation.
  • KIAUH (Klipper Installation And Update Helper) — a script that installs all the above.

Total first-time setup: 2-4 hours if nothing goes wrong. A day or two if something does. Subsequent changes: edit config, save, restart — seconds.

The CAN bus option

More recent Klipper setups use a CAN bus toolhead board — a small MCU mounted on the toolhead itself, connected to the main MCU via a 4-wire CAN cable instead of the traditional 20+ wire umbilical. Benefits:

  • Dramatically reduces toolhead wiring. A CAN bus harness is 4 wires; a traditional toolhead harness has 10-15.
  • Toolhead-mounted sensors (accelerometers for input shaping, thermistors, filament sensors) are closer to what they measure.
  • Easier to swap toolheads — just unplug the CAN cable.

Common boards: BigTreeTech EBB series, Mellow Fly SB, Huvud. Cost: $30-60. Setup complexity: moderately higher than USB but worth it for advanced builds.

The performance difference, quantified

Numbers vary by printer, but roughly:

Print speed. Marlin-controlled Ender 3 with stock firmware: cruises at 50-80mm/s; 120mm/s with careful tuning. Klipper-controlled Ender 3 on the same mechanical hardware: 200-300mm/s routine, 400mm/s possible for infill.

Ringing at equivalent speeds. Marlin without input shaping: visible ringing on anything above 100mm/s. Klipper with input shaping: ringing nearly eliminated through 400mm/s.

Acceleration. Marlin’s default acceleration is usually 500-1500 mm/s². Klipper’s input shaping lets you push 5000-15000 mm/s² on the same hardware without visible artifacts. The prints complete dramatically faster.

First-layer consistency. Klipper’s motion planner handles extrusion width more consistently; Marlin’s first layers sometimes show small inconsistencies that Klipper doesn’t.

Noise. Klipper’s input shaping reduces the mechanical energy that gets turned into noise. A Klipper printer at high speed is noticeably quieter than the same printer on Marlin.

The bottom line: Klipper turns a mid-range printer into a fast printer. An old Ender 3 with Klipper prints faster and cleaner than it does with Marlin. The mechanical limits matter (belts, rails, frame stiffness), but the firmware removes them from being the bottleneck.

When Klipper isn’t worth it

Honest counter-points:

  • Bambu, Prusa, and Creality’s flagship machines already print fast with their native firmware. A Bambu X1C doesn’t need Klipper; its stock firmware implements the same techniques. A Prusa MK4 runs a modern Marlin fork with input shaping built in.
  • Print farms with many identical cheap machines may prefer Marlin — simpler, no Pi per machine (unless you want that), easier to replace a dead board.
  • Single-project or light hobby users may not print enough to benefit from the 20-30% speed increase. If a 4-hour print becomes a 3-hour print, but you print once a week, you saved 4 hours per month. Worth it? Depends on your time.
  • People who want reliability over tuning may be happier with Marlin. Klipper’s config files can be misedited; a bad commit can brick the setup until you revert.
  • Closed-ecosystem users (Bambu fans) literally cannot install Klipper on their printer. Bambu’s firmware is closed; modding isn’t supported. If you bought Bambu for the out-of-box experience, stay there.

The situations where Klipper is clearly worth it:

  • You own a Creality, Anycubic, Voron, or kit printer and you want it to print faster.
  • You want to tinker and learn about motion planning.
  • You have a Raspberry Pi sitting around already.
  • You print frequently enough that a 20% speedup per print saves meaningful time.
  • You want features (macros, camera, remote access) that Marlin doesn’t provide.

A practical Klipper setup for an Ender 3

If you’re starting from a stock Ender 3 V3 and want to go to Klipper, the path:

  1. Decide on an SBC. Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB+) or Pi 5 work well. Orange Pi 3B, Radxa Zero 3, or a mini PC also fine.
  2. Flash the SBC. Download Raspberry Pi OS Lite (headless). Flash to microSD. Boot, configure WiFi and SSH.
  3. Install KIAUH. SSH into the Pi and run: 
    git clone https://github.com/dw-0/kiauh.git
cd kiauh
./kiauh.sh
  4. Install Klipper, Moonraker, and Mainsail via the KIAUH menu. Automated, 20-30 minutes.
  5. Compile Klipper firmware for your printer’s MCU. KIAUH walks you through this. Select your MCU chip (STM32F103 for Ender 3 board, etc.) and build.
  6. Flash the printer’s MCU. Plug the SD card with the compiled firmware into the printer; boot; it flashes.
  7. Connect the Pi to the printer via USB cable.
  8. Edit printer.cfg with your printer’s settings. There are pre-made configs for common printers on the Klipper GitHub.
  9. Run the calibrations — bed level, PID tuning, input shaping (requires an accelerometer), pressure advance, flow rate.
  10. Start printing. First print: a benchy. Compare to your pre-Klipper benchy — the difference is immediate.

Expected time: one weekend if you’ve never done it, including learning curve. Half a day if you have.

Live config editing: the Klipper workflow

Day-to-day Klipper usage is radically different from Marlin:

Scenario: you want to try a new pressure advance value.

Marlin workflow: recompile firmware with new default, flash, test. Or modify via G-code (M900 K0.05) — temporary, not saved to firmware.

Klipper workflow: SSH in or use Mainsail’s config editor, change pressure_advance: 0.04 to 0.06, save, click “Firmware Restart” in Mainsail. 10 seconds. Or use SET_PRESSURE_ADVANCE ADVANCE=0.06 as a G-code command — effective immediately, no restart.

This iteration speed makes Klipper much more fun to tune. Marlin’s compile-flash cycle is friction that suppresses tuning experimentation.

Macro examples

Klipper macros are where the firmware’s flexibility really shines. Some common ones:

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[gcode_macro PRINT_START]
gcode:
    {% set BED = params.BED|default(60)|float %}
    {% set HOTEND = params.HOTEND|default(210)|float %}
    M140 S{BED}
    M190 S{BED}
    M104 S{HOTEND}
    G28                      # Home
    BED_MESH_CALIBRATE       # Auto mesh
    M109 S{HOTEND}           # Wait for hotend
    LINE_PURGE               # Purge line near part
    G1 Z2.0 F3000

[gcode_macro PRINT_END]
gcode:
    M400                     # Wait for moves
    G91                      # Relative positioning
    G1 Z2 E-3 F300           # Retract and lift
    G90                      # Absolute
    G1 X0 Y220 F6000         # Park
    M104 S0                  # Hotend off
    M140 S0                  # Bed off
    M107                     # Fan off

In your slicer, the start G-code becomes:

PRINT_START BED=[first_layer_bed_temperature] HOTEND=[first_layer_temperature]

And the end G-code is just PRINT_END. The logic lives in the firmware, not the slicer. Change the logic once and every slicer profile benefits.

This is the workflow that makes Klipper feel more like software engineering than embedded tinkering.

Marlin’s modernization

Marlin hasn’t stood still. Recent versions (2.1.x as of 2024-2026) include:

  • Input shaping (basic implementation)
  • Linear advance (equivalent to pressure advance)
  • Network printing via the Creality/BigTreeTech cloud adapter or native WiFi on some boards
  • Touchscreen UIs that are genuinely usable
  • Better stepper drivers — TMC2209 standard, TMC5160 for premium boards

A well-configured Marlin 2.1 with input shaping calibrated is much closer to Klipper than Marlin 1.x was. For most people, stock Marlin on a modern printer is already pretty good.

The specific cases where Klipper still clearly wins:

  • High-speed CoreXY printers (Voron, RatRig) — Klipper’s motion planner handles the speeds better
  • Multi-MCU setups (CAN toolheads) — Klipper’s native support, Marlin less graceful
  • Active tuning workflows — live config changes win
  • Remote operation and camera workflows — Mainsail/Fluidd beat Marlin’s network options

For a user on a modern consumer printer with Marlin 2.1, the case for Klipper is smaller than it was in 2020. Still real, but not a no-brainer.

The ecosystem fork

There are Marlin-family and Klipper-family ecosystems around each firmware:

Marlin family:

  • Slicer: any — Marlin is the generic target
  • Host: OctoPrint (running on a Pi), or just USB/SD from your computer
  • Touchscreen: native on the printer
  • Community: legacy but deep

Klipper family:

  • Slicer: OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, Cura — all support Klipper output
  • Host: Mainsail or Fluidd (runs on the same Pi as Klipper)
  • Touchscreen: optional, via KlipperScreen on an attached display
  • Community: younger but very active, especially Voron/RatRig users

The short version

  • Marlin is the simple, self-contained firmware that ships on most consumer printers. Mature, reliable, improving. Right for most users.
  • Klipper splits the firmware across a Pi and the printer’s MCU, enabling input shaping, pressure advance done right, faster printing, and a much better tuning workflow. Requires an extra Pi and one-time setup effort.
  • Klipper is objectively better for serious hobbyists and kit builders. Marlin is fine for casual users on modern consumer hardware.
  • Bambu, Prusa, and recent Creality flagship machines have closed their firmware enough that Klipper isn’t an option — their stock firmware is close to Klipper-parity anyway.

If you’re curious, install Klipper on a secondary printer or a cheap Ender 3 and see what a well-tuned setup prints like. The first high-speed benchy — 20 minutes, clean, no ringing — is the moment most people understand why the community made the switch.

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