Best PLA+ Filament: Comparing PLA Plus and PLA Pro Spools

PLA+ is a label, so read each brand as its own material

No standards body defines PLA+. The plus sign, the word "Plus" and the word "Pro" are names brands give to PLA they have modified, usually to make printed parts less brittle. Because each company picks its own additives, two spools both called PLA+ can ask for different temperatures, different speeds and different bed settings.

Polymaker is one of the few makers that says plainly what its version is meant to do. It describes its PLA Pro as offering improved impact resistance and flexural strength compared to standard PLA (opens in a new tab), and its comparison page positions PLA Pro as a material meant to bridge the gap (opens in a new tab) between rigid standard PLA and its more ductile PolyMax PLA. Most brands are less specific, which is why the numbers on the spec sheet matter more than the name on the box. For the material tradeoffs in depth, see PLA vs PLA+.

What PLA+ makers actually publish

The table collects figures from each brand's own product page. It is alphabetical, not ranked, and a blank means the maker did not state that value on the page we checked.

Three patterns are worth noticing.

Speed ratings vary more than anything else. Duramic and JAYO rate their PLA+ at 80mm/s and ZIRO at 90mm/s, while eSUN states 350mm/s. That is more than a fourfold spread for products sold under nearly the same name. A slow rating is not a defect, but it decides which printer the spool suits.

The floor of the nozzle window moves. Several lines start at 190°C, the same place many standard PLAs start, while eSUN, Duramic and Polymaker start at 210°C. If you load a 210°C-minimum spool into a profile tuned for 195°C standard PLA, expect weak layers until you raise the heat.

Tolerance runs from ±0.02mm to ±0.05mm. Duramic's ±0.05mm is the widest stated figure in this group. It is still a published commitment, which beats having none.

Compare against the same brand's standard PLA

The most useful baseline for any PLA+ is that brand's ordinary PLA, because it shows what the "plus" changed in practice. JAYO shifts its nozzle window up by five degrees, from 200 to 210°C on JAYO PLA (opens in a new tab) to 205 to 215°C on PLA+, and lowers the bed from 60 to 80°C to 55 to 65°C. SUNLU also adds five degrees at both ends, going from 200 to 240°C on SUNLU PLA (opens in a new tab) to 205 to 245°C. Overture widens the top of the range, from 190 to 220°C on Overture PLA (opens in a new tab) to 190 to 230°C. Anycubic, by contrast, lists the same nozzle, bed and speed figures for PLA Basic (opens in a new tab) and PLA+.

So upgrading within one brand can mean a new profile, or almost no change at all. Read both pages before you assume.

What makes a PLA+ spool a strong pick

• A published nozzle and bed range, so you can build a profile instead of guessing from the standard PLA one.
• A stated speed rating that matches your machine. On a fast CoreXY printer, an 80mm/s rating means a slow profile; on a 250mm/s bed slinger, it is less of a constraint.
• A numeric tolerance. Every line in the table above except Overture and Polymaker publishes one on the page we checked.
• Spool details you can check. ZIRO lists a plastic reel 203mm across, 63mm wide with a 60mm hub. Duramic ships on cardboard, and eSUN offers a printable adapter so its cardboard reel runs in a Bambu Lab AMS (opens in a new tab).
• A clear net weight. JAYO's PLA+ comes on 1.1kg spools, and eSUN sells 1kg, 3kg and 5kg sizes. pla.deals divides the listing price by the total net filament weight, so those extra grams count in the price per kg the grid shows.

Printer considerations

Fast printers expose the speed column. Creality's K1 is rated to 600mm/s, so a PLA+ rated at 200mm/s or less needs its speed capped in the slicer; our Creality K1 filament page explains how those caps work. If you want a modified PLA built for speed from the outset, the high-speed PLA page covers lines whose makers rate them at 500mm/s and above.

Multi-spool units expose the reel. ELEGOO notes that an AMS can rub the paper tray of a cardboard spool until it delaminates (opens in a new tab), which is why makers publish rings and adapters. Our AMS filament page lists what to check before loading a spool.

Common mistakes with PLA+

1. Reusing a standard PLA profile unchanged. If the PLA+ starts at 210°C and your profile runs at 200°C, layers may separate under load.
2. Expecting the same result from every brand. One maker's PLA+ may favor impact toughness, another's may simply carry the label. The spec sheet is the only evidence before you print.
3. Ignoring the speed rating on a fast printer. Running an 80mm/s spool at full machine speed asks the hot end to melt plastic faster than its maker planned for.
4. Buying PLA+ for decorative prints that do not need toughness. For figurines and display parts, a standard PLA from the same brand is simpler to tune.

The filament finder filters the catalog to PLA+ by brand, weight and price per kg.

Frequently asked questions

Are PLA+, PLA Plus and PLA Pro the same thing?

They are the same idea under different names: a PLA modified by its maker. They are not the same material from brand to brand. Compare each line's temperatures and speed rating rather than the label.

Do I need a hotter nozzle for PLA+?

Often, but not always. eSUN, Duramic and Polymaker all start at 210°C, while Anycubic, Overture and IIID MAX start at 190°C. Start in the middle of the window your spool's maker publishes.

Is PLA+ worth it for a slow bed slinger?

It can be, especially for functional parts like brackets and clips. The low speed ratings some brands give PLA+, such as 80mm/s, matter less on a printer that does not run much faster anyway.

Why does this page not name one winner?

pla.deals does not run its own print trials, and PLA+ varies too much by brand for one spool to suit every printer. The grid lists current in-stock PLA+ spools so you can apply the criteria above to real listings.