Which Bambu Lab AMS Should You Buy?
If you own a Bambu Lab printer, sooner or later you will want an AMS, Bambu’s automatic material system that holds multiple spools and swaps between them in the middle of a print. The problem is that Bambu now sells five different versions, and they do not all work with every printer or every filament. In this guide we will go over each one, what it can and cannot do, and which one makes the most sense for your printer.
Prices below are from Bambu Lab’s US store on November 3, 2026. Bambu’s Black Friday sale runs until December 1st, so we have listed both the sale price and the normal price.
The Short Version
If you have an A1 or A1 mini and mostly print PLA and PETG, get the AMS lite. If you have any other Bambu printer, get the AMS 2 Pro. If you print nylon, PC, or other filaments that need to be dried hot, add an AMS HT. The original AMS is still for sale and is the cheapest option for X1 and P1 owners who do not care about drying. The AMS 3H only comes with the new H3C.
AMS lite: $199 ($159 on sale)
The AMS lite is the budget option, made for the A series. It holds 4 spools in an open frame that sits next to your printer, and it is the easiest way to get into 4 color printing. It does not dry filament, and it is not sealed, so your spools are exposed to the air the whole time.
It works with the A1, A1 mini, and A2L only. It does not work with the X1 or P1 series at all. It handles PLA, PETG, dried PVA, and Bambu’s support materials, but Bambu says not to use it for ABS, ASA, PC, generic TPU, or most carbon fiber filaments. An A1 or A1 mini can only use one AMS lite, which means 4 colors is the maximum.
AMS (First Generation): $249 ($199 on sale)
The original AMS is still being sold. It holds 4 spools in a sealed box with desiccant, which helps keep filament dry, but it has no heater, so it cannot actually dry a wet spool. It supports a much wider range of materials than the AMS lite, including ABS, ASA, PET, nylon, and PC. Bambu does not list soft TPU or most third party carbon fiber and glass fiber filaments as supported.
For an X1 or P1 owner who does not care about drying, this is $30 cheaper than the AMS 2 Pro on sale. Just be sure to use the newer 6 pin cable if you are mixing it with newer AMS units, because Bambu says the old cable can cause connection problems.
AMS 2 Pro: $299 ($229 on sale)
The AMS 2 Pro is the one most people should buy. It holds 4 spools like the original, but it can also heat and dry filament up to 65°C. That is enough for PLA and PETG, but Bambu itself says it cannot fully dry ABS, ASA, nylon, PC, and other filaments that need more heat. It also only reaches 65°C when the room is at least 25°C.
It works with almost every Bambu printer, but some need extra parts. For example, the X1 and P1 series need a Filament Buffer ($24.99) or an AMS Hub ($48.99), and the A1 series needs the AMS Hub for A1 ($19.99). Drying is also a little complicated. The H2 series, P2S, and X2D can power the dryer on one AMS 2 Pro, but every other setup needs the AMS 2 Pro Switching Adapter ($32.99) for each unit. Drying while printing only works on the newer printers, so P1S, P1P, X1C, A1, and A1 mini owners cannot do that yet.
Also, if you already own one, check out our post on the AMS 2 Pro feeder replacement program. Some units built in 2026 are getting four free feeders.
AMS HT: $139 ($119 on sale)
The AMS HT is a single spool unit built for drying. It heats up to 85°C, which is hot enough for nylon, PC, ABS, and ASA, and it can rotate the spool while drying so it dries evenly. It has its own power cord, so it does not depend on the printer for power. It supports the same materials as the AMS 2 Pro.
The AMS HT is also the best option for soft TPU. It cannot feed generic TPU automatically, but it has a bypass outlet on the back, so you can feed TPU straight from the AMS HT to the printer while the spool stays sealed. Just know that you cannot dry and print TPU through the bypass at the same time. Since it is only one slot, most people add it next to an AMS 2 Pro rather than buying it on its own.
AMS 3H: Only With the H3C
The AMS 3H launched alongside the Bambu Lab H3C and is not sold separately. It holds 9 spools, one for each of the H3C’s print tools, and two of those slots can dry filament at up to 85°C, even while printing. Soft TPU skips the automatic feeding and goes through separate pass through ports instead. One thing that surprised us is that the AMS 3H does not unload filament on its own, so you have to pull it out and rewind it by hand.
What About TPU?
This is where a lot of people get confused. Bambu’s store pages say the AMS lite, AMS 2 Pro, and AMS HT support “TPU for AMS”. That is a specific, much stiffer Bambu filament (68D), not the soft and flexible TPU most people mean when they say TPU. Regular TPU, including Bambu’s own TPU 95A, does not feed through any 4 slot AMS. Your options are the external spool holder, the AMS HT bypass, or the H3C.
Which One Should You Get?
A1 or A1 mini: the AMS lite if you print PLA and PETG. If you want drying or more than 4 colors, get an AMS 2 Pro with the $19.99 A1 hub instead, since an A1 can run up to 4 full size AMS units but only one AMS lite, and you cannot mix the two.
A2L: the AMS lite for cheap multicolor PLA, or an AMS 2 Pro if you want drying. One AMS 2 Pro connects without any extra parts.
P1S, P1P, or X1C: the AMS 2 Pro, plus a Filament Buffer or AMS Hub if you do not already have one. If you do not care about drying, the original AMS saves you $30.
P2S or X2D: the AMS 2 Pro, with the switching adapter if you want to print while it dries. Add an AMS HT for TPU or engineering filaments.
H2S, H2D, or H2C: the AMS 2 Pro first, then AMS HT units for nylon, PC, and anything else that needs 85°C. These printers can run up to 4 AMS 2 Pro units and 8 AMS HT units at once.
H3C: the AMS 3H comes in the box. If you need to dry more than two spools, add an AMS HT or AMS 2 Pro through Bambu’s External AMS Filament Buffer.
All in all, the AMS 2 Pro is the safe pick for almost everyone, the AMS lite is the best deal for A series owners on a budget, and the AMS HT is the add-on to get if you print anything tougher than PETG. Not sure which filament you need in the first place? Try our Filament Finder!
Sources: Bambu Lab’s US store product pages and the Bambu Lab wiki, including the multi-AMS compatibility guide and AMS 2 Pro drying guide. Prices checked November 3, 2026.