Lychee vs Chitubox, in short: used by 1M+ makers, free to start, 30 days of Plus with no credit card, models included when you want them.
Free on Windows, macOS and Linux. Already slicing with Chitubox? Jump to what carries over.
Eleven things people check before they switch. A check marks where Lychee leads, an equals sign where both do the job.
| Lychee vs Chitubox, *side by side.* | Lychee Slicer | Chitubox | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free edition | Free edition, free forever: Magic Button, auto supports, island detector, and 30 days of Plus included. Free | Basic, free. Account required to download. | Both free. Lychee adds 30 days of Plus to test the full toolset before you decide. |
| Full toolset | Plus: €9.99/mo or €99.90/yr. | Pro: $15.99/mo or $169/yr. | Less for the complete slicer. Plus costs less than Chitubox Pro, monthly and yearly. |
| Free trial | 30 days of Plus, activated in the app. No credit card. | 7 days of Pro. | Four times longer. Test on your own prints, not on a demo. |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux (.deb and AppImage). | Windows, macOS. | Linux covered. The same app on all three systems. |
| Automatic supports | Auto supports and the Magic Button (one-click print ready), free. Free Grid and projection supports, support painting, proximity detection. Plus | Magic Support. Paid tiers only | Free from day one. Supports done for you; less time fixing, fewer failed plates. |
| Hollowing | 2D hollowing. Free Voxels Hollowing 3D, blockers, 3D drain-hole check. Plus | Basic hollowing. | Up to 50% resin saved on large pieces, with blockers and drain-hole check. |
| Multi-plate | Multi-Plate: limited in the Free edition, full in Plus. | Multi-Platform. Paid tiers only | Same feature from the paid tier. Lychee also gives a limited version for free. |
| Resin and filament | Both, in one app. Switch modes in a click. | Resin only. | One app for every printer you own. |
| Printer support | 750+ resin and filament printers. Community resin profiles in-app. Exports printer-native files including .ctb and .goo. | Profiles for Chitu-based printers. | Both broad. Check your model in the 750+ list; Lychee exports .ctb and .goo too. |
| Model library | Lychee Library inside the slicer: 3,600+ pre-supported models from the top creators, hundreds of new models every month, unlimited downloads. Plus & Library | ChituHive store in the app: models are bought one by one. | Models included, or pay per model. |
| Community and help | #1 worldwide community: 75K subscribers on YouTube, 29K members on Discord. Priority support with Plus. | Documentation. | Real people online every day, not only documentation. |
The three reasons that come up most often in our user surveys when someone arrives from Chitubox.
Fine tips, smart placement, clean removal. The Auto-Support System puts supports where the model needs them and keeps them off the details that show. Paint them exactly where you want, and let proximity detection catch the spots that would fail before you print.
See all support features"It generates excellent supports that are easy to remove."Lychee Free user, survey, October 2025
Drop your model, press the Magic Button, print. Orientation, supports, hollowing and slicing happen in one click, in the free edition. Then tune whatever you want, or don't.
See the Magic Button in the feature list"Thank you, it saved resin printing for me. Without the auto tools I would have quit. The more automation the better."Lychee Pro user, survey, May 2023
With Plus & Library, 3,600+ models from the top creators are a click away inside the slicer, pre-supported and certified by Lychee, with hundreds of new models every month.
Discover Lychee Library"My favorite STL creator provided .lys pre-supported files and I've never looked back."Lychee Plus user, survey, August 2025
Unedited answers from Lychee user surveys, 2022 to 2026, and one studio that made Lychee its standard. 23 reviews, 9 shown.
"Since September 2021, Loot has adopted Lychee as our go-to slicer program. We always recommend our subscribers use Lychee to achieve better printing results."
"Reliability and ease of use. I just came from Chitubox... This seems way more user friendly!"
"I have used it twice now... the first print was fantastic compared to Chitubox auto-support (same project)."
"My printer (Phrozen Sonic Mighty 8k) came with Lychee and Chitubox. I tried Lychee, loved it immediately."
"I saw a video saying it was better than chitubox, watched it, learned it, and agreed. Good job guys."
"It was a slight learning curve at first but I figured it out enough and have a much higher success rate with this slicer than I did with Chitubox."
"Seems much more user friendly than the other two resin slicers i've tried, Anycubic's own and Chitu."
"Better product at a better price than Chitubox Pro"
"it doesn't crash or take forever to slice like Chitubox did"
"Works great on Linux, so much better than chitu, worth the monthly sub just for that."
"Been using this for years, and only use Chitu or Prusa when I have to. It's my preferred software for a good reason. It's awesome!"
"It generates excellent supports that are easy to remove."
"the algorithm you use for supports is the best out there"
"Best support tools in the business"
"Thank you so much for adding In-Line Supports, you've shortened my workflow from 5 hours to 5 minutes! :D"
"Thank you, it saved Resin Printing for me. Without the auto tools I would have quit. The more automation the better."
"I love Lychee, I have tried many slicers and its the only one which works well."
"it is easy to use and saves so much time"
"Love the product. It just works. Like, every time :)"
"I am retired on a budget. The free version is actually AWSOME!! VERY HAPPY with it. You have done a great job."
"My favorite STL creator provided .lys pre-supported files and I've never looked back."
"I love the library, it's such a cool feature."
"This was not an easy issue to fix, but the support team kept working on it until they found a solution."
"Great product supported by good people. Discord is a game changer for information transfer."
Quotes are unedited answers to Lychee user surveys (2022 to 2026). "Pro" and "Premium" were the names of today's Plus edition until 2024; "Free" is the free edition.
Whatever comes off your printer, the tools for it are already in Lychee Slicer.
Auto supports that leave no trace, support painting, thousands of pre-supported minis in the Library.
Hollowing 3D with blockers, drain-hole check and suction cup detector: up to 50% resin saved.
Full multi-plate, batch tools and parenting to prepare whole sets in one session.
Split, planar cut and assembly keys to print big parts in pieces that fit together.
Physical size mode, measuring tool and fine support tips for pieces that have to be exact.
Repeat plates, precise dimensions, profiles for the printers labs use.
STL, OBJ and 3MF import, mesh repair, real-time projection to check every detail before printing.
The same app slices your FDM printer too: 750+ printers, resin and filament, one habit.
Free forever: Magic Button, auto supports, island detector, 2D hollowing, multi-plate (limited). 30 days of Plus included.
Download nowFree. Account required to download. 7-day trial of Pro.
or €99.90/yr (€8.33/mo). Full support tools, Hollowing 3D, full Multi-Plate, no ads, priority support.
Subscribe nowor $169/yr. Chitubox's full-featured tier.
or €199.90/yr (€16.66/mo). Everything in Plus and 3,600+ pre-supported models, unlimited downloads.
Upgrade nowModels are bought one by one on the ChituHive store.
Lychee prices exclude local taxes. Chitubox prices as published by CBD-Tech at the October 2025 relaunch. Both apps need a free account.
With Plus & Library, pre-supported, ready-to-print models come with the slicer, unlimited. On ChituHive, Chitubox's in-app store, you buy them one at a time.
Grumpii@grumpii.art
Animal Den Miniatures@animal_den_miniatures
Artificers Mini@artificers_mini
Atlas 3DSS@atlas_3DSS
Bionic 3D@bionic_3d
Creature Armory@creature_armorySix of the 120+ creators publishing in Lychee Library, as shown on lychee.co/library.
No importer magic, just the facts. Most people are printing from Lychee within an evening.
STL, OBJ and 3MF open as they are. Pre-supported STL files you exported from Chitubox import as meshes.
Lychee project files (.lys) from creators open natively. Supported STL from any store works too.
Re-import the original mesh and let Auto-Support rebuild supports.
750+ built-in profiles. Lychee exports printer-native files, including .ctb and .goo for Elegoo, .pwmx for Anycubic and more.
Pick a community resin profile in the app or type your exposure times. Run one calibration print; firmware timing differs between slicers.
Keep both installed for a week and slice the same plate twice. Compare supports, hollowing and print time, then decide.
Yes for most makers: miniatures, big pieces, mixed resin and filament setups and anyone on Linux. The fastest way to know for your own prints is to slice the same plate in both; Lychee gives you 30 days of Plus to do it, with no credit card.
Yes. The Free edition is free forever: the Magic Button prepares a print-ready plate in one click, with auto supports, island detector, 2D hollowing and limited multi-plate, on 750+ printers. It shows an ad when you export. Plus removes the ad and unlocks the full toolset.
No for project files (.ctp, .chitubox), yes for the meshes (STL, OBJ, 3MF). Re-import the model and rebuild supports with Auto-Support.
Yes. Lychee exports printer-native files for 750+ printers, including .ctb and .goo. Open your printer's page in our supported printers list to see the exact formats.
Yes, almost certainly. Lychee ships profiles for 750+ printers from about 150 brands. Search your model in the supported printers list.
Yes, as a .deb package and an AppImage, alongside Windows and macOS.
Yes, Lychee slices both resin and filament in the same app. Chitubox is resin only.
No, not an included one. Chitubox has ChituHive, an in-app store built with MyMiniFactory where you buy models one at a time. Lychee Library works the other way round: one subscription, thousands of pre-supported models, unlimited downloads.