The anycubic photon workshop vs chitubox question has a short answer: use Photon Workshop if every printer on your bench is an Anycubic, because it is free, adds text to models without a subscription, and handles remote printing on networked models. Pick free CHITUBOX Basic if you also run Elegoo or Phrozen machines, or slice on Linux.
Neither choice locks you out of the printer. CHITUBOX’s supported printer table lists a native format for 29 Anycubic resin printers, from the original Photon (.photon) to the Mono M7 Pro (.pwsz) and Photon P1 (.pp1), and Anycubic’s Mono M5s parameter guide publishes settings for “third party slicing software such as ChiTuBox.” The differences are ecosystem, motion control, price, and one unit conversion that wrecks prints.
Older comparisons are also out of date. In September 2025 CHITUBOX merged its Basic and Pro apps into one program with three tiers, so “Basic vs Pro” write-ups from before then describe software that no longer ships.
Photon Workshop vs CHITUBOX at a glance
| Anycubic Photon Workshop | CHITUBOX | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Anycubic | CBD-Tech, Shenzhen |
| Price | Free | Basic free; Advanced $9.99/month or $99/year; Pro $15.99/month or $169/year |
| Printers | Anycubic resin printers | Multi-brand; 29 Anycubic models in the docs table |
| Anycubic output | Native per-model format | The same native formats (.pm5s, .pwsz, .pm7m and so on) |
| Operating systems | Windows 10 1803 (64-bit) or later, macOS 11.3 or later | Windows 10 (64-bit), macOS, Ubuntu |
| Listed RAM minimum | None listed | 16 GB, 32 GB recommended |
| Supports | One-click auto, light-to-heavy presets, manual with anchor size | Auto and manual; Magic Support in Advanced |
| Hollow and drain holes | Hollow, Punch Holes | Hollow, Drill |
| Cutting | Free Cut | Cut, Split, Boolean (Split and Boolean in Advanced) |
| Text on models | Add Text, free | Text Label, Pro tier |
| Lift and retract units | mm/s | mm/min |
Prices are from 3D Printing Industry; CHITUBOX’s pricing page shows current first-year discounts.
Where does Photon Workshop win?
Photon Workshop wins when every printer is an Anycubic. It is free with no paid tiers, its machine profiles come from the company that writes the firmware, machine-specific features ship there first, and it is the slicer wired into Anycubic’s remote printing and video monitoring on networked models.
The newest build on Anycubic’s firmware page is V3.6.3, whose changelog adds a resin exposure time calibration function for the Mono 4 Ultra. Machine-specific features like that come from the vendor’s own slicer.
The download page lists remote printing and video monitoring among its headline features; both need a networked printer. Anycubic’s firmware page lists Anycubic App support for the Photon M3 Premium, Mono M5s and Mono M5; check your own model. From CHITUBOX, the file usually goes over on the USB stick.
The model tools are all free. Anycubic’s tool overview covers Repair, Hollow, Punch Holes, Free Cut for models larger than the plate, and Add Text with adjustable font, size and height. CHITUBOX puts text labels in its Pro tier, so if you stamp a part number or shop name into every base you sell, that settles it.
The quick start guide describes one-click supports with light-to-heavy presets, options to raise the support angle or cut anchor distance, and manual placement with selectable anchor size. After slicing, the island detector flags under-supported regions in yellow and red. For a second check, UVtools reads Photon Workshop files and runs its own island and resin-trap detection.
Where does CHITUBOX win?
CHITUBOX wins on a mixed bench, on a Linux workstation, and for anyone who wants to tune how each layer peels. The free Basic tier slices, supports and hollows without a subscription, one workflow covers Anycubic, Elegoo and Phrozen machines, and some resin makers, Liqcreate among them, write their settings guides around its fields.
CHITUBOX also ships an Ubuntu build; Photon Workshop is Windows and macOS only. The cost is hardware: the installation docs list 16 GB of RAM as the minimum, 32 GB recommended, plus at least 1 GB of video memory.
For tuning, it exposes more of the machine’s motion. The print settings reference splits lift and retract into two phases with separate distances and speeds, plus rest times before lift, after lift and after retract. A slow first phase while the layer leaves the film and a fast second phase saves time without speeding up the peel itself. If parts tear off supports or leave cured skin on the film, try that first-phase speed; the resin sticking to FEP guide covers the rest.
It also documents grayscale anti-aliasing with optional image blur, light PWM, shrinkage compensation, and tolerance compensation for inner and outer diameters, the setting for press-fit pins and holes.
The paid tiers target production. Advanced adds Multi-Platform for up to 100 build plates and Magic Support, with Split and Boolean; Pro adds ChituAction automation, advanced repair and text labels. Most hobbyists never need them. A shop running one SKU across many plates should weigh $99 a year against the layout hours saved.
Do exposure settings carry over between the two slicers?
Exposure settings carry over unchanged: normal exposure, bottom exposure and bottom layer count mean the same thing in both slicers, and they belong to the resin, not the software. Lift and retract speeds do not. Anycubic publishes them in mm/s, the unit Photon Workshop uses, while CHITUBOX takes mm/min, so 6 mm/s becomes 360 mm/min.
Liqcreate’s Photon Mono settings guide, written for CHITUBOX, gives every speed in mm per minute, such as 90 mm/min for normal-layer lifts. Paste either set of numbers into the other slicer unconverted and the plate moves 60 times faster or slower than intended.
Anycubic’s published row for ABS-Like Resin Pro on the Photon Mono M5s at 0.05 mm, from its M5s guide, entered in each slicer:
| Setting | Photon Workshop | CHITUBOX |
|---|---|---|
| Layer height | 0.05 mm | 0.05 mm |
| Exposure | 3 s | 3 s |
| Bottom exposure | 25 s | 25 s |
| Bottom layers | 5 | 5 |
| Lift distance | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Lift speed | 6 mm/s | 360 mm/min |
| Retract speed | 6 mm/s | 360 mm/min |
Anycubic High Speed Resin on the same printer runs a 3 mm lift at 20 mm/s up and down with 0.1 mm layers, which is 1200 mm/min in CHITUBOX.
Anycubic’s 0.5 s off time needs care. CHITUBOX defines its legacy Light-off Delay as the total of lift, wait and retract, and its docs warn that printers not using .ctb “may use the same option name” with a different definition. The closest match to a pause before the next exposure is rest time after retract.
How to verify: before starting, compare the lift and retract speeds on the printer’s touchscreen with the table; a value 60 times off means the unit was lost. Then confirm exposure with the R_E_R_F test from the exposure settings guide, and see the resin types comparison before reusing a profile across bottles.
Can you move files between them?
Yes, but re-slicing is the clean route. Both programs start from a mesh, so keep the STL or OBJ and slice it again in the other program. For a sliced file whose mesh is gone, UVtools converts between more than 40 resin formats, including CHITUBOX’s .ctb and Photon Workshop extensions such as .pm5s and .pwsz.
Conversion changes the container, not the pixel grid, so only convert between formats for the same screen resolution, then check the settings block, which UVtools lets you edit.
Which slicer should you use?
Use Photon Workshop if you own only Anycubic resin printers, and especially if you rely on remote printing or run the newest models. Use CHITUBOX Basic if you run more than one brand, slice on Linux, or want two-phase lift control. Pay for CHITUBOX Advanced only when multi-plate batch work justifies $99 a year.
- Anycubic only, minis or display pieces: Photon Workshop, with vendor profiles and no unit conversion.
- Anycubic plus Elegoo or Phrozen: CHITUBOX Basic. Convert Anycubic’s mm/s figures once and save the profile.
- Small shop batching one SKU: CHITUBOX Advanced for Multi-Platform, unless the product needs embossed text, which Photon Workshop does free.
- PC with less than 16 GB RAM: Photon Workshop, which lists no RAM floor.
FAQ
is chitubox better than photon workshop
Not for an all-Anycubic setup. Photon Workshop is free with no tiers, uses Anycubic’s own printer profiles, includes text and cut tools, and handles remote printing on supported networked models. CHITUBOX is the better pick if you also own other brands, slice on Linux, or want two-phase lift and tolerance compensation for functional parts.
can i use chitubox with an anycubic photon mono
Yes. CHITUBOX saves native Anycubic files, including .pwmo for the original Photon Mono, .pwmx for the Mono X, .pm5s for the Mono M5s and .pwsz for the Mono M7 Pro. Select the exact printer profile before slicing, and enter lift and retract speeds in mm/min, which is Anycubic’s mm/s figure times 60.
is chitubox still free
Yes, the Basic tier is still free. Since CHITUBOX merged its Basic and Pro apps in September 2025, the paid options are Advanced at $9.99 a month or $99 a year and Pro at $15.99 a month or $169 a year. Multi-Platform, Magic Support, ChituAction and text labels sit in those paid tiers.
why can’t my anycubic printer see my chitubox file
Usually the file has the wrong extension for that machine. Anycubic printers generally list only files in their own format, such as .pm5s on a Mono M5s or .pwmb on a Mono X 6K, and CHITUBOX picks the extension from the selected printer profile. Re-select the exact model, re-slice, save, and copy the file to the USB stick.
Related across the network
- How to Add Supports to Resin Prints: Placement and Settings — resinprintguide.com
- Resin Print Layer Separation: Causes and Fixes — resinprintguide.com
