Orca and Bambu Studio share a lot of similarities, which makes sense since both are built from the same foundation. Bambu Studio was originally ported from Prusa Slicer, which in turn evolved from the open-source Slic3r. Orca Slicer stays closer to Prusa’s design while adding significant enhancements that set it apart from Bambu. Here’s a quick side-by-side of the preferences pages to show just how much more refined Orca is:
Bambu vs Orca Preferences Page Comparison
It’s clear that Orca offers a more user-focused experience with additional customization options.
One feature that completely won me over is the ability to bypass the MakerWorld advertising page. This option, exclusive to Orca, highlights how the project prioritizes user experience, unlike Bambu Studio, which tends to push its own ecosystem at the expense of improving the slicer itself. Here’s what that looks like:
There’s really no downside to having both programs on your machine. Orca Slicer coexists seamlessly with Bambu Studio and even utilizes the same core libraries (Bambusource.dll). In fact, you’ll occasionally spot features in Bambu Studio that were originally borrowed from Orca’s open-source contributions(Bambu does give credit to Orca in the release notes), showing just how collaborative the two teams can be.
That said, Orca Slicer remains a true community-driven project, built by enthusiasts who want to give back to the 3D printing community without any profit motives. While Bambu might leverage its resources to stay competitive, Orca Slicer is the “People’s Slicer”—made by and for hobbyists who are passionate about improving the 3D printing experience for everyone.