Discover smart buying decisions with Better Buy Base. We provide clear comparisons, pros and cons, and tailored recommendations for every budget and need.
This comparison puts the Brother MFC-J5010DW and Brother MFC-J5110DW side by side — two printers measured against the same 24-spec sheet, with every meaningful gap scored and explained. On our weighted VS Score the Brother MFC-J5110DW finishes ahead, 98 to 93 — a solid lead.
The single biggest measurable gap is input tray capacity: 250 sheets vs 500 sheets. A transparency note before you dive in: the spec sheets are Brother MFC-J5010DW 88% and Brother MFC-J5110DW 100% complete. Anything unverified shows as Unknown and is left out of the scores — we never estimate a missing value.
Tap a category to see which one wins it.
Printing
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
This category is a tie
Scanning & copying
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
This category is a tie
Paper handling
Brother MFC-J5010DW0
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW wins Paper handling
Connectivity
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
This category is a tie
Design
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW63
Brother MFC-J5010DW wins Design
93Points
98Points
Where the Brother MFC-J5010DW beats the Brother MFC-J5110DW
A lighter build ?14 kg vs 17.1 kg
Where the Brother MFC-J5110DW beats the Brother MFC-J5010DW
A much higher input tray capacity ?500 sheets vs 250 sheets
The spec sheet pulls in both directions. These are the gaps big enough to shape the decision — with the actual figures, and what each one means in real-world use.
Input tray capacityPaper handling
250 sheets vs 500 sheets — 2× more for the Brother MFC-J5110DW
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
WeightDesign
14 kg vs 17.1 kg — 18% less for the Brother MFC-J5010DW
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
Which one should you buy?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you will actually use it for. Match your priority to the pick below.
Best for paper handlingBrother MFC-J5110DW takes the category 100 to 0 — driven by input tray capacity (250 sheets vs 500 sheets).
Best for designBrother MFC-J5010DW takes the category 100 to 63 — driven by weight (14 kg vs 17.1 kg).
The safe all-rounderBrother MFC-J5110DW wins more of the categories that carry real weight, topping the overall VS Score at 98.
Where each one falls short
Brother MFC-J5010DW
Input tray capacity: 250 sheets vs 500 sheets
3 specs are unreported (shown as Unknown) and excluded from its scores.
Brother MFC-J5110DW
Weight: 14 kg vs 17.1 kg
What matters to you?
Drag the sliders to weight each category and re-rank the products to suit your priorities.
Printing
Scanning & copying
Paper handling
Connectivity
Design
Your ranking
Brother MFC-J5010DWYour pick91
Brother MFC-J5110DWYour pick97
Score breakdown
Printing
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
Scanning & copying
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
Paper handling
Brother MFC-J5010DW0
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
Decided by input tray capacity (250 sheets vs 500 sheets).
Connectivity
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW100
Design
Brother MFC-J5010DW100
Brother MFC-J5110DW63
Decided by weight (14 kg vs 17.1 kg).
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored relative to this matchup: the best value here earns 100%, the worst 0%, and everything between scales linearly. Each spec then counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The category scores above are the weighted results inside each group, and the overall VS Score rolls all of them together; the evidence line under each category names the specs that actually decided it.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec a product doesn’t report simply drops out of that product’s scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — and a spec only one side reports can never produce a “win”. The trade-off is honest but real: a thinner spec sheet means a score built on fewer data points, which is why the completeness figures are disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the scores as a structured summary of what can be measured, read the caveats under each key difference, and use the weight tuner to re-rank the comparison by what matters to you.
Printing
Print technology ?
Inkjet
Inkjet
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Color printing ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Print speed (black) ?
28 ppm
28 ppm
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Print speed (color) ?
26 ppm
26 ppm
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
Print resolution ?
4,800 dpi
4,800 dpi
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Automatic duplex printing ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Supertank / refillable ink ?
✗Brother MFC-J5010DW
✗Brother MFC-J5110DW
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
Monthly duty cycle ?
? Unknown (Brother MFC-J5010DW)
35,000 pages
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
All-in-one ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Automatic document feeder ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
ADF capacity ?
50 sheets
50 sheets
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Duplex scanning ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Fax ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
Input tray capacity ?
250 sheets
500 sheets
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
Output tray capacity ?
? Unknown (Brother MFC-J5010DW)
150 sheets
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
Max paper size ?
Legal (8.5 x 14 in)
Legal
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Wi-Fi ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Wi-Fi Direct ?
? Unknown (Brother MFC-J5010DW)
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Connect devices directly without a router.
Ethernet ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
A wired network port for reliable office use.
USB ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Apple AirPrint ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Mobile app printing ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
Touchscreen display ?
✓Brother MFC-J5010DW
✓Brother MFC-J5110DW
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
Weight ?
14 kg
17.1 kg
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
About this data
Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
Specifications last verified August 21, 2026.
Data completeness: Brother MFC-J5010DW 88% and Brother MFC-J5110DW 100% of the 24 specs in this category. Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from all scores.
Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
The Brother MFC-J5110DW comes out ahead, scoring 98 to 93 on our VS Score. It leads on Paper handling. The Brother MFC-J5010DW answers back with stronger Design. Pick the Brother MFC-J5110DW unless Design matters most to you — then the Brother MFC-J5010DW is the smarter buy.