The 7 Best Thingiverse Alternatives to Use
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon- While Thingiverse remains popular, concerns over security, slow performance, and lack of commercial restrictions have led users to seek alternative platforms with better safeguards and user experiences.
- Platforms like Printables and My Mini Factory prioritize quality control, offer active community engagement, and provide advanced search tools, enhancing users' overall 3D printing experience.
- From platforms like Cults and CGTrader offering extensive model categories to Thangs providing advanced search capabilities and collaboration tools, there's a diverse range of alternatives to Thingiverse tailored to different user requirements and preferences.
Thingiverse was launched in 2008 by Makerbot Industries and has become the largest collection of free 3D model files globally, offering over 1.4 million options. These designs, shared by experts and professional designers eager to showcase their creations, are available for anyone to download.
At times, Thingiverse might not fully meet your needs. This guide will introduce alternatives to Thingiverse, helping you access various high-quality 3D printing files. We will discuss what Thingiverse offers, the reasons for considering alternatives, the best options available, and how search engines can assist in finding STL files.
What is Thingiverse?
Thingiverse is a platform for sharing files for creating physical objects through 3D printing. Initially, accessing or sharing 3D printing files online was challenging.
The site’s growth was gradual, with nearly 25,000 files available after four years. However, its expansion accelerated, reaching over a million files by 2015.
Thingiverse evolved from a niche platform to the largest 3D model website globally. Currently, the site boasts around 2.5 million files, downloaded hundreds of millions of times.
Why do you need Thingiverse alternatives?
Thingiverse may not provide everything you are seeking, prompting an exploration of alternative websites offering similar or superior designs. Here are reasons to consider other platforms for downloading 3D files:
- Security issues: Numerous security breaches have raised concerns about the safety of user information. Additionally, the prohibition of zip file downloads impacts the site’s reliability.
- File removal: Security issues have led many designers to withdraw their files from Thingiverse, resulting in unavailable files that frustrate users.
- Performance concerns: The site’s slow loading speeds, exacerbated by advertisements, significantly affect usability, even when using ad-blockers.
- Commercial usage limitations: The site lacks comprehensive commercial use guidelines for free files, which could be problematic for those using them commercially.
- Cost considerations: While Thingiverse is free, the quality of some models may not meet printing standards compared to paid options.
Considering these challenges, exploring websites offering similar 3D files without these drawbacks may be advantageous.
The Best Thingiverse Alternatives
Consider these 7 Thingiverse alternatives to access reliable and secure high-quality designs, providing you with numerous options:
1. Printables
Printables, developed by Prusa Research, is an outstanding Thingiverse alternative, known for its high-quality 3D printers. Printables offers a variety of free models for download, accessible even without a Prusa printer.
The website’s modern interface and efficient organization make it user-friendly. It features robust search capabilities, allowing you to find models by printer type, material, nozzle size, print time, and filament usage. Unique search functions for resin 3D printer models are also available.
Printables hosts contests with exciting prizes and offers a “Printables Clubs” feature, akin to Patreon, providing exclusive model access and creator engagement.
With continually expanding features and models, Printables is rapidly becoming a dynamic platform for exploring 3D designs, offering an engaging user experience.
↪ Pros
- Completely free to use
- Advanced search and filtering capabilities
- Subscription service available for additional benefits
↪ Cons
- Some features are specific to Prusa printer clients
- The subscription model may not appeal to all users
2. Cults
Cults, a French website founded in 2014, was the first independent 3D file-sharing platform. Its name aptly spells “St. Luc” backward, paying homage to the patron saint of artists and sculptors. It stands as the second-largest 3D file site after Thingiverse.
Cults offers designers the flexibility to share designs freely or sell them, with easy filtering for free files. Hosting over six million users, Cults provides an extensive selection of printable files, categorized into areas such as art, architecture, and gadgets.
The platform also features competitions, monthly STL file showcases, and a tool for importing Thingiverse models into Cults.
↪ Pros
- Reasonable fees
- Vast user community
- User-friendly tools and interface
- High visitor engagement
↪ Cons
- Limited customer service
- Strict content requirements
3. My Mini Factory
My Mini Factory stands out as a leading platform for finding 3D models, featuring a wide range of user-uploaded designs, most of which are free.
The site carefully checks every uploaded model for quality, making it a trusted choice for beginners. This quality assurance distinguishes My Mini Factory from Thingiverse, where some models may fall short in printability.
Designers can expedite approval by providing photos of printed models, or the My Mini Factory team will print them for verification. Although the site’s strict checks reduce its selection compared to Thingiverse, its curated collection remains compelling.
My Mini Factory runs engaging contests, regularly adding new customization features and improving the website’s interface and speed.
↪ Pros
- Direct interaction with buyers
- Extensive 3D printing enthusiast community
- Focus on 3D printing model quality
↪ Cons
- High fees
- Limited to STL files
4. GrabCAD
GrabCAD is a popular site among engineers and designers for sharing and downloading 3D CAD files, organized by popularity, engagement, and upload date.
It allows filtering by categories, such as 3D printing, aerospace, and architecture, and selecting software used to create files. Community groups offer opportunities to learn and collaborate, with a tutorial section to enhance design and editing skills.
GrabCAD also offers GrabCAD Print, a downloadable tool for creating and preparing designs for 3D printing.
↪ Pros
- Advanced search and filter capabilities
- User-friendly seller tools
- Competitive seller fees
- Vibrant community
↪ Cons
- Significant commission
- No allowance for firearm models
5. YouMagine
YouMagine, managed by Ultimaker, provides a user-friendly experience akin to Thingiverse, ensuring straightforward navigation and accessibility.
Although its collection is smaller, YouMagine maintains high standards for design quality and offers all designs for free. It lacks an active community forum, limiting user interaction and collaboration.
YouMagine’s comment sections enable feedback and inspiration, though the absence of more robust community features might reduce its appeal.
↪ Pros
- Reliable design quality control
- Time-efficient navigation
- Free downloads
↪ Cons
- Limited suitability for large projects
- No forum for community interaction
6. Thangs
Thangs emerged in 2020 as a versatile Thingiverse alternative, combining 3D file downloads with advanced search capabilities, building a vibrant community and library from diverse sources.
Its Membership program allows designers to secure access to their premium designs.
Thangs serves as a valuable platform for 3D professionals, offering annotation, collaboration, and version control tools similar to GitHub for software developers. It hosts both free and premium files with effective filtering options by file type, price, and source.
Recent updates have enhanced the user interface and introduced augmented reality features for Android and Apple platforms, allowing users to view models in real-world settings. Thangs has also launched Thangs Sync for secure design version storage.
↪ Pros
- Blender integration for model import
- Supports Windows and Mac
- Real-time mobile model viewing
- Provides cloud storage for design files
↪ Cons
- Model sync status clarity issues
- Some features might challenge new users
7. CGTrader
CGTrader is increasingly recognized as a Thingiverse alternative, providing a platform where creators can share both free and paid models. Since its founding in 2011, CGTrader has accumulated over 2 million models, although a limited number are free.
CGTrader allows price negotiation with designers, offering a practical solution for adjusting design costs. Designers earn substantial royalties, motivating them to produce high-quality, printable designs.
Although CGTrader mainly serves professionals in the VR/AR and CG sectors, it also provides STL files and other formats for general 3D printing purposes. Additionally, CGTrader facilitates custom projects by connecting users with professional designers.
Unlike Thingiverse, CGTrader encourages direct client-designer collaboration, though Thingiverse does enable interaction via comments or forums.
↪ Pros
- Availability of stock and custom 3D models
- Models can be sold royalty-free or exclusively
- Diverse model categories available
- Price negotiation with designers is an option
↪ Cons
- Primarily caters to professional users
- Limited availability of free models
How to find STL files with search engines?
Opening numerous 3D printing websites in search of a specific design or STL file can be time-consuming, often yielding unsatisfactory results. While many options may appear, finding an exact match is challenging.
Fortunately, dedicated STL search engines expedite the search process without requiring community membership or prolonged waits for platforms like Thingiverse. Consider these search engines when in pursuit of CAD models:
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon
