Thingiverse Free 3D models compared with Printables, MyMiniFactory and GrabCAD Library| Thingiverse Free 3D models | Printables | MyMiniFactory | GrabCAD Library |
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| Operator and status: Active. MyMiniFactory acquired Thingiverse from UltiMaker in February 2026 and is folding it into its own business. The seller said nothing would change for the moment, and the future direction is still being defined. | Operator and status: Run by Prusa Research, as the site footer states. | Operator and status: A London-based 3D printing platform, and the current owner of Thingiverse. | Operator and status: Owned by Stratasys, which acquired GrabCAD in September 2014. |
| Content and audience: Models for 3D printing, laser cutting and milling. Files include STL, OBJ and SCAD, and parametric designs can be adapted through the Customizer, one of the first to support OpenSCAD. | Content and audience: A community site for 3D printer users. Articles mention STL, STEP models and G-code. | | Content and audience: Began as a library where engineers, hobbyists and students share CAD models. It held over 5.5 million open source models as of March 2023. Content is uploaded by third parties. |
| Licensing: Most designs are free, open-source hardware under GNU GPL or Creative Commons. Contributors pick the licence per design, so check it before commercial use. | Licensing: The licence is chosen by creators. The terms for creators and the store terms are published on the site. | | Licensing: The footer says CAD files are uploaded and owned by third-party users, so check each model for usage terms. |
| Cost model: Free downloads. | Cost model: Free downloads for many models, but a Store and Clubs sell paid and exclusive content. | | Cost model: Founded as a free library. |
| When to choose it: Choose it for a very large, long-running library of printable and parametric designs. | When to choose it: Choose it for printer-oriented models from an active community, with free and paid options. | When to choose it: Choose it for tabletop and miniature content, and as an option as Thingiverse changes under the same owner. | When to choose it: Choose it for engineering parts and CAD-format models used by mechanical designers. |