STL Master vs Thangs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
STL Master
View and interact with 3D models in augmented reality. Share instant screenshots and screen recordings of your designs directly from the app.
- STL file viewing
- Augmented reality (AR) mode
- Instant screenshots
- Screen recording
- Design sharing
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This app also allows you to share instant screenshots and screen recording videos of your designs without using any other tools/apps.
Thangs
Explore the largest 3D model search engine with over 15 million models. Discover new creators and connect with a growing community for CAD, 3D printing, AR, and VR applications. Find or upload tens of thousands of models weekly across various 3D formats.
- Largest 3D search engine
- Over 15 million 3D models
- Discover 3D creators
- Support for 30+ 3D formats
- Filters for 3D printing
- Connect with creators
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Whether a 3D printing enthusiast, CAD engineer, or AR VR consumer - Thangs is the first stop on your 3D journey: * Search: Largest 3D search engine on the planet, with over 15M models * Discover: Fastest growing community of 3D creators, with thousands of new models uploaded every week * Connect: Find your next favorite creator, follow them and be notified every time they upload new models With support for over 30 3D formats, Thangs users uploads tens of thousands of 3D models a week that span CAD, 3D printing, AR and VR use cases. If it isn’t on Thangs, use Thangs to search over 13M models across all major platforms. Powerful filters allow 3D printers to see only models which are available for 3D printing or additive manufacturing. Metaverse, Omniverse, or 3D printing in real life - Thangs exists to connect 3D creators with 3D consumers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: STL Master at 86% against Thangs's 24%. STL Master also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.0) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Thangs's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
STL Master holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 117 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of STL Master's written reviews are positive against 24% of Thangs's.
STL Master ships an update monthly, Thangs weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 8, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | STL Master | Thangs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (49 ratings) — better | 3.0 (117 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.1% of reviews — better | 23.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 49 | 117 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | JA Logic Labs LLC | Physna, Inc |
Customer experience
STL Master
Thangs
User reviews
STL Master
From 49 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and smooth rendering performance
- 💰 Completely free with no ads or trackers
- 🎨 High-quality rendering and visualization
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices (iPhone, iPad)
- 🌐 AR (Augmented Reality) feature
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- 🖱️ Difficult object manipulation and navigation
- 🔍 Zoom limitations (hard to zoom out/in)
- ❌ Inconsistent file loading and orientation
- 🎨 Overly shiny/metallic default appearance
Thangs
From 117 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient 3D model search across multiple platforms
- 👍 Intuitive and clean user interface
- 💡 Image-based search functionality
- 🔄 Seamless syncing with website account
- 📱 Easy browsing on mobile devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 App stuck on splash/loading screen (critical)
- 🖼️ Images fail to load or display
- 🔐 Login functionality broken with 2FA
- ⚠️ Frequent app crashes
- 🔗 Paywall blocking most content
Bugs and requests
STL Master
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes immediately on launch
- Files won't open or load
- Objects disappear when moved
- Inconsistent file orientation on load
- Markup mode traps user and requires app restart
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- Buttons don't toggle/close properly
- Measurement dimensions display as mirror images
- HDRI background doesn't affect model lighting
- Freezing in editing/pen tip mode
- Objects zoomed in with no zoom out capability
- Parts of model cut off or not displayed
- Mac version has significant stability issues
- iOS 10.2 compatibility crash
Requested features
13 requests- More color and material options
- Unit measurement display and metric/standard conversion
- How-to video tutorials for hidden features
- Proper zoom in/out controls
- Object positioning/movement button
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- Measurement and dimension tools
- Drag-and-drop file opening support
- Menu items for file operations
- Closeable menu buttons
- More file format support
- HDRI lighting affecting model rendering
- Save functionality for combined files
- Proper markup mode functionality
Thangs
Reported bugs
12 issues- App freezes on splash screen and never loads
- Image preview loading failures
- 2FA login code submission button hidden behind keyboard
- Email/password login not functional
- App crashes within minutes of use
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Scrolling broken on search results
- Touch input unresponsive on right side of screen
- Blank pages on iPad
- App incompatible with latest iOS versions
- Duplicate content in news feed
- Search results missing known models from Thingiverse
- Inconsistent app behavior between landscape and portrait modes
Requested features
10 requests- Direct download functionality from mobile app
- Dark mode option
- Ability to view liked models on mobile
- Zoom functionality for model images
- Save to collections feature
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- AR (augmented reality) model viewing
- Improved search result relevance
- Back button navigation
- Landscape/portrait mode consistency
- Remove redirect pages for direct downloads
In-app purchases
STL Master
No in-app purchases
Thangs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is STL Master free?
Is Thangs free?
Which has better reviews, STL Master or Thangs?
Do STL Master or Thangs have ads?
Which is updated more often, STL Master or Thangs?
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