# STL Simple Viewer vs Miniature Painter Pro

STL Simple Viewer and Miniature Painter Pro both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Miniature Painter Pro's written reviews are positive against 17% of STL Simple Viewer's. Miniature Painter Pro also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 20 months). STL Simple Viewer's advantage is ratings volume (866 vs 77). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. STL Simple Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Miniature Painter Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for STL Simple Viewer against 4.4 for Miniature Painter Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: STL Simple Viewer has 866 ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 17% of STL Simple Viewer's written reviews are positive against 71% of Miniature Painter Pro's.

STL Simple Viewer ships an update every 20 months, Miniature Painter Pro monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | STL Simple Viewer | Miniature Painter Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (866 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stl-simple-viewer/id1493598400/reviews) | **[4.4 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miniature-painter-pro/id1495938928/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **866** | 77 |
| Positive reviews | 17.2% of reviews | **70.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Victor Bovio](https://appshunter.io/developer/327627515) | [Rick Fleuren](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492634365) |

## What reviewers say

### STL Simple Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stl-simple-viewer/id1493598400)

Easily view and interact with 3D STL CAD models. Supports various file types and offers advanced rendering options for detailed analysis. Get model information and explore interiors with clipping planes.

**Highlights:** View ASCII and Binary STL files, Load STL from ZIP, Rotate, pan, and zoom, Orthogonal and Perspective modes, Model info (triangle count, bounding box), Rendering options (faces, edges, transparency), Clipping plane for interiors

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro version (1 week plan) | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro version (1 month plan) | $1.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Export to OBJ, DAE, DXF, PLY | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive viewer
- 👍 Useful viewing options
- 💡 Supports multiple file formats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🚨 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🔍 Limited functionality for larger files

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening larger STL files
- Inability to open some file formats
- Ads continue to appear even after paying for ad removal

**Requested features**

- Add ability to save color/lighting settings
- Improve stability and reduce crashes
- Provide an ad-free paid version


### Miniature Painter Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miniature-painter-pro/id1495938928)

This app helps miniature painters manage their paint collections and color choices. It features an advanced color picker, cross-brand paint comparison, and a paint mixer. Users can store and organize their palettes with notes for future reference.

**Highlights:** Advanced color picker, Cross-brand paint comparison, Paint mixer, Palette storage, Group palettes, Add notes to palettes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze | $2.99 | one-time |
| Silver | $5.99 | one-time |
| Gold | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is STL Simple Viewer free?

STL Simple Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Miniature Painter Pro free?

Miniature Painter Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, STL Simple Viewer or Miniature Painter Pro?

Miniature Painter Pro is rated higher. STL Simple Viewer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 866 ratings, while Miniature Painter Pro averages 4.4 from 77 ratings.

### Do STL Simple Viewer or Miniature Painter Pro have ads?

STL Simple Viewer shows ads; Miniature Painter Pro does not.

### Which is updated more often, STL Simple Viewer or Miniature Painter Pro?

STL Simple Viewer ships an update every 20 months, and Miniature Painter Pro monthly. Most recently, STL Simple Viewer was updated on September 26, 2026 and Miniature Painter Pro on September 22, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*