Comparison

Plastic vs Valence 3D

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Plastic

Create 3D models using volumetric primitives and boolean operations, not polygons. Apply color and make non-destructive edits throughout the entire workflow. Export your creations for animation, rendering, or 3D printing.

Highlights
  • Volumetric modeling with primitives
  • Add and subtract operations
  • Integrated coloring tools
  • Non-destructive editing
  • Export to PLY format
Features
Read full description

In contrast to most other modeling tools, Plastic does not use polygons to define the shape of an object. Instead, you build up a volumetric representation by simply combining primitives with add and subtract operations. The same tools used for modeling can also be used to apply color to the model in one continuous workflow. And, since all of these actions in Plastic are non-destructive, you can easily change aspects of your scene at any point without affecting unrelated work. When you are done, objects can be exported as PLY files to be animated, rendered, or 3D printed with the help of other tools. To get started, create a new project by tapping the “+”-symbol in the project gallery. To edit an object in the scene, you can either tap it twice in the outline or tap the “Edit” button after selecting it and switching to the attributes panel. By tapping the plus button in the outline panel, you can now add strokes to your object and build up its shape. Although I am trying my best to provide a polished experience, Plastic is still in an early stage in its development and occasional bugs, missing features, and frequent design changes cannot be completely avoided. If you are interested in updates on the development progress, feel free to follow me on Twitter @raffael_kaehn. For feedback, please send me a direct message or an email to feedback@plastic.app.

About

Valence 3D

This app is a powerful yet user-friendly 3D modeling and design tool for iPad and iPhone. It offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating, importing, editing, and exporting 3D models, suitable for both beginners and professionals across various industries.

Highlights
  • Extensive primitive shapes library
  • Import and export various 3D file formats
  • Advanced modeling and mesh operations
  • Non-destructive mesh modifiers
  • Intuitive navigation and context-aware tools
  • Automatic saving and iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

Valence 3D is a powerful, beautiful & easy-to-use 3D polygon modeling design tool built from the ground up for iPad & iPhone. No matter whether you're learning 3D modeling for the first time or a professional working in design, construction, gaming, web dev, digital fabrication, architecture, or spatial computing, Valence 3D has what you need to get started! CREATE, IMPORT, EDIT & EXPORT 3D MODELS • 25 primitive shapes are built-in & ready to help you start modeling: plane, box, sphere, squircle, rounded box, arc, circle, cylinder, tube, cone, capsule, torus, icosphere, pipe, revolve, helix, voronoi, text, super shape, noise surfaces, torus knot, faceted gem & tube. • Import existing models, reference images, lidar scans and room plans • Imports: OBJ, STL, USD, USDZ • Exports: PNG, SVG, OBJ, STL, USD, USDZ, GLTF, GLB • Knife tool to create complex and detailed geometry • Move, Rotate, & Scale gizmos make it easy to transform nodes, faces, edges & vertices • Powerful modeling gizmos for extruding, insetting, beveling, poking, creasing & cutting • Multiple selection & automatic loop selection help accelerate your modeling • Tap on one of the gizmo handles to bring up an input field for precise transformations & mesh operations • Robust snapping & alignment commands • Selection operations: grow, shrink, select shell & deselect • Mesh operations: duplicate, instance, set / center pivot, trim by plane, boolean, apply transform & subdivide • Face operations: separate, combine, bridge, extract, poke, collapse, delete, dissolve, harden & soften • Edge operations: extrude, insert vertex, collapse, dissolve, bridge, harden & soften • Vertex operations: insert edge, dissolve, delete & merge • Non-destructive & configurable mesh modifiers: mirror & subdivision • Apply complex transformations using different gizmo pivot points & orientations EASILY NAVIGATE & STAY IN FLOW WHILE DESIGNING • Carefully crafted & fully optimized for iPhone & iPad • Designed to minimize cognitive overload by only showing tools & commands that are contextually relevant • Easily navigate to any part of your model by dragging and pinching: two finger pinch to zoom and roll, and one finger drag to rotate • Pop into the standard orthographic views by tapping one of the handles of the orientation gizmo • Use two & three finger tap gestures to undo & redo • Select components by dragging or using the rectangular selection mode • Your work is saved automatically every two minutes and every time you go back to the gallery • Get an overview of your scene’s structure from the Outliner • Long press on a node in the Outliner to easily rename, duplicate, instance, delete, parent & reorder any object in your scene • Precisely adjust any node’s position, rotation & scale with the Inspector • Adjust material properties, display & modifier options with the Inspector STAY ORGANIZED ACROSS ALL YOUR DEVICES • Preview, share, duplicate, delete & rename your models from the gallery • iCloud syncing keeps all your models up to date, private & accessible across all your devices PREVIEW, MEASURE, & RENDER YOUR CREATIONS • 6 powerful rendering modes: Matcap, Modeling, Wireframe, Physically Based, X-Ray & Path Traced • Export renders in any aspect ratio & scale • Preview your model in AR in two taps • Export your scene as a USDZ & be confident it’ll look consistent on all Apple devices • Tweak your model’s material & see changes in real-time • Tweak-able scene settings: camera field of view, background type, blurriness, intensity & rotation • Get model measurements in one click • Add persistent dimensions between any two surfaces in your scene PURCHASE & COMPATIBILITY • One time purchase unlocks both iPhone & iPad versions • Apple Pencil supported on select iPads • 120 FPS supported on devices with ProMotion displays • Path Tracing is supported on iPads with M series chips & iPhones with A15 Bionic & later • Lidar Scan & Room Plan is supported on devices with a lidar sensor

Screenshots

Plastic4 screens
Valence 3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Plastic at $9.99 against Valence 3D's $19.99. Plastic also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Valence 3D's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 11 days vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Plastic costs $9.99 and Valence 3D $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Valence 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Valence 3D has 116 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Plastic's written reviews are positive against 60% of Valence 3D's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plastic ships an update monthly, Valence 3D every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Plastic versus Valence 3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlasticValence 3D
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating3.8 (16 ratings)4.2 (116 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better60.4% of reviews
Number of ratings16116 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank—#46 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB195 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaffael KaehnHi-Rez, LLC

Customer experience

Plastic

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Valence 3D

All ratings116 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral13.8%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral16.2%
Negative23.4%

Bugs and requests

Plastic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Valence 3D

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Saved files not loading properly
  • Unreliable vertex/edge/face selection
  • Mesh corruption and data loss
  • Gizmo and navigation issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add boolean operations
  • Improve selection and navigation tools
  • Implement curve/spline primitives
  • Add more modeling modifiers (bevel, subdivision, etc.)
  • Provide more detailed documentation and tutorials
Show 3 more
  • Improve performance and stability
  • Add UV editing and texture support
  • Implement keyboard shortcuts and power user features

In-app purchases

None

Plastic

No in-app purchases

None

Valence 3D

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plastic free?
Plastic costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Valence 3D free?
Valence 3D costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Plastic or Valence 3D?
Valence 3D is rated higher. Plastic averages 3.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Valence 3D averages 4.2 from 116 ratings.
Do Plastic or Valence 3D have ads?
Neither Plastic nor Valence 3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plastic or Valence 3D?
Plastic ships an update monthly, and Valence 3D every 11 days. Most recently, Plastic was updated on September 26, 2026 and Valence 3D on September 24, 2026.

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