Comparison

Thangs vs Flash Maker

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Largest 3D search engine
  • Over 15 million 3D models
  • Discover 3D creators
  • Support for 30+ 3D formats
  • Filters for 3D printing
  • Connect with creators
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Flash Maker

Manage your 3D printers remotely with this app. Monitor printer status, view live video feeds, and organize multiple devices into groups for a streamlined printing experience.

Highlights
  • Remote printer status check
  • Live video monitoring
  • Group management for multiple printers
  • Convenient 3D printing control
Features
Read full description

Flash Maker is a mobile app by Flashforge for easy 3D printer management. Check printer status anytime, monitor with remote video, and manage multiple printers in groups—making 3D printing smarter and more convenient.

Screenshots

Thangs4 screens
Flash Maker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thangs at 3.0 against Flash Maker's 1.9. Thangs also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Flash Maker's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (453 vs 117). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thangs holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 117 and 453 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Thangs's written reviews are positive against 17% of Flash Maker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thangs ships an update weekly, Flash Maker monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thangs versus Flash Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThangsFlash Maker
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (117 ratings) — better1.9 (453 ratings)
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews — better16.8% of reviews
Number of ratings117453 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB109 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperPhysna, Inc浙江闪铸三维科技有限公司

Customer experience

Thangs

All ratings117 ratings
Positive46.2%
Neutral5.1%
Negative48.7%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral9.5%
Negative66.7%

Flash Maker

All ratings453 ratings
Positive19.0%
Neutral4.6%
Negative76.4%
Written reviews333 reviews
Positive16.8%
Neutral5.7%
Negative77.5%

User reviews

Thangs

From 117 App Store ratings

What 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

Flash Maker

From 453 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works great
  • 🚀 Immediately improved after update
  • 👍 Good app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Barely works
  • 🐛 Needs a lot of work
  • 🐛 Absolutely terrible
  • 🐛 Doesn't work at all
  • 🐛 Terrible app

Bugs and requests

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 more
  • 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 more
  • AR (augmented reality) model viewing
  • Improved search result relevance
  • Back button navigation
  • Landscape/portrait mode consistency
  • Remove redirect pages for direct downloads

Flash Maker

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Can't connect device
  • Can't register account
  • Printer always shows as offline
  • Camera feed doesn't work
  • Frequent crashes
Show 1 more
  • Logging in and connecting issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to switch between local network and cloud
  • More control over printer (advanced hidden menu, more temps, ability to cancel one model if printing multiple)
  • Add AI control of failed prints
  • Add slicer functionality
  • Add iPad support

In-app purchases

None

Thangs

No in-app purchases

None

Flash Maker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thangs free?
Thangs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flash Maker free?
Flash Maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thangs or Flash Maker?
Thangs is rated higher. Thangs averages 3.0 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while Flash Maker averages 1.9 from 453 ratings.
Do Thangs or Flash Maker have ads?
Neither Thangs nor Flash Maker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thangs or Flash Maker?
Thangs ships an update weekly, and Flash Maker monthly. Most recently, Thangs was updated on September 25, 2026 and Flash Maker on September 21, 2026.

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