Comparison

Thangs vs BamBuddy

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

BamBuddy

Features
Read full description

BamBuddy is the companion app for your self-hosted Bambuddy server. Monitor and control your Bambu Lab 3D printers from iPhone and iPad — at home over your local network, on the go via your external address. The app switches automatically. MONITOR EVERYTHING LIVE • Real-time status via WebSocket: progress, layers, remaining time • Live camera feed for every printer • Temperatures, fans, AMS units with filament colours and remaining percentages • HMS error messages right on screen CONTROL SAFELY • Pause, resume or stop prints • Print speed and chamber light • Manage the queue: start, reorder, cancel • Archive with favourites and print history STATISTICS • Success rate, print hours, filament usage, cost and energy • Charts per filament type and per printer FREE AND PRO For free you monitor and control one printer with all the features above. BamBuddy Pro (subscription or one-time purchase, 7-day free trial) adds: • Unlimited printers — your whole print farm in one app • AI Print Assistant: ask about your printer, get error codes explained and advice on failed prints — fully on-device with Apple Intelligence, your data never leaves your device • AI Insights: automatic analysis of your print statistics with concrete tips • Smart notifications: instant alert when a print finishes, fails or your printer reports an error PRIVACY FIRST No account, no cloud, no tracking. The app only talks to your own server. Your API key is stored safely in the Keychain. Requires a running Bambuddy server (open source, free). SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION BamBuddy Pro is available as a monthly subscription (EUR 1.99 per month) or a yearly subscription (EUR 14.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial). A one-time lifetime purchase (EUR 29.99) is also available. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; the account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bambuddy.web.app/privacy

Screenshots

Thangs4 screens
BamBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thangs at none against BamBuddy's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. BamBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Thangs asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Thangs versus BamBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThangsBamBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (117 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings117 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB17 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPhysna, IncLourens Alexander Pieter Meek

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

BamBuddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Thangs

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

BamBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Thangs free?
Thangs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BamBuddy free?
BamBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thangs or BamBuddy have ads?
Neither Thangs nor BamBuddy shows ads.

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