Circuit Playground vs Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Circuit Playground
This app serves as a comprehensive electronics reference and calculation tool. It helps makers and hobbyists by simplifying complex calculations for various circuits, deciphering component codes, and providing essential diagrams.
- Circuit value calculations
- Resistor and capacitor code deciphering
- Ohm's Law and power calculators
- Number and character conversions
- Series/parallel component calculations
- IC and connector pinout diagrams
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Circuit Playground simplifies electronics reference & calculation – so you can have more fun hacking, making, & building your projects. Features: • Calculate component values for Op Amp, 555, RC Filter, Resistor Divider circuits & more • Decipher resistor & capacitor codes with ease • Calculate power, resistance, current, and voltage with Ohm's Law & Power Calculators • Quickly convert between decimal, hexadecimal, binary or ASCII characters • Calculate values for multiple resistors or capacitors in series or parallel • Pinout diagrams for widely-used ICs, connectors, & boards • Find color for LED wavelength • Detect a magnet's polarity • Show off your project by submitting pics to Adafruit's Show & Tell • Access exclusive deals from Adafruit Industries All that, plus more functions & enhancements to come!
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
This app consolidates 3D model searching, viewing, and slicing from major platforms into a single interface. It allows users to find, preview, organize, and prepare STL files for 3D printing, streamlining the entire workflow.
- Search multiple 3D model sites
- Full 3D preview and STL viewer
- Built-in 3D slicer with G-code export
- Save and organize models into collections
- Manage STL library
- Discover trending models and contests
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3D GO – 3D Printing, STL Viewer & Slicer 3D GO is a fast, all-in-one 3D printing app for finding, previewing, organizing, and slicing 3D models from the biggest sites in the world. Instead of jumping between five different websites, folders, and slicers, you can do everything in one place. Search across Thingiverse, Printables, MakerWorld, Cults3D, Creality Cloud, Thangs, MyMiniFactory and Sketchfab at the same time to find STL files for parts, tools, upgrades, miniatures, home décor, and just about anything else you want to 3D print. Whether you’re printing functional parts or artistic models, 3D GO makes it easy to discover the best files from the entire 3D printing community. Select models with a full 3D preview and STL viewer, so you can rotate, zoom, and inspect it before you download or slice. This helps you avoid bad files, broken geometry, and wasted filament. You can also open any STL from your device and view it instantly inside the app. When you’re ready to print, 3D GO includes a built-in 3D slicer that converts STL files into print-ready G-code. You can prepare files for PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, and more, then export them for your printer using your normal workflow. It works great alongside Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura, and Klipper-based setups. You can save any model from any site and organize them into custom collections. Keep folders for different printers, materials, or projects, search through your saved models, and manage even huge STL libraries without losing track of anything. 3D GO also lets you explore what’s happening across the entire 3D printing world. Browse trending 3D models, check out design contests, and discover new creators without visiting each site individually. No matter what 3D printer you use — Bambu Lab, Prusa, Creality, Anycubic, Flashforge, Ultimaker, and more — 3D GO fits right into your workflow. Key features • Search Thingiverse, Printables, MakerWorld, Cults3D, Creality Cloud, Thangs, MyMiniFactory & Sketchfab • Full 3D preview and STL viewer • Built-in 3D slicer with G-code export • Save models and create custom collections • Search and manage your STL library • View trending models and design contests • Works with all major 3D printers If you’re into 3D printing and tired of juggling multiple websites and slicer apps, 3D GO brings everything together into one clean, fast experience. Download 3D GO and make finding and preparing your next 3D print simple again. 3D GO is an independent app and is not affiliated with any of the sites or printer brands mentioned. All trademarks belong to their owners. Privacy Policy: https://3dgo.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO at Free against Circuit Playground's $2.99. Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 19). Circuit Playground's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 47%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads 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
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO is free to download; Circuit Playground costs $2.99 up front. Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Circuit Playground asks for nothing beyond the download.
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO has 4.1K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Circuit Playground's written reviews are positive against 47% of Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Circuit Playground ships an update every 6 weeks, Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Circuit Playground | Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (19 ratings) | 4.7 (4.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better | 47.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19 | 4.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Adafruit Industries | SimpleDev LLC |
Customer experience
Circuit Playground
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
User reviews
Circuit Playground
From 19 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Clean, intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- 🚀 Fast load times and responsive performance
- 📚 Comprehensive reference tools and calculators
- 🎯 Resistor and capacitor color code tools
- 📍 Useful pinout references for various boards
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⚠️ Outdated and needs regular updates
- ❌ Limited calculator functionality and flexibility
- 🎨 Poor visual design in some areas
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
From 4.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient and free app
- 🚀 Great database of free files
- 🚀 Easy to send prints directly to printer
- 👍 Helpful developer response
- 🚀 Seamless switching between sites
Room to improve
- 💰 Subscription required for full access
- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and freezes
- 🚫 Inaccessible for smaller screens
- 🚫 Limited functionality compared to websites
- 🚫 Files saved as zips are inconvenient
Bugs and requests
Circuit Playground
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes when opening multiple capacitors section
- LED Resistor Help Menu crashes the app
- Wavelength to Colour slider inoperable until text field activated
- Capacitor code function broken (incorrect default values)
- Number converter only accepts value 50
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- Resistor color codes show conflicting color solutions
- iPad side-wiping error with page ghosting
- Calculator input issues requiring excessive fiddling
- Document folder missing in version 2
- Crashes on iPad mini 1st generation
Requested features
21 requests- Update USB Type-C connector information
- Add transistor pinouts and HFE values
- Transistor and op-amp calculators
- Voltage divider calculator
- Arduino and Raspberry Pi pinout references
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- More Adafruit board pinouts (HATs, KiPPAHs, TFT, Trinkets)
- LED parallel circuit handling
- Logic gate truth tables (NAND, AND, NOR, etc.)
- Function generator with sine, square, sawtooth, triangle waves
- Tuned LC circuit calculator
- NPN and PNP transistor calculator
- Mica capacitor color codes for vintage radios
- Better PDF datasheet import (via Safari/Dropbox instead of iTunes)
- Ability to rename datasheets for easier identification
- Breadboard templates for drawing
- Number keypad instead of full keyboard for inputs
- Power dissipation calculations on resistor calculator
- Schematic symbol reference
- iCloud syncing for datasheets
- Direct browsing of Adafruit store within app
- iOS 11+ compatibility updates
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues and errors
- Crashing and freezing on various actions
- Incompatibility with certain devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to like/save models
- Improve UI and navigation
- Implement scrolling on welcome screen
- Add more advanced slicer features
- Improve compatibility with older devices
In-app purchases
Circuit Playground
No in-app purchases
Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO
- 3D Printing Pro - Monthly$2.991 Month
- 3D Printing Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Circuit Playground free?
Is Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO free?
Which has better reviews, Circuit Playground or Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO?
Do Circuit Playground or Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO have ads?
Which is updated more often, Circuit Playground or Thingiverse Printables | 3D GO?
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