Comparison

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop vs STL Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop

Consolidate your 3D model searching and collecting across multiple platforms into one app. Find, organize, and manage designs from various sites with cross-platform search and unified favorites.

Highlights
  • Cross-platform 3D model search
  • Unified favorites and collections
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Website account integration
  • Download management
  • Content filtering
Features
Read full description

All your favorite 3D printing model sites — one app. 3Drop brings together Printables, Thingiverse, MakerWorld, Cults 3D, Thangs, Maker Online, Creality Cloud, GrabCAD, MyMiniFactory, and NextPrint into a single, unified experience. Stop switching between browsers and tabs — find, collect, and manage 3D models across all major platforms. 【Cross-Platform Search】 Search across all 10 websites at once. Filter by category, price, license, and more. Sort by relevance, popularity, or upload date to find exactly what you need. 【Unified Favorites & Collections】 Like models from any site and organize them into custom lists. Create themed collections — group by project, material, or printer. All your favorites in one place, no matter the source. 【Cloud Sync】 Sign in to sync favorites across all your devices. Your collections stay up to date everywhere. You can also sync likes and follows directly with each website's account. 【Website Account Integration】 Log in to each website within the app. Check your login status, view your profile, browse your published designs, and manage follows — all without leaving 3Drop. 【Competitions】 Browse active design competitions from supported platforms. See entries, deadlines, and prizes at a glance. 【Personalization】 Light, Dark, and System themes with Material You support Customize card layout: choose which details to display Adjust image fit, title position, and grid layout 7 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese 【Download Management】 Track your downloaded files, choose storage locations, and clean up history with a built-in download manager. Supported sites: • Printables • Thingiverse • Cults 3D • MakerWorld • Thangs • Maker Online • Creality Cloud • GrabCAD • NextPrint • MyMiniFactory 3Drop is the essential companion app for 3D printing enthusiasts, makers, and hobbyists. Whether you're looking for your next print or managing a growing collection of favorites, 3Drop keeps everything organized in one place. Download now and explore millions of 3D models from across the web. You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase. • Auto-renewable subscription • 1-month ($1.99) duration • 12-month ($14.99) duration • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. It will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be canceled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase Privacy Policies: https://three-drop.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://three-drop.com/terms

About

STL Viewer

Features
Read full description

Someone sent you a model. It's a 3MF, you're away from your computer, and your phone can't open it. LayerPeek opens it, then tells you what you need to know before you print: will it fit your printer, how many plates it has, and what might go wrong. It's a 3D model viewer made for printing: an STL file viewer, a 3MF project viewer and a G-code layer viewer in one app. No account. Your files are read on your device and never uploaded. OPEN THE FILE YOU WERE SENT • STL, 3MF, OBJ and G-code files, plus sliced .gcode.3mf projects • ZIP downloads from model sites: pick the part you want from inside the archive • Open from Files, iCloud Drive, Mail, AirDrop or a chat app with Open in… • Large models are simplified for display, while measurements use the full mesh WILL IT FIT YOUR PRINTER? Pick your printer once. Every model you open shows whether it fits the bed, with the spare room in millimeters. If it doesn't fit as it sits, LayerPeek checks whether turning it on the bed would make it fit. 3MF PROJECTS, NOT JUST SHAPES Opens 3MF projects from popular slicers with their plates and filament colors. Switch between plates and see which parts sit on each one. SLICED FILES: TIME AND GRAMS FROM THE FILE Sliced .gcode.3mf projects already carry the numbers your slicer calculated. LayerPeek reads the print time, the grams of each filament color and the plate thumbnails straight from the file. Plain .gcode files show the print time and filament use written in their header. G-CODE LAYER VIEWER • Drag the scrubber to step through the print layer by layer • See extrusion and travel moves in different colors • Print time and filament use, read from the file MEASURE AND CHECK THE MESH • Overall dimensions in millimeters • Tap two points to measure the distance between them • Mesh health: holes and open edges that can cause slicing trouble • Overhang shading shows the areas likely to need supports WEIGHT AND COST ESTIMATE Choose a material and your price per kilogram. For unsliced models, LayerPeek estimates a typical print (2 walls, 15% infill) and also shows the fully solid weight. Sliced files show the grams your slicer calculated. MAKE PARTS THAT FIT Need a part rather than a file? Pick a template, set the sizes in millimeters, see it on your printer's bed and save an STL or 3MF: • Cases for popular microcontroller and single-board computer boards, built from their published dimensions • Boxes with dividers, name tags in one or two colors, cable clips, spacers and wall mounts • Turn a photo into a lithophane, a keychain, a sign or a stamp SHARE A VERDICT CARD Turn the result into one image with a picture of the model, the fit check and the key numbers. Send it to a friend, a customer or your print group. FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL PRO UPGRADE LayerPeek is free with ads. Pro removes the ads and unlocks the Pro Make templates, pricing a plate with cost and margin, advanced checks with multiple printers, and more colors in colour pictures. SUPPORTED FILES .stl (binary and text) · .3mf · .gcode.3mf · .obj · .gcode · .zip SUBSCRIPTION AND PRICING • LayerPeek Pro Lifetime — $9.99, one payment • LayerPeek Pro Monthly — $1.99 per month, renews automatically • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase • A subscription renews unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cosmovex.web.app/apps/layerpeek/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop4 screens
STL Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop and STL Viewer are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and STL Viewer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop ships an update every 9 days, STL Viewer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop versus STL Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThingiverse MakerWorld | 3DropSTL Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (416 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings416 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB49 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperWU FU-HUNGSahana A S

Bugs and requests

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App closes after 10 seconds
  • Account connection/syncing not working for Thingiverse and Cults 3D
  • Printables.com not appearing in results
  • App keeps crashing
  • App force closes when scrolling
Show 4 more
  • Keyboard remains open after search input and cannot be closed
  • Syncing only brings back a fraction of favorites
  • Previews don't load in-app, requires opening in browser
  • Search results are not comprehensive or ranked correctly

Requested features

10 requests
  • Nexprint account support
  • More Creality friendly prints
  • More print options for storage, wall shelves etc.
  • Printables.com login/sync fix
  • Thangs integration fix
Show 5 more
  • Filter to sort by date/newest models
  • PC version of the app
  • Sort function by likes or trends
  • Add MyMiniFactory
  • iPad app version

STL Viewer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop

Subscriptions2
  • Support Me Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Support Me Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Buy Me Filaments$39.99
8 purchases

STL Viewer

Subscriptions1
  • LayerPeek Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
One-time7
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$5.99
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$7.99
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$11.99
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$13.99
  • Pro Lifetime Limited Offer$15.99
  • LayerPeek Pro Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop free?
Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is STL Viewer free?
STL Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop or STL Viewer have ads?
Both Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop and STL Viewer show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop or STL Viewer?
Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop ships an update every 9 days, and STL Viewer every 2 weeks. Most recently, Thingiverse MakerWorld | 3Drop was updated on November 7, 2026 and STL Viewer on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons