Comparison

Spool Buddy vs TraceBin

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

Head to head
About

Spool Buddy

Effortlessly manage your 3D printing filament inventory. Track brands, colors, and usage with a simple, fast interface. Syncs seamlessly across Apple devices without requiring logins or network calls.

Highlights
  • iCloud syncing
  • No logins or network calls
  • Track brands, colors, and modifiers
  • Search and filter by properties
  • Usage and inventory tracking
  • Optimized for iOS and macOS
Features
Read full description

Filament tracking for 3D printing, without the fuss. Spool Buddy is a simple, fast filament inventory app made for hobbyists who want to know what filament they have, where it is, and how much is left — without accounts, subscriptions, tracking, or complicated setup. Add your filaments, organize them by brand, material, color, location, modifiers, and more. Track usage across one or multiple spools, keep drying logs, attach photos, archive old filament, and export or print your inventory when you need it. Spool Buddy syncs with iCloud, so your filament library stays up to date across iPhone, iPad, and Mac without creating an account. Features include: - Track filament inventory, usage, and remaining amounts - Multi-spool support for filaments - NFC reading and writing - iCloud sync with no logins - Photos for filament entries - Drying logs - Custom brands and materials - Detailed filament information, including colors, polymers, modifiers, fillers, and visual properties - Automatic color names and color family filtering - Support for gradients and complex filament colors - Filter by storage location, brand, color family, modifiers, and polymer - Sort by price, date added, color, brand, and name - Group by brand or material - Usage indicators at a glance - Archive filaments you no longer actively use - Export your inventory to CSV - Print your filament inventory - Optimized for iOS and macOS 26 - Small, fast, and designed to stay out of your way Spool Buddy is completely free to use. There are no subscriptions, no locked features, and no required purchases. In-app purchases are optional tips only, for people who want to support the app’s development. Made by an indie solo developer for people who just want a clean, useful way to manage their filament.

About

TraceBin

Instantly create custom 3D printable bins for your tools by simply taking a photo. The app automatically designs a perfectly fitting Gridfinity bin, allowing for adjustable dimensions and features like finger notches. Export your designs as STL files for immediate use with your 3D printer.

Highlights
  • Photo-to-bin generation
  • Adjustable clearance and height
  • Finger notch customization
  • 3D preview and STL export
  • Flat insert mode
  • Built-in test coupon
Features
Read full description

Lay a tool on a sheet of paper, take one photo, and TraceBin builds a Gridfinity bin with a pocket shaped like your tool. Adjust clearance and height, add a finger notch, inspect the 3D preview, and share an STL with your slicer. Processing happens on your iPhone, with no account or upload. - Works with US Letter or A4 paper as the scale reference. No calibration card or marker sheet. - Adjustable clearance and bin height, with pocket-depth options. - Add one circular finger notch per Gridfinity bin. Position it in a full-screen editor with zoom and fine-position controls. - Flat insert mode makes a shadow-board insert for your drawer. Finger notches are available for Gridfinity bins only. - Export binary STL for your slicer. - History keeps exported bins so you can share them again. Save notch edits to existing bins with Done. - Use the built-in test coupon to check clearance for your printer. One tool per photo. Gridfinity bins use a 42 mm grid and 7 mm height units. No account, analytics, subscription, in-app purchases, or ads. This release remains free.

Screenshots

Spool Buddy4 screens
TraceBin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TraceBin at 5.0 against Spool Buddy's 4.3. TraceBin also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Spool Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Spool Buddy sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. TraceBin asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TraceBin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spool Buddy has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spool Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, TraceBin every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Spool Buddy versus TraceBin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpool BuddyTraceBin
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (9 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartian Code OyJesse Ariss

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Spool Buddy

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
None

TraceBin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spool Buddy free?
Spool Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TraceBin free?
TraceBin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spool Buddy or TraceBin?
TraceBin is rated higher. Spool Buddy averages 4.3 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while TraceBin averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Spool Buddy or TraceBin have ads?
Neither Spool Buddy nor TraceBin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spool Buddy or TraceBin?
Spool Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, and TraceBin every 8 days. Most recently, Spool Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and TraceBin on October 23, 2026.

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