Forma3D vs Open3D
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Forma3D
Create, edit, and repair 3D models directly on your iPhone or iPad. Features include sculpting, sketching, painting, and splitting meshes for printing. Supports a wide range of import/export formats and offline use.
- Sculpting with gesture-based brushes
- Sketching and SVG import to 3D
- Per-face color painting for 3MF export
- Lithophane generator from photos
- Splitting meshes with integrated joints
- Extensive mesh editing tools
- 3D scanning with LiDAR
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Forma3D is a professional 3D mesh editor for iPhone and iPad — built for makers, 3D printing enthusiasts, and anyone who needs to create, fix, or modify 3D models on the go. No laptop. No cloud. Everything runs locally on your device, offline, with desktop-grade mesh editing. ▸ PAINT & MULTI-FILAMENT 3MF EXPORT Paint with a brush directly on your model, then export a 3MF file with per-face color data ready for multi-filament printing. Bambu Studio and Creality Print read the embedded colors automatically — your paint job travels to the slicer intact. ▸ SCULPT MODE Sculpt meshes with a gesture-based brush — push, pull, and smooth with falloff presets and Apple Pencil support. ▸ SKETCH MODE Draw a shape or import an SVG and turn it into 3D geometry in one tap. ▸ LITHOPHANE GENERATOR Turn any photo into a printable lithophane — a depth-mapped relief that comes alive when backlit. ▸ SPLIT WITH JOINTS Split meshes along edge loops into printable parts with built-in joints — cylinder, square peg, cone, or ball. Perfect for models bigger than your build plate. ▸ EDGE LOOP TOOLS Select entire edge loops and fill them with clean topology: Grid Fill for quad surfaces, Bridge for connecting boundaries. ▸ MESH EDITING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode. Select and edit vertices, edges, and faces with Single, Rectangle, Oval, or Brush selection. Move, rotate, and scale with a transform gizmo or numeric input. ▸ PROFESSIONAL MODELING TOOLS • Extrude — live preview with direction toggle • Inset — adjustable depth • Bevel — custom segments and profile control • Boolean — Union and Subtract (Manifold CSG) • Cut — Line, Circle, Ellipse, Rectangle, Polygon, Freehand • Mirror — across X, Y, or Z • Revolve — lathe geometry from a profile • Subdivide / Simplify — resolution where you need it • Remesh — uniform quad topology with quality control • 3D Text — extruded text objects ▸ PRIMITIVES & FILE FORMATS Cube, Sphere, Soft variants, Cylinder, Torus, Pyramid, Plane, Tube, Bolt, Nut. Import STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, DAE, ABC, USD, FBX and GLB — plus native Blender .blend scenes with mirror modifiers and object transforms applied. Export to STL, 3MF (Bambu-ready), OBJ, FBX, GLB or USDZ — with colors. ▸ 3D SCANNING (LiDAR) Scan real objects and edit the mesh immediately — scan, fix, print without switching apps. ▸ PRECISION & MEASUREMENT Ruler in millimeters, 20 mm build-plate grid, snap-to-grid, keyboard numeric input. ▸ VISUALIZATION Orthographic view cube, X-Ray mode, wireframe (triangles/quads), custom lighting and viewport colors. ▸ UNDO / REDO & PROJECTS Full history, native .forma3d projects, objects list panel. ▸ APPLE PENCIL Hover tooltips and precise component editing optimized for Pencil. ▸ 21 LANGUAGES English, Deutsch, Français, 日本語, 简体中文, 繁體中文, Español, Italiano, 한국어, Português, Русский, Українська, Nederlands, Polski, Türkçe, Svenska, العربية, हिन्दी, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, Bahasa Indonesia.
Open3D
View and edit a wide range of 3D model file formats directly on your device. Inspect models for 3D printing, convert between formats, and even view them in augmented reality. All processing is done locally, ensuring your files remain private.
- Supports over 15 3D file formats
- On-device AR viewing with Quick Look
- 3D printing readiness checks
- Model conversion and export
- Offline functionality
- Local file processing, no cloud upload
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Open3D Viewer is the fastest free 3D model viewer for STL, GLB, OBJ, FBX, STEP, DXF, USDZ, PLY, 3MF, GLTF, IGES, DAE and 3DS files. Open any 3D file in seconds, view it in AR with Apple Quick Look, and check it for 3D printing — no account, no sign-up, no cloud upload. Your files never leave your iPhone or iPad. Whether you're a 3D-printing hobbyist checking an STL before slicing, a 3D artist previewing a GLB or FBX, or a CAD user opening a STEP or DXF, Open3D Viewer opens it instantly — without the paywalls and login screens other 3D viewers force on you. SUPPORTED 3D FILE FORMATS • Mesh: STL, GLB, GLTF, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, FBX, DAE, 3DS, USDZ • CAD: STEP / STP, IGES / IGS, DXF Export & convert Turn OBJ, PLY, 3MF, FBX, DAE, 3DS and more into STL for 3D printing or GLB for sharing. Files save straight to your Downloads folder — no extra apps, no online converter, everything happens on-device. A 3D VIEWER THAT DOES THE BASICS RIGHT • Open files from Files, email, downloads, or any "Open with" menu • Smooth orbit, pan and zoom touch controls • Render modes: solid, wireframe, X-ray, textured, matte • Wireframe overlay — see the geometry on top of the rendered surface • Preset camera views (front, side, top, perspective) • Light and dark themes • 5 background colours + 6 HDRI lighting environments (studio, sunset, dawn, dusk, dark, white) • Play built-in animations • View 3D models in AR via Apple Quick Look (USDZ) • Capture a screenshot or a rotating GIF and share it • Recent files with auto-generated thumbnails • Full model specs: triangle count, vertices, materials, textures, bounding box BUILT FOR 3D PRINTING • Print-readiness check: manifold / watertight detection, overhangs, wall thickness • Bed-fit check for popular printers (Bambu A1, Prusa MK4, Ender 3, Bambu X1C) • Rough weight, filament length and cost estimates • Measure distances on the model • Cross-section / clipping plane to inspect interiors • Scale and resize tool • Convert and export between GLB and STL LOCALIZED The interface automatically follows your device language. Currently available in English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Japanese, and Chinese. NO ACCOUNT. NO CLOUD. NO NONSENSE. • No sign-up, ever • 100% on-device. Works offline. • We never read, scan, or upload your files • We don't track which files you open The STL viewer and GLB viewer that makers, 3D artists and engineers actually want: clean, fast, and local. Measurements and print-readiness figures are estimates, not a replacement for a slicer or proper measuring tools. See the in-app Disclaimer. Open3D Viewer is an independent app and is not affiliated with the Open3D open-source library at open3d.org. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Privacy policy: https://open3d.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Open3D at none against Forma3D's 3. Open3D also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (29 vs 7). Forma3D's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Forma3D sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Open3D asks for nothing beyond the download.
Open3D holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Forma3D's written reviews are positive against 88% of Open3D's.
Forma3D ships an update every 3 days, Open3D every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Forma3D | Open3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) | 4.7 (29 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 29 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 77 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Denis Vazyulya | Rajesh Konatala |
Customer experience
Forma3D
Open3D
In-app purchases
Forma3D
- Forma3D subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Forma3D - Year3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Lifetime access to Forma3D$99.99
Open3D
No in-app purchases







