Comparison

Forma3D vs Project Medusa

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Project Medusa

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a professional 3D scanner. Capture real-world objects with high-fidelity photogrammetry directly on your device. Export models in industry-standard formats for game development, 3D printing, and AR.

Highlights
  • On-device 3D reconstruction
  • Completely free to use
  • Guided AR capture interface
  • Export in USDZ, OBJ, and STL formats
  • High-fidelity photogrammetry
Features
Read full description

Bring the physical world into the digital space. Project Medusa is a powerful, pro-grade 3D scanning app that turns your iPhone or iPad into a precision capture tool. Whether you are a game developer, 3D artist, AR enthusiast, or just want to digitize your favorite items, Medusa delivers high-fidelity photogrammetry with zero friction. No cloud processing. No subscriptions. Completely free. Why Project Medusa? On-Device Processing: We respect your privacy and your time. All 3D reconstruction happens locally on your device using Apple's advanced Object Capture framework. No waiting in cloud queues and no data leaves your phone. 100% Free: No hidden paywalls, no export fees, and no mandatory accounts. Just scan, generate, and share. Guided AR Capture: A simple, augmented reality interface guides you around the object, ensuring you capture every angle, depth, and texture perfectly on the first try. Pro-Grade Exports: Seamlessly export your completed models in industry-standard formats including .usdz (perfect for AR and Apple Vision), .obj (for software like Blender, Unreal, and Unity), and .stl (for 3D printing). Perfect For: Game Developers & 3D Artists: Import real-world assets directly into your scenes. 3D Printing Enthusiasts: Digitize physical objects for rapid prototyping. E-commerce & Creators: Build 360-degree product views for your store or portfolio. Archival: Preserve art, miniatures, and collectibles in a digital format. Compatibility Note Because Project Medusa renders highly detailed 3D models locally, it requires a device with powerful Apple Silicon. For the absolute best results, use an iPhone Pro or iPad Pro equipped with a LiDAR scanner.

Screenshots

Forma3D4 screens
Project Medusa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Project Medusa at 5.0 against Forma3D's 4.4. Project Medusa also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Forma3D's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1). 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. Forma3D sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Project Medusa asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Project Medusa holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forma3D has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Forma3D versus Project Medusa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForma3DProject Medusa
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDenis Vazyulyazhir barzan

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Forma3D

Subscriptions2
  • Forma3D subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Forma3D - Year3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime access to Forma3D$99.99
None

Project Medusa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Forma3D free?
Forma3D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Project Medusa free?
Project Medusa is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Forma3D or Project Medusa?
Project Medusa is rated higher. Forma3D averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Project Medusa averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Forma3D or Project Medusa have ads?
Neither Forma3D nor Project Medusa shows ads.

Other comparisons