Forma3D vs Hi3D Scan
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.
Hi3D Scan
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Hi3D Scan turns videos of real-world objects into 3D models with guided capture and cloud reconstruction. HOW IT WORKS 1. Record an object from multiple angles with the on-screen capture guide, or choose an existing video from your photo library. 2. Review the clip and upload it for cloud reconstruction. 3. Follow the task status in your model library. 4. Preview the generated model, download it as a GLB file, or share it with a link. KEY FEATURES • Guided object capture Follow visual guidance designed to help you move around an object and capture useful coverage. • Record or choose a video Capture inside the app or select an existing video from your library. • Cloud 3D reconstruction Submit a video and let the reconstruction service create the 3D result. • Model library and task status Keep your reconstruction tasks and generated models together in your account. • Interactive 3D preview Inspect a completed model directly in the app. • Download and share Download the generated GLB file or create a link to share the result. • Showcase Explore a curated collection of 3D models for inspiration. • Flexible sign-in Use email verification, Sign in with Apple, or Google Sign-In. Account deletion is available inside the app. Hi3D Scan supports both iPhone and iPad. Capture quality and reconstruction results depend on the object, lighting, video coverage, network connection, and service processing. Support: https://static.hi3d.ai/FE/static/scan/legal/html/en/support.html Privacy: https://static.hi3d.ai/FE/static/scan/legal/html/en/privacy-policy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hi3D Scan at none against Forma3D's 3. Forma3D's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). 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
Both are free to download. Forma3D sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Hi3D Scan asks for nothing beyond the download.
Forma3D ships an update every 3 days, Hi3D Scan weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Forma3D | Hi3D Scan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Denis Vazyulya | Oceano HK Holding Limited |
In-app purchases
Forma3D
- Forma3D subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Forma3D - Year3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Lifetime access to Forma3D$99.99
Hi3D Scan
No in-app purchases









