AxisForge vs STL Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AxisForge
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AxisForge turns your iPhone into a professional wireless jog pendant for your CNC router or laser cutter — no dedicated hardware remote needed, just your phone and the AxisForge USB dongle. WORKS WITH YOUR SOFTWARE Built-in profiles for the most popular CNC and laser software — no configuration needed: Carbide Motion Universal G-Code Sender (Mac & Windows) Easel by Inventables Mach3 OpenBuilds CONTROL Generic GRBL LightBurn Custom Layout — assign any key combination to any button DESIGNED FOR THE SHOP FLOOR Large, glowing jog buttons you can tap confidently with work gloves on ARM/DISARM safety system — buttons only send keystrokes when intentionally armed Deadman mode — hold the ARM button to keep jogging; release and the machine stops instantly Automatic watchdog: if your phone disconnects mid-jog, the dongle stops all movement within 500ms Auto-disarms when you navigate away from the jog screen — no accidental moves Hold-to-jog mode for continuous movement, or tap mode for precise incremental steps 5 increment presets: 0.01 / 0.1 / 1 / 10 / 25 mm Feed rate selector: Slow / Med / Fast FEED HOLD always reachable — even when disarmed INSTANT RESPONSE Jog commands fire the instant your finger touches the button — not on lift Hold-to-jog starts immediately on first touch with zero delay HAPTIC FEEDBACK BUILT FOR THE SHOP Talks directly to the native Taptic Engine for zero-latency response Four feel presets: Smooth, Click, Punch, and Machine — from subtle to industrial Press Kick intensity: Off, Tiny, Light, Medium, Heavy, or Hardcore Smooth continuous hold buzz powered by Core Haptics — one clean waveform for the entire hold, no ticking Hold Speed control: dial in when the buzz starts, from a relaxed delay to instant on first touch SIMPLE SETUP Plug the AxisForge USB dongle into your CNC or laser computer Open the app — it finds the dongle automatically over Bluetooth Pick your software profile ARM and start jogging The dongle acts as a USB keyboard to your computer — no drivers, no software install, no admin rights needed. It just works. THE DONGLE The AxisForge wireless dongle is sold separately at TheBossFactory.ca and Etsy. The app is free. AxisForge is not affiliated with or endorsed by Carbide 3D, Inventables, LightBurn Software, Newfangled Solutions, OpenBuilds, or any other software manufacturer.
STL Viewer
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View STL 3D models and prepare them for 3D printing on your iPhone or iPad. Built for makers, engineers, designers, and 3D printing enthusiasts who need to open, inspect, measure, and export 3D mesh files with precision. KEY FEATURES UNIVERSAL STL SUPPORT • STL (binary and ASCII) • High-poly mesh handling • Fast file opening from Files app, share sheet, or AirDrop • Direct import from Thingiverse, Printables, MakerWorld, and other 3D model sites PRECISION MEASUREMENT TOOLS • Distance measurement between any two points on the mesh • Angle measurement across three vertices • Bounding box with exact X, Y, Z dimensions • Measurement units: mm, cm, inches PROFESSIONAL 3D INSPECTION • Solid and wireframe render modes • Smooth orbit camera with pinch-to-zoom, pan, and rotate gestures • Floor grid overlay for scale reference • Customizable model color • Real-time lit shading with directional and ambient lighting EXPORT & SHARE • Export to OBJ, DAE, and DXF formats • Capture high-resolution screenshots of any view • Share directly to Prusa Slicer, Bambu Studio, Creality Print, and other slicers • Preserve mesh integrity across exports PERFECT FOR • 3D printer owners checking models before slicing • Engineers inspecting CAD exports as STL • Designers reviewing client meshes on the go • Makers browsing Thingiverse, Printables, MakerWorld files • Students learning 3D modeling and printing • Anyone who needs to view STL files without a desktop PRECISION VIEWER • Hardware-accelerated 3D rendering • Infinite pinch-to-zoom for detailed inspection • Smooth gesture controls for any model size • Handles models with hundreds of thousands of triangles PRIVACY FIRST • All processing happens entirely on-device • No internet connection required • Your files never leave your device • Works completely offline — 100% private and secure Download now and inspect your STL files with professional-grade precision. Privacy Policy: https://nagy-legal.vercel.app/stl-viewer/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AxisForge at none against STL Viewer's 1. AxisForge also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. STL Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AxisForge asks for nothing beyond the download.
AxisForge ships an update fortnightly, STL Viewer every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AxisForge | STL Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Francis Bosse | Mohamed Nagy |
In-app purchases
AxisForge
No in-app purchases
STL Viewer
- Lifetime$9.99









