Comparison

Shapely 3D vs 3D Box Maker

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

Head to head
About

Shapely 3D

Create and sculpt 3D models directly on your iPad. Build scenes from primitives, refine them with intuitive tools, and export your creations for printing or digital use. Unlock advanced features with a Pro upgrade.

Highlights
  • Sketch and sculpt 3D models
  • Build scenes from primitives
  • On-screen gizmo for manipulation
  • Configurable grid and measurement tools
  • Export USDZ for AR and Quick Look
  • Advanced Pro features (CSG, STL export, smoothing)
Features
Read full description

Shapely 3D is a fast, native 3D modeling app built for iPad — sketch, sculpt, and export real 3D models with just your finger or Apple Pencil. Build scenes from simple primitives, then move, rotate, and scale them with an on-screen gizmo. Snap to a configurable grid, measure distances as you work, and use the orientation cube to jump straight to any view. Shapely 3D saves your work as a native document you can open again anytime, right where you left off. Before you print, tap View in Room to see the model on your desk at its actual size, through the camera, or export a USDZ for Quick Look and any USD tool. Apple Pencil Pro's squeeze switches sketch modes mid-drawing and hover shows where the next shape will land. Every project is in Spotlight, Siri and Shortcuts. Shapely 3D Pro unlocks: • CSG boolean operations — union, subtract, and intersect shapes to build more complex forms • STL export — send your models straight to a 3D printer or another CAD tool • Sketch & Extrude — draw a 2D profile and pull it into a solid • Smoothing — round any object with adjustable, non-destructive subdivision • Cut tool — slice objects apart along a face or a drawn line • Edit Faces — move, extrude, and reshape the individual faces of any object, and give any face a color of its own Whether you're prototyping a part, teaching geometry, or just enjoy building things in 3D, Shapely 3D keeps the fundamentals simple and gets out of your way.

About

3D Box Maker

Features
Read full description

3D Box Maker is a builder for 3D-printable boxes and enclosures. Set the sizes, add holes, boards and a lid, then save STL or 3MF files ready for your slicer. BODY • Width, depth, wall height, wall and floor thickness, corner radius • Overall and inside dimensions shown as you edit HOLES AND STANDOFFS • Holes in the floor, any wall and the lid: round, rectangular, slots, hexagons • Connector cut-outs: USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, RJ45, DB9, audio, DC power, keystone jacks • PCB standoffs with screw holes • Arrays of identical holes and standoffs: set the step and the count BOARDS • More than 100 templates: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, Teensy, sensors, interface converters, motor drivers, displays and more • Your own board with its size, mounting holes and ports • A standoff under every mounting hole and port cut-outs in the walls, added for you • Ribs under the board and a clamp: screw posts with a T piece LID • A lid with a lip and an adjustable clearance • Screw fastening: corner bosses with a 45° taper that print without supports • Engraving from an SVG drawing: cut it into the lid or fill it in another colour as an inlay for two-colour printing PREVIEW AND EXPORT • 3D preview: isometric, top, front and side views, lid lifted off • Warnings when a board does not fit, a hole runs past an edge or a standoff is taller than the walls • Undo and redo • STL and 3MF export: base, lid and inlay as separate files; the 3MF of a lid with an inlay holds two coloured bodies • A 1:1 floor sheet to print for marking out PRIVATE AND OFFLINE The app works without the internet and without an account. Your boxes and files stay on your device only — we collect nothing and send nothing anywhere. Ukrainian and English, light and dark theme. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://api3d.serenity.games/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://api3d.serenity.games/legal/privacy Deleting your data: https://api3d.serenity.games/legal/delete

Screenshots

Shapely 3D4 screens
3D Box Maker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 3D Box Maker at none against Shapely 3D's 1. 3D Box Maker also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Shapely 3D sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 3D Box Maker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
Shapely 3D versus 3D Box Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShapely 3D3D Box Maker
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFabrizio BrancatiAndrii Kedrov

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shapely 3D

One-time1
  • Shapely 3D Pro$4.99
None

3D Box Maker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shapely 3D free?
Shapely 3D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3D Box Maker free?
3D Box Maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shapely 3D or 3D Box Maker have ads?
Neither Shapely 3D nor 3D Box Maker shows ads.

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