Comparison

3D Paint vs Meld

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

Head to head
About

3D Paint

Create immersive 3D artwork with a powerful yet intuitive drawing studio. Sketch naturally, refine strokes with professional tools, and apply realistic materials and lighting. Perfect for artists, designers, and hobbyists looking to bring their imagination into three dimensions.

Highlights
  • Draw directly in 3D space
  • Editable 3D brush strokes
  • Professional brush library
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Unlimited layers
  • Realistic materials and PBR textures
  • 3D animation and AR preview
Features
Read full description

3D Paint – Draw in 3D Space Turn your ideas into immersive three-dimensional artwork with 3D Paint, a powerful yet intuitive 3D drawing and painting studio for iPhone and iPad. Sketch naturally in 3D space using your finger or Apple Pencil, then refine every stroke with professional editing tools, realistic materials, lighting, and animation. Whether you're an artist, designer, architect, engineer, educator, or hobbyist, 3D Paint provides everything you need to create stunning 3D illustrations, concept art, product designs, technical sketches, and creative visualizations. Features • Draw directly in 3D space with an infinite canvas • Create smooth, editable 3D brush strokes • Professional brush library with customizable settings • Apple Pencil pressure, tilt, hover, and barrel roll support • Unlimited layers and object organization • Sculpt and refine your creations with intuitive editing tools • Apply realistic materials including metal, glass, wood, fabric, and more • Paint textures with physically based rendering (PBR) materials • Professional lighting studio with HDR environments • Multiple camera modes including perspective and orthographic views • Symmetry and mirror drawing for precise designs • Grid, vertex, edge, and surface snapping • Import reference images and popular 3D model formats • Export artwork to USDZ, OBJ, STL, GLB, FBX, PNG, PDF, GIF, and more • Preview creations in augmented reality • Create animated camera paths and object animations • Auto-save and seamless iCloud synchronization • Optimized for Apple Silicon with high-performance Metal rendering Designed for Creativity From quick concept sketches to detailed product prototypes and artistic masterpieces, 3D Paint makes creating in three dimensions fast, intuitive, and enjoyable. Every stroke remains fully editable, allowing you to experiment without limitations. Whether you're designing the next great product, illustrating complex ideas, or simply exploring your creativity, 3D Paint gives you professional tools in a modern, easy-to-use interface. Download 3D Paint today and bring your imagination into three dimensions. #3D Paint offers auto-renewing subscription options: •$7.99 per month •$34.99 per year • You can subscribe for unlimited access to all features and content offered for purchases within Video Stabilizer • Subscriptions are billed weekly/yearly on the subscription plan • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Terms of Use: https://tos.asiancomputingapps.com Privacy Policy: https://privacy.asiancomputingapps.com

About

Meld

Create and paint 3D models on your mobile device. Offers a range of polygon modeling tools, texture painting with Apple Pencil support, and scene rendering capabilities. Supports common 3D file formats for import and export.

Highlights
  • Polygon modeling tools
  • Texture painting with Apple Pencil
  • UV unwrapping
  • Scene lighting and rendering
  • OBJ, glTF, GLB, USDZ support
  • Full undo/redo functionality
Features
Read full description

Meld is a polygon modeler and texture painter built for iPad and iPhone. Topology editing tools, rebuilt for use with touch and Apple Pencil. MODELING Extrude, Inset, Bevel, Loop Cut, Knife, Edge Slide and Subdivide. Extrude along the region, the normals or each face individually. Bevel edges or vertices with adjustable segments and profile shape. Cut loops with even spacing and slide them into place. Every tool opens a settings panel after you commit, so you can dial in an exact amount, add a segment, or change a profile without undoing and starting again. Move, rotate and scale with gizmos in global or local orientation, or transform freely with an axis constraint when you need one direction only. TOPOLOGY Split, separate, dissolve and delete across every selection mode. Fill and bridge edges. Merge vertices by distance or at their center. Flip normals, shade smooth or flat, join objects together. Full undo and redo on everything. PAINTING Paint color directly onto your model with Apple Pencil, using pen pressure. Roughness, metallic and emissive channels let a surface read as worn metal, wet plastic or a glowing sign. Unwrap UVs with smart unwrap. LIGHTING AND RENDERING Point, spot, directional and area lights. Place cameras, frame a shot at the aspect ratio you want, and capture it. Ray traced shadows and reflections on supported devices. Import reference images to model against. Fly through your scene or orbit it, in perspective or orthographic, with instant front, side and top views. FILES Import and export OBJ, glTF, GLB and USDZ. Export a single object or the whole scene. Exporting models requires Meld Pro. Scenes autosave as you work, and the file browser shows a real 3D preview of every one. Your files stay on your device, and export to formats every other tool already speaks. Terms of Service: https://meld3d.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://meld3d.app/privacy.html NINE LANGUAGES English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Screenshots

3D Paint3 screens
Meld4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 3D Paint at 5.0 against Meld's 3.6. Meld's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 3D Paint sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Meld sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

3D Paint holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meld has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
3D Paint versus Meld: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter3D PaintMeld
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB265 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDo AnhMeld Systems LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

3D Paint

Subscriptions2
  • 3D Paint Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • 3D Paint Pro Yearly$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • 3D Paint Lifetime$49.99
2 purchases

Meld

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is 3D Paint free?
3D Paint is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Meld free?
Meld is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 3D Paint or Meld?
3D Paint is rated higher. 3D Paint averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Meld averages 3.6 from 5 ratings.
Do 3D Paint or Meld have ads?
Neither 3D Paint nor Meld shows ads.

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