Makers Empire 3D vs Tinkercad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Makers Empire 3D
Design and create anything you can imagine in 3D. This app offers tools for both beginners and advanced users, with tutorials and challenges to enhance your skills. Share your creations with a global community and even design mazes to play with friends.
- 3D design with Shaper and Blocker modules
- Interactive tutorials in Training Lab
- Daily Design Challenges and competitions
- Share designs in a global gallery
- Build and play 3D mazes
- Avatar creation
- Level-up system with new tools
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Create whatever you can imagine in 3D. Design solutions to real-world problems. Unlock more features and tools as you level up. Share your 3D designs with 2.2+ million makers in 50 countries. APP FEATURES Learn how to design in 3D with basic, pro and video tutorials in the Training Lab. Create 3D designs using Shaper, a traditional free-form 3D modelling module, or Blocker, a voxel editor. Create a unique avatar to represent you in the Makers Empire world. Share your designs in the Gallery, alongside 100,000+ other new designs every single day, so fellow designers can like and comment on your designs. Test your skills by completing daily Design Challenges and entering monthly Design Thinking competitions. Build and play 3D mazes with your friends in Maze Mania. Level up as you design and unlock new design tools. MAKERS EMPIRE FOR TEACHERS Makers Empire helps primary, elementary and middle school educators cover international Design & Technology curriculum, teach Design Thinking and STEM and embrace maker pedagogy using 3D design and 3D printing. Makers Empire is backed by Macquarie University research, certified by Education Alliance Finland for pedagogical quality, and endorsed by Common Sense Education. Makers Empire’s subscriptions for schools include Makers Empire 3D software, in-app, curriculum-aligned challenge courses, 150+ curriculum-aligned lesson plans, professional development, class management tools, student assessment tools, resources, training, ongoing support and analytics. MAKERS EMPIRE FOR PARENTS & GUARDIANS Encourage your child’s creativity and help them develop important Design Thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving skills with Makers Empire 3D. Makers Empire is certified by the Education Alliance Finland for pedagogical quality, backed by Macquarie University research and endorsed by Common Sense Education.
Tinkercad
This app empowers aspiring designers and engineers with essential skills in 3D design, electronics, and coding. Learn through hands-on projects, build confidence, and bring your creations to life in the real world. It's a safe, ad-free environment for all ages to explore innovation.
- 3D design optimized for mobile
- Circuit simulation with Arduino/micro:bit
- 3D design from code (Codeblocks)
- AR viewer for designs
- Import/export various file formats
- Educational tools for teachers
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Tinkercad is a free app that equips the next generation of designers and engineers with the foundational skills for innovation: 3D design, electronics, and coding. • FREE FOR EVERYONE: No strings attached. Start creating from the first click. • LEARN BY DOING: Build confidence, persistence, and problem-solving skills. • SAFE FOR ALL AGES: Ad-free. kidSAFE certified. Privacy first. KEY FEATURES • Easily build 3D with controls optimized for your device. • Connect, code, and simulate circuit components with Arduino and micro:bit microcontrollers. • Make 3D designs from code using Tinkercad Codeblocks. • Bring your designs into the real world with the Tinkercad AR viewer. • Import STL, OBJ and SVG files into the 3D design space to build on an existing design. • Export your files including STL, OBJ, USDZ, and SVG or send them to other programs. • All you need is a device and an internet connection. • Apple Pencil compatible. FOR EDUCATORS • Tinkercad Classrooms allows teachers to assign Activities, send and receive assignments, invite co-teachers, and monitor student progress—all from your dashboard. • Tinkercad Lesson Plans and starters available for students to get started with 3D CAD design, electronics simulation, and block-based programming. • Compatible with Google Classroom. Tinkercad is a free product from Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. Tomorrow's innovators start here. Children’s Privacy Statement: https://www.autodesk.com/company/legal-notices-trademarks/privacy-statement/childrens-privacy-statement
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Tinkercad at 20K against Makers Empire 3D's 394. Makers Empire 3D's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 59%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Makers Empire 3D against 4.6 for Tinkercad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tinkercad has 20K ratings behind it against 394, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Makers Empire 3D's written reviews are positive against 59% of Tinkercad's.
Makers Empire 3D ships an update every 2 months, Tinkercad every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.
| Parameter | Makers Empire 3D | Tinkercad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (394 ratings) | 4.6 (20K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.6% of reviews — better | 58.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 394 | 20K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 435 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Makers Empire Pty Ltd | Autodesk Inc. |
Customer experience
Makers Empire 3D
Tinkercad
User reviews
Makers Empire 3D
From 394 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Fun and engaging
- 💡 Unleashes creativity
- 👍 Great for education
- 👍 Fantastic app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy and crashes often
- 🐛 Freezes and lags
- 🐛 Buggy avatar and design features
- 🐛 Unreliable saving and loading
- 🐛 Frequent login and account issues
Tinkercad
From 20K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful 3D modeling capabilities
- 💡 Lots of built-in shapes and templates
- 👍 Good for beginners
- 👍 Smooth performance on iPad
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy controls and UI issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on some devices
- 🐛 Unreliable saving and loading of designs
- 🐛 Lack of advanced modeling tools
Bugs and requests
Makers Empire 3D
Reported bugs
4 issues- Maze maker tool issues
- Disappearing designs and lost progress
- Trouble accessing and using premium features
- Compatibility problems on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add more games and activities
- Improve camera controls and navigation
- Implement better sharing and collaboration features
- Add animation and physics capabilities
- Provide more customization options
Tinkercad
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and lost connection problems
- Dimensions box repeatedly appearing
- Designs reverting to earlier versions
- Overlapping UI elements
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for Apple Pencil and trackpad
- Improve alignment and grouping tools
- Provide offline functionality
- Expand library of shapes and templates
- Implement better tutorial and documentation
In-app purchases
Makers Empire 3D
No in-app purchases
Tinkercad
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Makers Empire 3D free?
Is Tinkercad free?
Which has better reviews, Makers Empire 3D or Tinkercad?
Do Makers Empire 3D or Tinkercad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Makers Empire 3D or Tinkercad?
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