Comparison

Onshape 3D CAD vs STL Simple Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Onshape 3D CAD

A cloud-based 3D CAD platform for professional users to create, edit, and collaborate on designs in real-time from any device. It offers robust parametric modeling tools and seamless data management for teams.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Parametric modeling tools
  • Cloud-based data management
  • Cross-device accessibility
  • Integrated commenting
  • Version control
Read full description

Onshape is a full mechanical CAD platform designed for professional users and extended teams. Create, edit, collaborate, and comment in real time with others from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection (free sign-up required). With Onshape’s secure cloud workspace teams can work together from anywhere on any device without the hassles of file management, IT overhead, and license key distribution, helping engineers focus more on doing their best work. Parametric CAD: • Design parts together in Part Studios with a full suite of parametric modeling tools • Create mechanical Assemblies to capture complex motion Ease of Access: • Create, edit, and view from any computer or mobile device (internet connection required) • Begin a project from one device and seamlessly continue from another Collaboration: • Instantly share your CAD data with your teams and partners. Monitor, change, and revoke permissions at any time • Work together with other users and view changes in real-time as they are made • Use Follow mode to see exactly what your teammate sees and add suggestions using Onshape’s built-in commenting tools Data Management: • Maintain a single source of truth for your data, no more sending around or checking in and out of files • Never worry about losing your work, all of your changes are saved automatically • Explore multiple design ideas in parallel and create professional release and approval processes for your designs Onshape for iOS also features Apple Pencil support for more intuitive sketching, navigation, and precise selection. Onshape proudly supports students and educators free of charge and is available free for non-commercial projects in an open-source public work space. Since Onshape is updated every few weeks with dozens of new features and user-requested enhancements, keep an eye out for update notifications from the Apple App Store.

About

STL Simple Viewer

Easily view and interact with 3D STL CAD models. Supports various file types and offers advanced rendering options for detailed analysis. Get model information and explore interiors with clipping planes.

Highlights
  • View ASCII and Binary STL files
  • Load STL from ZIP
  • Rotate, pan, and zoom
  • Orthogonal and Perspective modes
  • Model info (triangle count, bounding box)
  • Rendering options (faces, edges, transparency)
  • Clipping plane for interiors
Features
Read full description

STL Simple Viewer is a great app to quickly view STL, 3MF & DXF 3D files and export them to the most commonly used CAD formats. Features: - Supports STL files both ASCII and Binary formats. - Supports 3MF & DXF files. - Load files directly from ZIP archives. - Export to DXF, OBJ, DAE, PLY, USD, STL & 3MF. - Measure distances between points within your model. - Rotate, pan, and zoom models with intuitive touch controls. - Configure rendering options: faces, edges, points, background and transparency. - Render using a clipping plane (useful for viewing model interiors). - View models in Orthographic or Perspective mode. - Obtain model information including triangle count, bounding box, surface area, and volume. Privacy Policy: https://www.boviosoft.com/apps/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ For support or questions: support@boviosoft.com

Screenshots

Onshape 3D CAD4 screens
STL Simple Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: STL Simple Viewer at 4.3 against Onshape 3D CAD's 3.5. Onshape 3D CAD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. STL Simple Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Onshape 3D CAD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

STL Simple Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 418 and 923 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Onshape 3D CAD's written reviews are positive against 18% of STL Simple Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Onshape 3D CAD ships an update every 3 weeks, STL Simple Viewer every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Onshape 3D CAD versus STL Simple Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnshape 3D CADSTL Simple Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (418 ratings)4.3 (923 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.3% of reviews — better18.1% of reviews
Number of ratings418923 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPTC Inc.Victor Bovio

Customer experience

Onshape 3D CAD

All ratings417 ratings
Positive61.4%
Neutral6.0%
Negative32.6%
Written reviews425 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral6.4%
Negative46.4%

STL Simple Viewer

All ratings909 ratings
Positive80.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive18.1%
Neutral11.4%
Negative70.5%

User reviews

Onshape 3D CAD

From 418 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful CAD features
  • 🌐 Accessible from any device
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Great for on-site work
  • 🌟 Exceptional for a free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 👎 Unintuitive and clunky UI
  • 🔒 Requires account sign-up
  • 💰 Expensive paid plans
  • 🔍 Difficult to find/use key features

STL Simple Viewer

From 923 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and intuitive viewer
  • 👍 Useful viewing options
  • 💡 Supports multiple file formats

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🚨 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 🔍 Limited functionality for larger files

Bugs and requests

Onshape 3D CAD

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Dimensions not visible/editable
  • Rotation/view controls unreliable
  • Unable to create account
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add keyboard shortcuts
  • Improve dimensioning tools
  • Allow private file storage
  • Optimize for iPad/Apple Pencil
  • Provide better documentation/tutorials

STL Simple Viewer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when opening larger STL files
  • Inability to open some file formats
  • Ads continue to appear even after paying for ad removal

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add ability to save color/lighting settings
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes
  • Provide an ad-free paid version

In-app purchases

None

Onshape 3D CAD

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

STL Simple Viewer

Subscriptions2
  • Pro version (1 week plan)$0.997 Days
  • Pro version (1 month plan)3 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time2
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Export Pack$3.99

Questions

Is Onshape 3D CAD free?
Onshape 3D CAD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is STL Simple Viewer free?
STL Simple Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Onshape 3D CAD or STL Simple Viewer?
STL Simple Viewer is rated higher. Onshape 3D CAD averages 3.5 out of 5 from 418 ratings, while STL Simple Viewer averages 4.3 from 923 ratings.
Do Onshape 3D CAD or STL Simple Viewer have ads?
STL Simple Viewer shows ads; Onshape 3D CAD does not.
Which is updated more often, Onshape 3D CAD or STL Simple Viewer?
Onshape 3D CAD ships an update every 3 weeks, and STL Simple Viewer every 5 months. Most recently, Onshape 3D CAD was updated on November 7, 2026 and STL Simple Viewer on November 7, 2026.

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