Comparison

Design Materials vs Preality

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

Head to head
About

Design Materials

This app serves as an offline reference guide for various design materials, including polymers and metals. It allows users to manage their own material data, view 3D models, and capture objects with their device's camera. Ideal for professionals and hobbyists involved in product design and 3D printing.

Highlights
  • Offline material reference guide
  • Custom material and resin management
  • 3D model viewer and import/export
  • Object capture via device camera
  • Favorites and notes section
  • Cross-device compatibility (iOS, macOS)
Features
Read full description

Design Materials is an offline material reference guide trusted by hundreds of Engineers, Architects and Designers all over the World. The App was created to be a personal tool to help me take design decisions during the concept ideation of industrial products, in particular for 3D printing. Due to high demand, I decided to make it public and share it's information and power. Basically, it provides the fundamentals for most design/engineer materials on the market, based on reliable and curated academic sources. In addition, you can now create and manager your own Material, Resin or Filament data. Finally, the App features Apple Intelligence (AI) with a pair of Entity Masters in material engineering and STEM: HAL 9000 and Elemento, which can be accessed 24/7 while being on or offline (no internet). The guide contains material categories such as polymers, metals, naturals and more. All of these include synthetic, organic, bio-degradable, plastic, and much more subcategories. Each material contains information such as: About, Properties, Tags, Applications, Types and Photos. HAL 9000 & Elemento (AI entities): The legend of HAL is back. Ask anything from space to robotics or biology, HAL and Elemento are Gods of material engineering and science. HAL does precise flawless analysis while Elemento brings fresh human creativity with an attitude. In addition, you can choose the Tone of AI: Formal, Friendly, Direct or Arrogant. Both AI Entities work offline 24/7. Other features includes: • AI Chat with HAL 9000 or Elemento • Material Packs (subscribers) • 3D-model viewer/import/export • Object Capture: Scan Objects • Favorites section • Offline reference (no Internet needed) • Long list of properties per material • Save Notes per material/resin/filament • Create Designs using Apple Pencil • Support for all iPhone screen sizes • Dark Mode • iPadOS support • MacOS support • Continuous Updates with New Content • UNIVERSAL PURCHASE - One Payment for all Devices New Pro version auto-renew subscriptions: - 1 year (Gold) | 3 month (Silver) | 1 month (Bronze) subscriptions* - Access to all material database ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS • 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 (EULA): https://www.termsfeed.com/live/faff17b4-8765-4690-b57e-9aabde3d2950

About

Preality

This app allows users to project 3D product models into real-world environments using augmented reality. It offers an "AR-Leasing" service to rent high-quality AR representations of products without app development, saving on print costs and enabling quick updates.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality for 3D object projection
  • AR Leasing for product representations
  • Interactive 3D models for print media
  • Cost savings on print materials
  • Quick product update implementation
  • Worldwide synchronization of product updates
Features
Read full description

- Augmented Reality App für 3D-Objekte jeglicher Art: projizieren Sie Ihr Produkt in Realumgebung - App bietet "AR-Leasing": Mieten Sie preiswerte aber hochqualitative AR-Darstellungen Ihrer Produkte/ Konsumgüter (gesamte Artikelsortimente/ Prototypen/ Designvariantionen) ohne App-Entwicklung - AR-Leasing: zeitlich limitierte AR-Darstellung, sowie unbegrenzte Nutzung über PREALITY-Lizenzen - Ergänzung diverser Printmedien durch interaktive 3D-Modelle auf den Katalogseiten - Sparen Sie Druckkosten und langwierige Updates Ihrer Produktpalette in Printmedien durch zeitgemäße und beeindruckende Präsentationen Ihrer Produkte: - 1:1 in Realumgebung/ nur mit App und Tracker-Karten - teure und langwierige Druckprozesse üblicher Printunterlagen entfallen - Produkt-Updates als AR-Ansicht innerhalb von wenigen Tagen umsetzbar - Produkt-Updates sofort weltweit auf jedem End-Gerät automatisch synchronisierbar - PREALITY bietet konzeptionelle Beratung und techn. Unterstützung Support-URL/ Kurzinfo/ Test Tracker: www.preality.de Kategorie: Professional AR/ Industrial/ Design/ Highend AR/ Business

Screenshots

Design Materials4 screens
Preality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Preality at 100% against Design Materials's 33%. Preality also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Design Materials sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Preality asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Design Materials ships an update every 3 months, Preality every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Design Materials versus Preality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesign MaterialsPreality
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChrystian EnriquezPREALITY by Boos und Schulz Design GbR

Customer experience

Design Materials

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Preality

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Design Materials

Subscriptions3
  • Bronze member$7.991 Month
  • Silver member$17.993 Months
  • Gold member$49.991 Year
None

Preality

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Design Materials free?
Design Materials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Preality free?
Preality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Design Materials or Preality have ads?
Neither Design Materials nor Preality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Design Materials or Preality?
Design Materials ships an update every 3 months, and Preality every 4 months. Most recently, Design Materials was updated on October 2, 2026 and Preality on September 24, 2026.

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