# Design Materials vs STL Simple Viewer

The clearest difference is ads: Design Materials at none against STL Simple Viewer's shown. Design Materials also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (30% vs 18%). STL Simple Viewer's advantage is ratings volume (923 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Design Materials sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and STL Simple Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Design Materials holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: STL Simple Viewer has 923 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Design Materials's written reviews are positive against 18% of STL Simple Viewer's.

Design Materials ships an update every 3 months, STL Simple Viewer every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Design Materials | STL Simple Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/design-materials/id975764691/reviews)** | [4.3 (923 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stl-simple-viewer/id1493598400/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **923** |
| Positive reviews | **30.0% of reviews** | 18.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chrystian Enriquez](https://appshunter.io/developer/428286625) | [Victor Bovio](https://appshunter.io/developer/327627515) |

## What reviewers say

### Design Materials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/design-materials/id975764691)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze member | $7.99 | per month |
| Silver member | $17.99 | per 3 months |
| Gold member | $49.99 | per year |


### STL Simple Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stl-simple-viewer/id1493598400)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro version (1 week plan) | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro version (1 month plan) | $1.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Export Pack | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Design Materials free?

Design Materials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is STL Simple Viewer free?

STL Simple Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Design Materials or STL Simple Viewer?

Design Materials is rated higher. Design Materials averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while STL Simple Viewer averages 4.3 from 923 ratings.

### Do Design Materials or STL Simple Viewer have ads?

STL Simple Viewer shows ads; Design Materials does not.

### Which is updated more often, Design Materials or STL Simple Viewer?

Design Materials ships an update every 3 months, and STL Simple Viewer every 5 months. Most recently, Design Materials was updated on November 1, 2026 and STL Simple Viewer on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*