Design Materials vs Autodesk Fusion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
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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
Autodesk Fusion
Collaborate on 3D designs from anywhere with this mobile app. View, comment on, and share CAD models in over 100 formats. It works with a companion cloud-based desktop product for product design and development.
- View over 100 file formats
- Collaborate on 3D designs
- Comment on project activities
- Share designs with stakeholders
- Search and highlight parts
- Offline data access
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Autodesk Fusion™ for iPhone and iPad lets you collaborate on 3D designs with anyone inside or outside your company. With the Fusion app, you have the flexibility to view and collaborate on your Fusion CAD models—anytime, anywhere. The app supports more than 100 file formats including DWG, SLDPRT, IPT, IAM, CATPART,IGES, STEP, STL, making it easy to share designs with your team, clients, partners, and friends. The free app works in conjunction with its companion cloud-based desktop product, Autodesk Fusion™, a 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool for product design and development. * To use Fusion for iPhone and iPad, you will need to sign in with your Fusion account information. FEATURES View • Upload and view more than 100 data formats including SLDPRT, SAT, IGES, STEP, STL, OBJ, DWG, F3D, SMT, and DFX • View and track project activities and updates • Review large and small 3D designs and assemblies • Access design properties and complete parts lists • Isolate and hide components in the model for easy viewing • Navigate by touch with zoom, pan, and rotate Comment • Upload photos to share info or report project status • Comment on project activities Share • Share with stakeholders inside and outside your company • Share screenshots of the design with markups directly from the app Search • Search for parts in the model and see them automatically highlighted in the design SUPPORT: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/contact-support Optional Access + Storage: Store offline data if needed, so you can view your data anywhere, anytime + Photos: Access files or data stored on your device to view, share and markup + Camera: Take pictures such as drawings with app Fusion will still function even if a user does not give permissions to access these functions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Autodesk Fusion at none against Design Materials's 3. Autodesk Fusion also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 30%) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 2). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Design Materials sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Autodesk Fusion asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Design Materials against 4.5 for Autodesk Fusion. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Autodesk Fusion has 4.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 30% of Design Materials's written reviews are positive against 60% of Autodesk Fusion's.
Design Materials ships an update every 3 months, Autodesk Fusion monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Design Materials | Autodesk Fusion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) | 4.5 (4.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | 59.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 13 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chrystian Enriquez | Autodesk Inc. |
Customer experience
Design Materials
Autodesk Fusion
Bugs and requests
Design Materials
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Autodesk Fusion
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fails to open files
- White screens and rendering issues
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Frequent crashes on latest iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Full editing capabilities on iPad
- Ability to hide/show components
- Improved rendering and visualization
- Offline access and file management
In-app purchases
Design Materials
- Bronze member$7.991 Month
- Silver member$17.993 Months
- Gold member3 Days trial$49.991 Year
Autodesk Fusion
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Design Materials free?
Is Autodesk Fusion free?
Which has better reviews, Design Materials or Autodesk Fusion?
Do Design Materials or Autodesk Fusion have ads?
Which is updated more often, Design Materials or Autodesk Fusion?
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