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Shapeways VS Thingiverse

Compare Shapeways VS Thingiverse and see what are their differences

Shapeways logo Shapeways

Shapeways - 3D Printing Service and Marketplace

Thingiverse logo Thingiverse

Thingiverse.com is the place to share digital designs for fabricating real, physical objects.
  • Shapeways Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-10
  • Thingiverse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-09

Shapeways videos

Shapeways 3D printed Products Review

More videos:

  • Review - My Experience Ordering From Shapeways
  • Review - 3D Print Without Using a 3D Printer By Using Shapeways!

Thingiverse videos

3D Printing A Coin Sorter! [Thingiverse Print Review]

More videos:

  • Review - 3D Printing A Crossbow! [Thingiverse Print Review]
  • Review - 3D Printed Working Wrench! [Thingiverse Print Review]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Shapeways and Thingiverse)
3D Printing
100 100%
0% 0
3D Modeling
0 0%
100% 100
Business Management
100 100%
0% 0
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Shapeways and Thingiverse

Shapeways Reviews

We have no reviews of Shapeways yet.
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Thingiverse Reviews

Top 10 3D Model Databases: The Best Sites to Download 3D Models for 3D Printing
Thingiverse is probably one of the biggest and most popular databases. It has a very active maker community behind it and offers free-to-use STL files only. You don’t even need to open an account in order to download a 3D model from their site. Sometimes the database can seem slightly less organized than the cleaner and simpler design of sites like Pinshape and Cults.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Thingiverse seems to be a lot more popular than Shapeways. While we know about 227 links to Thingiverse, we've tracked only 1 mention of Shapeways. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Shapeways mentions (1)

  • How to get M0.3 plastic gears?
    You can even download a CAD model of the gear you want & scale it down to the size you're looking to use, and then get it made from shapeways.com or find an SLA printer or something. Source: over 2 years ago

Thingiverse mentions (227)

  • How can I improve the sound?
    Since I don't live in the forest, the instrument's high volume was always a big problem, it came with a bundle of standard wooden reeds (2.5). I did some research and found that with a softer and thinner reed you need less air to create the vibration and therefore can play at a lower volume. I found “full range alto saxophone reed” on thingiverse.com and printed a (1.5) reed with PETG. It really worked, the volume... Source: 6 months ago
  • Ender 3 printer for my 13 yr old?
    There are millions of free designs on printables.com and thingiverse.com and other sites. There is certainly no need to buy models. Commercial models do exist but they are usually highly elaborate decorative pieces. Source: 6 months ago
  • How I made a cool T-Rex Carving - workflow
    I found a 3D model of a T-Rex on thingiverse.com that I liked. I used The T-Rex Skull by MakerBot - Thingiverse. This method lets you use any 3D model. Source: 9 months ago
  • How i keep my kaico from committing workn't
    This is the solution that worked for me. I found a bracket on thingiverse.com and printed it at work. Source: 11 months ago
  • Suddenly tech support for dad
    Then, head over to a site that hosts 3D print files like thingiverse.com or printables.com to download .STL files.You'll want something super simple at first, like a low poly model. Nothing complicated. Source: 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Shapeways and Thingiverse, you can also consider the following products

3D Hubs - Airbnb for 3D printing

Cults 3D - Cults is a marketplace that connects designers and people who want to 3D print some objects.

i.materialise - i.materialise is an online 3D printing service, community and marketplace.

MyMiniFactory - MyMiniFactory is the world’s leading curated platform for 3D printable objects.

Sculpteo - An online service that provides professional online 3D printing and laser cutting services for...

Thangs3D - Thangs3D is an online community for engineers and visual designers that provides unlimited downloads of 3D models and CAD designs.