Best Websites for 3D Models and STL Files

Printing 3D models isn’t reserved for engineers or prototypers; artists, educators, hobbyists, and students make computer-generated designs come to life in the real world. For those who want to print and not design the models themselves, plenty of websites offer downloadable files that you can send to your printer. But where do you start?

We've collected some of the best websites that offer high-quality, downloadable models like STLs.

Use this article to find the best model for your needs. Below is an alphabetical summary of the websites that we've looked into, and further down is a detailed review of each.

Name	Specialty	Pricing System
CGTrader*	Huge amount of generalized models	Paid marketplace with some free models
Cults*	Social networking	Paid marketplace with some free models
Gambody	Comics, sci-fi, and video game models	Paid marketplace with some free models
Make With Tech	In-site model customization	Free model repository
MyMiniFactory	Community-based groups	Paid marketplace with some free models
Printables*	Design competitions	Free model repository
Thingiverse	Huge amount of generalized models + in-site model customization	Free model repository
Tinkercad	Education	Free model repository
YouMagine	No-frills quality models	Free model repository

A few notes:

All sites can make a free account with no credit card needed, though some require payment to download certain models.
Some sites allow designers to upload NSFW models and include content for mature audiences. These sites are flagged with an asterisk (*).
Remember to check the licensing terms for each model you download to ensure it is legal for your intended use.
Even though a 3D model is on a website, it may not be suitable for printing. Print according to your device, skill level, and model complexity.

CGTrader*

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2011	Paid marketplace with some free models	Large	8/10	Some	None, but designers are available for hire

CG Trader is a giant 3D model marketplace with ~1,600,000 models, falling just shy in size of Thingiverse. Backed by Intel Capital and Practica Capital, the site offers a platform where designers can upload 3D models for users to purchase and download. It also boasts a vast pool of designers and allows the creation of business accounts if desired.

The website is clean and easy to navigate and organizes models based on use and aesthetics in addition to the type of file (beneficial to sift for free, 3D-printing-ready models). While it doesn't offer 3D-printing educational content for the curious maker, there are some tutorials for creating models.

CG Trader doesn't have an in-site model customizer but does allow the user to hire a designer to edit the model as desired if they choose not to edit it themselves.

Cults*

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2014	Paid marketplace with some free models	Large	8/10	Some	None

Cult is a large marketplace for 3D models of all genres and uses. It hosts almost 1,000,000 printable models and 7,000,000 makers around the world. It markets itself as "a social network that brings together all the fans of the 3D printer world so that they can interact with each other" and allows users to follow and contact designers directly.

Its interface is sleek dark mode, and many models are displayed in GIF format. However, with a few ads to wade through before reaching the models, the site sometimes feels overwhelming.

Gambody

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2014	Paid marketplace with some free models	Small	6/10	Some	None

Gambody is a marketplace specializing in comic book, sci-fi/fantasy, and video game models. Although only ~1000 files are on the site, they are "thoroughly checked to ensure they meet the quality standards" Gambody upholds. Take advantage of the discounts and new customer offers that are in place to entice more users.

The site isn't gorgeous but functions well; fandom-specific categories are accessible from the landing page. Within a model's page is a moderated discussion board for users to discuss print parameters, modified files, and suggestions for the designer.

Make With Tech

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2021	Free model repository	Small	7/10	Plenty	Yes

Make With Tech is a passion project from the Cogitations team, designed to be a better-functioning replacement for Thingiverse. Created just two years ago, the main draws of this site are its OpenSCAD in-site model customizer and educational content.

The creator of Make With Tech is a Youtuber who teaches new makers (young and old) how to create with 3D printers, so it's not a surprise that all his videos, blogs, and forums are linked within the website for easy reference. Make With Tech "fills the need for an easy way to find 3d models for printing and customize them for your specific use" through their parametric customizer and Amazon Web Service-hosted rendering tool.

Although the site has a modest number of models uploaded, the ability to search Thingiverse's collections in-site expands availability hugely. It also offers a dark mode, a useful feature to minimize eye strain, but sometimes makes the text difficult to read.

MyMiniFactory

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2013	Paid marketplace with some free models	Large	9/10	Some	None

MyMiniFactory is more than just a model marketplace; it is a community of makers that encourages collaboration and storytelling. "Tribes" are groups that focus on a specific designer's work, where users can subscribe and regularly receive models in relation to the tribe's theme. "Community Stories" offer tutorials, community updates, and the ability to share stories with other users.

Almost 92% of sales go directly to the creators - a high percentage compared to other marketplaces. Tutorials and a community teaching culture are established on MyMiniFactory, providing users guidance when desired. Combined with a bright and intuitive user interface, this site pushes the boundaries of model marketplaces.

Printables*

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2019	Free model repository	Medium	9/10	Plenty	None

Printables is a Prusa site that hosts many 3D printable models. Because its parent company is an established fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer design company, almost all of these models are tailored toward FDM printing. Its user interface is clean and straightforward to understand, with search categories and filters that are detailed and powerful for quickly finding the exact model users want.

Community is big on Printables; the site regularly hosts makers' competitions where users can upload designs that solve a specific problem and win Prusa printers. This creates an extensive collection of specific designs that users can access as desired. It also hosts the Prusa Education program, free for schools, that gives access to coursework databases and Prusa Academy online courses.

Thingiverse

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2008	Free model repository	Large	9/10	Plenty	Yes

Ultimaker's Thingiverse is the best-known website for downloading 3D-printable models. With a repository of 2,500,000 free "things" plus a built-in parametric model customizer, Thingiverse is a very useful site. Use slider and drop-down options to adjust the model dimensions you wish to customize in the built-in app. When you're done, download your file or post your "remix" to the community collection.

Thingiverse also has an educational sub-site aimed at educators, where users can post lesson plans accompanying 3D models. All 3D models are easily searchable via many unique categories and technical filters. The site could use better aesthetics, but its capabilities more than makeup for that shortcoming.

Tinkercad

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2011	Free model repository	Small	8/10	Plenty	Yes

Tinkercad is an education-first 3D-modeling site encouraging young learners to create via CAD. When Autodesk acquired it, they integrated their wealth of 3D-modeling expertise into the website's core, and models created in that workspace can be uploaded to the community's gallery. These models can be "remixed" and reposted; small imports are also allowed. However, this functionality is limited; therefore, the models created in Tinkercad are often simple and boxy.

The site is polished with a bright aesthetic but lacks categories and filters for browsing the model gallery. The search function is the best way to navigate the gallery.

Tinkercad provides tutorials, projects, and classroom-style lessons for self-led learners and educators.

YouMagine

Launch Date	Pricing System	Size	Usability Score	Educational Content	In-Site Customizer
2013	Free model repository	Small	7/10	Little to none	None

YouMagine is the website to go to for a no-frills, hassle-free model repository. There are categories to sift through the design gallery, but no technical filters like size, style, etc. The community is small at YouMagine, but the models are high quality, and the breadth of available models is vast.

Still can’t find the model you need?

To search dozens of 3D model sites simultaneously, some websites crawl the ones above (plus others) and present them in one location. A few of these sites are listed below:

Best of luck in your search for the perfect 3D model!