HomeWeb10 Best Sites to Download Free STL Files and 3D Printing Models

10 Best Sites to Download Free STL Files and 3D Printing Models

You can 3D print cool stuff with 3D models available all over the internet. But finding the right STL 3D Model for your 3D printer, for your purpose is not quite easy. Well, there are tons of websites you can use to download free STL models for 3D printers without any trouble.

We have curated a list of the top websites you can visit to get the free STL 3D models for your 3D printer.

GrabCAD

GrabCAD

GrabCAD is one of the largest marketplaces for free CAD files and STL files download. It supports various file formats including STL allowing users to download models and 3D print it.

The website is managed by third-party designers who upload models ranging from easy to complex with thousands of polygons. It is usually tagged as the largest library of free STL files and other formats.

You can search by category or use the search box. GrabCAD has a 3D printing & modeling software called GrabCAD Workbench and GrabCAD Print. It is popular among manufacturers, designers, engineers among others.

Pros:

  • 4.36+ million CAD files including STL
  • Search by keywords or categories
  • Upload or download models

Cons:

  • Requires registration for downloads

Key Features: Free to download 3D models | Active community of 6M+ users | Supports STL, VRML, STEP, and others | Easy to use

Visit: GrabCAD

Thingiverse

ThingiverseThingiverse is one of the most popular STL files repositories offering 2.8+ million SLT files on the display. The website loads much faster, allowing users to search between millions of free STL files to download. You can search by keyword or category through its repository.

The website offers a platform for designers to publish their STL models for others to download. Be a part of the various 3D printing designers and professionals from across the globe. You can share, like, and comment on the things and interact with designers and other people like you.

Pros:

  • More than 2.8 million STL files
  • Free to use
  • Easy and Intuitive
  • A very active community
  • Supports 19 file types

Cons:

  • Intrusive ads
  • The website is slow to load

Key Features: Free to download STL files | Search by keywords and categories | Share across the web | Download or upload things

Visit: Thingiverse

Yeggi

YeggiUnlike most of the websites offering free and paid 3D models, Yeggi offers nearly 90% of the total 2.51+ million models free of cost. Yeggi is a search engine like STLFinder that crawls all the websites with 3D STL models and returns the results.

You can use Yeggi as like as if you are searching on Google. You just need to enter the keyword and it can return the STL files as results.

Filter the searches if you want to see only the latest, free, or for sale, and others. The website is updated daily with an average of 400 new 3D printer files added every day.

You can add the files to the list before finalizing the models to print or tap on ‘print now’.

Pros:

  • More than 2.51+ million 3D models
  • Biggest collection of free 3D models
  • Updates daily with new models
  • Better results than rivals
  • Lucrative search option with filters

Cons:

  • It’s just a search engine
  • No community tab

Key Features: Updated daily | Popular search engine for 3D models | Easy to use | Simple UI | Sort by categories, tags & search by keywords

Visit: Yeggi

STLFinder

STLFinderSTLFinder is a search engine to find STL files for the 3D printers. The website searches across the internet and returns your results with both free and paid models. Depending on what you choose, you can download it and use it on your 3D printer.

Similar to Thingiverse, STLFinder has a database of more than 2 million 3D models to find. It is a powerful yet easy to use platform with free STL files ready to download straight away.

The best thing about the website is that you get a proper, easy to use, minimalistic interface like Google. Type in the keywords, filter it by paid or free and it will return with hundreds of STL files.

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • More than 2 million STL files
  • Free and paid models

Cons:

  • Some paid models could cost a fortune

Key Features: A powerful search engine for 3D models | No fluff & no ads | Search anything

Visit: STLFinder

TurboSquid

TurboSquidThe portal has more than 860K free and premium 3D models and designs to choose from. This includes many file formats and software systems to use including AR and VR.

TurboSquid is a powerful 3D STL files website that offers a variety of categories of models to choose from. It covers airplanes, architecture to plants, nature, furnishings, and other categories.

The only downside is that there’s a limitation in the number of 3D models. In fact, you could find almost 53,089 models available under which only 1,780 are free. You’ll get all information about the model, attribution, license, file supported, and more.

Pros:

  • Supports multiple file formats
  • More than 860K 3D models
  • Detailed description for each listing
  • Easy to use

Cons:

  • Limited STL files
  • Limited free 3D printer files

Key Features: Curated Categories | 24/7 customer support | Simple return policy | Offers 3D models, textures, graphics | Enhanced licensing policy

Visit: TurboSquid

Free3D

FreeHDAmong all the STL files and 3D models it offers, Free3D has only around 16K free models, while the 391K are paid 3D models. Free3D is a marketplace of 3D models available across different software and file formats.

Free3D offers file formats of VRML, STL, OBJ, Blender, and more. The platform has a support of 14 languages and a community that updates its content almost daily. You can share your models on-top to create a portfolio.

The user interface is impressive with easy to use navigation panel. In fact, the homepage has almost all details you might need, which is a great feature.

Pros:

  • More than 400,000 3D models
  • Sort by categories, types, free & paid
  • Supports multiple file formats
  • Multi-language support

Cons:

  • Doesn’t have enough free models
  • More than 90% 3D models are paid
  • Not all models at STL

Key Features: 400K+ 3D printer files | Easy to use | Simple yet impressive UI | Robust search box | Supports all major 3D modeling features & file formats

Visit: Free3D

CGTrader

CGTraderWith more than 1 million+ 3D models across all formats, CGTrader is undoubtedly a big place for STL files search. Deducting others, there are still 292,440 3D printer models available although it includes both free and paid ones.

The website offers an easy to use interface, a search box sitting on the homepage lets you search by keywords.

All the 3D models are professional quality that makes paying worth it. There is a huge community of designers who upload their models to create a portfolio. You can also do the same if you are a 3D model designer.

CGTrader is also a Freelance Hub allowing users to search for projects and get hired. There’s also a feature to sell 3D models at a royalty of up to 80%. The website runs discounts throughout the year allowing you to purchase models at a cheaper price.

Pros:

  • Supports multiple file formats
  • S292,440+ 3D STL files
  • Free account
  • Royalty-free use

Cons:

  • Premium 3D models could go above $500

Key Features: More than 1 million 3D models | 292K printable models | Sell 3D Models | Search by tags, keywords & categories | Enterprise Services | Tutorials & Forum | Freelance Hub

Visit: CGTrader

Cults3D

CultsCults 3D is a France Free STL file downloads website that offers an intuitive interface. With more than 160,000 3D printer models, Cults 3D is one of the fastest-growing communities of designers and professionals.

You can use its efficient search box to search by keyword or sort it with categories and tags. Can’t find one? Cults 3D offers a quick requirement to create a 3D model design in a jiffy.

Available in Spanish, French, and English, this increases the footfall on the website. You can check out its repository of 3D STL files via its random and collections section or use the search box to find.

Each listing on Cults3D gives you info on the format, description, photos, and licensing details. What makes it even more attractive is the option to edit 3D models before downloads.

There’s a community tab to get in touch with the designers. Also, you can publish your own 3D models and STL files with 80% of royalty.

Pros:

  • Request a custom 3D model
  • A huge community of users
  • Search by category, keywords & tags

Cons:

  • Premium models can be too expensive

Key Features: High-quality 3d model designs | Both free & paid models | Active community of designers, makers | Unlimited contests | Learn mode with blog | Publish & earn

Visit: Cults 3D

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MyMiniFactory

MyMiniFactoryMyMiniFactory is an STL files repository with over 129,000 3D models available for use. The portal checks all the designs posted by its community of designers making sure all designs are 100% printable.

If you are a designer or starting into this field, check out the various contests and challenges that MyMiniFactory organizes throughout the year.

MyMiniFactory has a budding community where you can interact with others if you are a designer. Submit your entries and stand a chance to win the title of a rockstar. Contribute to the community by uploading and selling your profits.

There’s a built-in customizer if you want to customize any 3D design before uploading a new or downloading an existing one. It has close ties with printer manufacturer iMakr where you can buy 3D printers and accessories.

Pros:

  • More than 129,000 3D files
  • Sell your designs for a profit
  • 3D challenges and contests to complete
  • Multi-language support

Cons:

  • Premium designs require pay
  • First-party promotional ads

Key Features: Built-in Customizer | 100% printable 3D models | Easy to use | Learn more with the community & blogs

Visit: MyMiniFactory

PinShape

PinShapePinShape offers both free and premium STL files for 3D printing needs. It has a Pinterest-like layout that makes it easy to search through the database of 3D models.

The website has models supporting file formats STL and OBJ and contains all the info regarding attribution & licensing right in front of you.

What makes PinShape unique is its offerings and the ease to edit it. With PinShape, you can be a part of more than 70,000 makers and designers.

You can upload STL files free on the website and earn a hefty amount when you sell any renders. Ther website runs contests so you can take part in it too.

Pros:

  • All info about downloads are available
  • One of the largest community
  • Abundant study materials
  • Efficient search box for faster searches

Cons:

  • Some models are under a paywall
  • Supports OBJ and STL only
  • There’s no customizer tool

Key Features: High-quality 3D STL models | Free & Paid downloads | 70,000+ makers & designers community | Sell STL models for profit

Visit: PinShape

These were the best websites to download STL files for your 3D printing project. Of course, there are dozens of alternatives to choose from including 3DKitBash, Polar Cloud, Instructables. Let us know which website you found the most amazing off the list.

Disclosure: Mashtips is supported by its audience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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