Best Sites for FREE STL Files: Comparing Thingiverse and Printables
Printables.com downloadable files for an object made of separate printable pieces.
While I’ve designed several custom items for use around the house, from simple things like stackable organizers to more intricate things, like electrical plate covers with frames that hold interchangeable decorative panels, I had yet to download something that already exists.
Downloads feature rather prominently on this site, so I explored how to find, download, and print free STL files from some of the major hubs, such as Thingiverse and Printables.
I went to Thingiverse first. Due to the struggles I had in placing the mini magnets the other day, I had planned on designing a set of long plastic tweezers. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel though - Thingiverse is known for having free or mostly free designs, and you can look for yourself to see the tons available.
I typed in ‘long thin tweezers’ and was instantly rewarded with literal pages of just that. I liked the look of these ‘Long Aquascape Tweezers’.
I also like the formatting, wow. While a glance shows me an image, the author name, and how many people have upvoted the design, hovering over it reveals even more information. There’s even a share icon, which I used when sharing the URL. You can also comment or see user comments on the models, and if you want to save it for later you can add the design to a personal ‘collection’.
Printable Tweezers
A click on the design reveals a download button and a page of information about the design. Anyhow, I clicked, downloaded, opened the file, and printed the item on my Bambu 3D Printer. It was amazingly easy. I also noticed a Thingiverse option that lets you remix downloads. I’ll explore that option another time though, as it’s outside the scope of this article.
The next stop was Printables, another site that has downloadable STL files. The site’s section names evoke a strong sense of community - I get the feeling that a lot of site participants are quite active. The most notable bits were the 3D Models section, which appears to have free downloadable files, a Store section that sells files, and a Clubs section that looks like an area for people to connect with their favorite designers. The site has a lot of other amenities, including tabs with titles like Education, Community, Contests, and the like, all very interesting, but I am most interested in the 3D Models section.
The page has some neat looking items that are free to download. I can’t tell how many, as it seems to scroll endlessly. Fortunately the site has both a search engine and a sorting box: the models can be sorted by various metrics, including ‘trending’, ‘likes’, and ‘views’. All the models have useful information in an easy-to-understand format: a heart denoting the number of ‘likes’ the item received, a star rating showing user reviews, a download symbol alongside the number of times the item has been downloaded, and a button to add the item to a collection.
Clicking on an image gives a close-up with more images of the model, a written description accompanied by a downloadable PDF of said description, and a big bright orange download button. Clicking the download button brought me to a screen where I could choose whether to download individual pieces, or all the files together. So convenient!
Thingiverse has been around since 2008, making it a classic. And also making it really really big - it’s had a long time to gather a lot of objects! I thought Printables was a classic too, but it turns out the site is simply popular in my circles. I found a few other sites, but the two above seem far and away the largest reputable hosts of free STL files. The quality of the models can vary (naturally!), but the fact that you can follow/support authors on both of those sites coupled with the ratings system makes it relatively easy to consistently find the things you love to print.