The Best Shapeways Alternatives: 7 3D Printing Services Put to the Test

Craftcloud is a 3D printing service that aims to deliver industrial-quality parts at the most competitive prices. It enables you to compare services from over 150+ manufacturing partners around the world and find the right one at the right price. You can select the best price, the fastest, or a manufacturing partner with the best combination of these traits.

Quotes are generated in real time based on your uploaded models and location. Using the platform is as simple as any other 3D printing service, but it has many more options available. For example, you find all metals  you can choose from 25 metals, including steels, alloys, aluminum, titanium, and precious metals like sterling silver and gold. Depending on the material you select, you can also request particular finishes.

Unlike most other 3D printing networks, Craftcloud discloses the prices of each manufacturing partner, and you choose the one that best fits your criteria. Still, Craftcloud takes care of the entire process from order to delivery to ensure your parts are printed and shipped to your satisfaction, all with no additional fees and no minimum order value. Craftcloud’s manufacturing partners include some of the biggest in the industry, such as Materialise, Sculpteo, WeNext, and others.

Craftcloud offers one of the widest ranges of 3D printing technologies available: over 21 technologies, including FDM, SLS, MJF, SLA, and SLM. Besides 3D printing, Craftcloud offers services like CNC machining, laser cutting, vacuum casting, injection molding, and more.

Their FDM offering is extensive, offering many colors and materials, including engineering-grade materials. Prices for FDM vary, although we found them to be consistently amongst the most affordable.

The website is clean, easy to navigate, and super simple to change parameters and find the best price. The prices are open and transparent, which isn’t very common with other comparable services. It was optimized for mobile, too, which, in terms of convenience, is miles ahead of the other contenders.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLS, MJF, SLA, DLP, LCD, PolyJet, binder jetting, metal 3D printing, laser cutting, vacuum casting, injection molding, and others.
• Shipping: Worldwide

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Xometry is an on-demand manufacturing service that has an extensive network of industrial manufacturers, including over 2,000 in Europe alone. Having worked with industry giants like BMW, GE, and Bosch, it’s safe to say that Xometry has an industrial focus.

With such a large network of manufacturing partners, it comes as no surprise that the range of available services is quite wide. Seven different technologies are available in the 3D printing category, three forms of  CNC machining, plus sheet metal fabrication, molding, casting, and additional services such as finishing and inspection reports.

Their website is intuitive. Once you upload your part file, it’s easy to change materials or manufacturing type, and prices are updated in real time within a single-page order overview.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLA, SLS, DMLS, MJF, PolyJet, Carbon DLS, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection and compression molding, vacuum and die casting
• Shipping: Worldwide

This 3D printing service has undergone many name changes. What began as a 3D printing network, the originally named 3D Hubs, which was mainly supported by local enthusiasts and occasional professionals, became just Hubs and then Protolabs Network by Hubs and now is just known as Protolabs Network. It’s capabilities include 3D printing, CNC machining, injection molding, and sheet metal fabrication. With its partners, it is capable of producing anywhere from one to 1,000 pieces.

The service bills itself as the “easiest way to source custom parts”. Orders are directed to manufacturers based on how well their expertise matches the order’s requirements.

Beyond FDM, Protolabs Network offers a few other types of 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding. For FDM and SLA printing they distinguish between prototyping or industrial printing, where the latter offers printing with strong thermoplastics (FDM) or increased detail and precision (SLA). Their “Quick Quote” is straightforward and intuitive to navigate and submit. Upon uploading a file, prices are dynamically updated based on material and location, with turnaround times clearly specified, helping customers make informed decisions. However, a minimum order value surcharge for smaller orders may deter consumers or single-item purchasers.

The main appeal lies in its extensive network of local manufacturers and additional services for professional clients, including various post-printing surface finishes like polishing.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal fabrication
• Shipping: Worldwide

Materialise is a Belgium-based company with offices and facilities in the US. Its services are broken out into a few different manufacturing arms, from its healthcare wing, which prints human surgical guides and implants like jaw bone replacement, to its aerospace division that can fabricate certified-to-fly parts, to its quick self-service prototyping service called Materialise OnSite.

Their site is easy to use, just requiring the technology and material you’re interested in before it produces an instant quote. One of the strengths of Materialise OnSite is the design and consultancy services it provides to its business customers. If you’re not sure your product can or should be 3D printed, Materialise OnSite can help you analyze the real costs and potential savings.

Materialise OnSite offers a variety of services, including metal 3D printing and DSM Somos TetraShell software which converts 3D designs into hollow, lightweight models. When paired with their stereolithography printers, the converted designs are perfect for investment or lost wax casting. However, overall, we found the company’s available materials somewhat lacking compared to the other companies we tested. Although they listed a minimum of 3 materials for each printing service offered and 8 different materials for FDM printing, unfortunately ASA was not one of them, so the company couldn’t be included in our comparison for that manufacturing service.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, PolyJet, metal 3D printing, vacuum casting, lost wax casting
• Shipping: Worldwide

Based in Shenzhen, China, WeNext is one of the leading online manufacturing service platforms in the Asia-Pacific region. It serves over 200,000 customers and has access to more than 800 machines through its partner network. In addition to resin and nylon prints, the company offers metal 3D printing, post-processing, plastic and metal CNC manufacturing, and vacuum casting of various popular plastic materials.

With efficient international shipping, including expedited delivery within 24 hours, WeNext is expanding its reach to the global market. It presents a cost-effective alternative to some of the more widely recognized services on this list.

WeNext’s printing service can be accessed via Craftcloud.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLM, SLA, SLS, MJF, metal 3D printing, CNC machining, vacuum casting
• Shipping: Worldwide

Sculpteo offers a wide range of manufacturing serives, albeit with a slightly reduced range of available materials. The bulk of their service offering revolves around 3D printing, with most of the main types represented, as well as offering laser cutting and engraving. Unfortunately ASA is not one of the materials the company offers for FDM printing and so therefore could not be listed for this compilation.

Along with their manufacturing services, Sculpteo’s in-house designers and engineers offer design and consultancy services to support customers at any stage of their projects, with special attention being paid to optimizing parts for additive manufacturing. The company also offers customers a recycling service for parts printed in PA11 and PA12. Old parts are used to manufacture new parts!

Their website is well-designed and easy to use. You can quickly get an instant quote, and it’s simple to change different materials and manufacturing methods.

• Capabilities: SLS, MJF, FDM, SLA, DLP/DLS, PolyJet, CLIP, DMLS, lost wax casting, laser cutting and engraving
• Shipping: Worldwide

Quickparts is a handy service offering many of the same services as Shapeways, though their 3D printing technologies are more narrowly focused. In addition, they offer both rapid and functional prototyping services as well as low-volume production.

Speed is of the utmost importance, as evidenced in their name, and depending on the manufacturing service needed, they may offer same day service. Users can get a “QuickQuote”, but first, they must sign up for an account. The website is easy to navigate, simple, but also informative.

During ordering, it’s very easy to modify between methods and materials. They provide a clear one-page overview, which is really useful. Although not clearly stated on their website, once you log in, you’ll see that they do, in fact, offer FDM printing as a service. Unfortunately only 3 ABS materials are available for this service, and no ASA, making it unsuitable for our comparison.

• Capabilities: FDM, SLA, SLS, direct metal printing (DMP), CNC machining, injection molding, cast urethane, investment casting patterns, die casting, sheet metal fabrication, rapid prototyping
• Shipping: Worldwide