CGTrader
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy the $9.99/mo subscription or individual models if you need stock 3D assets . the catalog is huge and cheap.
Comparison
CGTrader vs Sketchfab
CGTrader and Sketchfab both land on Depends.
Sketchfab
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it to showcase and embed 3D models for free . the viewer and community are best-in-class.
| Compare | CGTrader | Sketchfab |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Game and VR/AR studios needing stock assets | 3D artists showcasing portfolios |
| Who it's not for | Sellers wanting predictable payouts . terms recently changed | Sellers relying on the Sketchfab store . Epic is sunsetting it into Fab |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.14 | No platform-wide breaches found; one medium-severity CVE (2024) in the third-party Sketchfab Embed WordPress plugin. |
| Support quality | Trustpilot 4/5; complaint threads persist | No support evidence; only 33 Trustpilot reviews |
| Public sentiment | Review sites average around 4-4.5 stars, while Reddit threads warn sellers about payout changes and buyers about model reliability.¹ | Long-time users love the viewer and community but are openly angry that Epic is replacing the Sketchfab store with Fab, and some creators are leaving. |
| Biggest gotcha | Payout rates changed; sellers raised prices ~15% to compensate | Store is being sunset into Epic's Fab; sellers face a forced migration |
Pick CGTrader when
- Game and VR/AR studios needing stock assets
- 3D printing hobbyists
- Brands outsourcing product modeling
- Designers wanting a cheap subscription library
When CGTrader is not a fit
- Sellers wanting predictable payouts . terms recently changed
- Buyers who need guaranteed print-ready quality
- Anyone hiring 3D modelers . mixed freelancer reviews
- Creators expecting meaningful income . most sellers earn little
Pick Sketchfab when
- 3D artists showcasing portfolios
- Sites embedding interactive 3D viewers
- Education and museums sharing scans
- Browsing free community models
When Sketchfab is not a fit
- Sellers relying on the Sketchfab store . Epic is sunsetting it into Fab
- Anyone needing long-term marketplace stability or an exit plan
- Enterprise CAD/engineering file viewing at scale
- Buyers wanting proven, well-reviewed vendor support
Sources
- CGTrader Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
review
review
- Sellers make little - Redditreddit.comreview
- CGTrader Subscriptioncgtrader.comofficial
- Earnings and payout schedulecgtrader.comofficial
- CGTrader Essentials launch postfacebook.comofficial
- CGTrader funding - StartupIntrosstartupintros.comnews
- CGTrader - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
- CGTrader product security pagecgtrader.comsecurity
- Sketchfab homepage and taglinesketchfab.comofficial
- Sketchfab Plans & Pricingsketchfab.comofficial