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 TurboSquid
CGTrader and TurboSquid both land on Depends.
TurboSquid
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a professional picking up specific, production-ready 3D models one at a time . the catalog is unmatched.
| Compare | CGTrader | TurboSquid |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Game and VR/AR studios needing stock assets | Game, VFX, and arch-viz artists buying one-off models |
| Who it's not for | Sellers wanting predictable payouts . terms recently changed | Sellers who need reliable, on-time royalty payments |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.14 | 2015 breach disclosed by the CEO; later warnings about compromised accounts; no newer incidents in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Trustpilot 4/5; complaint threads persist | Negative reviews cited; royalty problems persist |
| Public sentiment | Review sites average around 4-4.5 stars, while Reddit threads warn sellers about payout changes and buyers about model reliability.¹ | Opinions split: the catalog is praised as vast and the site long-trusted, but sellers report payout and sales problems since Shutterstock, and some buyers cite bad reviews. |
| Biggest gotcha | Payout rates changed; sellers raised prices ~15% to compensate | 2015 breach disclosed; later warnings about rising compromised accounts . lock down your login. |
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 TurboSquid when
- Game, VFX, and arch-viz artists buying one-off models
- Teams needing specific production-ready assets fast
- Sellers wanting the largest 3D marketplace audience
- Budget buyers using the free-model library
When TurboSquid is not a fit
- Sellers who need reliable, on-time royalty payments
- Anyone wanting a flat-rate subscription asset library
- Hobbyists who only need casual free models
- Studios strict about vendor AI-training policies
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
- Shutterstock to Acquire TurboSquidprnewswire.comnews
news