Sketchfab
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it to showcase and embed 3D models for free . the viewer and community are best-in-class.
New check
Comparison
Sketchfab vs CGTrader
Sketchfab and CGTrader both land on Depends.
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.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | 3D artists showcasing portfolios | Game and VR/AR studios needing stock assets |
| Who it's not for | Sellers relying on the Sketchfab store . Epic is sunsetting it into Fab | Sellers wanting predictable payouts . terms recently changed |
| Privacy | No platform-wide breaches found; one medium-severity CVE (2024) in the third-party Sketchfab Embed WordPress plugin.⁸ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support evidence; only 33 Trustpilot reviews | Trustpilot 4/5; complaint threads persist |
| Public sentiment | 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. | Review sites average around 4-4.5 stars, while Reddit threads warn sellers about payout changes and buyers about model reliability.12 |
| Biggest gotcha | Store is being sunset into Epic's Fab; sellers face a forced migration⁶ | Payout rates changed; sellers raised prices ~15% to compensate |
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
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
Sources
- Sketchfab homepage and taglinesketchfab.comofficial
- Sketchfab Plans & Pricingsketchfab.comofficial
- Sketchfab Enterprise pagesketchfab.comofficial
- Trustpilot reviews of sketchfab.comtrustpilot.comreview
- Sketchfab Reviews on Software Advicesoftwareadvice.comreview
news
- CVE-2024-37216 Detail (NVD)nvd.nist.govsecurity
news
- UploadVR: Sketchfab gets $7 million in fundinguploadvr.comnews
news
- CGTrader Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
review