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.
Comparison
TurboSquid vs Sketchfab
TurboSquid 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 | TurboSquid | Sketchfab |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Game, VFX, and arch-viz artists buying one-off models | 3D artists showcasing portfolios |
| Who it's not for | Sellers who need reliable, on-time royalty payments | Sellers relying on the Sketchfab store . Epic is sunsetting it into Fab |
| Privacy | 2015 breach disclosed by the CEO; later warnings about compromised accounts; no newer incidents in the sources reviewed.⁶ | No platform-wide breaches found; one medium-severity CVE (2024) in the third-party Sketchfab Embed WordPress plugin. |
| Support quality | Negative reviews cited; royalty problems persist | No support evidence; only 33 Trustpilot reviews |
| Public sentiment | 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.³ | 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 | 2015 breach disclosed; later warnings about rising compromised accounts . lock down your login.⁷ | Store is being sunset into Epic's Fab; sellers face a forced migration16 |
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
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
- Shutterstock to Acquire TurboSquidprnewswire.comnews
news
- TurboSquid Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.comreview
- TurboSquid G2 reviewsg2.comreview
review
- Letter from the CEO Regarding Security Breachblog.turbosquid.comsecurity
- Keep Your Account Safe and Secureresources.turbosquid.comsecurity
- TurboSquid Pricing resourcesresources.turbosquid.comofficial
- Free & Premium Secure 3D Modelsturbosquid.comofficial
- TurboSquid vs CGTrader . Foundry Communitycommunity.foundry.comreview
- 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