Thangs takes 50%.
Proofly takes 0%.
Thangs.com started as a free aggregator — and when they introduced paid creator monetization, they kept 50% of every sale. Proofly is built the other way: buyers pay a flat service fee (~$1 USD), creators keep 100% of every listed price. No tiers. No revenue splits. No subscription required.
Revenue calculator: Thangs vs Proofly
See what you could earn on Proofly vs. uploading free files to Thangs.
| Monthly downloads | Thangs revenue | Proofly @ $4.99 | Proofly @ $9.99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 downloads | $0 | $250 | $500 |
| 100 downloads | $0 | $499 | $999 |
| 500 downloads | $0 | $2,495 | $4,995 |
| 1,000 downloads | $0 | $4,990 | $9,990 |
Proofly sellers keep 100% of listed price. Buyers pay a flat service fee on top — not deducted from your earnings.
Thangs vs Shapeways vs Proofly
Both Thangs and Shapeways leave creators short — one pays nothing, the other takes half.
| Feature | Thangs | Shapeways | Proofly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator monetization | Free aggregator + 50/50 paid split | Print-on-demand only | Full digital marketplace + Stripe payouts |
| Seller commission | 50% revenue split (paid tier) | ≈ 50% taken by platform | 0% — you keep 100% |
| Piracy protection | None | None | HiddenMark™ per-buyer watermark |
| In-browser 3D viewer | Search/embed only | Screenshots only | Yes — STL, GLB, OBJ, 3MF, GLTF |
| Revenue per download | $0 | ~50% of markup | 100% of your listed price |
| File formats sold | Not sold (indexed) | Print-on-demand (ships) | STL · GLB · OBJ · 3MF · FBX · ZIP |
| UI languages | EN only | EN only | 20 languages |
| Founding Creator badge | — | — | ✓ First 100 creators |
Ready to get paid for your models?
Upload to Proofly — 0% commission, HiddenMark protection, in-browser 3D viewer. Free to start.
Why piracy protection matters when you start selling
When your models are free on Thangs, there's nothing to protect — anyone can download them. But the moment you start charging, the stakes change. Paid files get shared in Discord servers, re-uploaded to free sites, and distributed without your consent.
Proofly's HiddenMark™ solves this at the mesh level. Every paid download is invisibly watermarked with a unique code embedded in vertex positions — not in metadata or a visible layer. The code survives re-export, format conversion, and mesh editing. If a file leaks, upload it to proofly.store/hiddenmark/verify and identify the buyer in seconds.
🔐 HiddenMark at a glance
- • Embedded in mesh geometry — invisible, not removable by stripping metadata
- • Per-buyer unique — each download gets its own traceable watermark ID
- • Verification in under 10 seconds — upload suspected file, get buyer order ID
- • Included on every paid download — no extra configuration or cost
Frequently asked questions
Can you sell 3D models on Thangs?
No. Thangs (thangs.com) is a 3D model aggregator and search engine — it indexes models from other platforms but does not have a native paid marketplace for creators. Creators cannot set prices or receive payments directly through Thangs. To actually sell 3D models and receive money, you need a dedicated marketplace like Proofly.
What is the best alternative to Thangs for selling 3D models?
Proofly is a purpose-built 3D model marketplace with 0% seller commission. Unlike Thangs (which is a free aggregator), Proofly lets you set prices, receive direct Stripe payouts, protect files with HiddenMark per-buyer watermarking, and show buyers a live in-browser 3D preview before purchase.
How much commission does Proofly take compared to other 3D model marketplaces?
Proofly charges 0% seller commission. Buyers pay a small flat service fee on top of your listed price. Compare this to Cults3D (20%), CGTrader (30–65%), or MyMiniFactory (10–15%). Your listing price on Proofly is exactly what you earn — no deductions.
What is HiddenMark and how does it protect my 3D models?
HiddenMark is Proofly's steganographic watermarking system. Every paid download is invisibly tagged with a unique code embedded in the mesh geometry — not in metadata, but in actual vertex positions. If a buyer leaks or shares the file, you can upload the suspected file to proofly.store/hiddenmark/verify and identify the source buyer within seconds. This deters piracy at the point of download.
Can buyers preview 3D models on Proofly before buying?
Yes. Every listing on Proofly has an in-browser 3D viewer that supports STL, OBJ, GLB, GLTF, and 3MF files. Buyers can rotate, zoom, and inspect the model topology before purchase — no download required. This is a key advantage over file-hosting platforms that only show static screenshots.
Stop uploading for free. Start selling.
Proofly is the marketplace Thangs was never meant to be — a place where every download puts money in the creator's account.