3DGEN alternative: its mold generators vs Meshcast
This guide was drafted with AI assistance.
3DGEN (3dgenapp.com) is built on the same idea as Meshcast: free browser generators for makers, with a two-part box mold, a silicone mold box, a plaster slip-casting mold, a vase and planter mold and a casting tray, plus nameplates, cutters and keychains. 3DGEN wins on price and privacy: 5 downloads a week (3 if you never sign in), a $99 lifetime plan, and every model computed in your browser. Meshcast goes further on the mold itself: a silicone shell that hugs your model, undercut highlighting with a one-click fill, mesh repair, a press mold, and print settings with the files. For a quick box around a simple shape, 3DGEN is enough. For an organic model, a leaky mesh or an expensive pour, start with the silicone mold maker or the rigid box mold here.
The short answer
Both sites turn an STL into a printable mold in a browser tab, and both sell the same things on top: unlimited downloads, your own logo instead of the site's mark, and the right to sell what you cast. So the comparison comes down to three questions: how much you get for free, where the geometry is computed, and how far each mold tool goes once your model is not a simple shape.
Everything said here about 3DGEN comes from its own public pages, read on 15 October 2026: the homepage, the five mold generator pages, the pricing page and the terms of use. Where their site did not say something, this page does not guess. Some figures on their site only load in the browser (the Pro price, for one), so check there before you pay.
3DGEN vs Meshcast, feature by feature
"Not stated" means we could not find it on their pages, not that it cannot be done.
| Feature | 3DGEN | Meshcast |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 5 downloads a week with a free account, 3 if you do not sign in | One download before you sign up, then 5 in the first week and 3 every week with a free account |
| Selling what you cast | Pro or Founder; the free plan is personal, non-commercial use | Pro or Founder; Free and Starter are personal use |
| Mark on free files | A small engraved "3DGEN" mark; Pro removes it or uses your logo | A small "Meshcast" engraving; Pro uses your logo instead |
| Where it is computed | In your browser; their pages say files never leave your device | In your browser for the tray mold and the one-piece open mold; on our server in Germany for the two-part, silicone, vase, plaster and press molds, model deleted automatically within hours |
| Files in | STL on the mold generators | STL, OBJ, 3MF, GLB and glTF |
| Files out | STL and 3MF | STL and 3MF, with print settings included (a sheet in the zip or inside the 3MF) |
| Rigid two-part mold | Pins, tongue and groove or no seal; rubber bands or finger pockets; a movable seam and pour hole | Rigid box mold: tongue and groove or pins; rubber-band grooves and pry pockets; 1 to 4 pour holes; 2 to 4 pieces for undercuts; or a one-piece open mold |
| Silicone mold | A rectangular or round box; their page says it "does not hug the shape" | A rectangular, round or contoured box, or a hugging shell in 2, 3 or 4 parts |
| Silicone amount | Their homepage says the molds come "with material estimates" | Silicone in ml and grams on screen, and a note when a hugging shell would use much less |
| Vases and planters | A rectangular or round housing that "does not hug the shape", and a hanging core sized from the bounding box and adjusted by eye | Vase and planter mold: straight or form-following walls, a silicone saver insert and a draft-tapered core |
| Plaster and slip casting | 2 to 4 parts with registration balls | Plaster mold: 2 to 4 housings, plus clay shrinkage compensation |
| Multi-cavity trays | Rigid tray or a silicone-pour master | Tray mold: rigid tray or a master for a flexible silicone tray |
| Press molds (bath bombs, pressed soap, clay) | Not stated | Die and piston press mold |
| Undercuts | Not stated on the mold pages | Highlighted in red, with a one-click fill on the rigid box and tray molds; air traps marked on the hugging shell |
| Broken or leaky files | Not stated | "Fix it for me" repair inside the mold tools |
| Printer bed | Pick your printer; the preview shows its bed | Pick your printer; a warning when a part will not fit its bed |
| Help and guides | 46 tutorials and a Discord | Over 70 guides, MESHCAST AI inside the generators, and a gallery of real casts |
| Other generators | Nameplate, keychain, cutter, lithophane, stamp, texture roller, suncatcher, pet bowl, bowl stand | Keychains, name signs, cutters, stamps, lithophanes, texture rollers and more, plus model designers and ready-made mold files |
Pricing, side by side
The two price lists are built the same way: a free plan with a weekly allowance and a mark on the file, a subscription that adds unlimited downloads and the right to sell, and a one-time lifetime plan. Where both sites state a number, 3DGEN gives more for less.
| Plan | 3DGEN | Meshcast |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 downloads every rolling 7 days (3 if you do not sign in), every generator, STL and 3MF, personal use, small "3DGEN" mark | One download before you sign up, then 5 in the first week and 3 every week with a free account, every mold type, personal use, small "Meshcast" engraving |
| Entry paid | No separate entry plan listed | Starter $9/mo: 10 downloads a week, personal use |
| Main paid plan | Pro: unlimited downloads, commercial license, your own logo. The price is not in their page text; it is shown at checkout | Pro $20/mo or $179/yr: unlimited downloads, sell what you make, your own logo, 100 AI credits a month |
| Lifetime | Founder $99 once, limited seats, price rises as seats fill | Founder $369 once, price rises every 10 spots |
Where 3DGEN is stronger
If one of these is why you are choosing, choose 3DGEN.
- A bigger free allowance, even without signing in. 5 downloads a week with a free account, and 3 for visitors who never sign in. Here one download works before you sign up; after that a free account gets 5 in the first week and 3 a week.
- Everything stays on your device. Their pages say every model is generated in your browser and files never leave your device. Our main mold generators send the model to our server in Germany to build the mold, and delete it automatically afterwards.
- A cheaper lifetime plan. Founder is $99 once on their pricing page, against $369 here.
- A few generators we do not have. A suncatcher, a personalised pet bowl and a bowl stand, and a public list of upcoming generators you can vote on.
Where Meshcast is stronger
- Less silicone. 3DGEN's silicone mold box wraps the model's bounding box, and its page says it "does not hug the shape". Our hugging shell follows the model in 2, 3 or 4 parts. The silicone mold maker shows the silicone in ml and grams before you print, and the box mode tells you when a hugging shell would save a quarter of the silicone or more.
- Undercuts handled before you print. Overhangs that would lock a cast in are painted red, and on the rigid box and tray molds one click fills them, with a preview you can undo. Pockets that would trap air are marked on the hugging shell. We could not find an undercut check on 3DGEN's mold pages.
- Rigid molds that come off an undercut. The rigid box mold can be printed in 3 or 4 pieces, so the part of the mold that would lock comes away on its own seam. 3DGEN's box mold is two halves.
- Broken files get fixed, not rejected. Scans and downloads from model sites often have holes. The mold tools offer "Fix it for me", which closes the mesh and carries on.
- More file types in. STL, OBJ, 3MF, GLB and glTF on every mold tool. 3DGEN's mold generators take STL.
- A press mold and a vase mold that follows the vase. The press mold makes a die and piston for bath bombs, pressed soap and clay; we found nothing like it on 3DGEN. The vase and planter mold has form-following walls, a silicone saver insert and a draft-tapered core, where 3DGEN's sizes its core from the bounding box.
- Print settings with the files. Most mold zips include a sheet with the settings each part needs (clamped, pressed or poured around) and how much to mix.
- Help while you work. MESHCAST AI sits inside the generators, and over 70 guides cover candles, soap, resin, plaster, concrete, release agents and troubleshooting.
Which to pick for which job
| Your job | Our pick |
|---|---|
| A simple mold, without making an account | 3DGEN |
| Files that must never leave your computer | 3DGEN, or our tray mold and the one-piece open mold in the rigid box mold, which run in your browser |
| Lifetime access on a small budget | 3DGEN Founder |
| A silicone mold, and silicone is expensive | Meshcast hugging shell |
| Candles or wax poured straight into a printed mold | Either; Meshcast rigid box mold if the model has undercuts |
| A model with undercuts or holes in the mesh | Meshcast, for the undercut fill and repair |
| Bath bombs or pressed soap | Meshcast press mold |
| Concrete planters and hollow vases | Meshcast vase and planter mold |
| Plaster or slip casting | Either; Meshcast plaster mold adds clay shrinkage compensation |
Rigid two-part molds, free
All free designs →
Questions
Is 3DGEN free?
Yes, with a weekly limit. Its pricing page lists a free plan with 5 downloads every rolling 7 days (3 if you do not sign in), every generator, STL and 3MF export, a small engraved "3DGEN" mark and personal, non-commercial use. Pro removes the limit and the mark and adds a commercial license.
What does Meshcast do that 3DGEN does not?
Going by 3DGEN's public pages: a hugging silicone shell that follows the model (their silicone box does not hug the shape), undercut highlighting with a one-click fill, mesh repair, a press mold, OBJ, 3MF, GLB and glTF uploads, print settings with the files, and an AI assistant inside the tools.
Which is cheaper, 3DGEN or Meshcast?
3DGEN, on today's pages. Its free plan allows more downloads and its lifetime Founder plan is $99 once, against $369 here. Its Pro price is not in the page text (it loads in your browser and is shown at checkout), so compare it there. Meshcast Pro is $20 a month or $179 a year.
Can I sell what I cast?
On both, only on a paid plan. 3DGEN's terms limit the free plan to personal, non-commercial use and give Pro and Founder a commercial license. On Meshcast the free and Starter plans are for personal use; selling needs Pro or Founder.
Does my model get uploaded?
On 3DGEN, no: its pages say every model is generated in your browser. On Meshcast it depends on the tool. The tray mold and the one-piece open mold run in your browser; the two-part, silicone, vase, plaster and press molds compute on our server in Germany and delete your model automatically within hours (the privacy policy gives the exact times).
Can I use both?
Yes. Both run in a browser tab and both export STL and 3MF. A sensible split: 3DGEN for quick boxes around simple shapes and the generators we do not have, Meshcast for organic models, undercuts, broken meshes and press molds.
Made by meshcast.app. Comparison based on 3DGEN's public pages as read on 15 October 2026; product details and prices change, so check their site before you pay. Got stuck? Email a photo and I'll help you debug.