Tripo Alternatives in 2026: AI 3D Model Generators Compared

Tripo alternatives compared for 3D printing: Depthue Studio, Meshy, PrintPal, 3D AI Studio, MakerLab and TRELLIS, on price, free limits, rights and print tools.

Updated November 5, 2026

The short answer

Tripo has a free plan with monthly credits and exports STL and 3MF. The catch on Free is rights: free models are not for commercial use. Depthue Studio actually runs Tripo's own H3.1 model for text to 3D, geometry only, so the difference is not the generator but what comes after: cut, hollow, repair, add text, check and export a printable STL or 3MF in the same tab, from 50 free credits a month. For textured assets, use Tripo or Meshy directly.

Disclosure: Depthue makes the options marked “By Depthue”. Each option is described from its own public documentation, including where it beats ours. Prices change; check each site before buying.

1.Depthue Studio
By Depthue
Price
Free, 50 credits a month; Maker $5 a month for 1,200
Best for
A description or a photo to a part you can print and edit
Browser 3D workspace built for printing. Text to 3D runs Tripo H3.1 on fal.ai, geometry only (12 credits); photo to 3D runs TRELLIS (3 credits) or TRELLIS 2 (30 credits). Then cut, hollow, repair, combine, emboss text, check for printing and export STL or 3MF. No texturing or rigging.
See Depthue Studio
2.Meshy
Price
Free, 100 credits a month; Pro $20 a month
Best for
Textured, rigged and animated assets
Full AI 3D studio with its own models, texturing, rigging and animation, plus Print Check, Make Printable, Add Base and Split for printing. Free allows 10 downloads a month of untextured Meshy 6 Lite models, and Meshy owns free outputs under CC BY 4.0.
Official site
3.PrintPal
Price
Free, 10 basic generations a month; Pro $10 a month
Best for
Low cost AI generation aimed at printing
Browser AI photo and text to 3D with meshes auto-repaired for printing, plus about 50 free tools and a separately priced AI CAD agent. Free exports STL and OBJ; Pro adds GLB and PLY. Its pages disagree on Free commercial use and on whether text to 3D needs Pro.
Official site
4.3D AI Studio
Price
Free starter credits; Basic $19 a month for 1,000 credits
Best for
Trying Tripo, Meshy and other models side by side
Browser platform that bundles several generators, including Tripo, Meshy and Rodin. Its print export seals the model watertight at a height in mm and checks plate fit, but STL and 3MF downloads need a paid plan, and free output is personal, non-commercial.
Official site
5.Bambu Lab MakerLab
Price
Credit packs from $3 for 350; one-off free trial uses
Best for
Bambu Lab printer owners
Browser tools behind a MakerWorld sign-in: Image to 3D Model (24 to 45 credits), relief, lithophane, keychain and sign makers, and an OpenSCAD Parametric Model Maker that exports STL or 3MF.
Official site
6.TRELLIS (self-hosted)
Price
Free, MIT licence; your own GPU
Best for
Running image to 3D on your own hardware
Microsoft's open image to 3D model. TRELLIS needs an NVIDIA GPU with at least 16 GB and is tested on Linux; TRELLIS.2 needs 24 GB. Its README recommends the image models over text, which it calls less detailed. Making the GLB printable is up to you.
Official site

Side by side

	Depthue Studio	Tripo	Meshy	PrintPal	3D AI Studio
Paid plans from	$5/mo, 1,200 credits	$20/mo	$20/mo, 1,000 credits	$10/mo, 200 generations	$19/mo, 1,000 credits
Free allowance	50 credits a month	Monthly credits	100 credits, 10 downloads a month	10 basic generations a month	Starter credits
Free plan output	You may use it commercially when you hold the rights to the input	Not for commercial use	Owned by Meshy, CC BY 4.0 with credit	Pages disagree	Personal, non-commercial
Text to 3D	Tripo H3.1, geometry only, 12 credits	Yes, its own models	10 or 20 credits	Free or Pro (pages disagree)	Yes
Image to 3D	TRELLIS 3 credits; TRELLIS 2 30 credits	Yes	10 to 25 credits	Yes	Yes, several models
Texturing and rigging	No	Textures listed on fal.ai; rigging Not listed	Yes, both	Not listed	Texture AI listed; rigging Not listed
Edit the mesh	Cut, hollow, boolean, repair, simplify, emboss text	Not listed	Make Printable, Add Base, Split	AI edits on Pro	Not listed
Print checks	Closed solid, plate fit, overhangs, thin walls, print estimate	Not listed	Print Check: watertight, holes, non-manifold edges	Auto repair on generation	Watertight seal, plate fit
Print exports	STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB, PLY	STL, 3MF, GLB, OBJ, FBX, USD	STL, 3MF, OBJ and more; Free: Meshy 6 Lite untextured only	Free: STL, OBJ; Pro adds GLB, PLY	STL and 3MF on paid plans

What Tripo does well

Tripo turns text or an image into a 3D model in its browser studio, and it offers an API. The free plan gives monthly credits, and Tripo exports GLB, USD, FBX, OBJ, STL and 3MF, so a model goes straight to a slicer. It also has a free relief generator that makes an STL with no account. Tripo's models are good enough that Depthue Studio uses one of them, H3.1, for its own text to 3D.

Where the free plan stops

Rights. Free plan models are not licensed for commercial use. Selling prints of them is a question for Tripo's terms, not for us.
Print prep. Tripo's pages do not list cutting, hollowing, wall checks or a print estimate. A generated figurine prints solid and at whatever size you set in the slicer.

Pro is about $20 a month.

Pick by what you are making

You want to	Use
A textured model for a game, AR or a render	Tripo or Meshy
A model from a description, then sized, hollowed and lettered for printing	Depthue Studio text to 3D
A figurine or part from one photo	Depthue Studio image to 3D
A coin, plaque or lithophane from a photo	Depthue Studio bas relief generator
Repair or cut an STL you generated elsewhere	Depthue Studio STL editor
A part with exact sizes, like a bracket or a gear	Depthue Studio parametric parts

AI generation invents shapes; it does not hit a 6 mm hole 8 mm from an edge. For parts with real dimensions, a gear generator or a scripted part is the better start.

Same model, different workspace

When you describe a model in Depthue Studio, the words go to Tripo H3.1 on fal.ai with textures off, and the geometry comes back in one to three minutes. It lands on the build plate scaled to 60 mm on its longest side, repaired on import if it is not a closed solid. Then the work Tripo leaves to you happens in the same tab:

Set the real size in millimetres and drop it flat on the plate.
Cut a flat base, hollow it with drain holes, or add a stand.
Emboss a name or a date.
Read the checks: closed solid, plate fit, overhangs and thinnest wall.
Get grams, time and cost, then export STL or 3MF.

You can also ask the copilot for a model in plain words. It asks before it spends the credits, and the model joins the scene when the job finishes.

What it costs

Job	Credits
Text to 3D (Tripo H3.1)	12
Photo to 3D, draft (TRELLIS)	3
Photo to 3D, quality (TRELLIS 2)	30
Each operation, such as hollow or cut	1
Export	5

The free plan has 50 credits a month and needs no card. Maker is $5 a month for 1,200 credits. Have a GLB from Tripo already? The free GLB to STL converter scales it to millimetres in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Tripo?

For printing, Depthue Studio: 50 free credits a month, and the AI model lands in an editor with repair, hollowing, text and print checks. For textured assets, Meshy's free plan is the closest, with 10 downloads a month of untextured Meshy 6 Lite models.

Can I use Tripo free models commercially?

Not on the free plan: Tripo's free models are not licensed for commercial use. Check Tripo's current terms and pricing page before you sell prints.

Is Tripo better than Meshy?

They are close rivals. Both have free plans with monthly credits, and Meshy's caps downloads at 10 untextured Meshy 6 Lite models a month. Both texture and export STL and 3MF; Meshy lists more print tools.

Does Depthue Studio use Tripo?

Yes, for text to 3D. Studio sends your description to Tripo H3.1 on fal.ai with textures off and gets back the geometry, then you edit, check and export it. Photo to 3D uses Microsoft's TRELLIS models instead.

Can I edit a Tripo model in Depthue Studio?

Yes. Export it from Tripo as STL, 3MF or GLB and import it into Depthue Studio to scale it in millimetres, cut a base, hollow it, add text and check it before you slice. The free GLB to STL converter handles a quick conversion with no account.

Try Depthue Studio.

Free in your browser, no card. 50 credits a month for everything you make, from a shape to an export.

Open Depthue Studio See every feature