Features
Every feature, in one place.
Modelist is built around one job: finding the 3D file you want, fast. Here's everything in the box - from the library you've been ignoring to the slicer you actually print with.
Your library, made readable.
STL, 3MF, and OBJ files don't show what they are in Finder or Explorer. Modelist generates 3D previews, pulls embedded thumbnails out of 3MF files, and indexes ZIPs you never opened - so every file in your folders becomes recognizable.
Smart folder scanning
Tell Modelist which folders to watch. New STL, 3MF, OBJ, STEP, and ZIP files get indexed automatically, including subfolders.
3D file preview
Built-in viewer renders STL, 3MF geometry, and OBJ natively. Rotate, zoom, inspect before you print. Handles files up to 200MB.
3MF embedded images
Bambu Studio and Makerworld bundle thumbnails inside 3MF files. Modelist pulls them out and uses them as previews.
Archive browsing
Index models inside ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, TAR.GZ, and TAR.BZ2 packages without unzipping anything yourself. Archives appear as locked groups in your library.
Custom thumbnails
Override the auto-generated preview with your own image when you want a model to look like something specific.
Source enrichment
Paste a Makerworld, Printables, or Thingiverse URL and Modelist pulls images, descriptions, and metadata for the model.
Dark mode
Light and dark themes with a Settings toggle. Modelist remembers your choice; renders display correctly in both.
Custom render colour
Pick the default colour Modelist uses to render 3D previews - so STLs don't all look like the same blue blob.
Three layers of organization.
Tags and folders aren't enough once your library hits a few hundred files. Modelist gives you tags, nested collections, and saved searches that maintain themselves.
Tags
Custom labels for any criteria. "Print Ready", "Articulated", "Gifts" - whatever shape your library takes.
Collections
Named groupings. Drag files in, or save a search and call it a Collection.
Nested Collections
Build hierarchies as deep as your library demands. Faction → Unit → Variant works fine.
Smart Collections
Save a search and Modelist keeps the result current as your library grows. Live, not snapshot.
Banderole
Customizable status flag for each file. "To Print", "Review", "In progress" - whatever workflow stages you actually use.
Notes
Per-file freeform notes. Print settings, license terms, where you found it, what went wrong last time.
Bulk actions
Select multiple files and tag, collect, or delete them all at once. Multi-select works the way you'd expect.
Watched folders
Add, remove, and reorder watched folders any time. Drop a folder from Finder onto the sidebar to add it.
Groups
Manually cluster related files - parts of a multi-piece print, model variants, accessories that go together. Each group can have its own custom thumbnail and be bulk-added to a collection.
Track your workshop.
Keep your printers, filaments, and filament colours catalogued alongside your files. Modelist learns colours from imported 3MFs and groups them so you can filter by what's actually loaded right now.
Printer list
Track the printers you own. Filter your library by which printer a file is for, or tag files with the printer that worked best.
Materials
Catalog filaments and other materials you have on hand. Group files by what they print best in.
Filament palette
Modelist learns colours from your 3MF imports and groups them into Whites, Reds, Blues, etc. Auto-assign sorts the rest based on hex once you've seeded a few colours per group.
Custom colour groups
Beyond the default colour buckets, create your own groups for specific brands, finishes, or projects.
Search like you'd search anything else.
Filenames are useless when you don't remember what you named the file. Modelist searches across names, descriptions, tags, notes, and metadata - and finds duplicates a file manager never will.
Full-text search
Search everything Modelist knows: filename, source description, your notes, your tags, all at once.
Filters
Filter by format, size range, date range, tags, source platform, banderole status - mix and match.
Save as Smart Collection
Got a search you'll run again? Save it. The result list updates as your library grows; you don't.
Exact duplicate detection
Byte-exact: identical file content, different folders. The "I downloaded this twice" case.
Heuristic duplicates
Similar filenames + similar sizes. Catches near-duplicates with slightly different names.
Perceptual duplicates
Visual hashing. Catches the same model when someone renamed it or re-exported it - filename-based tools miss this entirely.
Fuzzy search
Toggle fuzzy matching when you can't quite remember what the file was called. Modelist forgives a typo.
In / Not in collection
Filter to find files that belong to a collection, or files that haven't been collected yet. Useful for library cleanup.
Open in any slicer.
Modelist is slicer-agnostic. Files open with your OS's default app for each extension, and Open With sends them to anything else - with per-file memory of your choice.
Slicer-agnostic
Modelist doesn't lock you to one slicer. By default it opens files with your OS's default app for each extension. Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, Cura, SuperSlicer - all just work.
Custom apps
Any application your OS knows about. Open .stl in Blender, .step in Fusion 360, whatever your workflow needs.
Remembers per file
Used Orca for one model and Bambu Studio for another? Modelist remembers and defaults to your last choice for each file.
Multiple slicer instances
Running two copies of the same slicer side-by-side? Supported - pick which instance to send to.
Custom CLI parameters
Pass custom command-line arguments to any app you've added. Run a slicer with your preferred profile, or hand off to a script.
Get models onto your desktop, from anywhere.
Found a model on your phone? Send it to Modelist. Want to share files with a friend who also uses Modelist? Drop them in their Inbox with metadata, descriptions, and your custom tags intact.
Mobile share-from-phone
Hit the share button on any 3D model link from your phone (iOS or Android). Lands in Modelist's Inbox on your desktop.
File sharing between users
Send files (or just metadata) to other Modelist users. They see your gallery, descriptions, and tags - not a bare STL.
Inbox with accept/decline
All shared files land here first. Review, accept, or decline before anything enters your library. Expired links are tracked too.
Free tier can receive
Free Modelist users can receive shared files even at the 50-file limit. Sending requires a paid license.
QR-code pairing
Pair your phone to your desktop with a QR code. No accounts to set up, no manual ID-typing.
Your files. Your computer. Modelist doesn't change that.
Modelist is a desktop app, not a service. Files never leave your computer unless you explicitly share one. No account required for the core app.
100% local
Indexing, previews, search, metadata extraction - all on your machine. No internet required for the core app.
No account
Install, point at folders, use. No signup, no email, no password. Cloud sharing has its own login and is opt-in.
Non-destructive indexing
Modelist never moves, renames, or rewrites your files. The only destructive action is delete, and it's a manual choice with a confirmation dialog.
Cloud sharing opt-in
Sharing features (mobile and user-to-user) require login. They're off by default; turn them on if and when you want them.
Files survive moves
Reorganize your folders and Modelist still recognizes each file. Tags, notes, custom thumbnails, and collections all come along.
Folders are the source of truth
Modelist's database is metadata only. Stop using it tomorrow and your folders are exactly as you left them.
First-class on every desktop OS.
Modelist runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The mobile companion at share.modelist.app handles phone-to-desktop sharing on iOS and Android.
macOS
Apple Silicon (arm64) and Intel via Universal binary. Distributed as a signed .dmg.
Windows
x64 Setup.exe. ARM build published with releases when supported.
Linux
x86_64 AppImage and amd64 .deb. ARM AppImage published with releases when supported.
Mobile companion
share.modelist.app works on iOS and Android via the system share sheet. No app-store install needed.
One-time payment
€20 for v1 (every v1.x update), €60 for lifetime (every major release forever). No subscription.
Free tier
Up to 50 files, no time limit. Try Modelist on your real library before buying.
Auto-updates
Modelist updates itself in the background. New version drops, you get a notification next time you launch.
Built-in changelog
Every release ships with notes inside the app. Open Settings → License & Version to see what's new.
First-run onboarding
A welcome screen guides first-time users through pointing Modelist at folders. No empty-app blank-stare moment.
Try it on your real library.
Free for 50 files, no time limit. €60 once when you outgrow it. Or never. Up to you.