Buying 3D models in 2026: Sketchfab, Fab, CGTrader and TurboSquid vs made to order
Where to buy 3D models, what the licences allow, how the marketplaces changed (Sketchfab's store moved to Fab), and when a made-to-order model is the better buy.
If the model you need probably exists already, a marketplace is the fastest way to get it. Very large catalogues of models made by people are a search away, many of them very good, and some free. But a marketplace sells what sellers chose to make, in their scale, style and file habits, under licences that differ from model to model. This post covers the main marketplaces as they are today, what to check before you buy, and when it is better to have a model made for you.
Checked on 31 October 2026, on each marketplace's own pages where they loaded for us.
The marketplaces
Sketchfab
Sketchfab is best known for its 3D viewer, which you can embed on any page, and for a large catalogue of free downloadable models. Its store closed on 22 October 2024; you can still view old store listings, but buying moved to Fab (Sketchfab). Free downloads continue. Each one carries its own licence: Standard, CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, CC BY-SA or CC0. A download gives you the original file plus converted glTF, GLB at several texture sizes and USDZ (help).
Strengths: a huge free catalogue, the viewer, automatic glTF and USDZ conversions. Watch for: the licence per model. CC BY-NC can't be used commercially, and CC BY needs credit.
Fab
Fab is Epic Games' marketplace, where the Sketchfab store's sellers moved. It sells content for Unreal Engine, Unity, UEFN and general 3D formats. Its licences are CC BY (free) and Standard (free or paid). Paid Standard listings have a Personal and a Professional price; buyers whose gross revenue was over $100,000 in the last 12 months must choose Professional (Fab licences). Sellers keep 88 % of each sale (Fab docs).
Strengths: deep Unreal integration, a big catalogue, a clear licence split by company size. Watch for: which engine a listing is made for; an Unreal-only asset may need work elsewhere.
CGTrader
CGTrader sells models under two kinds of licence. The royalty-free licence lets you use a model inside a larger work (renders, film, games, print, merchandise) but not resell or redistribute the model file. The editorial licence is for news, cultural or other newsworthy use only, and may include rights that haven't been cleared, such as brands (terms). It also runs a custom modelling service where you post a project and get quotes from designers, paid through escrow (custom jobs).
Strengths: a large catalogue of realistic models, real products under editorial licences, and custom work in the same place. Watch for: editorial models can't go into a commercial product.
TurboSquid
TurboSquid, owned by Shutterstock, is one of the oldest marketplaces. Prices are set by sellers; its own guidance tells sellers that a complex model priced under $10 makes buyers doubt its quality, and that one at $100 tends to sell better (pricing guidelines). It also has a certification programme, CheckMate, for models that meet its technical checks.
Strengths: professional, realistic models, many with clean topology and multiple formats. Watch for: the price of hero models, and which file formats are native versus converted.
What to check before you buy
- The licence, per model. Royalty-free, editorial, CC BY, CC BY-NC: they allow very different things.
- Native or converted formats. A model made in 3ds Max with V-Ray materials converts to glTF with simpler materials. Ask for a preview in your target format if it matters.
- Scale and units. Check the real size in the description, and expect to rescale models from different sellers.
- Polygon count and topology. Wireframe screenshots tell you a lot. A render-only model may be millions of polygons.
- PBR textures. Look for base colour, roughness, metallic and normal maps; older models may use renderer-specific materials.
- A set, not a collection. Buying a room's worth from five sellers gives you five styles, five scales and five texture densities.
Our game-ready checklist has the checks with numbers.
Buy, or have it made?
A marketplace is the better choice when:
- the object is common (a chair, a car, a tree) and someone has already made it well;
- you need it now;
- you need a real, branded product for editorial use;
- you need a rigged character or creature made by a professional.
Made to order is the better choice when:
- the object doesn't exist yet, or not in your style, era or colour;
- several models must look like one set, at one scale;
- you need it in a specific format and size, with moving parts;
- you will need variants: the same shape in other colours or materials.
For made to order you can hire a person (what that costs) or use an AI studio like ours: describe the object and get a finished model, cleaned, at true scale, with PBR materials and six formats. A Standard object costs 1,000 credits, about $10 (600 at launch, until 2026-12-31), and a colour or material variant
Questions
Where is the best place to buy 3D models?
It depends on the job: Fab for Unreal projects, CGTrader and TurboSquid for realistic models for renders and products, Sketchfab for free models and its viewer. For free assets with no strings, the CC0 libraries are a good start; see free 3D model libraries.
Can I still buy models on Sketchfab?
No. The Sketchfab store closed on 22 October 2024 and its sellers moved to Fab. Free downloads and the viewer are still on Sketchfab.
Can I use a purchased model in a game I sell?
Usually yes, under a royalty-free or standard licence, as long as the model is part of your game and not distributed as a separate model file. Editorial licences don't allow it. Read the licence on the listing.
Can I resell a model I bought?
No. Marketplace licences let you use models inside your work, not resell or share the files themselves. The same goes for our free library under its licence, which also asks you not to claim you made the models or train AI on them.
