A Printables alternative when you want a part designed for money
People often search for a way to request a model on Printables and pay the person who designs it. This page compares a paid bounty with what Printables documents about rewarding designers, as of 2026-09-16.
What we could and could not verify
As of 2026-09-16, our research could not confirm a live, dedicated paid-request feature on Printables, or a still-active community request board for it, so this page does not describe one. It compares only what Printables' and Prusa's own pages document.
How Printables rewards designers (as of 2026-09-16)
Printables is free to use and takes 0% in cash. Designers earn Prusameters through the Prusa reward program. Prusa's Prusameter FAQ says they cannot be converted directly into cash and can only be exchanged for vouchers for discounted products in Prusa's store.
How a paid bounty works here
Someone who needs a part posts a bounty and others can pledge toward it. When a maker's solution is accepted, each pledge is charged directly to the maker's Stripe account with application_fee_amount set to 0, so the maker is paid in cash and the platform takes 0%. If the solution is later sold as a file, the maker keeps 92%. See how to post a bounty and pricing.
Side by side
| Printables (documented) | This marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer reward | Prusameters, exchangeable for store vouchers | Cash via Stripe |
| Platform cut on a paid request | Not documented (see above) | 0% on bounties |
| File sales | Free files | 92% to the creator |
| Free library size | Very large, backed by Prusa | Small and new |
When Printables is the better choice
If the file you need might already exist, look on Printables first. Its free library is far larger than ours and costs nothing. A bounty makes sense when the file does not exist yet and someone should be paid in cash to make it.
What is live today, and what is not
This is a young marketplace, so here is exactly where it stands. Bounties are posted, pledged to and accepted in the MakeBounty app, backed by the same API this site uses. Each bounty and each solution has a public page here. Catalogue checkout with the published split is built in the API; a purchase control on the public solution page is not live yet. Print-on-demand fulfilment is not live yet either: today you receive design files, not a manufactured part.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Printables alternative where I can pay someone to design a part?
Yes. Here you post a bounty for the part, other people can pledge toward it, and when you accept a maker's solution the payment goes directly to the maker's Stripe account with a 0% platform fee.
Can Prusameters be turned into cash?
According to Prusa's Prusameter FAQ, accessed 2026-09-16, no. They can only be exchanged for vouchers for discounted products in Prusa's store.
Does Printables have a paid request feature?
We could not confirm one as of 2026-09-16, so we make no claim about it. Check Printables directly for its current features.
Should I stop using Printables?
No. Printables has a much larger free library. Use it for files that already exist, and a bounty for files that do not.
Sources
- Prusa Reward Program (accessed 2026-09-16)
- Prusameters on Printables (Prusa help) (accessed 2026-09-16)
Fees are published in full on the pricing page. Operated by Heron Networks LLC.