Sign in with Google

Open-source 3D printing software

Slice models, control your printer from a browser and design your own parts, all with free software.

For people who own a 3D printer, or are about to buy one. The list follows the job from start to finish: design a part, slice it, then run and watch the printer.

6 picks in 4 sections · checked by an editor on Oct 30, 2026 · How we pick

01Slice1 pick

  1. OrcaSlicerOrcaSlicer/OrcaSlicer

    Pick this slicer if you own a Bambu, Prusa, Creality or Voron printer.

    Desktop · AGPL-3.0 · active yesterday · ★ 16k

    77worth

02Firmware1 pick

  1. MarlinMarlinFirmware/Marlin

    The firmware most printers ship with. Pick it to tune or fix your own board.

    Library / SDK · GPL-3.0 · active yesterday · ★ 18k

    79worth

03Control2 picks

  1. OctoPrintOctoPrint/OctoPrint

    Pick this to watch and control any printer from a Raspberry Pi.

    Web · AGPL-3.0 · active 5 days ago · ★ 9.2k

    74worth
  2. mainsailmainsail-crew/mainsail

    Pick this web screen if your printer runs Klipper.

    Web · Docker / self-host · GPL-3.0 · active yesterday · ★ 2.2k

    75worth

04Design2 picks

  1. FreeCADFreeCAD/FreeCAD

    Pick this to design exact, measured parts to print.

    Desktop · LGPL-2.1 · active 16 hours ago · ★ 35k

    88worth
  2. Text to CADearthtojake/text-to-cad

    Pick this to have a coding agent draft CAD models for you.

    Extension / plugin · MIT · active yesterday · ★ 24k

    89worth

More in Makers and hobbyists

A smart home you control

Run your lights, cameras and sensors at home with local control and no vendor cloud.Inside: Home Assistant, ESPHome, Tasmota + 3 more6 picks · 3 sections

Make your own game

Free game engines, pixel art tools and game servers for your first game or your next one.Inside: Godot Engine, GDevelop, Bevy + 5 more8 picks · 2 sections

Other groups

See every project in this category on Explore →Missing a project? Suggest it →

How we pick

An editor picks 6 to 12 projects for one job and writes when to choose each one. Every pick had a commit in the last 6 months. It is not archived. Its worth score is 60 or more. An editor breaks a rule only for a reason, and writes that reason in the pick's note. We check every list again each quarter. A pick goes when it breaks a rule or a clearly better project appears.