Free and local by design
Open the page and start modelling. No sign-up, no licence check and no limit on how many projects you keep.
Your files stay on your machine
Projects live in your browser's own storage, or as files in a folder you pick (Chrome and Edge), not on remote servers.
All the maths runs on your device
Modelling works on a train, in a workshop without Wi-Fi, or on a school Chromebook.
All your projects, a click away
Open, search and delete them from the editor. A delete can be undone for a few seconds.
No lock-in
Export a whole project as a .polypad.json file, or the model as STEP, STL or 3MF for your slicer or CAD tool.
Private by default
Nothing about your designs is shared unless you send the file to someone yourself.
Snapshots, not cloud history
Save named versions like “v1 for printing” and restore them in one click. They travel inside the exported file.
A warning if your work can't be kept
If your browser blocks storage (some private windows), Polypad tells you and suggests exporting.
What you can build today
- Parametric modelling. A feature history you can edit, reorder and suppress, with undo and redo.
- Shapes and operations. Boxes, cylinders, spheres, cones, tori, wedges and tubes; extrude (a distance, Through all, or Up to a face) and revolve; join, cut, intersect; fillet, chamfer, shell; move, rotate, scale.
- Screw holes, the easy way. Say what goes in the hole, choose M2 to M10, and Polypad picks the clearance, tap drill or heat-set insert size.
- Sketching. Lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, slots and polygons with constraints, dimensions, snapping, ortho, trim and offset (copy a chain or circle at a distance), on any flat face or on a plane set at a distance from one.
- Parameters. Named values and formulas (
wall = width / 20) that drive any dimension. - Patterns and copies. Rows, grids and circles of bodies or holes (a bolt circle in two clicks), mirror and duplicate.
- Standard parts. Boards, servos, motors, battery holders, fans and hardware such as bearings and magnets, as see-through reference bodies to design around. They have mounting holes and ports, and are left out of exports.
- Text and logos. Raise or cut in a line of text in one of five fonts, or a logo, icon or drawing from an .svg file, on any flat face. An .svg can also become a part of its own, such as a keychain or a plaque.
- Fit and clearance. Check two bodies, standard parts included: they overlap, touch, are too tight, or fit with the gap per side you set (0.2 mm to start).
- Print checks. The 3D print menu shades walls that are too thin for your nozzle and faces that hang out too far and would need support, and lists where each one is.
- Easy picking. Point anywhere on a face to pick its nearest edge; double-click to take a whole rounded rim.
- Import. STEP keeps its real faces and edges; STL of any size comes in as a mesh you can cut, join and put holes in; SVG comes in as a shape.
- Export. STEP, STL and 3MF, with a units check before you download.
- Starter templates. An enclosure with lid, a bracket and a spacer.
- Build with Claude. Connect Claude Desktop from the Connect AI button in one click, or Claude Code and Cursor with one command (
npx @polypad/mcp), and watch it model in your open tab. Every step is one undo away. Setup
How it compares with Fusion 360 and Onshape
Fusion 360 and Onshape are far bigger tools. Polypad wins on access and privacy, not on depth.
| Feature | Polypad | Fusion 360 (free personal use) | Onshape (free plan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free for non-commercial hobby use only | Free for non-commercial use only |
| Account | None | Required | Required |
| Install | None, runs in the browser | Desktop app for Windows and macOS | None, runs in the browser |
| Where your files live | On your device | Autodesk cloud | Onshape cloud |
| Privacy of designs | Private, never uploaded | Private | Public: anyone can see free-plan documents |
| Offline | Works fully offline | Must go online regularly to stay signed in | Needs a connection |
| Project limit | None | Capped number of editable documents | No cap, but all public |
| Linux and Chromebooks | Yes | No official support | Yes |
| Export | STEP, STL, 3MF | STL and STEP on the free tier | STL, STEP and more |
| Assemblies, drawings, CAM, simulation, collaboration | Not yet | Yes | Yes |
No strings
No non-commercial clause, no public-by-default documents.
Nothing to install or sign into
Open a tab and model. No account, no connection needed after the page loads.
Made for 3D-print parts
Holes chosen by purpose, heat-set insert sizes, wall, overhang and fit checks, print templates and 3MF built in.
Honest limits
Need assemblies, drawings, CAM, simulation or team work today? Fusion and Onshape are the right tools.
Fusion 360 and Onshape plan terms as of October 2026; they change often.
Who it's for
Makers who want a precise bracket, enclosure or spacer printed this afternoon, on whatever computer is in front of them, without an account or a cloud. It also suits classrooms and shared computers, where installs and sign-ups get in the way.
What's next
- Patterns of any feature, not just holes
- Version history on top of the snapshots timeline
- Lofts and sweeps, and more sketch tools: ellipses and splines
- Simple multi-body assemblies to check that parts fit
- Turning imported STL meshes into editable solids
- A JavaScript API and an embeddable editor