MyMiniFactory has acquired Thingiverse

[GAP]

"MyMiniFactory has acquired Thingiverse. Have your say in at the live Q&A on 17th Feb at 5pm GMT here"
This banner was across the top of a Thingaverse page when I opened it this morning.

This answer from google about how that will affect Cura.

Based on the announcement on February 12, 2026,
MyMiniFactory has acquired 100% of Thingiverse from Ultimaker.
However, this does not mean MyMiniFactory has acquired Cura. Here are the details:

What was acquired: MyMiniFactory acquired the Thingiverse platform, its assets, and its user base (approximately 8 million users).
What remains with Ultimaker: Ultimaker (now UltiMaker, following the MakerBot merger) retains ownership and development of Ultimaker Cura software.
Relationship: Thingiverse was previously owned by MakerBot, which merged with Ultimaker in 2022. MyMiniFactory has purchased this specific asset from the merged entity.

In summary, MyMiniFactory now owns the file-sharing website (Thingiverse), while Ultimaker remains the owner of the slicing software (Cura).

As of February 2026,
UltiMaker no longer owns Thingiverse.
MyMiniFactory acquired 100% of Thingiverse from UltiMaker in a deal announced on February 12, 2026.
Key details regarding the change in ownership:

Previous Ownership: Following the 2022 merger of MakerBot and Ultimaker, Thingiverse was under the UltiMaker brand.
New Owner: London-based MyMiniFactory acquired the platform to integrate it into their "SoulCrafted" ecosystem, which focuses on human-made, curated 3D designs.
Reason for Sale: Reports indicate that Thingiverse had been neglected under previous ownership and suffered from a decline in functionality, which MyMiniFactory aims to reverse.
Future Plans: Thingiverse will remain an open-sharing, free platform, but with new management aiming to introduce sustainable monetization tools for creators.

[Paul_in_Ricky]

...... with new management aiming to introduce sustainable monetization tools for creators.

Interesting. That's likely to go either of two ways; Loads more advertising on site with creators getting a percentage, or a download fee/subscription.

The later will prove difficult to implement as so many designs have been placed there as completely open source and free, plus many are also hosted freely on other platforms like Printables.

[GAP]

...... with new management aiming to introduce sustainable monetization tools for creators.

Interesting. That's likely to go either of two ways; Loads more advertising on site with creators getting a percentage, or a download fee/subscription.

The later will prove difficult to implement as so many designs have been placed there as completely open source and free, plus many are also hosted freely on other platforms like Printables.

I didn't notice the advertising that much, but when I opened Thingaverse I got a "You are using an adblock please disable it" but there was an option in fine print to continue without disabling.