What Changed With MakerWorld Points in 2026

If you upload models to MakerWorld, the way you earn points has changed a lot over the last year and a half. On March 19, 2026, MakerWorld changed how points are calculated for the second time. Older models now earn less per download, quality counts for a lot more, and some models earn nothing at all. In this post we will go over what changed, what MakerWorld actually said, and what you can do about it.

A Quick Recap: June 2025

The first change came in June 2025, when MakerWorld posted Why We’re Upgrading Our Points System on the Bambu Lab forum. Before that, points came almost entirely from downloads, prints, and boosts, and creators knew the exact table. MakerWorld said that system was being gamed through download manipulation, print trading, and fake engagement, so it started weighing originality, complexity, and presentation, and it stopped publishing the formula so it would be harder to reverse engineer. Creators caught manipulating downloads or trading boosts can also lose points now.

What Changed on March 19, 2026

The second update, MakerWorld’s Point System Improvement Announcement, went much further. Here are the main changes:

• Nine tiers instead of four. Download and print tiers went from four to nine, each with its own rate. MakerWorld has not published any of the new rates.
• Older models earn less. Points per download now gradually decrease as a model gets older, and new models get more weight. MakerWorld did not say when the drop starts or how fast it goes.
• Quality weighting. A model first has to be complete: real photos of the print, a print profile, parts that actually fit, and clear instructions. After that, models that stand out for how they look, how useful they are, or how fun they are to print can get extra multipliers. Technical skill and originality count as bonuses on top of that.
• A bump for the middle. Models with mid range download and print numbers get extra weighting too, and it stacks with the quality bonus.
• Zero points for plagiarized models, renders that do not match the real model, models with no photos of a real print, duplicate uploads, and models that cannot be printed.
• No print profile, fewer points. MakerWorld says models without a print profile now see a "substantial reduction" in points.

MakerWorld also called out AI directly. The announcement lists "excessive use of AI to enhance images" and "mass-produced, homogenized models" as part of the reason for the change. It also says the total amount MakerWorld puts into points keeps growing, so the goal is to move points toward better models, not to pay creators less overall.

What Did Not Change

• Boosts are still 12 points, or 15 on an Exclusive model. This is the only fixed number left, and it comes straight from MakerWorld’s FAQ.
• A print still counts as 2 downloads. MakerWorld’s points page still says one successful print equals two downloads, and downloading and printing a print profile counts as three.
• Exclusive models still earn more. Exclusive points can be cashed out at $0.066 each once you have $100 worth, and models in the 14-Day Exclusive Launch get 10% more per boost.

Are the Old Point Tables Still Right?

No, and this is where a lot of creators get confused. You will still find guides and calculators listing the old four tier table, like 15 points for every 10 of your first 50 downloads. That table is from before March 19, and it officially no longer applies. Nobody has published the new nine tier values, and creators on the forum have not been able to pin down when the age decay kicks in.

Our MakerWorld Points Calculator still uses the old table, because it is the last one anyone has real numbers for. The boost part is exact, but for downloads and prints, think of the result as a ballpark. Real points can land higher or lower, and older models will usually come in under it.

What Points Are Worth Now

MakerWorld does not publish its shop prices, and the shop needs a login, so these numbers come from creators on the Bambu Lab forum. As of April 2026, a $40 Bambu Lab gift card costs 490 points in the US, which is about 8 cents a point. In the EU, a €40 card costs 524 points. MakerWorld’s own boost screen says a boost is worth about a $1 gift card, which lines up. Since June 2026 you can also trade 80 points for 600 MakerLab credits.

How to Earn More Points in 2026

• Always upload a print profile. Models without one now earn a lot less, and the first profile on a model earns points of its own.
• Post photos of a real print. No photos of a printed part can mean zero points, and heavily edited AI images count against you.
• Make it complete. Clear instructions and parts that fit are the baseline before any bonus kicks in.
• Keep publishing new models. Since points per download drop as a model ages, the first weeks after you publish are when a model earns the most.
• Ask for boosts. A boost is still a fixed 12 points no matter how old the model is. Be sure to add a short line in your description asking people to boost if the print worked for them.
• Do not try to game it. Boost trading and fake downloads lower your Reputation Score, and MakerWorld can take points away.

All in all, MakerWorld is paying for quality now, not just volume. If you upload complete models with real photos and a good print profile, the 2026 changes should work in your favor. If you were relying on lots of quick uploads, it is probably time to focus on fewer, better models. For the full breakdown of how points work, check out our MakerWorld points guide.

Last checked November 3, 2026. Sources: MakerWorld’s Point System Improvement Announcement (March 19, 2026), "Why We’re Upgrading Our Points System" on the Bambu Lab forum (June 16, 2025), the MakerWorld FAQ, the Exclusive Model Program Agreement, and creator reports on the Bambu Lab forum.