Do followers and a big catalog help

Both go with more downloads. A free Printables model from a creator with more than 100 published models has a median of 58 downloads once it's six months old. A creator's only model has 33. Followers line up with downloads on both sites, and with much bigger gaps.

What the numbers can't tell you is which way it runs. A big following might bring downloads, and a model that takes off brings followers. We counted followers as they stand today.

We studied 1,004,137 public models from MakerWorld and Printables, two of the biggest sites for sharing 3D printing files: 327,759 from MakerWorld and 676,378 from Printables. Every number here describes those models, not every model ever posted.

A big catalog

Start with the people. Here's how Printables creators split by catalog size, estimated from the totals on their profiles. About 39.8% of creators have published a single model, and together they hold an estimated 3.9% of all the downloads on creators' profiles. Creators with more than 20 models are an estimated 5.2% of everyone and hold about 53.7%.

Part of that is just volume: more models, more downloads to add up. So look at each model instead. The median free Printables model climbs with every step up in its creator's catalog, from 33 downloads for a creator's only model to 58 for someone with more than 100.

That's a real gap, but a modest one. Per model, the very prolific don't run away from everyone else the way their totals do.

Followers

The follower gaps are bigger. On MakerWorld, creators with 1,000+ followers made 21.0% of the models we studied and got 52.3% of the downloads. Creators with under 100 followers made 52.3% of the models and got 17.7%.

On Printables, far fewer models come from accounts with big followings. Creators with 1,000+ followers made 3.7% of its models and got 17.0% of free-model downloads. Those with under 100 made 85.2% and got 61.3%.

Per model, the slope is just as clear. A MakerWorld model from a creator with no followers has a median of 4 downloads at six months to two years old. From a creator with 10,000+ followers it's 78. On Printables, free models go from 15 to 199 across the same groups.

If you upload

Most of the models we studied come from small accounts: 52.3% on MakerWorld and 85.2% on Printables are from creators with under 100 followers. If that's you, compare a new model with others from accounts your size, not with the ones everybody already follows. The medians for your group are in the charts above.