3D Model Hosting & Display

Where the finished scan goes to be seen — public hosts (Sketchfab), web-component embeds (<model-viewer>), self-hosted galleries, and tile servers for huge captures. Pairs with 3D / WebGL (Three.js / R3F runtime), PCB & 3D Model Viewers (engineering-flavoured viewers), Model Libraries & STL Hosts (3D-print model hosts), Gaussian Splatting (splat-specific viewers), and Photogrammetry Mobile Apps (which often have built-in sharing).

Public hosting (free + paid)

• ★ Sketchfab — closed source; free tier (public uploads, 50 MB); paid Plus / Premium / Business for private models, larger files, and commercial sale. The industry-standard scan / 3D-asset host since 2012; Epic-owned (acquired Sketchfab in 2021). Renderer is excellent; AR / VR viewing built-in. The default for "make my scan viewable on the web".
• Polycam web viewer — closed source; free public scans hosted by Polycam; paid plans for private. Decent embed.
• Luma AI gallery — closed source; free public NeRFs / splats; paid plans.
• KIRI Engine gallery — closed source; free public; paid plans.
• Postshot embed / share — paid; splat-specific.
• 3D Warehouse (Trimble / SketchUp) — free; SketchUp-flavoured; mostly architecture / furniture.
• Fab (Epic) — Unreal Marketplace successor; paid + free; mixed.
• Smithsonian 3D Voyager — free; cultural-heritage-specific; uses an OSS viewer.

Embeddable web components

• ★ <model-viewer> (Google) — free, OSS (Apache-2); web component for glTF / GLB; one-line embed, AR on iOS / Android. The default if you can self-host the asset.
• Sketchfab embed — closed source; iframe; 1-line embed of any Sketchfab model.
• SuperSplat Viewer — free, OSS; splat-specific browser viewer; see Gaussian Splatting.
• Online 3D Viewer (3dviewer.net) — free, OSS; embed-friendly; reads STEP / STL / OBJ / glTF / IGES / 3MF. See PCB & 3D Model Viewers.
• @google/model-viewer-react — React wrapper for <model-viewer>.

Self-hosted galleries / managers

• ★ Manyfold — free, OSS (AGPL); "Plex for STLs"; primarily 3D-print-focused but works for general 3D assets. See Model Libraries & STL Hosts.
• Smithsonian Voyager — free, OSS; museum-flavoured 3D viewer / publishing platform (it's the Smithsonian's own toolset, free to deploy).
• 3DHOP — free, OSS; high-resolution 3D-on-the-web framework from CNR-ISTI; good for cultural heritage.
• Cesium ION + Cesium Viewer — free + paid; tile-server for huge 3D Tiles assets (point clouds, photogrammetry meshes, splats).
• WebODM web viewer — bundled in WebODM; serves orthomosaics + 3D models. See Drone Mapping & Aerial Photogrammetry.

Streaming huge captures

• 3D Tiles (OGC standard) — for tiled point clouds / meshes / splats; consumed by Cesium / Itowns / iTwin / vendor viewers.
• Cesium ION — paid SaaS; tile + serve big captures; free tier.
• Potree — free, OSS; web viewer for huge point clouds; see Point Cloud Tools.
• Itowns — free, OSS; 3D Tiles + Potree-compatible web framework.
• Nexus 3D (CNR-ISTI) — free, OSS; multi-resolution mesh streaming.

Marketplaces (paid sales of scans)

• Sketchfab Store — paid; sell scans; revenue split.
• CGTrader, TurboSquid, Renderhub — paid asset marketplaces; scan-friendly.
• Fab (Epic) — paid + free; new combined Epic marketplace.
• Polycam Marketplace — paid.
• Cults3D / MyMiniFactory / Printables — for 3D-printable scans; see Model Libraries & STL Hosts.

AR-specific

• ★ <model-viewer> with ar attribute — free; one-tap AR on iOS (Quick Look / USDZ) and Android (Scene Viewer / glTF).
• Apple Reality Composer — free Mac / iOS; author USDZ AR experiences.
• 8th Wall — paid; commercial WebAR.
• Mind AR / AR.js — free, OSS; image / face tracking AR; see 3D / WebGL.

Format reality check

• Sketchfab ingests anything (STL, OBJ, glTF, FBX, USD, BLEND, etc.) and serves glTF / USDZ.
• <model-viewer> wants glTF / GLB; for AR Quick Look on iOS it also needs USDZ.
• Cesium ION wants 3D Tiles (or it converts).
• Splats — need a splat viewer; see Gaussian Splatting.

Pick this if…

• Default public host: Sketchfab (free tier covers most hobby use).
• Self-host glTF on your own site: <model-viewer> (one line) or R3F custom scene (more work, more control).
• Cultural heritage / museum publishing: Smithsonian Voyager or 3DHOP.
• Huge LiDAR / photogrammetry capture (gigabytes): Cesium ION + 3D Tiles, or self-host with Potree.
• Splats specifically: SuperSplat Viewer + Mark Kellogg's gaussian-splat-3d; see Gaussian Splatting.
• AR pin to a product page: <model-viewer ar> with a USDZ + GLB pair.
• Sell scans: Sketchfab Store, CGTrader, or Fab.