Cults3D Commercial License and Private Use (CULTS PU)

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Printables commercial use is on this same page. The wider map of license types is STL commercial license types explained.

• CULTS PU private use
• Cults3D commercial license
• What open priced means
• Printables license options
• Designers in this directory

What does open priced mean on Cults3D?

Open priced is the download price, not permission to sell prints. Cults' own FAQ says a designer can set a minimum price, and a buyer can pay that amount or more. The minimum can be 0, so the file can be downloaded free, or the buyer can pay more as a donation. Cults states a donation minimum of €0.50. Paying the open price, including €0, does not change the license on that design.

The license is chosen separately. The default is CULTS PU, Private Use: print it for yourself, and do not sell the prints. Selling physical prints takes a commercial license such as CULTS CU or CULTS CU-ND, or a Creative Commons license that allows commercial use. Read the license name on the design. How merchant licenses work is the wider rule, and designing your own file is the path that does not depend on someone else's Cults listing. Printables commercial use, below, is a different site's license.

Printables commercial use

Printables' terms, effective October 15, 2026, say the uploader offers the file to other users under a license they pick from the licenses available on Printables. The terms name Creative Commons licences, GNU licences, the BSD License, Apache License 2.0, the CERN Open Hardware Licence, the Open Community License and its variants, the Standard Digital File License, and Commercial Use licences. The license is irrevocable after the file is published. Printables does not grant you that license itself. The uploader does.

For Store models, the Printables Store launch post lists three choices:

• Standard Digital File license — personal use of the model and its physical prints.
• Commercial use license — selling physical prints of the model, including modified versions.
• Commercial use – no derivative license — selling physical prints of the model. The same post does not say modified versions are included.

The Standard Digital File License text shown on Printables model pages is stricter than the words "personal use" suggest. It says the files are non-commercial and personal use only, that you may not sell the digital file or the 3D printed versions, and that the objects may not be used in any way in which you charge money. Treat that text, on the model you downloaded, as the rule for that file.

Printables Clubs are separate. The Clubs page says a creator can give a commercial-usage license for exclusive models to certain membership tiers, and that some creators do not. Exclusive models are available to every supporter, but the license can differ by tier. The page lists a minimum tier price of $3 and a maximum of $100, and a 10% Printables fee plus payment fees such as Stripe. The Store launch post says opening a Store has no monthly fee and states a 20% Printables fee. Those are two different posts. Confirm the rate in your own payout settings before you rely on either number. This page does not treat a launch post as a live fee schedule.

The Open Community License is also on the upload list. Prusa's description of OCL says a business may use and modify the design for its own internal production, and may not sell the design without a separate business license. That is a no for selling prints of an OCL model. GNU, BSD, and Apache are named as available licenses. This page does not turn those software licenses into a blanket yes. Read the name on the model.

Creative Commons names follow the deeds. The yes/no table is on Thingiverse licenses explained.

Cults3D commercial license

Cults publishes the license list on its own licenses page. Each design has its own license. If the designer does not pick one, Cults applies CULTS PU. Cults also says members need the designer's permission for anything the license does not expressly allow. The commercial rows below are the two Cults licenses that allow selling prints. How this sits next to Creative Commons and a designer membership is on STL commercial license types explained.

CULTS PU — Private Use

CULTS PU is the default. Cults' licenses page says you may print the model for private use, and you may share images of your prints on social networks or websites. If you share those images, you identify the designer and link the model. What is not allowed: commercial use, public sharing of the 3D model, modification or adaptation for public sharing or sale, and distribution, sale, donation, or exchange of the digital files. The license lasts while it is in effect on that model on Cults. Cults' FAQ says the same thing in shorter words: you cannot sell 3D prints of a Private Use design for economic or financial purposes.

CULTS CU and CULTS CU-ND

CULTS CU, Commercial Use, allows you to sell and distribute physical prints of the model and of adapted models, in unlimited quantities, for any use including commercial, for as long as that license stays on the model. You may remix, transform, and create from the digital files. If you share the prints, including a modified print, Cults requires you to name the designer, indicate the copyright, give a notice referring to this license, link the model, say whether you modified it, and keep a record of previous modifications. You may not sell, give away, exchange, or share the digital files, including files adapted from it.

CULTS CU-ND, Commercial Use – No Derivative, allows you to copy and distribute physical prints for any use, including commercial, in unlimited quantities. It does not allow modification or adaptation. If you share the prints, you name the designer, indicate the copyright, give a notice referring to this license, and link the model. You may not distribute or resell the digital files.

Cults also lists CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, CC BY-NC-ND, CERN OHL, GNU GPL, GNU LGPL, and the MIT License. The CC rows below follow Cults' own summary of those deeds. For GPL, LGPL, and CERN OHL, use the license text Cults links on the model. This page does not flatten those into a single yes.

A designer can also sell a separate commercial license as its own Cults listing. That is a contract with that designer. It is not the same thing as every file on their profile being CULTS CU.

Designers in this directory

The platform field on each listing is what this section uses. 5 listings include Cults3D. A row means that designer offers a merchant license on the terms stored here. It does not mean every file on their Cults3D page is covered by the price in the table. Where a Cults3D per-model price is not stored, the listing says so.

Cults3D designers How merchant licenses work

Printables

16 listings store Printables as a platform. A row means that designer allows selling prints of their models on the terms stored here. It does not mean every file on their Printables page is covered. Licenses are per model and can change.

Printables designers Free to sell on Printables

A Printables Club is a separate paid membership. If you sell from a Club, read that creator's tier on Printables. Free to sell collects designers who allow selling prints with no license fee. Where to find STL files you can legally sell is the wider tour.

Sources

• Printables Terms of Service — effective October 15, 2026. Section 2.3 names the license families and says the chosen license is irrevocable after publication.
• Printables Store launch — the three Store licenses, and the 20% fee stated in that post.
• Printables Clubs — commercial use can be attached to a tier, the $3 to $100 tier range, and the 10% fee stated on that page.
• Prusa on the Open Community License — internal business use is allowed. Selling the design needs a separate license.
• Cults licenses — Private Use, CULTS CU, CULTS CU-ND, and the Creative Commons summaries.
• Cults FAQ — Private Use is the default, and selling prints for money is not allowed under it.

FAQ

What does open priced mean on Cults3D?

Open priced is the download price, not permission to sell prints. Cults says a designer can set a minimum, and a buyer can pay that amount or more. The minimum can be 0, so the file can be free, or the buyer can donate more (Cults states a €0.50 donation minimum). The license is separate. Private Use still does not allow selling prints. CULTS CU and CULTS CU-ND do.

What does Printables commercial use allow?

On a Printables Store model, the Commercial use license allows selling physical prints, including modified versions. Commercial use – no derivative allows selling physical prints of the model and does not add the modified-version permission. A Printables Club can also attach a commercial-use license to a membership tier. None of that is automatic on a free download.

What is a Cults3D commercial license?

Cults3D's own commercial licenses are CULTS CU and CULTS CU-ND, on the Cults licenses page. CULTS CU lets you sell and distribute physical prints of the model and of adapted models, in unlimited quantities, for as long as that license stays on the model. You may remix the file. You may not sell, give away, or share the digital files, including adapted files. If you share the prints, Cults requires you to name the designer, mention the copyright and this license, link the model, and say whether you modified it. CULTS CU-ND lets you sell physical prints of the unchanged model in unlimited quantities. It does not allow modification. You still name the designer, mention the copyright and the license, and link the model. The digital files still cannot be distributed. CULTS PU, Private Use, is not a commercial license.

What is CULTS PU — Private Use?

CULTS PU is the Cults - Private Use license. Cults applies it to every design by default when the designer does not pick another license. You may print the model for private use, and you may share photos of your prints on social networks or websites if you name the designer and link the model. You may not use it commercially, modify it for public sharing or sale, or distribute, sell, donate, or exchange the digital files. It lasts while that license stays on the model. Cults' FAQ says you cannot sell 3D prints of a Private Use design for economic or financial purposes. Open priced is the download price and does not change this.

Does the Printables Standard Digital File License allow selling prints?

No. The Printables Store launch post describes it as personal use of the model and its physical prints. The license text shown on Printables model pages says you may not sell or charge money for the digital file or the 3D printed versions.

Is a designer in this directory licensed for every file on Cults3D?

No. A listing means that designer offers a merchant license on the terms stored for that listing. Several Cults3D prices are not stated. A Patreon tier and a per-model Cults3D commercial file are different offers. Read the row.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes Printables and Cults3D pages last checked in October 2026. Read the license on the model before you sell.

More guides

• How 3D print merchant licenses work — A merchant license lets you sell the physical print, not the STL. What it covers, and what ends when you cancel.
• Thingiverse licenses explained — Thingiverse licenses explained: CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, and CC BY-ND can allow a sale. NC and All Rights Reserved do not.
• Can you sell MakerWorld prints? — Which MakerWorld licenses allow selling physical prints, and how a Commercial License Membership works.
• STL commercial license types explained — Selling 3D prints legally comes down to the license: private use, Creative Commons, a print marketplace file, or a designer tier such as Ryodan Studio.
• STL files you can legally sell — Free CC0 and CC BY downloads, then paid merchant tiers, for STL files you can sell as physical prints.
• Anime designers who allow print sales — Which anime, bust, and statue designers license physical print sales, with prices and IP warnings.
• Flexi designers with sell licenses — Flexi and articulated toy designers with a commercial tier for selling physical prints, compared by price.
• D&D mini merchant tiers compared — Monthly prices, sales channels, and open or closed status for tabletop miniature and terrain merchant tiers.
• Sell 3D prints on Etsy and at cons — What verified merchant licenses say about Etsy, online shops, markets, and conventions. Not legal advice.
• Best 3D prints to sell at markets — Flexi animals, fidgets, keychains, and desk items for craft shows, and which licenses allow a booth.
• How much to charge for 3D prints — A pricing formula for material, machine time, labor, failed prints, packaging, fees, and a merchant license.
• Sell 3D prints on eBay and Amazon — Rules and fees for Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Amazon Handmade, and Vinted, from each platform's own pages.
• Supplies for selling 3D prints — Filament, bed adhesion, finishing, paint, drying, and packaging for people who sell physical 3D prints.

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