Why it works
Why The Spool List: the case for buyers, makers and partners
Buyers pay no fee. Payment is protected until you confirm delivery and processed securely by Stripe.
Side by side
| The Spool List | Etsy | Fiverr | Upwork | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seller fee | 10% on the free plan; 7%, 5%, 4% and 3% on higher plans | $0.20 listing, 6.5% transaction, US payment processing 3% + $0.25; Offsite Ads 12–15% when an ad brings the sale | 20% of earnings | 0–15% service fee |
| Buyer fee | None — you pay the maker's quote | None listed (taxes may apply) | 5.5% service fee, plus $3.50 on orders under $200 | Up to 5% marketplace fee plus a one-time contract initiation fee |
| Built for | Custom physical jobs and ready-made maker pieces | Listings of handmade and vintage goods | Freelance services sold as gig packages | Freelance contracts, mostly digital work |
| How work is matched | By registered machine, material, colour and distance | Search | Search and gigs | Proposals and search |
| Local map and radius | Yes — live map with privacy-blurred maker pins | No | No | No |
| Free maker business tools | Quote, design-for-manufacture, ROI, invoice and more | No | No | No |
| Languages | 17, with posts and messages auto-translated | Several | Several | Several |
The short version
Physical fabrication still needs a person with a machine. The Spool List is the network that finds them.
Software can design a part, but it can't cut, print, sew or carve one. The Spool List connects people who need a physical object made with independent makers whose machines can make it, and handles the parts in between: matching, quoting, messaging, payment protection, proofs, delivery and reviews.
Five things set it apart. Breadth: one account covers 18 equipment disciplines across 16 market categories, where Etsy, Fiverr or Xometry each cover a slice. Machine-first matching: jobs are matched to registered machines, materials, colours and distance, not keyword bios. Payment protection with no buyer fee. The lowest seller commission of the general marketplaces compared here. And the same product everywhere: iOS, Android and web ship the same features, in 17 languages.
Around that core sit a ready-made marketplace (the Forge), Ember (photo to a printable 3D concept), a free design library, maker business tools, a community with subcontracting boards, local Services listings, and free calculators on the main site and nine specialist sites.
Reasons for buyers
You get custom physical work from makers near you, pay nothing to the platform, and the maker is paid only once you confirm the item arrived.
Cost: there is no buyer fee — you pay the maker's quote. Several makers can quote on one job, each with price, shipping and hours, so you compare before choosing. An "Open to Offers" budget lets makers price jobs you can't estimate yourself, and free estimators on our specialist sites (3D printing, CNC, laser, cosplay, costume, embroidery, miniatures, parts, woodworking) give a ballpark before you post. You can also ship your own materials to the maker.
Protection: payment is processed by Stripe and protected until you confirm delivery. On custom work the maker shows you the piece for approval before it ships, longer jobs get milestone photo updates, and formal disputes take evidence from both sides and go to an operator for a decision. Every maker has reviews and ratings, makers are tied to verified machines, and your contact details stay hidden until you pick a maker.
Reach and choice: one post reaches every relevant discipline, so you don't need to know whether your part is a print, a cut or a casting. Makers only see jobs their machines can make, so the people who apply can actually do the work. There is a live map of makers near you with privacy-blurred pins, maker storefronts with portfolios and badges, ready-made pieces on the Forge, and a free design library of public-domain and CC0 models.
Ease: post from your phone or a browser, sign up on the web without installing the app, and browse as a guest first. Our specialist sites pre-fill the job form from the page you came from. Everything shows in your language, with other people's posts and messages auto-translated.
Reasons for makers
A feed of jobs your machines can do, the lowest commission of the marketplaces compared here, and a free shop-floor toolkit.
Plans: Free costs $0 with 1 machine, a 50-mile radius and 10% commission. Pro is $14.99 a month with 3 machines, 100 miles and 7%. Premium is $29.99 a month with 8 machines, 500 miles and 5%. Enterprise is $499 a month with 50 machines, 1,000 miles and 4%. Global is invite-only, with unlimited machines, worldwide reach and 3%. Annual and lifetime options exist for Pro, Premium and Enterprise, and downgrades are grandfathered rather than cutting off machines.
Earnings: monetise idle hours on the printer, laser or CNC you already own. It's free to start and you pay commission only when you earn. Sell ready-made stock and digital files on the Forge beside custom jobs, sell your own designs in the library, and pick up or pass on work through the Team Up overflow and subcontract boards. Payouts run through Stripe Connect. Spooleconomy gives 90 days of Pro free for completing five profile steps, until 31 January 2027.
Getting paid safely: buyers pay before work starts and have 24 hours to pay after accepting you, or they are flagged. Custom-work proofs and delivery confirmation document what you delivered, and disputes go to an operator with evidence from both sides.
Right work, less noise: server-side matching on machine, material, colour and distance; full job details and photos up front; moderated posts with contact details blocked, so no spam and no off-platform poaching; and a 368-template machine catalogue that keeps your equipment specs accurate.
Free business tools (the Bench): a quote calculator using your own machine cost profile and currency conversion, quote history with actual-vs-quoted logging, design-for-manufacture checks, print and cut time, nesting and yield, feeds and speeds, a tax and VAT calculator, an invoice generator and machine ROI.
Profile and growth: a public storefront and search-indexed maker page, portfolio and gallery uploads, automatic badges, monthly crowns and leaderboards, community rooms, an affiliate programme, and your listings auto-translated for buyers in 17 languages.
Reasons for local businesses, affiliates and partners
Local trades can be listed from $5 a month, affiliates earn on referrals, and brands reach makers and buyers by discipline.
Services listings (plumbers, gardeners, electricians and other hands-on trades): 50-mile coverage is $5 a month or $60 a year, 150 miles $15 a month, 250 miles $25 a month and 350 miles $35 a month, with lower launch prices in the first year. Listings show in the "Services near you" rail, on a Services layer of the map and on a search-indexed listing page, and you pay only for the 50-mile grid cells you serve. Coverage can be changed any time, phone and email are verified before a listing goes live, your exact pin is shown only if you opt in, and you get click and view stats with CSV export. Listings are paid on the web through Stripe, with no app-store cut.
Affiliates: the Founding tier (5 places) earns 50% of platform commission plus 30% of subscriptions with 60-day attribution; the Standard tier earns 20% and 20%, negotiable to 30% at volume. Attribution works on link click, on sign-up and on first app launch, so mobile installs are credited. Payouts are made monthly, net 30, once the balance passes US$50, with self-referral protection, an artwork kit and a stats dashboard. See the affiliate programme.
Brand and supply partners: deals are shown to buyers in the Outsource tab and to makers in Tools & Supplies and the Partners room, with weekly-refreshed promotions and a partner portal, in front of an audience segmented by discipline and machine.
Where The Spool List fits best
The long tail of custom physical jobs: too small or odd for industrial platforms, too physical for freelance platforms.
A replacement knob, a cosplay helmet, a run of embroidered patches, a laser-cut sign, a painted miniature army. Managed manufacturing services such as Xometry set the price themselves and route orders to vetted industrial suppliers, which suits production runs (see our Xometry comparison). Fiverr and Upwork are strong for the design side but are built around digital deliverables (see Fiverr or Upwork vs a maker marketplace). Etsy is built around listings rather than one-off briefs (see Etsy custom orders vs commissioning a maker).
If you can describe it, post it once and let the makers whose machines fit come to you.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Spool List?
A peer-to-peer marketplace for custom fabrication. Buyers post physical jobs; independent makers whose registered machines can make them quote; payment is processed by Stripe and the maker is paid once the buyer confirms delivery. It runs on iOS, Android and the web in 17 languages.
Does The Spool List charge buyers a fee?
No. Buyers pay the maker's quote with nothing added by the platform. Makers pay a commission on completed orders.
How much commission do makers pay?
10% on the free plan, 7% on Pro ($14.99 a month), 5% on Premium ($29.99 a month), 4% on Enterprise ($499 a month) and 3% on the invite-only Global plan.
How is The Spool List different from Etsy, Fiverr or Upwork?
It is built for custom physical work: jobs are matched to makers by the machines they own, buyers pay no platform fee, and the seller commission is lower than Etsy's combined fees, Fiverr's 20% or Upwork's top rate. Etsy centres on listings, and Fiverr and Upwork on digital services.
What can I get made?
Anything a maker's machine can make across 18 equipment disciplines, including 3D printing, laser cutting and engraving, CNC machining, woodworking, embroidery, leatherwork, metal fabrication, glass, ceramics, jewellery, fine art, cosplay props, miniatures and replacement parts.
What happens if something goes wrong?
Open a dispute in the app. Both sides upload evidence and an operator decides. Custom work can be approved from a proof photo before it ships, and the maker is only paid once delivery is confirmed. See returns and disputes.
Can local businesses advertise on The Spool List?
Yes. Hands-on trades can list a local service from $5 a month for 50-mile coverage, shown to nearby buyers and makers on the home feed, the map and a search-indexed listing page. See list your business.
More comparisons
Find makers by discipline
Sources
- Etsy: fees and payments policy
- Etsy help: payment processing fees
- Fiverr help: paying for orders, extras or custom offers
- Upwork: client pricing
- Upwork: Upwork vs Fiverr comparison guide
- Xometry: homepage
- The Spool List: maker pricing
- The Spool List: returns and disputes
Sources checked 2026-11-10. Competitor terms change; check their current pages before you order. Names of other companies are used only to identify their services.