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Two platforms dominate the monthly STL subscription space for tabletop miniatures: MyMiniFactory Tribes and Patreon. Both connect you with the same pool of talented designers — Artisan Guild, Titan Forge, Archvillain Games, CobraMode — and both charge roughly the same monthly rates. So what’s actually different?
More than you’d expect. If you’re looking for the full landscape of where to find miniature STL files, start with the STL sources roundup for a broader overview. This article focuses specifically on Tribes vs. Patreon and helps you decide where your subscription money should go.
If you’re brand new to resin printing and “pre-supported STL” doesn’t mean anything to you yet, the complete beginner’s guide will get you up to speed.
How Each Platform Actually Works
MyMiniFactory Tribes
MyMiniFactory is a dedicated 3D printing marketplace. Tribes is their subscription layer — individual creators run monthly subscription tiers on the platform, and subscribers get that month’s release drop.
Here’s the typical flow:
- You find a creator whose work you like (Artisan Guild, Titan Forge, etc.)
- You subscribe to their Tribes tier ($10–$15/month depending on the creator and tier)
- Each month, you get access to that month’s release — usually 15–35 models, often themed around a specific faction, encounter, or setting
- You download pre-supported STL files directly from MyMiniFactory
- Past releases are available for purchase individually even after you cancel
The platform handles payments, file hosting, and discovery. Creators set their own pricing and release schedules within the Tribes framework.
Patreon
Patreon is a general-purpose creator subscription platform that happens to host a massive miniature STL community. The mechanics are similar — you subscribe to a creator, you get their monthly releases — but the structure is looser.
- You find a creator on Patreon (often via Reddit, Discord, or word of mouth)
- You subscribe to a tier ($10–$15/month, sometimes with multiple tiers offering different content levels)
- Monthly releases arrive as Patreon posts with download links, often hosted on Google Drive or Dropbox
- Many creators include Discord community access in their tiers
- Past releases may or may not be available after you cancel — this varies by creator
Patreon doesn’t know or care that these are STL files. It’s just a payment and content delivery layer. Everything specific to the miniature hobby — file organization, pre-supported variants, print settings — is up to the individual creator.
Pricing: Basically a Wash
Let’s get this out of the way first. For the major creators who operate on both platforms simultaneously, the pricing is nearly identical:
| Creator | Tribes Standard | Patreon Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artisan Guild | ~$11/month | ~$11/month | Same monthly release on both |
| Titan Forge | ~$12/month | ~$12/month | Patreon sometimes has an extra “early access” tier |
| Archvillain Games | ~$11/month | ~$11/month | Full release parity |
| CobraMode | ~$10/month | ~$10/month | Organic sculpting focus |
| Lord of the Print | ~$10/month | ~$10/month | Dragon-heavy catalog |
Some creators run slight pricing differences between platforms, but the delta is rarely more than a dollar or two. If you’re choosing between Tribes and Patreon purely on subscription cost, you’re overthinking it. The differences that actually matter are structural.
File Quality and Pre-Support Standards
This is where the comparison gets interesting.
MyMiniFactory Tribes enforces some degree of quality standards through their platform. Files go through a basic printability check, and the Tribes ecosystem has developed a norm where pre-supported files are expected at the standard tier. The file organization tends to be cleaner — dedicated folders for supported vs. unsupported versions, clear naming conventions, and STL files that import cleanly into Lychee or Chitubox.
That said, “enforced standards” is generous. MyMiniFactory vets at the platform level, not the file level. A creator with a strong track record still has full control over what they upload.
Patreon has zero quality enforcement because it’s not a 3D printing platform. File quality is entirely up to the creator. The best Patreon creators (which are often the same people running Tribes) deliver the same files in the same quality. But on Patreon, there’s no platform-level expectation around pre-supported files, folder structure, or naming conventions.
In practice, for the top-tier creators who run both? You’re getting the same files. Literally the same STLs. The difference matters more for smaller or newer creators who might not have the same organizational discipline.
Verdict: Functionally identical for established creators. MyMiniFactory has a slight edge for discovering smaller creators with consistent file standards.
Discovery: Where Tribes Wins Clearly
Finding good miniature designers is one of the biggest friction points for new hobbyists, and this is where MyMiniFactory has a genuine structural advantage.
MyMiniFactory is a dedicated marketplace. You can browse by genre (fantasy, sci-fi, historical), by creature type, by game system compatibility. The search works. The category pages work. You can see print photos, read reviews, and gauge quality before subscribing. It’s designed for this exact use case.
Patreon’s search is terrible for miniatures. Try searching “DnD miniatures” on Patreon and you’ll get a mixture of digital artists, video creators, and actual STL designers, with no meaningful way to filter. The discovery path on Patreon almost always starts somewhere else — r/PrintedMinis, r/3Dprintedtabletop, Discord servers, or a friend’s recommendation.
If you already know which creators you want, this doesn’t matter. If you’re exploring and building your roster of designers, MyMiniFactory’s browsing experience is dramatically better.
Verdict: MyMiniFactory wins discovery. Patreon requires external discovery (Reddit, Discord, word of mouth).
Community and Creator Relationship
This is where Patreon has a genuine advantage, and it’s not trivial.
Patreon was built around creator-audience relationships. Most miniature creators who run Patreons also run private Discord servers linked to their tiers. These communities are where you see WIP sculpts before release, vote on upcoming themes, get early access to files, and connect with other hobbyists printing the same content. The relationship feels personal — you’re supporting a specific artist, and many creators treat their Patreons as their primary community.
MyMiniFactory Tribes is more transactional. You subscribe, you download, you print. Some creators cross-link their Discord to their Tribes page, but the platform itself doesn’t facilitate community the way Patreon does. There’s no comment system with real engagement, no polls, no WIP previews baked into the Tribes experience.
If you care about being part of a creative community and influencing what gets designed, Patreon is where that happens. If you just want the files and don’t need the social layer, Tribes delivers the same content with less noise.
Verdict: Patreon wins community. Tribes wins efficiency.
Back Catalog Access: The Dealbreaker Nobody Mentions
Here’s the factor that should probably weigh more heavily than it does in most comparisons.
MyMiniFactory keeps every past release available for individual purchase. If you subscribe to Artisan Guild for three months and then cancel, you can still come back six months later and buy any specific model from any past release at the individual file price. The content doesn’t disappear.
Patreon varies wildly by creator. Some creators keep all past posts accessible to current subscribers. Some lock past releases behind higher tiers. Some remove download links after a period. Some offer “catch-up” tiers at higher price points. There is no platform standard, and the terms can change at any creator’s discretion.
This matters most when you’re building a collection over time. On MyMiniFactory, you know that anything you skip today is purchasable later. On Patreon, FOMO is a real factor — if you miss a month, that content might be genuinely gone or significantly more expensive to access later.
Verdict: MyMiniFactory wins back catalog access, and it’s not close.
Revenue Split: Why Creators Might Prefer One Over the Other
You might not care about this, but understanding the economics helps explain why certain creators push one platform over the other.
Patreon takes 5–12% depending on the plan, plus payment processing. Creators on the Pro plan (most STL creators) keep roughly 88% after fees.
MyMiniFactory takes a larger platform cut — their commission on Tribes is higher than Patreon’s percentage. Exact rates aren’t publicly disclosed but industry discussion puts it around 20–30%.
This is why some creators run both platforms but subtly encourage Patreon subscriptions (more money per subscriber). Others prefer MyMiniFactory because the discovery traffic and built-in marketplace offset the higher commission. If a creator is Patreon-exclusive, this revenue split is usually why.
As a subscriber, back the creator where they’re most active. If their Patreon gets posts three days before Tribes, that tells you where their attention is.
The Decision Matrix
| Factor | MyMiniFactory Tribes | Patreon | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription pricing | $10–15/month | $10–15/month | Tie |
| File quality (top creators) | Identical | Identical | Tie |
| File quality (smaller creators) | Slightly better norms | Varies | Tribes |
| Discovery | Dedicated search + browse | Requires external discovery | Tribes |
| Community | Transactional | Discord, WIP access, polls | Patreon |
| Back catalog | Always purchasable | Creator-dependent | Tribes |
| Creator revenue share | ~70–80% | ~88% | Patreon |
| Cancellation flexibility | Cancel anytime, buy later | Cancel = potential content loss | Tribes |
My Recommendation
For most hobbyists subscribing to 1–3 creators, here’s what I’d actually do:
Start on MyMiniFactory Tribes for your first subscription. The discovery is better, the back catalog safety net matters when you’re still figuring out what you like, and the file delivery is more standardized. Browse the top creators in your genre, look at their release history, and pick one that aligns with your campaign or collection.
Move to Patreon for creators you’re deeply invested in. Once you know an artist’s work and want the community layer — the Discord, the WIP previews, the voting on upcoming releases — Patreon is the better experience for that relationship. This is especially true for smaller, independent creators who aren’t on MyMiniFactory at all.
Don’t subscribe to the same creator on both platforms. The files are the same. Pick one.
And if you’re not ready to subscribe to anything yet, Printables and individual purchases on MyMiniFactory will get you printing without any recurring commitment. The free STL miniatures for DnD roundup is a good place to find the best free character, monster, and terrain files to get started. There’s no rush to lock in a subscription until you know your print volume and what kind of content you actually use.
If you’re specifically considering Artisan Guild as your first subscription, the Artisan Guild review goes into detail on what their monthly drops actually look like to print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share files from my Tribes or Patreon subscription? No. Both platforms and virtually all creators license files for personal use only. Sharing downloaded files violates the license terms.
Do both platforms offer commercial licenses? Some creators offer commercial printing licenses at higher tiers on both platforms. These allow you to sell physical prints. Read the specific license — terms vary by creator.
What if a creator leaves MyMiniFactory or Patreon? On MyMiniFactory, past releases typically remain purchasable even if the creator stops producing new content. On Patreon, if the creator deletes their page, the content goes with it. Download your files promptly.
Is it worth subscribing to multiple creators at once? Only if you’re actively printing enough to use the content. Two subscriptions at $11 each means 30–60 models per month. If you’re printing 5 models a month, one subscription is more than enough. Scale up as your print volume justifies it.
Which platform handles refunds better? MyMiniFactory has a formal refund policy through the platform. Patreon refunds are handled through Patreon support and are less predictable. Neither platform is great at this — download and check files quickly after subscribing.