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Manufacturing · head to head

Fictiv vs Materialise Magics

Fictiv logo

Fictiv

Manufacturing

On-demand custom manufacturing with instant CAD quoting, now owned by MISUMI

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Materialise Magics logo

Materialise Magics

Manufacturing

Industrial build preparation and data repair for metal and polymer additive manufacturing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fictiv this is a manufacturing service, not software you licence, so there is nothing to deploy or own and switching means re-sourcing parts rather than exporting data.; Materialise Magics new seats and modules have been subscription only since 15 May 2024, so the perpetual purchase route is closed and existing perpetual holders are on a shrinking island.
  • They diverge on capability: Fictiv covers Instant CAD quoting, Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fictiv and Materialise Magics actually diverge.

Attributes where Fictiv and Materialise Magics differ
AttributeFictivMaterialise Magics
PlatformsWeb, CloudWindows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Fictiv

  • Instant CAD quoting
  • Design for manufacturing feedback
  • Multi-region network
  • Multiple processes
  • Quality documentation
  • Order and revision tracking
  • Bridge to production

Only in Materialise Magics

  • Mesh repair
  • Part orientation and nesting
  • Support generation
  • Build Processors
  • Simulation module
  • Structures module
  • Reporting and traceability

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fictiv

  • An engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop firstnot Materialise Magics
  • Moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a suppliernot Materialise Magics
  • Bridge production between prototype tooling and a committed high-volume suppliernot Materialise Magics
  • Getting design-for-manufacturing feedback on a part before committing to injection mould toolingnot Materialise Magics

Materialise Magics

  • A service bureau running several brands of metal printer that wants one preparation environment instead of five vendor slicersnot Fictiv
  • Repairing badly formed STL or scan-derived meshes that a machine slicer will not acceptnot Fictiv
  • Automating support generation on metal parts where manual support editing is the bottleneck in the processnot Fictiv
  • Simulating and compensating for build distortion before committing an expensive metal buildnot Fictiv

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Fictiv

  • This is a manufacturing service, not software you licence, so there is nothing to deploy or own and switching means re-sourcing parts rather than exporting data.
  • A broker sits between you and the shop cutting your part, so at stable production volumes direct sourcing usually beats the platform price and the platform knows it.
  • You do not choose or generally know the specific supplier, which makes process control, supplier audits and traceability harder in regulated or aerospace work.
  • MISUMI completed a $350 million acquisition in June 2025, so roadmap and pricing now answer to a Japanese industrial components group rather than to an independent platform strategy.
  • Instant quotes are geometry-driven and complex or tightly toleranced parts drop into engineer review, so the speed advantage that justified the choice disappears exactly on the parts that are hardest to source.

Materialise Magics

  • New seats and modules have been subscription only since 15 May 2024, so the perpetual purchase route is closed and existing perpetual holders are on a shrinking island.
  • Build Processors are licensed separately per machine family, so adding a new printer brand adds a licence line as well as capital cost, and a mixed fleet multiplies the software bill.
  • The modules that deliver the biggest labour saving, notably e-Stage automated support generation, are paid extras, so the base seat alone leaves you doing manual support work.
  • Materialise publishes no prices anywhere, and quotes vary by region and reseller, so two similar bureaus can pay materially different amounts for the same configuration.
  • It is Windows only and remains a desktop application, which sits awkwardly with the cloud direction of Materialise CO-AM and means preparation capacity is tied to specific workstations and licence seats.

Pricing, plan by plan

Fictiv

On request
  • Per-part quoting$undefined/month
    • No subscription or platform fee
    • Priced per part by geometry, material, process and quantity
    • Instant quotes for many processes, engineer review for complex parts

Materialise Magics

On request
  • Magics Essentials$undefined/year
    • Mesh repair and editing
    • Part orientation and platform placement
    • Basic support generation
  • Magics with modules$undefined/year
    • Everything in Essentials
    • e-Stage automated supports, Simulation, Structures priced individually
    • Build Processors licensed per machine family

Which should you pick?

Choose Fictiv if

  • You need instant cad quoting.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want design for manufacturing feedback.
Fictiv review

Choose Materialise Magics if

  • You need mesh repair.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want part orientation and nesting.
Materialise Magics review

Questions people ask

Is Fictiv or Materialise Magics better?
Neither clearly leads. Fictiv starts at On request and Materialise Magics at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fictiv or Materialise Magics?
Fictiv starts at On request and Materialise Magics at On request.
Does Fictiv or Materialise Magics run on more platforms?
Fictiv runs on Web, Cloud. Materialise Magics runs on Windows.
What is Fictiv best used for?
Fictiv is most often used for an engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop first, moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a supplier, bridge production between prototype tooling and a committed high-volume supplier, getting design-for-manufacturing feedback on a part before committing to injection mould tooling. Of those, an engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop first and moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a supplier are not what Materialise Magics is typically brought in for.
What can Fictiv do that Materialise Magics cannot?
Fictiv covers Instant CAD quoting, Design for manufacturing feedback, Multi-region network, Multiple processes. Materialise Magics covers Mesh repair, Part orientation and nesting, Support generation, Build Processors.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fictiv: Is Fictiv software I can buy?

No. It is an on-demand manufacturing service with a quoting and order management platform. You pay for parts, not for the software.

Materialise Magics: Can I still buy a perpetual Magics licence?

No. Since 15 May 2024 Materialise sells new seats and new modules on subscription only. Existing perpetual licences continue to work but new capacity is subscription.

Fictiv: Is Fictiv still independent?

No. MISUMI Group completed its acquisition, valued at $350 million, in June 2025. Fictiv continues to trade under its own name.

Materialise Magics: Do I need a separate Build Processor for each printer?

You need one per machine family, licensed separately from the Magics seat. Budget for it before you buy the printer.

Fictiv: Do I know which factory makes my part?

Generally not. Fictiv manages a vetted network and allocates work within it, which is a limitation if your quality system requires named and audited suppliers.

Materialise Magics: Is Magics the same as CO-AM?

No. Magics is desktop build preparation. CO-AM is the Materialise cloud platform for AM workflow and production management, which absorbed the former Link3D product.

Fictiv: Is it cheaper than sourcing directly?

For prototypes and low volumes, usually yes once you count the cost of finding and qualifying a supplier. At stable production volumes, direct sourcing is normally cheaper.

Materialise Magics: Does Magics slice?

It prepares and supports the build and hands off through a Build Processor, which produces the machine-ready file. The machine-specific processing lives in the Build Processor.

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