Tips to simplify designsSendCutSend (SCS) is a big name in sheet metal fabrication, especially among hobbyists and DIYers. Their site allows anyone to upload a file and get instant pricing, plus the option to choose from over a dozen different services that include fabrication and finishing options.
However, SCS isn’t a traditional machine shop. They don’t offer any CNC machining (besides 2D routing), assembly, or complex machining. Their business is built around the ability to cut 2D sheet metal parts with some bending capabilities, and their services are ideal for small-to-medium-sized production runs.
Since sheet metal is their focus, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that they are one of the top performers in this space. Their shop has waterjet, laser cutting, and routing capabilities, and their pricing is among the lowest in the industry.
Closer look at SendCutSend
Pros
- A low-cost way to manufacture 2D cut parts
- In-house production is quick, consistent, and reliable
- Wide variety of materials and finishes
- Quoting and ordering is streamlined and easy to use
Cons
- No ability for 3D machining or complicated fabrication
- Limited capabilities and a lack of specialized services
- Not great for complex parts or high-volume production
- No partner network to work with
Although SCS is a great option, you’ll notice that there are some shortcomings that some engineers don’t like. Namely, the inability to make 3D parts, the fact that parts go through an automated check and process instead of getting handled by a person (so you can’t customize your parts or communicate your needs), and the lack of scalability. If you’re looking for other options, keep reading — we’ll look at 10 of the best alternatives and competitors to SendCutSend. This list comes from personal experience and customer feedback, so your experience may vary.
10 Best SendCutSend Alternatives and Competitors
1. Jiga
Communicate directly with Jiga’s manufacturing partners for DFM feedback and collaborate with your team
Jiga is a custom manufacturing service provider that does more than just sheet metal fabrication — they connect engineers to a distributed network of vetted and respected suppliers that can handle your production needs.
Jiga’s platform supports CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, 3D printing, a ton of finishing steps, and much more.
Unlike SCS, Jiga is a better fit for multi-process and production projects. The supplier network covers a wide range of capabilities, so it’s easy to manage complex builds that need more than one manufacturing method all in one place.
Once you upload a part, you’ll get real, reviewed quotes from vetted suppliers — not instant auto-generated ones. Each quote is evaluated by the supplier, so what you see is accurate and actionable. From there, you can look between the options and pick whichever supplier is a better fit for your business. This level of access between engineers and suppliers is unheard of within other alternatives and competitors on this list.
If you have questions, want DFM feedback, or need an update, you can message the supplier directly. Everything’s built to help you stay in the loop and avoid the usual back-and-forth.
Pros
- Great for complex or multi-process projects
- Access to suppliers across the globe
- Real-time collaboration and feedback from manufacturers
- Better tracking and transparency
Cons
- Pricing can vary, depending on the supplier
- Not designed for quick-turn 2D parts
Javier L
Principal Systems R&D Mechanical Engineer
"Game changing in the online manufacturing space"
Get your first quote from verified suppliers. No cost, no commitment.
2. OSH Cut
OSH Cut is a very similar company to SendCutSend, and it’s probably their closest competitor. Both offer competitive pricing, fast and reliable lead times, and a focus on sheet metal fabrication.
In our extensive comparison of OSH Cut versus SendCutSend, the notable difference is that Osh Cut can work on materials up to 1” thick, while SCS stops at around 1/2″-thick material. As an added bonus, OSH Cut often performs manual reviews for DFM in addition to their automatic feedback system, so they tend to give better feedback when it comes to DFM.
Pros
- Supports thicker materials and structural metals
- Fast quoting and price transparency
- Competitive pricing and fast turnarounds
Cons
- Fewer finishing and manufacturing options than SendCutSend
3. Xometry
Xometry is a large global company that offers a wide range of services. It makes it easy to source custom parts, and their capabilities go well beyond sheet metal fabrication. Xometry offers dozens of manufacturing options, from 3D printing to CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, plastic production, and die-cast metal part production.
It uses a network of manufacturing partners to handle fabrication, but doesn’t allow the engineer to collaborate or interface with the suppliers at all. Some engineers have problems with the “black box” business model of Xometry, especially when there are issues with fabrication.
In general, Xometry is ideal for prototypes and small-to-medium-batch production. It falls short when it comes to large production runs, since their manufacturing network isn’t built to handle huge orders.
Pros
- Massive network of manufacturing partners
- Competitive pricing
- Many manufacturing services to choose between
- Automated quoting algorithm and DFM feedback
Cons
- Doesn’t allow engineers to talk with suppliers
- Lack of transparency
- Potential issues with quality since Xometry forces operations to take on work with lower profitability
4. Protolabs
Protolabs is another company that comes to mind when you think of Xometry, the SCS alternative we just discussed. On paper, Protolabs and Xometry have a lot of overlap — Protolabs also leverages a massive network of suppliers who can provide fast turnarounds and competitive prices for small-volume manufacturing.
Protolabs offers a wide range of manufacturing services like injection molding, CNC machining, 3D printing, and sheet metal fabrication. They provide laser cutting, forming, bending, punching, and assembly services for sheet metal, which goes beyond the offerings of SCS.
Like SendCutSend, Protolabs is really good in low-volume manufacturing and falls short when it comes to mass-production.
As an alternative, you might choose Protolabs if you want to do more than just sheet metal fabrication, since their sheet metal services are roughly the same as SCS.
Pros
- Incredibly fast turnarounds
- Great DFM feedback
- Superb option for prototyping and short runs
Cons
- Limited customization in quoting
- Quotes tend to be a little more expensive than SCS
- Inability to scale up to mass production
5. Fictiv
Fictiv is another alternative that relies on a global network of manufacturing suppliers. Fictiv strikes a nice balance between a long list of manufacturing capabilities and quick turnarounds, but it can fall short when it comes to competitive pricing.
In the past few years, Fictiv started offering sheet metal services, so it doesn’t have the pedigree or history that SendCutSend has in this space. This can lead to some potential oversights and issues, especially with larger orders or more complicated parts — however, Fictiv historically has great quality control processes when it comes to their other manufacturing options.
Another feature of Fictiv that you won’t find with SCS is their incredible customer support team. If you run into an issue, it’s easy to get ahold of a real person to help you.
Pros
- On-demand manufacturing with much shorter lead times
- Online platform is easy to use and adds more insight into each order
- Quality control is a big focus
- Better customer support
Cons
- A lot of mystery when it comes to their supply chain and suppliers
- Newer to sheet metal fabrication
- Pricing can vary a lot
Tony K
Senior Mechanical Engineer
"Fantastic platform for purchasing custom parts"
Get your first quote from verified suppliers. No cost, no commitment.
6. Hubs
Next up is Hubs, which used to be 3DHubs before its name change, and is now owned by Protolabs and operates as Protolabs Network as of January 2024. Since the acquisition, you’ll notice that Hubs operates almost identically to Protolabs — they leverage the same global network, offer the same manufacturing services, and offer similar turnaround times and pricing.
According to their FAQ, the same account manager handles Protolabs and Protolabs Network (Hubs) orders, and we can’t find any difference between the two services. As far as we can tell, the Hubs page still exists for existing Hubs users to log into their accounts, but both platforms will be fully merged in the future.
For that reason, it’s probably best to work with Protolabs instead of Hubs, unless you’re already a Hubs user.
Pros
- Incredibly fast turnarounds
- Great DFM feedback
- Superb option for prototyping and short runs
Cons
- Limited customization in quoting
- Quotes tend to be a little more expensive than SCS
- Inability to scale up to mass production
7. Materialise
Next up is Materialise, a Belgium-based company (hence the spelling of the name) that specializes in 3D printing, especially within the healthcare industry. While they don’t offer CNC machining or sheet metal, it’s a good alternative to consider for any additive manufacturing needs.
Since SendCutSend doesn’t offer 3D printing services at all, we would suggest using Materialise if you’re trying to make more complicated prototypes and cutting-edge 3D-printed parts.
Materialise is one of the longest-running industrial 3D printing shops in the world, and they have a strong reputation across the globe.
Pros
- Unmatched success in medical, aerospace, and automotive 3D printing
- Specialized 3D printing company with long and impressive history
- Proprietary software to make each project easier
Cons
- Prototypes have longer lead times
- Not suited for basic sheet metal work
8. RapidDirect
RapidDirect is a China-based manufacturer that offers CNC machining, injection molding, 3D printing, die casting, and sheet metal fabrication. They offer great pricing and fast feedback, but their shipping times to North America tend to be slow.
They offer many more services than SCS does, so RapidDirect would be the better option if you want to expand the type of parts you get.
Users online complain that sometimes there are language barriers that can disrupt projects, since RapidDirect works mostly with Chinese manufacturers.
Pros
- Fast turnarounds for prototypes and production runs
- Pricing is incredibly competitive, especially in larger order volumes
- Wide range of manufacturing services
Cons
- Potential issues with language barriers
- Lack of specialized capabilities
- Historical issues with maintaining quality control within complex projects
9. Zetwerk
Another option for large-scale industrial manufacturing is Zetwerk. It is another offshore manufacturer that combines the cost-effectiveness of offshoring with the expected turnaround times of local manufacturing, thanks to their Zetwerk Managed Inventory (ZMI) system. This system integrates with your operation to manage your inventory of parts, proactively starting manufacturing to make sure your stock doesn’t fall behind.
This difference makes Zetwerk a significantly better system than SendCutSend when it comes to long-term use, especially for parts that you regularly use or sell.
In addition, Zetwerk has a much higher capacity for work, so it scales to meet the needs of your operation.
Pros
- Large network of suppliers
- Offers a wide range of capabilities
- Higher capacity for work
- Great quality control processes and certifications
- Easily scales to meet your production needs
Cons
- A larger supplier network means a higher potential for you to experience quality lapses and oversight
- There are still delays due to shipping from Asia
10. Fathom
The final alternative to consider is Fathom, a US-based digital manufacturer that focuses on precision and mid-volume production. They also prioritize customer support, which makes it easier to troubleshoot an issue and talk to an expert.
Their capabilities are similar to other digital manufacturers on this list: CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet metal fabrication, injection mold, urethane casting, and assembly work.
Customers online compare Fathom to the other big companies like Protolabs, Xometry, and Fictiv, and they say the difference-maker is the added quality assurance and precision that Fathom offers.
Compared to SCS, you’re going to pay more for Fathom. For that reason, we suggest only swapping to Fathom if you want to stray away from sheet metal fabrication, or you’re looking to manufacture more complicated parts with tighter tolerances.
Pros
- US-based supplier network
- Good history of high-precision work
- Great feedback and documentation, as requested
- Large list of available services
Cons
- Higher pricing
- Not a good option for simple 2D manufacturing
Jerry S.
Mechanical Engineer
"The holy grail of good speed, quality, and price for custom parts"
Get your first quote from verified suppliers. No cost, no commitment.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of different digital manufacturers that can compete with the services, turnaround times, pricing, and quality of the work you can get from SendCutSend. Our robust list of 10 alternatives and competitors should give you a better understanding of the other options out there.
Another obvious point you might have learned is that every manufacturer is a little different — some focus on low-cost parts, others specialize in a wide range of manufacturing services, and others prioritize turnaround times.
While all of the options are acceptable, Jiga stands apart for its added collaborative tools and hand-picked supplier network. Although Jiga might not offer the fastest turnarounds and automatic quoting, it gives you a level of manufacturing transparency and reliability that you won’t find elsewhere.
In the end, you’ll have to choose the right manufacturer based on your business’s needs. Keep this page handy so you can reference it in the future to ensure you’re always picking the best manufacturer for your needs.
