Xometry and Protolabs make parts in different ways. Xometry says in its 2025 10-K filing that its marketplace parts “are primarily manufactured by our network of suppliers.” Protolabs makes much of its work in its own factories and sends the rest to a partner network.
These are two large, global manufacturing companies that offer roughly the same experience. In this guide, you’ll learn the specific differences between both options to understand which is better for you. In addition, we’ll discuss which cases fit Jiga’s transparent model better than both of these options: with Jiga, you know which shop makes your part and talk to it directly.
About Xometry
Xometry is a US-based manufacturing marketplace that routes your order to shops in its supplier network rather than making most parts itself. According to Xometry’s full-year 2025 results filed with the SEC, it had 4,996 active suppliers (shops that made at least one part through Xometry in the prior 12 months) and $630 million in marketplace revenue. The appeal of Xometry is its large network of fabrication shops that can perform the work for you.
Xometry’s 2025 10-K calls it an “AI-native online marketplace that connects buyers with suppliers of manufacturing services.” The same filing says Xometry “has discretion in determining how to fulfill each order, including selecting the supplier.” If the shop matters for your program, ask which shop will make your part before you order.
Simply put, Xometry sits between you and the machine shop.
About Protolabs
Protolabs is a hybrid manufacturer: it runs its own factories and also routes work to a partner network, now called Protolabs Network. Protolabs’ 2025 annual report lists 9 in-house manufacturing facilities (7 in the US, one in the UK and one in Germany) and $533.1 million in 2025 revenue. Per Protolabs’ 10-K, the network lets it increase the “size, complexity, breadth of manufacturing processes, lead times and prices of the parts we produce.”
Protolabs’ 10-K says the company was founded in 1999 to cut the time needed to make injection molding prototypes, using software that automated the process. Over the next two decades it added CNC machining, 3D printing and sheet metal fabrication, then acquired Hubs and launched Protolabs Network.
Protolabs bought 3D Hubs in January 2021 for $280 million at closing, according to its SEC filing. Today, they offer a combination of in-house manufacturing, and manufacturing routed to a shop in their network.
Protolabs uses Protolabs Network to serve “customer needs outside of our internal manufacturing capabilities,” per its 10-K. Xometry, by comparison, routes most orders to network shops, an approach its 10-K calls an “asset light model.”
Protolabs either manufactures the part themselves, or they use one of their partners to do the work. For other options, see our guide to Protolabs alternatives and competitors.
Xometry vs Protolabs: Comparison of the 7 biggest differences
Both companies offer a simple way to get your parts manufactured, but there are plenty of differences between each company. Consider the following core features to better make your decision:
Manufacturing capabilities
Both companies offer standard manufacturing options like CNC machining, 3D printing, and sheet metal fabrication. Protolabs’ 10-K names four primary service lines: injection molding, CNC machining, 3D printing and sheet metal. Xometry’s 10-K lists a longer set of supplier-made processes, including die casting, stamping, urethane casting and tube bending.
For larger or more complex parts, both companies rely on outside shops: Xometry on its supplier network, and Protolabs on Protolabs Network. In our view, tolerance capability then depends on the specific shop that gets your order.
Materials and finishes
In our view, Xometry’s larger supplier base makes it a reasonable fallback if Protolabs doesn’t list the specialty material or finish you need.
Pricing
In our view, pricing is usually close between Xometry and Protolabs, so quote the same part on both.
For simple 3D printing and CNC jobs, Protolabs leans on its factories. Its 10-K describes a “quick-turn factory business model” that invests in capacity “well in advance of demand.” We think that can make simple in-house jobs cheaper, since the part doesn’t change hands between companies.
Lead times
Protolabs’ 10-K calls its factories “one of the world’s fastest and most effective solutions for prototype and low volume production use cases.” In our view, work made in-house doesn’t wait on another shop to finish the part and arrange logistics.
Support
Support depends on who makes the part. Protolabs’ 10-K says its factories make “prototype and low volume production parts,” with Protolabs Network covering the rest. Xometry’s 10-K says it provides “operational support to our buyers and suppliers.”
In Jiga’s view, the catch is the same on both: your questions go through the company rather than straight to the shop making your part.
Scalability
You can scale your product with either Xometry or Protolabs. Protolabs’ 10-K lists “Expand Production” as a strategic pillar and says customers can order parts at “quantities 1 to 1 million-plus.” In our experience, on either one you can’t talk directly with the person doing the fabrication (see direct supplier communication compared).
ITAR compliance for regulated industries
Both companies say on their own websites that they are ITAR-registered at the company level. Xometry’s certifications page says each supplier holds its own certifications, and that Xometry routes certification-specific orders to shops that hold them. Protolabs Network’s own FAQ says the Network is “not ITAR certified” and says ITAR parts can be produced by going directly to Protolabs.
Under the State Department’s ITAR rules (22 CFR 122.1), every US manufacturer of defense articles must register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, even if it never exports, so the question for your program is which specific shop is cutting your part and whether it is registered. With Jiga, you know the answer, because you work directly with ITAR-registered aerospace and defense suppliers.
| Use case | Xometry | Protolabs | Jiga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototyping vs. production | Per its 10-K, marketplace parts are "primarily manufactured by our network of suppliers," and it lists supplier quality as a risk factor alongside supplier qualification and monitoring | Per its 10-K, factories focus on "prototype and low volume production parts"; the same filing lists an "Expand Production" strategic pillar | Built for repeat, production-grade work with a smaller qualified network and a named account manager per program |
| Sheet metal fabrication | Broad process coverage (sheet metal forming and sheet cutting are on its 10-K process list); parts are primarily made by suppliers Xometry selects | In-house and network-made sheet metal; its 10-K names "Sheet Metal" a primary manufacturing service line; in our view, feedback still routes through Protolabs, not the fabricator | Direct supplier communication on sheet metal specs, tolerances, and DFM feedback before the order is placed |
| Aerospace / defense (ITAR) | ITAR-registered company; per Xometry, routes certification-restricted work to network shops that hold the corresponding certifications | Proto Labs, Inc. says it is ITAR-registered; Protolabs Network's FAQ says the Network is not ITAR certified and says ITAR parts can be produced by going directly to Protolabs | Suppliers are ITAR-registered and audited individually, with full traceability on regulated programs |
Consider a third option for better results: Jiga
Use case
Which option is better for engineers and designers?
For quick turn and simple parts, Protolabs is the better option. For more uncommon machinery or materials needs, you should consider Xometry. If you need parts on time and on spec across a production program, with one point of accountability and direct access to the shop, Jiga works as your custom manufacturing arm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for CNC machining projects, Xometry or Protolabs?
Protolabs suits simple, quick-turn CNC jobs it can run in-house, and its 10-K describes a “quick-turn factory business model.” Xometry’s 10-K says its parts “are primarily manufactured by our network of suppliers.” In our view, that larger supplier base gives Xometry more material flexibility, while tolerance capability on either depends on the shop that gets your order.
How does Xometry's network model differ from Protolabs' in-house approach?
Per its 10-K, Xometry’s parts “are primarily manufactured by our network of suppliers,” and Xometry selects the supplier for each order. With 4,996 active suppliers as of December 31, 2025, per Xometry’s SEC filing, ask which one will make your part. Protolabs controls the work in its own factories and, per its 10-K, uses Protolabs Network for needs “outside of our internal manufacturing capabilities.”
What are the pros and cons of Protolabs vs Xometry for sheet metal fabrication?
Protolabs’ 10-K names “Sheet Metal” one of its four primary manufacturing service lines. Xometry’s 10-K lists sheet metal forming and sheet cutting among processes performed by its supplier network. The same filing names supplier quality as a risk factor and describes supplier qualification and monitoring.
Which is better for aerospace and defense parts, Xometry or Protolabs?
Both companies state that they are ITAR-registered at the company level, and Xometry says it routes certification-specific orders to network suppliers that hold their own certifications. Protolabs Network’s FAQ says the Network is “not ITAR certified” and says ITAR parts can be produced by going directly to Protolabs. On a regulated program, confirm which shop makes your part and that it is registered. Jiga’s qualified network gives you ITAR-registered suppliers, audited individually, that you know by name, with full traceability on every regulated order.
