In the world of modern digital manufacturing, many engineers will choose between Xometry and Protolabs. 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, which relies on direct supplier communication to get accurate and competitive results.
About Xometry
Xometry is a digital manufacturer that offers on-demand manufacturing for prototypes or production parts. The appeal of Xometry is its large network of fabrication shops that can perform the work for you, and they don’t do much fabrication in-house.
Xometry’s business model is built similarly to Uber’s: They will connect you to the right person to do the job, but (for the most part) they don’t do the work themselves. However, there is no transparency about which supplier is handling your fabrication project, how many times the project will be sub-contracted, or any specs about the individual fabricators. To some, this is an issue.
Simply put, Xometry is a middleman between you and a machine shop.
About Protolabs
Protolabs is also a tech-first on-demand manufacturer that offers a lot of services under one roof. They will use outside suppliers to handle larger, more complicated, or specialty projects, but they also do plenty of manufacturing under their own roof.
Protolabs used to do all of their manufacturing in-house, but they acquired Hubs which came with a global network of vendors and fabricators. Today, they offer a combination of in-house manufacturing, and manufacturing that is outsourced to a company within their network. Comparatively, Xometry outsources the vast majority of its projects and does almost no manufacturing in-house.
Part of their outsourcing focus comes from their acquisition of companies like Hubs, which works identically to Xometry. With this, Protolabs can shop out a lot of their projects to outside vendors if they don’t have the bandwidth or capability to handle your project.
Protolabs either manufactures the part themselves, or they use one of their partners to do the work.
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. Xometry goes one step further by also providing a wider variety of processes such as urethane casting.
Xometry is also better for specialty fabrication, such as projects that require complex parts or very tight tolerances. Xometry can handle a broader range of part sizes, including larger parts that Protolabs may not be able to support.
Materials and Finishes
Xometry and Protolabs are both great choices for a wide variety of materials and finishes. In this category, Xometry does everything Protolabs does, but a little more. With Xometry, you can use specialty materials and access a wider range of finishes.
You can fall back on Xometry if Protolabs doesn’t have the materials you’re looking for.
Pricing
Pricing is typically pretty close between Xometry and Protolabs. Since Xometry allows you to shop with in-network manufacturers, it’s easier to find lower prices.
Xometry’s prices tend to scale better for larger production runs compared to Protolabs.
However, 3D printing and simple CNC machinery projects tend to be less expensive at Protolabs since they handle these projects in-house — doing it under their roof means that they can afford to charge you less since your part is not changing hands between multiple companies.
A nice feature of Xometry and Protolabs is the ability to upload a 3D file and generate an automated quote, which gives you a quick insight into the price and turnaround time of each part.
Lead Times
Xometry and Protolabs both offer great turnaround times, and they’re usually better than what you’d find in your local machine shop — especially for more complicated projects.
However, Protolabs tends to be quicker with projects that they fabricate in-house, since they aren’t relying on another shop to finish and arrange logistics. Sometimes, your quote from Protolabs will estimate a delivery date within a few days for simple CNC or 3D printing projects, which is amazing.
Support
The support from Protolabs is of higher quality and more specific to your needs. Xometry’s business model prioritizes getting a high volume of projects and assigning a Project Manager to juggle multiple projects at once. As a result, there are some issues due to the high workload of these Xometry employees.
Protolabs seem to focus more on their customer support.
Although, customer support from both companies tends to fall flat since they have to act as the liaison between you and the supplier. In our experience, they’ll protect the supplier at your expense, since they want to maintain their network of fabricators. Sometimes you would prefer to just communicate with the shop about your projects, but that won’t be possible.
Scalability
You can easily scale your product with either Xometry and Protolabs, though there is a limit to how big you can go. Either company can outsource the fabrication to one of their partners, but Xometry has a larger pool of machine shops to draw from.
As a result, mass production tends to work better with Xometry, though it isn’t ideal since you can’t talk directly with the person doing the fabrication.
However, it’s usually hard to source large orders with Xometry and Protolabs because of the lack of good communication features and setup.
ITAR Compliance for Regulated Industries
Both Protolabs and Xometry offer ITAR-compliant manufacturing. In industries like aerospace and defense, this is a must-have.
However, Protolabs only complies with ITAR standards for their in-house manufacturing, not their outsourced fabrication. This means that any project they have to outsource will not meet your needs.
As a result, Xometry is the better option for highly regulated industries, since all of their work meets ITAR regulations.
Consider a Third Option for Better Results: Jiga
Although we respect Xometry and Protolabs for what they are, we believe that they don’t deliver the best digital manufacturing experience for many engineers, particularly those who need to communicate and source complex parts. They don’t let you talk directly with suppliers, you can’t shop quotes, and it’s hard to get clear manufacturability feedback from suppliers.
At Jiga, we do things differently. We allow you to speak with suppliers, shop for quotes, and get direct DFM advice from experienced manufacturers.
Jiga relies on a smaller network of suppliers that have been vetted for quality, cost competitiveness, reliability, and communication. Rather than bidding your project to the lowest bidder in a massive network, we match you with the most relevant partners that can exceed your expectations. Our users typically find 2 or 3 manufacturers that fit their needs for each quote.
Instead of routing every question and comment through a Jiga employee, you have free reign to speak directly with the supplier. Jiga is here to provide the connection, keep everything in one place, guarantee the final quality, make sure delivery is done quickly, and help if you run into any issues at all. In many senses, we’re an added layer of protection for users like yourself, making sure no manufacturer wastes your time or money.
Compared to Xometry and Protolabs, Jiga offers:
- Better reliability thanks to the open communication between engineers and manufacturers.
- Better costs due to our low overhead costs.
- Much higher quality across the board, since our supplier network has been carefully crafted.
Thanks to our business model, we are the ideal choice for any engineers shopping for complex parts, looking to scale their production, and anyone who wants direct communication with the company building their parts.
In full transparency, we’re not the right choice for engineers who want next-day parts or immediate quotes. We put a focus on quality, reliability and price – which ultimately results in speed when sourcing many parts.
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.
However, if you want a long-term production partner that prioritizes reliability and quality of each part, and makes your complex workflow more efficient, you should choose Jiga.
Partnering with Jiga for long term production
Picking between Xometry and Protolabs is a tough choice for most engineers. Both platforms are similar with very few differentiators between the two. However, when you add Jiga to the conversation, the distinction is clear. Jiga will help unlock long-lasting partnerships between your engineering team and manufacturing partners that can meet your needs reliably.
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