Openness: Mostly closed (2.3 of 5)
Walled gardenOpen

MakerBot is an American 3D printer brand founded in New York in 2009 out of the open-source RepRap scene. Stratasys bought it in 2013 and merged it with Ultimaker in 2022; MakerBot is now UltiMaker's education brand, selling Sketch classroom printers with lesson plans, teacher tools and management in UltiMaker's Digital Factory cloud. The Replicator printers in our catalogue are discontinued.

Founded: 2009-01 · Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York, US · Ownership: Brand of UltiMaker, formed in August 2022 when Stratasys merged MakerBot with Ultimaker (NPM Capital 53.5%, Stratasys 46.5% at closing) · Website: www.makerbot.com

Proprietary firmware, MakerBot-only extruders and materials, and classroom management in UltiMaker's cloud. In return schools get one managed system with curriculum and support.

Firmware and custom firmware
●●●●●		 MakerBot stopped sharing its hardware designs with the Replicator 2 in 2012, and its fifth-generation printers moved to proprietary controllers, extruders and firmware. We found no firmware source for the current Sketch line. [15][14]
Local control and integrations
●●●●●		 The Sketch Sprint prints over Wi-Fi or Ethernet from UltiMaker Cura or Digital Factory, or from a USB stick. Classroom management, remote monitoring and browser slicing (Cura Cloud) run in UltiMaker's Digital Factory cloud, which replaced MakerBot CloudPrint in 2025. We found no documented local interface that other software could use. [16][2][3]
Third-party filament, slicers and parts
●●●●●		 MakerBot lists only its own PLA and Tough PLA, and only its own Sketch extruder, for the Sketch Sprint. Slicing is in UltiMaker Cura (open source) or Cura Cloud. [2]
Repairs and spare parts
●●●●●		 UltiMaker's shop sells Sketch extruders, a Sketch Sprint nozzle assembly, build plates and cables, and still sells Smart Extruder+ units for the Replicator+; spare parts are mostly whole assemblies. [6]
Data and privacy
●●●●●		 Some MakerBot services need an account, and MakerBot's privacy policy lists what it collects (including device identifiers such as MAC addresses and usage data) and its use of Google Analytics and retargeting. Students can submit files through Link Share without an account. [5][2]
Community and documentation
●●●●●		 MakerBot offers hundreds of free lesson plans, educator certification, Thingiverse Education and a support site; there is no public source code or bug tracker. [1]
Pros
  • Built for schools: curriculum, lesson plans, teacher tools and certification are part of the package.
  • Enclosed Sketch printers with HEPA filtration, aimed at classrooms.
  • Students can submit files without creating accounts (Link Share).
  • Spare extruders and parts are still sold, even for the Replicator+.
Cons
  • Closed firmware and MakerBot-only extruders; only MakerBot PLA and Tough PLA are listed for the Sketch Sprint.
  • Fleet management depends on UltiMaker's Digital Factory cloud.
  • CloudPrint's 2025 shutdown left the Replicator 5th Gen, Mini, Mini+ and Z18 without cloud support.
  • Many ownership changes and layoffs over the years (Stratasys 2013, layoffs 2015 and 2017, Ultimaker merger 2022).
Track record
  • December 2025: UltiMaker shut down MakerBot CloudPrint in early December 2025, after announcing 1 October 2025. Printers had to be reconnected to Digital Factory by hand, and the Replicator Z18, 5th Gen, Mini and Mini+ are not supported there; MakerBot points their owners to MakerBot Print. [3][4]
  • August 31, 2022: Stratasys closed the merger of MakerBot with Ultimaker into a company named Ultimaker (now UltiMaker), owned 53.5% by NPM Capital and 46.5% by Stratasys. [7]
  • February 2017: MakerBot announced a restructuring with another round of layoffs, Fortune reported. [9]
  • July 2016: A court dismissed the investor class action over the fifth-generation printers and Smart Extruder, finding the statements at issue were not actionable. [10]
  • April 2016: MakerBot moved printer manufacturing from Brooklyn to the contract manufacturer Jabil and parted ways with an undisclosed number of Brooklyn staff, The Verge reported. [13]
  • July 2015: A class action was filed against MakerBot and Stratasys alleging investors were misled about problems with the fifth-generation printers' Smart Extruder. [11]
  • April 2015: MakerBot laid off about 20% of its staff, roughly 100 people, under a new CEO, Motherboard reported. [12]
  • June 2013: Stratasys bought MakerBot in a stock deal worth $403 million at the time. [8]
  • September 2012: With the Replicator 2, MakerBot stopped publishing its machine designs, a break with open-source hardware that co-founder Zach Smith criticised publicly. [14][15]
Researched from 16 sources, last checked October 18, 2026. Show sources
  1. MakerBot: The Only 3D Printing Ecosystem Dedicated to Education makerbot.com
  2. MakerBot Sketch Sprint makerbot.com
  3. CloudPrint Has Been Retired - Here's How to Move Forward with Digital Factory - MakerBot makerbot.com
  4. MakerBot CloudPrint makerbot.com
  5. Privacy Policy - MakerBot makerbot.com
  6. Sketch series - UltiMaker store store.ultimaker.com
  7. Stratasys Completes Merger of MakerBot with Ultimaker investors.stratasys.com
  8. Stratasys Acquiring MakerBot - TechCrunch techcrunch.com
  9. MakerBot layoffs - Fortune fortune.com
  10. Class action lawsuit against MakerBot dismissed - 3D Printing Industry 3dprintingindustry.com
  11. MakerBot Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Faulty Extruders - Make: makezine.com
  12. MakerBot Just Laid Off 20 Percent of Its Staff - Vice vice.com
  13. MakerBot is outsourcing its manufacturing - The Verge theverge.com
  14. MakerBot and Open Source - a Founder Perspective - Hoektronics hoektronics.com
  15. MakerBot - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  16. ultimaker.com