What 3DInsider does

3D Insider is a privately held online media publication founded in 2013 in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a family team. The publication covers emerging consumer and prosumer technologies across roughly ten editorial categories, with the strongest depth in 3D printing (printers, filaments, resin, beginner's guides) and adjacent coverage of drones, virtual reality, headphones, cameras, computers, home tech, internet, and manufacturing. The content mix consists of news, product reviews, buying guides, and how-to tutorials targeted at technology enthusiasts, hobbyists, and professionals researching purchases in these categories.

The underlying platform is a standard digital publishing site (3dinsider.com) with no proprietary software products, APIs, or technical platforms. It distributes all content freely without paywalls and is built around SEO-optimized long-form articles, an email newsletter signup, and a social media presence exceeding 25,000 followers. The site has accumulated over 256 pages of indexed content and has been featured on BBC and Discovery, reaching readers from more than 100 countries.

The business model is advertising-supported and bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding, ownership change, or institutional investors. Revenue is generated through three streams: display advertising (banner inventory across 300x250, 300x600, 320x100, and 728x90 formats generating hundreds of thousands of monthly impressions), affiliate commissions via the Amazon Affiliate Program and other networks on referred purchases, and sponsored posts that include social media promotion. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated on inquiry. The company is privately held by its founding family and does not sell products or services directly to end users.

Name

3DInsider

Legal name

3D Insider

Website

https://3dinsider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

3D Insider is a privately held online media publication founded in 2013 that produces reviews, tutorials, and buying guides on emerging technologies (3D printing, drones, VR, headphones, cameras, home tech) for hobbyists and enthusiasts, monetized through display ads, affiliate commissions, and sponsored content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Media

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD)

Keywords

• 3D printing news
• Technology reviews
• Consumer electronics guides
• Drone and VR content
• Affiliate tech publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Display Advertising: 3D Insider displays banner ads on the site and is paid by view or per click. Standard ad inventory includes 300x250, 300x600, 320x100, and 728x90 banner ad formats. They generate hundreds of thousands of impressions per month.
2. Affiliate Commissions: 3D Insider is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program and numerous other affiliate programs. They earn commissions on sales that result from clicks on their affiliate links. Using or clicking on external links on the site could result in payment to the site.
3. Sponsored Content: 3D Insider offers sponsored posts that can be promoted on their social media accounts. This is a paid content arrangement where advertisers can have their products or services featured on the platform.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

3DInsider is an online news and reviews publication that produces editorial content — news articles, product reviews, how-to tutorials, and buying guides — covering 3D printing, drones, VR, cameras, computers, home tech, headphones, internet services, and manufacturing. The publication is free to readers and monetized through display advertising, affiliate commissions (including Amazon), and sponsored content.

Product overview

3DInsider is an online news publication covering emerging technologies including 3D printing, drones, headphones, cameras, computers, home technology, VR, and manufacturing. The company produces news articles, tutorials, and product reviews. 3DInsider operates as an ad-supported media site and participates in affiliate marketing programs (Amazon Affiliate Program and others). The site does not offer software products or technical platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Editorial content (news, reviews, tutorials, buying guides) Free-to-read editorial coverage — including news, product reviews, tutorials, and buying guides — targeted at individual tech enthusiasts and hobbyists researching 3D printing, drones, VR, cameras, computers, and related emerging technologies.
• Display advertising placements Paid display advertising inventory sold to brands and advertisers who want to reach 3DInsider's global audience of tech enthusiasts and hobbyists across 100+ countries.
• Sponsored content Paid sponsored articles and editorial-style placements sold to brands that want their messaging integrated into 3DInsider's editorial environment for niche tech audiences.
• Affiliate commerce referrals Affiliate links placed inside reviews and buying guides that route readers to retailer checkout (notably Amazon) and earn commissions on resulting purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached visitors from more than 100 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Amazon Affiliate ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing Partner3D Insider is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. They earn commission on sales that result from clicks on affiliate links from their site to Amazon. This is a standard affiliate marketing partnership where the site promotes products and earns a percentage of resulting sales.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CNET: CNET is a large-scale consumer technology review and news site that covers 3D printers, drones, VR, and headphones, competing for the same broad tech-enthusiast audience.
• Digital Trends: Digital Trends is a consumer technology media outlet producing reviews and buying guides across drones, VR, headphones, and 3D printing, with overlapping audiences and ad-supported monetization.
• Wired: Wired is a major technology and emerging-tech publication covering drones, VR, and 3D printing with broader cultural framing, competing for premium sponsored content dollars in adjacent verticals.
• Tom's Hardware: Tom's Hardware is a major established tech review publication with deep 3D printer coverage, competing for the same review/buying-guide search traffic at greater scale and brand authority.
• AnandTech: AnandTech is a long-running technology review publication covering computing hardware and adjacent categories, with an established affiliate-driven review model and deep editorial authority.
• Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide is a mainstream consumer technology review site covering drones, headphones, and home tech with an ad- and affiliate-supported model similar to 3D Insider's.

Direct peers

• All3DP: All3DP is a leading online publication dedicated to 3D printing news, reviews, and tutorials, serving the same hobbyist and prosumer audience as 3D Insider with a comparable content-and-affiliate monetization model.
• 3D Printing Industry: 3D Printing Industry is a specialized digital publication covering 3D printing news, product launches, and industry analysis, directly competing for the same niche audience and search traffic.
• Make: Magazine: Make: covers makers, DIY, and 3D printing through articles, tutorials, and buying guides, overlapping heavily with 3D Insider's hobbyist content focus and affiliate-driven reviews.

Emerging players

• Hackster.io: Hackster.io is a community-driven platform for makers and hardware developers with tutorials on 3D printing, drones, and embedded electronics, overlapping 3D Insider's tutorial-and-project audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/3DInsiders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3DInsider