10 Xometry alternatives in 2026, and which ones your AI can call

If you search for a Xometry alternative you expect a list of ten lookalikes. You will not get one here, because the field does not look like that anymore. Several marketplaces that would have been on this list five years ago are gone: Plethora closed and auctioned its machines in early 2022, Fast Radius went through Chapter 11 in late 2022, Shapeways filed Chapter 7 in July 2024 before a relaunch from Eindhoven. The survivors are a mix of in-house factories, partner networks, Chinese fabs with enormous volume, a price-comparison site, and a handful of very new shops whose first customer is meant to be an AI agent. The history is in What happened to the on-demand manufacturing marketplaces.

Here is the second thing you would not expect. As of October 14, 2026, none of the incumbents, Xometry included, advertises an official MCP server or a "your agent orders the part" flow. What exists is ordinary REST APIs, community wrappers, and a few small 2026 shops that are MCP-native from day one. So the question this list answers is not only "who else makes parts" but "which of them can your assistant actually call". Every fact below carries its source, and prices are quoted only where published.

1. Protolabs

What: the in-house digital manufacturer. Injection molding, CNC, 3D printing and sheet metal in its own plants, founded in 1999 as Protomold in Maple Plain, Minnesota, public on the NYSE, $501 million revenue in 2024 (Wikipedia). CEO Suresh Krishna called 2026 "a pivotal year of transformation" (Digital Engineering).

Pricing: per-order instant quotes, with enterprise accounts.

AI, API, MCP: ProDesk, launched February 2026, adds AI-driven DFM analysis and real-time AI quoting across molding, CNC and 3D printing; no API or MCP is mentioned (3D ADEPT).

Best for: fast, repeatable parts within a defined envelope, and molded parts from a company that owns the presses.

Caveat: the in-house model limits materials and sizes. One user reports a large steel part being refused that Xometry then made (Chief Delphi), and a comparison notes prices scaling worse for larger runs (Jiga).

2. Protolabs Network (formerly 3D Hubs, then Hubs)

What: the marketplace half of Protolabs, with 250+ manufacturing partners for 3D printing, CNC, injection molding and sheet metal, still served at hubs.com. Founded in Amsterdam in 2013 as 3D Hubs, bought by Protolabs in January 2021 for $280 million plus up to $50 million in earnout, renamed Hubs in 2021 and Protolabs Network in January 2024 (Wikipedia, Protolabs).

Pricing: per-order instant quotes through the network.

AI, API, MCP: none found.

Best for: parts outside Protolabs' in-house envelope, with the same account.

Caveat: Trustpilot 4.1 out of 5 across 891 reviews. Negative themes: price increases and lead-time extensions after ordering (one reviewer cites a 45 percent increase and a lead time going from 22 to 30 working days), shipping damage, inconsistent tolerances, unanswered tickets, and a confusing split between the Protolabs and Network sites (Trustpilot).

3. Fictiv (now MISUMI)

What: a manufacturing-as-a-service portal for CNC, sheet metal, injection molding, die casting, 3D printing and urethane casting, with plants in the US, India, Mexico and China and 35 million+ parts produced. Founded 2013 in the Bay Area by Dave and Nate Evans (Fictiv). MISUMI Group announced the acquisition on April 17, 2025, for $350 million in cash; completion was reported in June 2025, and Fictiv keeps its brand (MISUMI, TCT).

Pricing: per-order instant quotes; "no minimum order quantities" is the vendor's claim (G2).

AI, API, MCP: Materials.AI, "powered by ChatGPT and the Fictiv database", plus automated DFM. No API or MCP is mentioned (Fictiv).

Best for: teams that want a managed supply chain across several processes and countries, now backed by a large catalog company.

Caveat: thin review base and mixed reports. G2 shows one review at 3.0 (G2); Trustpilot includes a missed order, re-entry delays and parts stuck in shipping (Trustpilot); aggregated complaints mention slow responses and messaging-only support (TrustBurn).

4. JLCPCB, JLC3DP and JLCCNC

What: the Shenzhen group behind the cheapest prototype boards, with sister brands for 3D printing (JLC3DP), machining (JLCCNC), mechanical parts (JLCMC), components (LCSC) and design (EasyEDA). As of December 2025: 9.5 million+ customers, 21 million+ orders a year, 10,000+ employees (JLCPCB).

Pricing: per-order, low-cost prototypes, hobbyist to enterprise.

AI, API, MCP: JLCAPI is an official REST API for PCB, stencil, 3D printing and components, free to apply for and aimed at enterprises and distributors, with no AI or MCP mention (api.jlcpcb.com). An @jlcpcb/mcp package on npm searches parts and installs KiCad libraries but does not order; its affiliation with JLCPCB is unverified (npm). A community server, Eyalm321/jlcpcb-mcp, has 28 tools including real create_order calls, disabled by default and requiring your own API credentials (Glama).

Best for: boards and simple prints at the lowest price, if you are happy to source and assemble the rest yourself.

Caveat: each brand is its own site and order, and quality reports are mixed: a 2023 thread describes thin solder mask and lifting traces (DipTrace forum), a 2025 vendor comparison says quality stayed consistent (lcamtuf). Full comparison: JLCPCB vs Next Everything.

5. PCBWay

What: Shenzhen PCB fabrication and assembly, stencils, and a growing mechanical side with CNC, 3D printing, sheet metal and injection molding, "more than a decade" in business (PCBWay).

Pricing: per-order quotes.

AI, API, MCP: a partner-only PCB API for quote, order and status; the assembly API is "under construction"; you apply by email and approval depends on "your company and business situation". No AI or MCP (PCBWay).

Best for: a second PCB source with a mechanical catalog alongside.

Caveat: pricier than JLCPCB for small boards. One 2-layer comparison came out 2.8 times more expensive, partly because of a 24-hour option (AtariAge forum), with slightly higher shipping reported elsewhere (MySensors forum).

6. Craftcloud by All3DP

What: a price-comparison marketplace for 3D printing and CNC run by All3DP GmbH in Munich, comparison service since 2015. About 200 vetted manufacturers and 250+ materials and finishes as of March 2026, 8 million+ parts shipped as of October 2025 (All3DP, Formnext 2025, Craftcloud).

Pricing: instant quotes from competing manufacturers; you pick the price, lead time and material combination.

AI, API, MCP: none found.

Best for: finding the cheapest route for a print or a simple machined part across many suppliers.

Caveat: Trustpilot 4.6 out of 5 across 3,244 reviews, a strong score; the negative reviews cite unclear manufacturing origin, customs and import charges exceeding the print cost, missing parts, deformations and long lead times (Trustpilot).

7. Treatstock

What: a marketplace in Newark, Delaware, for 3D printing, CNC, cutting, injection molding, casting, sheet metal and electronics manufacturing, with instant quotes and an "API Partner" program (Treatstock).

Pricing: per-order instant quotes.

AI, API, MCP: partner API program; no AI or MCP.

Best for: small jobs from independent shops, including electronics, on one site.

Caveat: we found no 2025 or 2026 press coverage, so treat current scale and activity as unknown.

8. MISUMI meviy

What: MISUMI's configurable standard parts catalog plus meviy, which turns an uploaded 3D CAD model into an AI instant quote for sheet metal and CNC parts; 160,000+ users. MISUMI is public on the Tokyo exchange (9962) and owns Fictiv since June 2025 (Digital Engineering).

Pricing: catalog and instant quote per part.

AI, API, MCP: AI quoting inside meviy; no API or MCP found.

Best for: standard mechanical parts and custom brackets or plates from one catalog account.

Caveat: no programmatic access found, so an agent cannot quote through it today.

9. The MCP-native fab shops

These are small, new, and built for agents first. Dates are when each was first observed in a public MCP directory, not founding dates, and none has a review history yet.

• Make Parts Now (Las Vegas, US only): MCP and REST with 18 tools including create_agent_account, upload_part, create_quote, create_checkout_link, pay_with_crypto in USDC and get_order; SLS, FDM, and CNC in aluminum and brass. First observed October 6, 2026 (makepartsnow.com, Glama).
• Agentic Fabrication Network: ranked multi-vendor quotes for FDM, CNC, sheet metal, laser cutting and decals; create_checkout returns a payment link and places the vendor order automatically after payment. Scored September 9, 2026 (Glama).
• AIURION Agentic 3D Printing (San Francisco): 7 tools covering guest sessions, quotes, Stripe checkout and order status. First observed August 14, 2026 (Glama).
• 3D Printer on Demand (US): 9 quoting and DFM tools, with ordering completed on the website. First observed October 11, 2026 (Glama).

Best for: experimenting with agent-driven ordering of a single printed or machined part.

Caveat: each covers one process family or a few, none covers electronics, and all are weeks or months old.

If what you actually want is a specific local shop rather than a marketplace, EveryJobShop (everyjobshop.com), from the same company as Next Everything, is an index of US job shops for CNC, sheet metal and welding with a request-for-quote form.

10. Next Everything

What: a free service that prices every part of a hardware project in one quote: electronic components, circuit boards, 3D prints and CNC metal parts, with delivery included. You ask your AI assistant to order the parts for a build; the service finds every part, shows you the price and orders exactly the ones you tick. NextEverything Inc. is a US company and the service delivers to the US, Europe and the UK (nexteverything.io).

Pricing: free to use, no credit card to sign up. You pay only for the parts in an order you approve, at the price shown before you pay. Prices are landed, covering parts, fabrication, shipping and import duties, and quotes are valid for 24 hours.

AI, API, MCP: an official remote MCP server at https://mcp.nexteverything.io/mcp with six tools: nx_scan_project, nx_search_parts, nx_quote, nx_quote_fabrication, nx_checkout and nx_track_order. Works from Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code and others; the setup is one snippet with your personal key (docs). The assistant cannot pay: checkout is a link you open and confirm. Without an assistant, upload a BOM, Gerbers, STEP, STL or DXF on the site. MCP in five minutes explains the protocol; Xometry vs Next Everything is the head-to-head.

Best for: a project that mixes electronics and mechanical parts, ordered from the editor or chat you already work in, with one payment to approve.

Caveat: there is no certified-production offer on the product page; it is built for prototypes and small batches, not for runs that need a quality document trail.

The table

	Processes	Pricing model	AI, API or MCP	Agent can order?	Best for
Xometry	CNC, 3DP, sheet metal, molding	Marketplace, instant quote	AI quoting; Siemens Xcelerator; no official MCP found	No	Production runs, certified parts
Protolabs	Molding, CNC, 3DP, sheet metal (in-house)	Instant quote	ProDesk AI DFM and quoting; no API/MCP	No	Fast repeatable parts, molding
Protolabs Network	3DP, CNC, molding, sheet metal (250+ partners)	Instant quote	None found	No	Parts outside the in-house envelope
Fictiv	CNC, sheet metal, molding, casting, 3DP	Instant quote	Materials.AI; no API/MCP	No	Managed multi-process supply
JLCPCB group	PCB, PCBA, 3DP, CNC, parts	Low-cost per order	JLCAPI; search-only npm MCP; community MCP with opt-in orders	Community only	Cheapest boards
PCBWay	PCB, PCBA, CNC, 3DP, sheet metal, molding	Per order	Partner-only API	No	Second PCB source
Craftcloud	3DP, CNC (comparison)	Compare suppliers	None found	No	Cheapest print route
Treatstock	3DP, CNC, molding, casting, sheet, electronics	Instant quote	Partner API	No	Small jobs, independent shops
MISUMI meviy	Sheet metal, CNC, standard parts	Catalog and instant quote	AI quoting; no API/MCP	No	Standard mechanical parts
MCP-native shops	3DP, some CNC and sheet metal	Per order, some crypto	Official MCP	Yes, single parts	Agent experiments
Next Everything	Electronics, PCB, PCBA, 3DP, CNC, laser, sheet metal	Free; pay for approved orders	Official MCP, six tools	Prepares; you approve	Mixed electronics and mechanical builds

Which one should you call?

For production volume and a certified supplier network, Xometry and Protolabs remain the default, and neither needs replacing. For the cheapest boards, JLCPCB. For a one-off print at the lowest price, Craftcloud. For a specific local shop, EveryJobShop.

For the question in the title, the list is short. As of October 14, 2026, the only services an assistant can call directly are the four small MCP-native shops, each covering a slice of mechanical parts, and Next Everything, which covers electronics, boards, prints and machined parts in one quote, prepares the order and leaves the payment to you.

Connect your assistant, get every part of your project priced in one quote, and approve the order yourself. Sign up free, then follow the docs.