Price Comparison
Prices checked on Mar 1, 2026
Key finding: This isn't a traditional price comparison — because Protolabs didn't give us a price. Xometry quoted $118.10 instantly for our CNC bracket. Protolabs showed “$—” and required an RFQ. The real difference here is accessibility, not just cost.
| Dimension | Xometry | Protolabs | Hubs (by Protolabs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote for benchmark part | $118.10 | RFQ required (no instant quote) | €141.66 (~$151.58) |
| Instant quote available? | Yes | No (for this part) | Yes |
| Shipping included? | Yes (US standard) | Unknown (no quote) | Yes (DDP terms) |
| Customs included? | Yes (prototype orders) | Unknown (no quote) | Yes (DDP terms) |
| Manufacturing origin | Global network | US (own factories) | Global network |
| Lead time | Standard - 3 business days | Unknown | Standard - 14 business days |
| Public API | Yes | No | No |
| Blocker reason | None — instant quote | Configured to Aluminum 6061-T651/T6, qty 1, and default as-machined options, but review page still shows '$—' with 'This part needs to be configured' and only RFQ path. | None — instant quote |
The most important finding here isn't a price difference — it's an accessibility difference. If you're an engineer looking for a quick price check to compare options, Xometry gave you an answer in seconds. Protolabs redirected you to an RFQ process for the same part.
This doesn't mean Protolabs is worse — they may offer competitive pricing through their RFQ process, and they operate their own factories (which some buyers prefer for quality control). But for quick comparisons and automated workflows, the accessibility gap matters.
Interestingly, Hubs (which Protolabs acquired) did provide an instant quote at ~$152 USD. So within the Protolabs family, there is an instant-quoting option — it just runs through the Hubs brand with a global supplier network model rather than Protolabs' own factories.
Yes — Protolabs acquired Hubs in 2021. They are the same parent company but operate as separate brands with different models:
Many comparison sites conflate the two. If you want Protolabs network access with instant quoting, Hubs is the right entry point. If you need guaranteed US-factory manufacturing, Protolabs direct is the right path — but expect an RFQ process for non-standard parts.
Since Protolabs didn't quote, here's how other platforms priced the same part:
| Platform | Est. Delivered | Origin | Lead Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xometry | $118.10 | Global network (US and international) | Standard - 3 business days |
| Hubs (Protolabs) | ~$151.58 | Global network (cross-docks in Amsterdam and Chicago) | Standard - 14 business days |
| SendCutSend | $150.54 | US | Default lane (arrives Mar 5) |
| RapidDirect | ~$112.00 | China (Shenzhen) | Standard - 5 business days |
| eMachineShop | $166.81 | US | Standard - 20 days |
We can't directly compare prices because Protolabs didn't provide an instant quote for our benchmark part (it redirected to an RFQ path). Xometry quoted $118.10 all-in for our CNC bracket. Protolabs may be competitive, but you'll need to go through their RFQ process to find out.
For our benchmark bracket, Protolabs showed '$—' with 'This part needs to be configured' and only offered an RFQ path. This means either the geometry or spec combination requires manual review. Protolabs does offer instant quotes for many parts, but not all.
Xometry provided an instant quote within seconds of uploading our STEP file. Protolabs required an RFQ process for the same part. For quick price checks, Xometry was significantly faster in our test.
Xometry is more agent-friendly: instant quotes without login, public API available. Protolabs requires account creation and often routes to RFQ for non-standard parts, making automated quoting difficult.
Quality comparisons are outside the scope of our price testing. Both platforms publish strong certification signals (ISO 9001, AS9100D, ITAR). Protolabs operates its own factories while Xometry uses a distributed supplier network — this is a business model difference, not necessarily a quality difference.
Hubs (owned by Protolabs) did provide an instant quote for our benchmark part at €141.66 (~$152 USD), including shipping and customs via DDP terms. If you need an instant comparison, Hubs may be more accessible than Protolabs direct.
Sometimes — but not always. In our 2026-03-01 test, our Al 6061 bracket showed '$—' with 'This part needs to be configured' and only offered an RFQ path. Simple, standard geometries may quote instantly. Complex or unusual parts route to human review. If instant quoting matters to you, test your specific geometry on Protolabs before committing to their workflow.
Hubs was acquired by Protolabs in 2021. Protolabs direct uses its own US-based factories. Hubs operates as a marketplace with 250+ global manufacturing partners — closer to Xometry's model. In our test, Hubs provided an instant quote ($152 USD all-in via DDP) while Protolabs did not, despite being the same parent company. If you want Protolabs-family quality assurance with instant quoting, Hubs is worth trying.
We couldn't get a direct price comparison because Protolabs required RFQ for our benchmark bracket. Third-party analysis (Q4 2024, paywalled) found Protolabs cheaper on 2 of 3 CNC parts tested in low volumes. Protolabs' in-house manufacturing model means no marketplace markup, which can make them competitive for simple, standard parts — but you won't know without going through their RFQ process.
Our 5-platform test (same Al 6061 bracket, same date) showed a 2.5x spread in raw quotes: $65.55 (RapidDirect) to $166.81 (eMachineShop). Estimated delivered costs range from ~$100 to ~$167 — a 1.7x spread. Third-party testing has found $800+ difference across 9 services on identical jobs (All3DP Pro), though their methodology is not disclosed. Price spreads narrow when you compare delivered costs rather than sticker prices — especially for China-based platforms where shipping and customs add 50–90%.
Most comparison pages rely on opinion or undisclosed testing. EzraMade.com claims 'Q4 2024 testing' but publishes no actual dollar amounts. The Industrial Analyst Substack conducted a methodologically serious Q4 2024 pricing analysis — but it's paywalled. The data on this page (Xometry: $118.10 instant quote; Protolabs: RFQ-only for this geometry) is, to our knowledge, the only freely available, documented comparison of what actually happens when you upload the same STEP file to both platforms.