Have you ever spent hours hunting for high-quality 3D icons, only to find them locked behind expensive licenses or copyright restrictions? If you’re a designer, developer, or content creator, that frustration can really derail your workflow. That’s where thiings.co comes in — a powerful website you should know that offers thousands of AI-generated 3D icons for free.
In this review, we’ll dig into what thiings.co really is, how it works, who it’s for, its pros and cons, how it stacks up against alternatives, and whether it’s truly worth your time. By the end, you’ll know if thiings.co deserves a spot in your design toolkit.
What Is Thiings.co?
Thiings.co (often stylized as Thiings) is an online platform that curates a growing collection of AI-generated 3D icons you can browse and download.
- It was built by Charlie Clark (also behind Liinks.co) and launched publicly around 2025.
- The core problem it aims to solve is giving designers, developers, content creators, and marketers easy access to polished 3D visuals without licensing worries or cost barriers.
- The icons are AI-generated (so you get fresh, scalable designs) and free for both personal and commercial use.
In short: Thiings.co is a cloud-based design resource (not a heavyweight SaaS editing studio) that acts like a design asset marketplace — except all the assets are free and made by AI.
Who Is It For?
Thiings.co is ideal for:
- Graphic designers who need 3D icons quickly for websites, apps, presentations, or social media visuals.
- Web developers and UI/UX designers who want to integrate 3D-style icons into interfaces without custom modeling.
- Content creators, marketers, and social media managers who want to level up the visual appeal of their posts, blog graphics, emails, etc.
- Startups or small businesses on tight budgets: instead of paying for icons, you can get high-quality 3D visuals for free.
- Educators or students who need design assets for slides, projects, or portfolios without worrying about licensing fees.
If your work involves visual content and you often hunt for icons or design assets, thiings.co can save you time and money.
Key Features & How It Works
Here’s how thiings.co typically works, and what features stand out:
Workflow: From Browser to Download
- Visit the site at thiings.co
- Browse by theme or category — the icons are grouped by subjects like technology, nature, shapes, abstract, etc.
- Preview icons in 3D style — you can see how they look before download.
- Download in PNG (transparent background) or other supported formats. Many assets are fully transparent.
- Optionally, request custom icons or browse top/popular icons.
- Some users mention you can download entire sets or bundles.
Core Features
- Massive library: Over 7,000+ icons are already available.
- AI generation: New icons are generated using AI models, meaning the library keeps growing.
- Free for commercial use: No licensing fees — you can use the icons in your client work, products, or online.
- Transparent backgrounds: Icons often come with transparent PNG options, making them easier to layer.
- Browse or request: The ability to request specific icons that aren’t yet there is a nice touch.
- Bulk download: For power users, downloading sets or full libraries is supported.
What’s Unique
What stands out is the combination: 3D-style icons + AI generation + full free usage. Most icon libraries either give you flat vectors, require paid licenses, or don’t offer real 3D visuals. Thiings delivers a niche that many designers have been asking for — and does it without charging.
Real User Experience (Hands-On Test)
While I didn’t create custom icons myself here, let me share what users (and early testers) report, and what interactions feel like.
Ease of Use & UI
Users say the interface is clean and minimal. You land on the icon gallery without unnecessary ads or popups. Browsing categories is smooth, previews load quickly, and downloads are one click.
For many, the surprise is how polished the icons look for a free resource. The 3D style, shading, lighting — they feel like they come from a premium collection.
The learning curve is nearly zero — no account needed to download most icons; it works right away.
Speed & Performance
Downloads are fast, previews load quickly, and browsing doesn’t lag. For a web-based repository, it performs admirably.
What’s Impressive — and What Feels Missing
What’s impressive: the sheer volume and consistent quality of the icons. Also, the fact that you can request icons not yet uploaded gives the sense it’s a living project.
What’s missing: because it’s mostly a library rather than a full design tool, there’s no vector editing, no layering, no animation support (yet). Some users might want SVG exports or modifications, but that’s not central currently. Also, for highly specific or niche icons, you might not find exactly what you need immediately.
AI Capabilities & Performance
Because the icons are AI-generated, one key question is: how good are they?
- Consistency and style: The AI seems trained to maintain a cohesive visual style — icon lighting, perspective, material feel — across categories. That consistency helps them feel like part of one set rather than disparate pieces.
- Creativity: Some icons feel more imaginative than standard clip art. The AI sometimes yields surprising forms or combinations, which can spark ideas or variations you hadn’t thought of.
- Limitations: The AI won’t always hit a highly niche concept perfectly (e.g., an obscure technical symbol with exact features). Also, icons containing text or very fine detail might not be crisp — due to typical generative limitations.
In short: for most use cases, the AI output is excellent. For edge cases or hyper-specialized icons, you might need to tweak or combine assets manually.
Pricing and Plans
One of the most attractive aspects of thiings.co is its free pricing model. As of now:
- Free access: The core icon collection is freely available for both commercial and personal use.
- No subscription: There’s no paywall or required license fee (at least presently).
- Optional sponsorship / support: Users can “support the project” via donations or sponsorship to help it grow.
- Custom requests: If you need bespoke icons or custom work, there may occasionally be paid or sponsored options, but the core offering remains free.
Because the main offering is free, there’s little friction or barrier to try it right away.
Pros and Cons
Here is a balanced take:
✅ Pros
- Massive library of 3D-style icons, many with transparent backgrounds
- Completely free for commercial and personal use
- AI-powered generation means constant growth
- Smooth UI, fast browsing and downloading
- Option to request missing icons
- Great value, especially for small budgets or side projects
❌ Cons
- No vector editing or deep customization built in
- Limited to icon formats (e.g. PNG), not full SVG or animated icons (yet)
- Niches or hyper-specific symbols may be missing
- Because it’s new, long-term sustainability depends on community / support
- There’s some risk with purely AI-generated assets — occasional quirks or artifacts
How It Compares to Alternatives
Let’s compare thiings.co with a few alternative icon or 3D design resources:
| Tool | Strengths | Weaknesses vs Thiings |
| IconScout / Icons8 / Noun Project | Large libraries, vector/SVG support, premium packs | Many icons are paid or licensed; fewer 3D-style options |
| Open3DIcon / 3D icon plugins | Pure 3D format support, sometimes with animation | Smaller selection, sometimes less polished in variety |
| Generative AI art tools (e.g. Midjourney for icons) | You can prompt your own icons | Requires prompt engineering, manual clean-up, licensing ambiguity |
What makes thiings.co stand out is that it blends the ease of an icon library with AI generation and zero cost. Many alternatives force you to pay or do manual work. If your priority is high-quality 3D icons with minimal friction, thiings.co is uniquely compelling.
Real-World Use Cases
Here are practical ways various creators might use thiings.co:
- Website UI / Landing Pages
Use 3D icons to illustrate features (e.g. “cloud sync,” “security,” “analytics”) — halves the need to hire an icon designer. - Blog Graphics & Social Media
Elevate blog headers, Instagram carousels, YouTube thumbnails, or LinkedIn posts with stylish 3D visuals. - Pitch Decks / Slide Presentations
Add clean, modern 3D icons to slides to make your “features” or “benefits” sections pop. - Mobile / Web App Prototypes
Use icons in Figma or Sketch mockups to simulate a more polished look. - Marketing Materials & Ads
Icons can help visually communicate abstract concepts (e.g. “automation,” “analytics,” “growth”) in ad creatives. - Client Work / Freelancing
Because the assets are free for commercial use, you can deliver higher visual polish to clients without extra cost.
These use cases also help in capturing long-tail SEO terms like “3D icon library for designers,” “free AI 3D icons download,” etc.
User Reviews & Community Feedback
From what’s publicly available:
- On Product Hunt, thiings is described as “a free collection of 7000+ AI-generated 3D icons.”
- Several design / tech blogs mention that thiings.co offers skeuomorphic icons and is a “go-to design resource.”
- On tool directories like FutureTools, reviewers recommend thiings.co for designers and devs needing quick, license-free 3D icons.
Users consistently highlight three strengths:
- The no-cost model (free for commercial use)
- The surprising quality of the AI-generated icons
- The simplicity and immediacy (no account needed, easy download)
Some feedback calls for SVG support or more flexibility (e.g. color variants, animation). But overall the reception is positive and optimistic.
Verdict: Is Thiings.co Worth It?
Yes — especially if you create visual content and need 3D icons. Thiings.co offers a rare combination: high-quality design assets, zero cost, and a clean, usable interface. For most designers, marketers, startups, or creators, it’s absolutely worth adding to your toolbox.
If I were to use it regularly, I’d supplement it (for very niche icons or vector editing) with another tool. But for 80–90% of standard icon needs, thiings.co will cover you.
Bonus Tips & Alternatives
- Use consistency: Stick to icons from the same style or theme on thiings to maintain visual cohesion in your designs.
- Layer and edit: Even though thiings gives PNGs, you can layer them in Photoshop / Figma to recolor or add effects.
- Request missing icons: If you don’t see a concept you need, try submitting a request — the creators do accept such input.
- Combine with vector libraries: Use thiings for the 3D “pop,” but fallback to IconScout or Noun Project when you need vector versions or mono variants.
- Watch the project’s updates: Because it’s new, the community input can help guide future features like SVG support, animation, or custom editing.
Alternative tools worth checking:
- IconScout / Icons8 — large, premium libraries
- Noun Project — ubiquitous icon resource (less 3D focus)
- Open3DIcon / 3D icon plugins — more pure 3D support
- Midjourney / Stable Diffusion + icon prompting — if you prefer to generate icons on demand (though more manual work)
Conclusion
Thiings.co is a quietly powerful website that deserves your attention. It not only removes the barrier of licensing for 3D icons but also gives you a growing AI-driven library that’s ready to use today. In this review, we’ve covered what it is, how it works, strengths and limitations, user experience, how it compares to alternatives, real-world uses, and whether it’s worth your time — and I believe the answer is a resounding yes.
If you’re designing anything — a website, presentation, app, or marketing asset — go to thiings.co now, browse the collection, download some icons, and see how they elevate your visuals. Bookmark it. Try it. You might find yourself using it often.
FAQ
Q1: Are icons from thiings.co free for commercial use?
Yes — all icons are free to use in personal or commercial projects per current terms.
Q2: Can I get SVG or vector format icons from thiings.co?
Not at the moment — the primary format is PNG with transparent backgrounds. Some users hope for SVG support in the future.
Q3: Can I request an icon not currently in the library?
Yes, there is a system to request custom icons that aren’t already present.
Q4: Will thiings.co remain free forever?
That’s uncertain — it’s free today, and donations or community support may help maintain that model, but always good to check the site for updates.Q5: How does thiings.co compare with paid icon libraries?
While paid libraries may have more depth, vector formats, or more niche artwork, thiings.co’s value is its cost- (free) and its 3D style uniqueness.