Privacy policy
Meshhound is a search box that points you at other people's sites. We keep what we collect to the minimum that takes, and we don't sell it. Here's the detail.
Last updated: 11 July 2026In one line: no account needed, no personal profile built, no data sold. We process your search terms to return results, keep standard server logs, and if ads are switched on, a third-party ad provider may set cookies. That's the whole story; the rest is specifics.
Who we are
Meshhound is a meta-search engine for 3D-printable models. When we say "we" or "Meshhound" on this page, we mean the service running at this site and its search backend. We don't host any 3D files ourselves; results link out to the original sites.
What we collect
Search queries
When you run a search, the words you type are sent to our search service so it can find matching models and return them to you. We may keep aggregate, non-identifying records of what's searched (for example, "how many people searched this week" or "which terms return no results") to improve the index. We don't tie searches to your identity, and we don't ask you to create an account.
Basic technical data
Like almost every website, our servers keep standard logs: things like the request time, a truncated or anonymised IP, browser type, and which page was requested. This is used to keep the service running, diagnose errors, and prevent abuse, not to build a profile of you.
What we don't collect
- No accounts, so no names, passwords, or profiles.
- No payment information; downloads happen on the source sites, not here.
- We don't knowingly collect anything from children.
Cookies and advertising
Meshhound itself aims to use as few cookies as possible, and none that track you across other websites.
To keep the service free, Meshhound may display advertising. If and when ads are enabled, they're served by Google AdSense, a third party. Google and its partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve and measure ads, and in some cases to personalise them based on your prior visits to this and other sites. That processing is governed by Google's own policies, not ours. You can review and control it at Google's Ads privacy page and Google Ads Settings. Where required, ads will only be personalised with your consent.
If we use a privacy-respecting analytics tool to understand overall traffic, we'll keep it to aggregate metrics and update this page accordingly.
Links to other sites
The whole point of Meshhound is to send you onward to sites like Thingiverse, Printables, and others. Once you click a result and leave, you're on that site, under their privacy policy and terms. We have no control over how those sites handle your data, so it's worth reading their policies too.
How we use what we collect
- To return relevant search results and make the index better over time.
- To keep the service secure, available, and free of abuse.
- To measure overall, aggregate usage, never to build an individual profile to sell.
We do not sell your personal information, and we don't share it except as needed to run the service (for example, the ad or analytics providers described above) or where the law requires it.
Your choices
- You can browse and search without creating an account.
- You can control ad personalisation through Google Ads Settings and your browser's cookie controls.
- Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access or delete personal data we hold about you. Because we don't run accounts, we usually hold very little, but you can still ask.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data (for example, turning on ads or adding analytics), we'll update this page and move the "last updated" date at the top. Material changes will be reflected here before they take effect.
Contact us
Questions about privacy, or a request about your data? Email hello@meshhound.com and we'll get back to you.