Platform comparison
FabriMatch vs Fractory
Fractory is a managed manufacturing platform out of the UK covering laser cutting, bending, tube processing and CNC machining across a vetted European network. It quotes fast and it takes the coordination off your desk. The choice against FabriMatch is not European versus American — both are European. It is whether you want the job managed for you, or want to run it yourself with the producer in the room.
Pick Fractory when
- →You want the platform to project-manage the order and be the single throat to choke.
- →Your work is predominantly flat-pattern laser and bending, where their network is deep and fast.
- →You do not have engineering time to spend in a deal room negotiating with a shop.
Pick FabriMatch when
- →You want to negotiate directly with the producer, see their certifications, and keep them for the reorder.
- →You want the 10% intermediation cost stated as a number rather than absorbed into a managed price.
- →You need Chinese capacity for volume runs alongside EU shops for fast turns, on one platform.
- →You want a fee-backed response guarantee rather than a best-effort promise.
Feature-by-feature
Rows where Fractory is the stronger choice are marked. If a comparison page tells you it wins everything, it is an advert, not a comparison.
| Feature | FabriMatch | Fractory |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial model | Marketplace — direct contract with a named producer | Managed service — Fractory coordinates and is your counterparty |
| Fee visibility | 10% shown before you accept, itemised on the invoice | Managed price; intermediation margin not separately stated |
| Coordination effort on you | Higher — you run the negotiation and pick the shop | ★ Lower — that is the product, and they are good at it |
| Flat-pattern laser & bending depth | Growing; strongest on machined and fabricated metal parts | ★ Deep, mature network built around exactly this work |
| Geographic corridor | EU-27 buyers, producers in the EU and China on one platform | UK and European network |
| First-offer guarantee | 2h to a binding producer offer, or our fee is waived | Fast instant quoting; no published fee-backed remedy |
| Payment protection | We hold your payment until you approve the inspection | Standard B2B terms |
| EU tax plumbing | EU VAT, reverse charge, KSeF filing, DAC7 reporting | UK-rooted; EU VAT handled, no KSeF or DAC7 filing |
| Supplier relationship | Named shop, reusable for reorders, visible track record | Allocated inside their network |
What is the same on every FabriMatch order
- A binding offer from a real producer within 2 hours, or our platform fee is waived on the resulting order.
- 10% platform fee, shown on the offer before you accept it — not discovered on the invoice.
- FabriMatch holds your payment and releases it to the factory only after you approve the inspection.
- EUR settlement, EU-VAT-compliant invoicing, KSeF and DAC7 filing.
Frequently asked questions
Fractory quotes instantly. Why is your guarantee two hours?
Because they are different things. An instant quote is a price your platform's algorithm predicts. Our guarantee is a binding offer issued by the shop that will actually cut the part, which is why it takes minutes to hours rather than seconds — and why it does not move when the shop looks at the drawing properly. You also get an instant indicative range from us the moment you upload a CAD file; it is just labelled as an estimate, because that is what it is.
Is a managed service not simply better?
For a one-off bracket under deadline, often yes. For a part you will reorder for three years, a managed layer means you never learn who makes it, cannot audit what the intermediation costs, and cannot take the relationship with you. Both are legitimate procurement strategies. Ours is the one that leaves you with a supplier.
Do you handle laser cutting and bending?
Yes — laser, waterjet and plasma cutting, bending and forming, welding and general fabrication, alongside CNC milling and turning. Fractory's network in flat-pattern work is more mature than ours today, and on a straightforward laser-and-bend job you should quote both.
What does the China corridor actually give me?
Price at volume, on the same platform and the same paperwork. A 20-off prototype run is usually best made in the EU, and a 5,000-off production run usually is not. Getting both quoted side by side, with one EU-compliant invoice format and the same payment protection either way, is the thing a UK/EU-only network cannot offer you.
How do I test you without risking a real programme?
Upload the CAD file with no account and see the honest supplier count for that material. Then send one real RFQ on a non-critical part and watch the guarantee window. If no binding offer arrives inside it, our fee is waived on whatever order results — automatically, with no claim to file.