Free tool
What Should I Cosplay? Find Your Next Build
Answer five quick questions about your skill, budget, and timeline. We rank real build plans by fit, tell you honestly where each one lands, and hand you a plan you can actually start.
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How to pick your next cosplay
The hardest part of a new build is not the foam or the sewing. It is deciding what to make. Most “what should I cosplay” lists online are generic listicles with no idea what you can actually build or afford. This picker starts from your reality: your skill, your budget, and how much time you have before the con.
We rank, we never hide
You will always get results. If a build stretches your budget or skill a little, we say so right on the card instead of pretending it is a perfect match. A “step above your skill” build with a solid guide is often exactly the one that levels you up, so we keep it in the mix and label it honestly.
Every match is a real plan
These are not just costume names. Each result links to a full build plan with a materials list, cost range, timeline, and milestones. Pick one, start it in your workspace, and track the whole build from first cut to con floor. Prefer to browse instead of answer questions? Skim cosplay ideas grouped by skill, budget, and build type.
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Budget Calculator
Estimate your build cost before you start. Add materials, track spending, and stay on budget from first sketch to con floor.
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Figure out what to charge. Factor in materials, labor hours, complexity, and overhead so you never underprice a commission again.
Prop Scaling Calculator
Scale any weapon, staff, or accessory to your height. Input the character's canon dimensions and your measurements, get cut-ready numbers.
Prop Weight Estimator
Estimate how much your prop will weigh before you build it. Choose material, enter dimensions, and check comfort for all-day convention carry.
Spray Paint Color Matcher
Upload a reference image or paste a hex code, then find close spray paint matches for props, helmets, 3D prints, and model kits.
Miniature Paint Matcher
Upload box art or paste a hex code to find the closest miniature paint from Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter, and 21 more brands. For Warhammer, Gunpla, and scale models.
Fur Color Matcher
Pick a color from your reference sheet and find the closest faux fur matches from Howl Fabrics and other suppliers. Validated against Pantone codes with ΔE 3.6 average accuracy.
Full Fur Palette Database
Browse real faux fur colors from 14 suppliers, build a palette for your fursuit, and start a project with your color picks pre-loaded.
Fursuit Price Calculator
Estimate what a fursuit will cost. Pick your type, complexity, fur quality, and features to get a price range based on real maker data.
Convention Packing Checklist
The packing list cosplayers actually use. Con essentials, repair kit, sewing survival, wig and makeup, and everything you forget until the parking lot.
Convention Budget Calculator
Know what your next con will actually cost. Badge, hotel, travel, food, and shopping breakdown with per-person split for groups.
Commission Tracker
Track commissions from inquiry to payment. See your pipeline, pending payments, and total earnings at a glance. No signup, runs in your browser.
Convention Profit Tracker
Was your show worth it? Estimate break-even before a craft fair, log actual sales after, and compare which shows actually make you money.
Cosplay Material Wizard
EVA foam, Worbla, or 3D printing? Answer 4 questions and get the right material with thickness guides, glue charts, and paint compatibility.
Fabric Yardage Calculator
How much fabric do you need? Pick a build type, enter your measurements, and get yardage estimates with stretch and waste factors for cosplay and sewing.
Circle Skirt Calculator
Enter your waist and skirt length to get cutting radius, yardage, and waistband fabric for full, half, quarter, and 3/4 circle skirts.
Army Cost Calculator
See what your Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, or Kill Team army will actually cost. Add units, adjust paint and supply budgets, and compare retail vs. discount pricing.
Paint Scheme Planner
Plan your miniature paint scheme before you open a pot. Pick Citadel, Vallejo, or Army Painter colors for each role, preview on a silhouette, and save multiple schemes.
Carousel Composer
Drop your slide templates, overlay photos on each one, crop and rotate, then export everything as a zip. Runs in your browser, nothing uploaded.
What are you building next?
Start with a template, customize the milestones and materials, and build without losing track.
Captain America
~6wThe star-spangled Avenger in his Endgame suit: scaled chest armor over a tactical blue base, a white star emblem, red gauntlets and boot details, a foam cowl helmet with ear wings, and the iconic round shield. This is an intermediate build with repetitive detail work on the scales and some prop-making for the shield. Covers 7 components, 12 materials with cost estimates, a 12-step plan across 5 phases, and a realistic 6-week, $150 to $400 budget.
Maomao
~6wMaomao's palace maid look from The Apothecary Diaries is a layered hanfu build: a muted teal-green inner robe with a crossover yi collar visible at the chest, a darker outer robe layered over it, and her signature dark hair pulled into side braids with bun ornaments. The make-or-break details are keeping the inner collar visible through the outer layer and getting the wig buns to hold through a full con day. This is an intermediate sewing build that rewards anyone who can follow a hanfu pattern, with some wig work and light prop making for character accuracy. Includes 7 components, 13 materials with cost estimates, an 11-step build plan, and a realistic 6-week, $110 to $280 budget.
Iron Man
~8wThe iconic red and gold Mark III armor: full EVA foam plate construction with a hinged faceplate helmet, glowing arc reactor, and metallic automotive paint finish. This is an advanced build with 7 major components spanning foam shaping, basic electronics, and multi-layer painting. Covers materials, a 14-step build plan across 5 phases, and a realistic 8-week, $200 to $550 budget.
Denji
~10wChainsaw Man's protagonist in his iconic hybrid form: the human body with a chainsaw head and transformable chainsaw arms. The hand-carved foam helmet with chain-link detailing is the make-or-break piece, demanding precision foam work and 8-12 weeks of dedicated building. A full build includes the school uniform base, prosthetic teeth, spiky hair, and the chainsaw arms or helmet. 6 components, 14 materials, ~10 weeks, $200-500.
Used by makers from r/cosplay, The RPF, Cosplay.com, r/Gunpla, and r/minipainting