3D & CAD · head to head
3D-Coat vs Mari
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 3D-Coat split into separate products, so 3DCoatTextura covers texturing only and the full sculpting toolset needs the complete 3DCoat licence; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
- They diverge on capability: 3D-Coat covers Voxel sculpting, Mari covers High-resolution painting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which 3D-Coat and Mari actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), user rating (Not yet rated), category (3D & CAD).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in 3D-Coat
- Voxel sculpting
- Surface sculpting
- Retopology
- UV mapping
- Texture painting
- PBR materials
- Smart materials
- Blender
Only in Mari
- High-resolution painting
- UDIM support
- Procedural layers
- Node graph
- Color management
- Nuke
- Katana
- Floating licenses
Both cover
- Baking
- Maya
- Windows support
- MacOS support
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
3D-Coat
- Voxel sculpting from a digital clay blocknot Mari
- Retopology of high-density sculpts into production meshesnot Mari
- UV mapping and PBR texturingnot Mari
- Preparing print-ready models for 3D printingnot Mari
- Node-based material authoring on the GPUnot Mari
Mari
- Painting textures directly onto high complexity 3D assets for film and gamesnot 3D-Coat
- Handling very large multi-UDIM texture sets in a look development pipelinenot 3D-Coat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
3D-Coat
- Split into separate products, so 3DCoatTextura covers texturing only and the full sculpting toolset needs the complete 3DCoat licence
- Pricing is not published on the product pages
- Licences are sold node-locked or floating, so moving a seat between machines depends on which was bought
Mari
- The full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
- The cheap $299 per year or $35 per month subscription is restricted to a single licence for people working alone or in small companies
- Node-locked and floating are separate licence types you must choose between
- All listed prices are before applicable taxes
- A separate non-commercial licence exists, so commercial use requires a paid tier
Pricing, plan by plan
3D-Coat
$29/month- Amateur$99/month
- Non-commercial use
- Professional$379/month
- Full commercial license
- Floating$568/month
- Network licensing
Mari
$29/month- Mari$1906/month
- Full features
Which should you pick?
Choose 3D-Coat if
- You need voxel sculpting.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want surface sculpting.
Choose Mari if
- You need high-resolution painting.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want udim support.
Questions people ask
- Is 3D-Coat or Mari better?
- Neither clearly leads. 3D-Coat starts at $29/month and Mari at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, 3D-Coat or Mari?
- 3D-Coat starts at $29/month and Mari at $29/month.
- Does 3D-Coat or Mari run on more platforms?
- Both run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is 3D-Coat best used for?
- 3D-Coat is most often used for voxel sculpting from a digital clay block, retopology of high-density sculpts into production meshes, uv mapping and pbr texturing, preparing print-ready models for 3d printing. Of those, voxel sculpting from a digital clay block and retopology of high-density sculpts into production meshes are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
- What can 3D-Coat do that Mari cannot?
- 3D-Coat covers Voxel sculpting, Surface sculpting, Retopology, UV mapping. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Node graph. Both handle Baking, Maya, Windows support, MacOS support.