CAD · head to head
3D-Coat vs Zoo
Zoo
CAD
Cloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Zoo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 3D-Coat specific pricing not disclosed on website; Zoo the geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
- They diverge on capability: 3D-Coat covers Voxel sculpting, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which 3D-Coat and Zoo actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (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
- Baking
Only in Zoo
- KCL scripting
- Design Studio
- Design API
- Zookeeper agent
- Format conversion
- Open source client
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 Zoo
- Retopology of high-density sculpts into production meshesnot Zoo
- UV mapping and PBR texturingnot Zoo
- Preparing print-ready models for 3D printingnot Zoo
- Node-based material authoring on the GPUnot Zoo
Zoo
- A hardware startup that wants part models reviewed in pull requests alongside firmwarenot 3D-Coat
- A software team generating thousands of parametric part variants programmatically rather than by handnot 3D-Coat
- A SaaS product that needs to render and convert customer CAD files without licensing a geometry kernelnot 3D-Coat
- An engineer who models occasional brackets and enclosures and does not want a four figure annual seatnot 3D-Coat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
3D-Coat
- Specific pricing not disclosed on website
- 3DCoatPrint free version limited to 40K triangles on export
- Requires contacting sales or visiting store for pricing details
Zoo
- The geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
- STEP and SLDPRT import are still labelled experimental, which means the most common way of receiving a supplier or customer model is the least reliable path into the tool.
- Drawing production, GD&T and tolerance annotation are far behind SolidWorks, Creo and NX, so most users still need a second package to release a manufacturing drawing.
- Zookeeper is billed in reasoning minutes rather than per seat, so a team cannot forecast next month's bill from headcount the way it can with conventional CAD subscriptions.
- The open source label applies only to the Design Studio client; the kernel that does the modelling is closed and hosted, so forking the repository does not give you a product you can run yourself.
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
Zoo
Free- FreeFree
- Design Studio access
- About 20 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning per month
- Around $10 of API calls included
- Plus$20/month
- Roughly 400 Zookeeper minutes per month
- Pay as you go beyond the allowance
- Design Studio and API access
- Pro$99/month
- Unlimited Zookeeper reasoning
- Higher API allowance
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose 3D-Coat if
- You need voxel sculpting.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want surface sculpting.
Choose Zoo if
- You need kcl scripting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
- You also want design studio.
Questions people ask
- Is 3D-Coat or Zoo better?
- Neither clearly leads. 3D-Coat starts at $29/month and Zoo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, 3D-Coat or Zoo?
- Zoo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for 3D-Coat and Free for Zoo.
- Does 3D-Coat or Zoo run on more platforms?
- 3D-Coat runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Zoo runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
- Can I use Zoo for free?
- Yes. Zoo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 3D-Coat starts at $29/month.
- 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 Zoo is typically brought in for.
- What can 3D-Coat do that Zoo cannot?
- 3D-Coat covers Voxel sculpting, Surface sculpting, Retopology, UV mapping. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
3D-Coat: Is there a free version of 3D Coat?
Yes, 3D Coat offers multiple free options. 3DCoatPrint is a special free version designed for 3D print-ready models, limited to 40K triangles on export. Additionally, a 30-day unlimited trial is available for the full version.
SourceZoo: Is Zoo the same company as KittyCAD?
Yes. KittyCAD renamed itself Zoo; the GitHub organisation is still KittyCAD and the scripting language KCL keeps the old initials.
3D-Coat: What is the 30-day trial period for 3D Coat?
3D Coat provides a 30-day trial with unlimited learning resources. The trial grants full access to all tools needed to create production-ready, fully textured 3D models.
SourceZoo: Can I use Zoo without an internet connection?
No. The geometry engine is a cloud service, so Design Studio needs a live connection to model anything.
3D-Coat: Does 3D Coat offer specialized versions?
Yes, 3D Coat offers 3DCoatTextura as a specialized version focused on texturing and rendering at a more affordable price than the full 3DCoat version.
SourceZoo: Is Design Studio free?
There is a genuine free tier with a small monthly allowance of AI reasoning and API calls. Paid plans start at $20 per month.
Zoo: Can I replace SolidWorks with Zoo?
Not for drawing release, large assemblies or GD&T. Teams typically use Zoo for programmatic part generation and keep an established package for production documentation.
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