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CAD · head to head

Alibre Design vs Mari

Alibre Design logo

Alibre Design

CAD

Affordable professional CAD

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mari logo

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mari has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alibre Design perpetual licences do not include updates; maintenance is a separate yearly plan starting at $50 per year for CAD support and updates; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
  • They diverge on capability: Alibre Design covers Parametric modeling, Mari covers High-resolution painting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibre Design and Mari actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibre Design and Mari differ
AttributeAlibre DesignMari
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded19971996

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 Alibre Design

  • Parametric modeling
  • Assemblies
  • Sheet metal
  • 2D drawings
  • BOM
  • Rendering
  • CAM software
  • PDM

Only in Mari

  • High-resolution painting
  • UDIM support
  • Procedural layers
  • Baking
  • Node graph
  • Color management
  • Maya
  • Nuke

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Alibre Design

  • Parametric 3D solid modelling for mechanical partsnot Mari
  • Producing 2D manufacturing drawings from 3D modelsnot Mari
  • Designing parts for 3D printing and small shop machiningnot Mari

Mari

  • Painting textures directly onto high complexity 3D assets for film and gamesnot Alibre Design
  • Handling very large multi-UDIM texture sets in a look development pipelinenot Alibre Design

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Alibre Design

  • Perpetual licences do not include updates; maintenance is a separate yearly plan starting at $50 per year for CAD support and updates
  • Sheet metal, PDM data management and rendering are Design Expert only at $1,999
  • Scripting is excluded from the $199 Atom3D edition
  • CAM capability is sold as separate EZ-Mill, EZ-Turn and EZ-EDM products costing up to $2,999
  • A dedicated account manager is excluded from Atom3D

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

Alibre Design

On request
  • Atom3D Lifetime License$125/mo
  • Design Pro Lifetime License$630/mo
  • Design Expert Lifetime License$1260/mo
  • Design Pro Monthly$99.9/month

Mari

Free
  • Individual Subscription$86/month
    • Solo artists or small companies
    • $689 per year alternative billing
  • Team Subscription$null/year
    • Node-locked or floating licenses
    • Annual payment
  • Team Rental$949/quarter
    • Short-term access
    • Node-locked or floating licenses

Which should you pick?

Choose Alibre Design if

  • You need parametric modeling.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want assemblies.
Alibre Design review

Choose Mari if

  • You need high-resolution painting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want udim support.
Mari review

Questions people ask

Is Alibre Design or Mari better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibre Design starts at On request and Mari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibre Design or Mari?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Alibre Design and Free for Mari.
Does Alibre Design or Mari run on more platforms?
Alibre Design runs on Windows. Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alibre Design starts at On request.
What is Alibre Design best used for?
Alibre Design is most often used for parametric 3d solid modelling for mechanical parts, producing 2d manufacturing drawings from 3d models, designing parts for 3d printing and small shop machining. Of those, parametric 3d solid modelling for mechanical parts and producing 2d manufacturing drawings from 3d models are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
What can Alibre Design do that Mari cannot?
Alibre Design covers Parametric modeling, Assemblies, Sheet metal, 2D drawings. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alibre Design: Does Alibre Design require a subscription or is it a one-time purchase?

Alibre Design offers one-time lifetime licenses or monthly payment plans. Atom3D lifetime is $125, Design Pro is $630, and Design Expert is $1,260. Monthly payment plans spread costs over 10 months.

Source
Mari: What is Mari's pricing?

Individual Subscription costs $689 per year or $86 per month. Team Subscription costs $1,289 per year. Team Rental costs $949 per quarter for short-term access. Both subscriptions support node-locked or floating licenses.

Source
Alibre Design: What is the difference between Alibre Design Pro and Design Expert?

Design Expert ($1,260) is the complete design suite with advanced features, while Design Pro ($630) is the entry-level professional 3D/2D CAD software.

Source
Mari: Does Mari offer a free trial?

Mari offers a free 30-day trial with unrestricted access to help users evaluate the software before purchasing.

Source
Alibre Design: Do I need to pay separately for software updates and support in Alibre?

Yes. Annual support and update plans cost $50 per year for CAD software and $100-$200 per year for mill and turn add-ons.

Source
Mari: Does Mari offer student pricing?

Yes, Mari offers free or discounted access to all Foundry products for students, as well as free non-commercial licenses for learning and exploration.

Source
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