Is ArchiCAD or Mari better?

Neither clearly leads. ArchiCAD starts at $177/month and Mari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, ArchiCAD or Mari?

Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $177/month for ArchiCAD and Free for Mari.

Does ArchiCAD or Mari run on more platforms?

ArchiCAD runs on Windows, macOS. 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. ArchiCAD starts at $177/month.

What is ArchiCAD best used for?

ArchiCAD is most often used for architectural design with bim capabilities, real-time team collaboration via bimcloud, automated documentation generation from design changes, mixed windows and macos team environments. Of those, architectural design with bim capabilities and real-time team collaboration via bimcloud are not what Mari is typically brought in for.

What can ArchiCAD do that Mari cannot?

ArchiCAD covers BIM modeling, Design tools, Documentation, Rendering. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Windows support, MacOS support.

Construction · head to head

ArchiCAD vs Mari

ArchiCAD

Construction

BIM software for architects

From: $177/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Mari has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: ArchiCAD available on Windows and macOS only, no native Linux support; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
They diverge on capability: ArchiCAD covers BIM modeling, Mari covers High-resolution painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ArchiCAD and Mari actually diverge.

Attributes where ArchiCAD and Mari differ
Attribute	ArchiCAD	Mari
Starting price	$177/month	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows, MacOS, Linux
Category	Construction	CAD
Founded	1982	1996

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 ArchiCAD

BIM modeling
Design tools
Documentation
Rendering
Energy analysis
IFC support
Teamwork collaboration
Library parts

Only in Mari

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

Both cover

Windows support
MacOS support

What people use each for

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

ArchiCAD

Architectural design with BIM capabilitiesnot Mari
Real-time team collaboration via BIMcloudnot Mari
Automated documentation generation from design changesnot Mari
Mixed Windows and macOS team environmentsnot Mari

Mari

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

Where each one falls short

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

ArchiCAD

Available on Windows and macOS only, no native Linux support
Subscription-only licensing model with no perpetual licence option
Studio tier does not include MEP Designer - requires Collaborate tier at $208/month

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

ArchiCAD

$177/month

Archicad Studio$177/month
- Archicad Windows & macOS
- BIMx Pro
- BIMcloud Basic
Archicad Collaborate$208/month
- Archicad Windows & macOS
- MEP Designer
- BIMx Pro

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 ArchiCAD if

You need bim modeling.
You work on Windows, macOS.
You also want design tools.

ArchiCAD 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 ArchiCAD or Mari better?: Neither clearly leads. ArchiCAD starts at $177/month and Mari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArchiCAD or Mari?: Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $177/month for ArchiCAD and Free for Mari.
Does ArchiCAD or Mari run on more platforms?: ArchiCAD runs on Windows, macOS. 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. ArchiCAD starts at $177/month.
What is ArchiCAD best used for?: ArchiCAD is most often used for architectural design with bim capabilities, real-time team collaboration via bimcloud, automated documentation generation from design changes, mixed windows and macos team environments. Of those, architectural design with bim capabilities and real-time team collaboration via bimcloud are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
What can ArchiCAD do that Mari cannot?: ArchiCAD covers BIM modeling, Design tools, Documentation, Rendering. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Windows support, MacOS support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ArchiCAD: What is the cost of Archicad's subscription plans?

Archicad Studio starts at $177/month or $2,123 upfront annually. Archicad Collaborate, the most popular tier, is $208/month or $2,497 upfront annually. Both include local and cloud teamworking capabilities.

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

ArchiCAD: What is the difference between Archicad Studio and Archicad Collaborate?

Studio includes architectural modeling and BIMcloud Basic for local teamwork. Collaborate adds MEP Designer for MEP modeling and BIMcloud SaaS for cloud-based global teamwork, and costs $31 more per month.

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

ArchiCAD: Is Archicad free for students?

Yes, Archicad offers free educational licenses for students, educators, and academic institutions. Archicad Studio is available free for 30 days as a trial.

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

ArchiCAD vs Mari

ArchiCAD

Mari

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in ArchiCAD

Only in Mari

Both cover

What people use each for

ArchiCAD

Mari

Where each one falls short

ArchiCAD

Mari

Pricing, plan by plan

ArchiCAD

Mari

Which should you pick?

Choose ArchiCAD if

Choose Mari if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on ArchiCAD

More on Mari

Keep looking

Other head to heads