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Arnold vs Mari

Arnold logo

Arnold

CAD

Advanced Monte Carlo ray tracing renderer

From
$29/month
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: Arnold the Internet Archive's capture of Autodesk's Arnold overview page on 30 December 2022 stated a subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers or devices, though only the named user may run it on one machine at a time, and includes access to the 3 previous major versions.; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
  • They diverge on capability: Arnold covers Ray tracing, Mari covers High-resolution painting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arnold and Mari actually diverge.

Attributes where Arnold and Mari differ
AttributeArnoldMari
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded19981996

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), 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 Arnold

  • Ray tracing
  • GPU rendering
  • Production shading
  • OSL
  • Denoising
  • 3ds Max
  • Cinema 4D
  • Houdini

Only in Mari

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

Both cover

  • Maya
  • Katana
  • Windows support
  • MacOS support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

Arnold

  • Film productionnot Mari
  • Animationnot Mari
  • VFXnot Mari

Mari

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

Where each one falls short

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

Arnold

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Autodesk's Arnold overview page on 30 December 2022 stated a subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers or devices, though only the named user may run it on one machine at a time, and includes access to the 3 previous major versions.

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

Arnold

$29/month
  • Arnold$360/month
    • Standalone renderer

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 Arnold if

  • You need ray tracing.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want gpu rendering.
Arnold 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 Arnold or Mari better?
Neither clearly leads. Arnold starts at $29/month and Mari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arnold or Mari?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Arnold and Free for Mari.
Does Arnold or Mari run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arnold starts at $29/month.
What is Arnold best used for?
Arnold is most often used for film production, animation, vfx. Of those, film production and animation are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
What can Arnold do that Mari cannot?
Arnold covers Ray tracing, GPU rendering, Production shading, OSL. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Maya, Katana, Windows support, MacOS support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arnold: How much does Autodesk Arnold cost?

Autodesk Arnold pricing is not published on the vendor website. Arnold is available through Autodesk subscription plans or standalone licensing. Customers should contact Autodesk directly for pricing quotes.

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
Arnold: Is Arnold free for educational use?

Yes, Autodesk provides free educational licenses for Arnold to students and educators. Educational access allows learning of professional rendering capabilities at no cost.

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
Arnold: What does Arnold render?

Autodesk Arnold is an industry-standard photorealistic rendering engine used for visual effects, animation, and design visualization. It supports GPU and CPU rendering with advanced features for film, television, and product design.

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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