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Software · head to head

Inventor vs Mari

Inventor logo

Inventor

Software

Professional-grade 3D mechanical design

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mari logo

Mari

Software

3D painting for film and games

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Inventor autodesk publishes no licence price through UK G-Cloud: every listing found there is reseller delivered training at 750 to 1,500 pounds per day rather than software licensing, and neither AWS Marketplace nor GSA carries the product; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
  • They diverge on capability: Inventor covers Parametric modeling, Mari covers High-resolution painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Inventor and Mari actually diverge.

Attributes where Inventor and Mari differ
AttributeInventorMari
PlatformsWindowsWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded19821996

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Inventor

  • Parametric modeling
  • Assembly design
  • Sheet metal
  • Simulation
  • Rendering
  • Technical documentation
  • Frame generator
  • AutoCAD

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.

Inventor

  • Mechanical designnot Mari
  • Product developmentnot Mari
  • Manufacturing documentationnot Mari

Mari

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

Where each one falls short

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

Inventor

  • Autodesk publishes no licence price through UK G-Cloud: every listing found there is reseller delivered training at 750 to 1,500 pounds per day rather than software licensing, and neither AWS Marketplace nor GSA carries the product

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

Inventor

$29/month
  • Inventor$2085/month
    • Full mechanical design
    • Simulation
    • Documentation
  • Product Design & Manufacturing Collection$2475/month
    • Inventor + AutoCAD + more

Mari

$29/month
  • Mari$1906/month
    • Full features

Which should you pick?

Choose Inventor if

  • You need parametric modeling.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want assembly design.
Inventor review

Choose Mari if

  • You need high-resolution painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want udim support.
Mari review

Questions people ask

Is Inventor or Mari better?
Neither clearly leads. Inventor 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, Inventor or Mari?
Inventor starts at $29/month and Mari at $29/month.
Does Inventor or Mari run on more platforms?
Inventor runs on Windows. Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
What is Inventor best used for?
Inventor is most often used for mechanical design, product development, manufacturing documentation. Of those, mechanical design and product development are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
What can Inventor do that Mari cannot?
Inventor covers Parametric modeling, Assembly design, Sheet metal, Simulation. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Windows support.
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