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Software · head to head

Mudbox vs Blender

Mudbox logo

Mudbox

Software

Digital painting and sculpting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Blender logo

Blender

Software

Free and Open Source 3D Creation Suite

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Blender has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mudbox a Mudbox subscription license may be installed on up to 3 computers (Internet Archive capture, 12 November 2023); Blender rendering performance lags behind dedicated render engines
  • They diverge on capability: Mudbox covers Digital sculpting, Blender covers 3D modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mudbox and Blender actually diverge.

Attributes where Mudbox and Blender differ
AttributeMudboxBlender
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
Founded19822002

Identical on both: 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 Mudbox

  • Digital sculpting
  • Texture painting
  • Retopology
  • PTEX support
  • Layer system
  • Stencils
  • Stamps
  • GPU tessellation

Only in Blender

  • 3D modeling
  • Sculpting
  • Animation
  • Rigging
  • Rendering
  • Compositing
  • Video editing
  • 2D animation

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Mudbox

  • Character sculptingnot Blender
  • Texture creationnot Blender
  • Asset detailingnot Blender

Blender

  • 3D modeling and animationnot Mudbox
  • Visual effectsnot Mudbox
  • Game developmentnot Mudbox
  • Architectural visualizationnot Mudbox
  • Video editingnot Mudbox

Where each one falls short

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

Mudbox

  • A Mudbox subscription license may be installed on up to 3 computers (Internet Archive capture, 12 November 2023)
  • Sold as monthly, annual or 3-year subscription terms with no perpetual license option offered on the pricing page (Internet Archive capture, 12 November 2023)

Blender

  • Rendering performance lags behind dedicated render engines
  • Limited real-time viewport performance for very large scenes

Pricing, plan by plan

Mudbox

$29/month
  • Mudbox$85/month
    • Full sculpting
    • Texture painting
  • M&E Collection$2390/month
    • Mudbox + Maya + 3ds Max + more

Blender

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Blender review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Mudbox if

  • You need digital sculpting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want texture painting.
Mudbox review

Choose Blender if

  • You need 3d modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want sculpting.
Blender review

Questions people ask

Is Mudbox or Blender better?
Neither clearly leads. Mudbox starts at $29/month and Blender at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mudbox or Blender?
Blender has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Mudbox and Free for Blender.
Does Mudbox or Blender run on more platforms?
Mudbox runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Blender runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Blender for free?
Yes. Blender has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mudbox starts at $29/month.
What is Mudbox best used for?
Mudbox is most often used for character sculpting, texture creation, asset detailing. Of those, character sculpting and texture creation are not what Blender is typically brought in for.
What can Mudbox do that Blender cannot?
Mudbox covers Digital sculpting, Texture painting, Retopology, PTEX support. Blender covers 3D modeling, Sculpting, Animation, Rigging. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blender: Can I use Blender commercially for free?

Yes. Blender is distributed under the GNU GPL license, meaning it is completely free to use for any purpose, including commercially or for education, with no licensing fees or restrictions.

Source
Blender: What operating systems does Blender support?

Blender is cross-platform and runs equally well on Linux, Windows, and Macintosh computers.

Source
Blender: Can I extend Blender's functionality?

Yes. Blender has a flexible Python-controlled interface and you can use hundreds of add-ons by the community or create your own using Blender's accessible Python API.

Source
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