Software · head to head
V-Ray vs Modo
The short version
- Each has a real cost: V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product; Modo foundry announced on November 7, 2024 that it is winding down development of Modo after the Modo 17.1 release, with no further feature or maintenance releases anticipated
- They diverge on capability: V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Modo covers Polygon modeling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which V-Ray and Modo actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), 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 V-Ray
- Ray tracing
- Global illumination
- GPU rendering
- CPU rendering
- Materials
- Lighting
- VR output
- Scene intelligence
Only in Modo
- Polygon modeling
- Subdivision surfaces
- Sculpting
- UV tools
- Procedural modeling
- Rendering
- Animation
- MeshFusion
Both cover
- License management
- Windows support
- MacOS support
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
V-Ray
- Photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisationnot Modo
- Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot Modo
Modo
- Polygon and subdivision surface modelling for media and entertainment assetsnot V-Ray
- Look development and rendering of product and character modelsnot V-Ray
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
V-Ray
- Licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product
- Subscription terms renew automatically
- Cloud rendering runs on separately purchased credits, with the Pro tier at $25.30 a month for 1,000
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
Modo
- Foundry announced on November 7, 2024 that it is winding down development of Modo after the Modo 17.1 release, with no further feature or maintenance releases anticipated
- Support continues only until each customer's current contract term expires
- Foundry does not guarantee that Modo will keep working on future operating system updates because no patches will be issued, and recommends customers migrate to alternative 3D workflows
- Perpetual licences keep working but receive no further updates, bug fixes or support
- The Modo forums closed in December 2024 and downloads, docs and the support knowledgebase were committed only until November 2025
Pricing, plan by plan
V-Ray
$29/month- V-Ray Solo$60/month
- 1 workstation
- 5 render nodes
- V-Ray Premium$80/month
- Multiple apps
- Cloud credits
Modo
$29/month- Indie$599/month
- Full Modo
- Revenue limit $100K
- Modo$1898/month
- Full commercial license
Which should you pick?
Choose V-Ray if
- You need ray tracing.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want global illumination.
Choose Modo if
- You need polygon modeling.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want subdivision surfaces.
Questions people ask
- Is V-Ray or Modo better?
- Neither clearly leads. V-Ray starts at $29/month and Modo at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, V-Ray or Modo?
- V-Ray starts at $29/month and Modo at $29/month.
- Does V-Ray or Modo run on more platforms?
- Both run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is V-Ray best used for?
- V-Ray is most often used for photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation, real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications. Of those, photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation and real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications are not what Modo is typically brought in for.
- What can V-Ray do that Modo cannot?
- V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, GPU rendering, CPU rendering. Modo covers Polygon modeling, Subdivision surfaces, Sculpting, UV tools. Both handle License management, Windows support, MacOS support, Linux support.
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