Software · head to head
V-Ray vs Redshift
Redshift
Software
World's first fully GPU-accelerated biased renderer
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product; Redshift redshift is sold only as part of the Maxon One subscription bundle (via the Maxon App, 14-day free trial), with no standalone perpetual license offered on the vendor page
- They diverge on capability: V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Redshift covers Out-of-core rendering.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which V-Ray and Redshift 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
- CPU rendering
- Materials
- Lighting
- VR output
- Scene intelligence
- SketchUp
Only in Redshift
- Out-of-core rendering
- Proxy system
- AOVs
- Motion blur
- Production shading
- Houdini
- Maxon account
- Floating licenses
Both cover
- GPU rendering
- 3ds Max
- Maya
- Cinema 4D
- Blender
- 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 Redshift
- Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot Redshift
Redshift
- Production renderingnot V-Ray
- Motion graphicsnot 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
Redshift
- Redshift is sold only as part of the Maxon One subscription bundle (via the Maxon App, 14-day free trial), with no standalone perpetual license offered on the vendor page
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
Redshift
$29/month- Redshift$45/month
- Full GPU rendering
- Maxon One$149.91/month
- Redshift + C4D + ZBrush
Which should you pick?
Choose V-Ray if
- You need ray tracing.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want global illumination.
Choose Redshift if
- You need out-of-core rendering.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want proxy system.
Questions people ask
- Is V-Ray or Redshift better?
- Neither clearly leads. V-Ray starts at $29/month and Redshift at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, V-Ray or Redshift?
- V-Ray starts at $29/month and Redshift at $29/month.
- Does V-Ray or Redshift 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 Redshift is typically brought in for.
- What can V-Ray do that Redshift cannot?
- V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, CPU rendering, Materials. Redshift covers Out-of-core rendering, Proxy system, AOVs, Motion blur. Both handle GPU rendering, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D.
Related pages
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