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CAD · head to head

CATIA vs Mari

CATIA logo

CATIA

CAD

World's leading solution for product design

From
On request
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: CATIA no public pricing available on vendor website; Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter
  • They diverge on capability: CATIA covers Surface modeling, Mari covers High-resolution painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CATIA and Mari actually diverge.

Attributes where CATIA and Mari differ
AttributeCATIAMari
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux (some)Windows, MacOS, Linux
Founded19811996

Identical on both: 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 CATIA

  • Surface modeling
  • Class A surfacing
  • Systems engineering
  • Simulation
  • Composites design
  • Electrical design
  • Knowledge-based engineering
  • ENOVIA PLM

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.

CATIA

  • 3D product designnot Mari
  • Simulation and analysisnot Mari
  • System design and developmentnot Mari
  • Manufacturing engineeringnot Mari
  • Advanced modelingnot Mari

Mari

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

Where each one falls short

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

CATIA

  • No public pricing available on vendor website
  • Requires direct contact with sales for quotes
  • Enterprise-grade CAD software likely requires substantial investment

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

CATIA

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the CATIA review.

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 CATIA if

  • You need surface modeling.
  • You work on Windows, Linux (some).
  • You also want class a surfacing.
CATIA 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 CATIA or Mari better?
Neither clearly leads. CATIA starts at On request and Mari at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CATIA or Mari?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CATIA and Free for Mari.
Does CATIA or Mari run on more platforms?
CATIA runs on Windows, Linux (some). Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CATIA starts at On request.
What is CATIA best used for?
CATIA is most often used for 3d product design, simulation and analysis, system design and development, manufacturing engineering. Of those, 3d product design and simulation and analysis are not what Mari is typically brought in for.
What can CATIA do that Mari cannot?
CATIA covers Surface modeling, Class A surfacing, Systems engineering, Simulation. Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CATIA: How much does CATIA cost?

Pricing is not publicly displayed on CATIA's product page. Customers must contact Dassault Systèmes directly or visit user communities to obtain pricing information for CATIA licenses and subscriptions.

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
CATIA: Is there a free version of CATIA?

No free version or trial is mentioned on CATIA's product page. CATIA is described as a comprehensive commercial solution for product innovation, and no freemium option is referenced.

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
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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