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CAD · head to head

Mari vs LightWave 3D

Mari logo

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LightWave 3D logo

LightWave 3D

CAD

Complete 3D production suite

From
$999/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mari has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mari the full annual licence is $1,289 paid annually, and a short term quarterly rental is $949 per quarter; LightWave 3D user interface appears dated compared to modern competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, LightWave 3D covers Modeler.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and LightWave 3D actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and LightWave 3D differ
AttributeMariLightWave 3D
Starting priceFree$999/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
Founded19961990

Identical on both: platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), 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 Mari

  • High-resolution painting
  • UDIM support
  • Procedural layers
  • Baking
  • Node graph
  • Color management
  • Maya
  • Nuke

Only in LightWave 3D

  • Modeler
  • Layout
  • Animation
  • Rendering
  • VPR
  • FiberFX
  • Dynamics
  • Unity

Both cover

  • Windows support
  • MacOS support

What people use each for

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

Mari

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

LightWave 3D

  • Animationnot Mari
  • VFXnot Mari
  • Product visualizationnot Mari

Where each one falls short

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

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

LightWave 3D

  • User interface appears dated compared to modern competitors
  • Smaller community than Blender or Maya, resulting in fewer learning resources
  • Less industry adoption in some sectors, potentially affecting job market relevance

Pricing, plan by plan

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

LightWave 3D

$999/one-time

No published plan breakdown. See the LightWave 3D review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose LightWave 3D if

  • You need modeler.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want layout.
LightWave 3D review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or LightWave 3D better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at Free and LightWave 3D at $999/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or LightWave 3D?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mari and $999/one-time for LightWave 3D.
Does Mari or LightWave 3D run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. LightWave 3D runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LightWave 3D starts at $999/one-time.
What is Mari best used for?
Mari is most often used for painting textures directly onto high complexity 3d assets for film and games, handling very large multi-udim texture sets in a look development pipeline. Of those, painting textures directly onto high complexity 3d assets for film and games and handling very large multi-udim texture sets in a look development pipeline are not what LightWave 3D is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that LightWave 3D cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. LightWave 3D covers Modeler, Layout, Animation, Rendering. Both handle Windows support, MacOS support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
LightWave 3D: What is the cost of LightWave 3D?

LightWave 3D 2026 license costs $1,096 USD. Upgrades from previous versions cost $620-$758 USD. There are no subscription fees, only one-time purchase costs.

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
LightWave 3D: Is there a free trial available?

Yes. LightWave 3D offers a 30-day free full-feature trial, allowing users to evaluate all capabilities before purchase.

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
LightWave 3D: What rendering engines does it include?

LightWave 2026 includes RiPR2, a next-generation viewport renderer with physically-based global illumination built on Nvidia OptiX and CUDA, plus traditional rendering options.

Source
LightWave 3D: What new features are in LightWave 2026?

LightWave 2026 adds Advanced Placement for physics-based object scattering, MotoRig for vehicle animation, THOR for lightning effects, Fracture tool, Snow Falling 3D, 3D Camera Tracker, and built-in asset browser.

Source
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