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CAD · head to head

Mari vs Maya

Mari logo

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Maya logo

Maya

Entertainment

3D animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Maya complex interface that requires significant training and experience
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, Maya covers 3D modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and Maya actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and Maya differ
AttributeMariMaya
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
CategoryCADEntertainment
Founded19961982

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Maya

  • 3D modeling
  • Character animation
  • Visual effects
  • Simulation
  • Rendering
  • Arnold renderer
  • Mental Ray
  • V-Ray

Both cover

  • Windows support
  • Linux 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 Maya
  • Handling very large multi-UDIM texture sets in a look development pipelinenot Maya

Maya

  • Film productionnot Mari
  • Game developmentnot Mari
  • TV animationnot Mari
  • VFX creationnot Mari
  • Architectural 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

Maya

  • Complex interface that requires significant training and experience
  • Software crashes and stability issues reported by users
  • Heavy system requirements and resource-intensive processing

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

Maya

Free
  • Monthly Subscription$245/month
    • Full features
  • Annual Subscription$1945/year
    • Full features
  • Indie License$305/year
    • Full features for revenue under $100k
  • Student LicenseFree
    • Free for 3 years (watermarked)

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 Maya if

  • You need 3d modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want character animation.
Maya review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or Maya better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at Free and Maya at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or Maya?
Mari starts at Free and Maya at Free.
Does Mari or Maya run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Maya runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Mari for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Maya is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that Maya cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Maya covers 3D modeling, Character animation, Visual effects, Simulation. Both handle Windows support, Linux 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
Maya: What is the cost of an annual Maya subscription?

A standard annual Maya subscription costs $1,945 per year, with a monthly option at $245 per month. Indie users with revenue under $100k USD qualify for $305 per year. Educational licenses are free for 3 years but watermark output.

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
Maya: Does Maya include rendering capabilities?

Yes. Maya includes Arnold, a high-quality rendering engine built into the software for producing photorealistic renders directly within Maya.

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
Maya: What platforms does Maya run on?

Maya runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Maya 2027 supports Windows 11, macOS versions 26.x through 14.x, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Rocky Linux.

Source
Maya: Can students use Maya for free?

Yes. Maya is free for students at registered educational institutions. The license lasts 3 years but is non-commercial only and watermarks exported files.

Source
Maya: Does Maya integrate with other software?

Maya supports many plugins including ZooTools Pro for rigging, RealFlow for simulation, ngSkinTools for character skinning, and MASH for motion graphics, extending its capabilities for production workflows.

Source
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