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CAD · head to head

Mari vs nTop

Mari logo

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
nTop logo

nTop

CAD

Implicit computational design for lattices, heat exchangers and topology-driven parts

From
On request
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; nTop nTop is a specialist tool that sits alongside mainstream CAD rather than replacing it, so you pay for an extra seat and accept a handoff between two geometry systems.
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, nTop covers Implicit modelling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and nTop actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and nTop differ
AttributeMarinTop
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWindows, Cloud
Founded1996Unknown

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 Mari

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

Only in nTop

  • Implicit modelling
  • Lattice and cellular structures
  • Field-driven design
  • Integrated simulation
  • Reusable workflows
  • Topology optimisation
  • CAD and AM interoperability

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 nTop
  • Handling very large multi-UDIM texture sets in a look development pipelinenot nTop

nTop

  • Designing a variable-density lattice bracket where mass must drop without losing stiffness in the loaded regionsnot Mari
  • Generating a heat exchanger with thousands of internal channels that a conventional CAD kernel cannot representnot Mari
  • Producing patient-specific implant geometry with porous surfaces at scale rather than one at a timenot Mari
  • Automating a family of parts as a reusable design workflow that reruns when the load case changesnot 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

nTop

  • nTop is a specialist tool that sits alongside mainstream CAD rather than replacing it, so you pay for an extra seat and accept a handoff between two geometry systems.
  • Implicit modelling requires a different way of thinking from feature-based CAD, and the retraining period is long enough that unused licences are a common and expensive outcome.
  • No pricing is published and there is no free or hobbyist tier, so evaluation runs through a sales process and small teams cannot try it seriously without engaging.
  • Subscription only, with no perpetual licence, means the geometry logic you built stops being editable the day you stop paying, which is a real risk for long-lifecycle aerospace and medical programmes.
  • The output is most valuable when you have additive manufacturing capacity to make it; organisations without machines that can print the geometry end up designing parts nobody can produce.

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

nTop

On request
  • nTop$undefined/year
    • Annual named or floating seat subscription
    • No perpetual licence offered
    • Capability tiers quoted by use case

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 nTop if

  • You need implicit modelling.
  • You work on Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want lattice and cellular structures.
nTop review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or nTop better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at Free and nTop at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or nTop?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mari and On request for nTop.
Does Mari or nTop run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. nTop runs on Windows, Cloud.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. nTop starts at On request.
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 nTop is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that nTop cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. nTop covers Implicit modelling, Lattice and cellular structures, Field-driven design, Integrated simulation.

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
nTop: Is nTop the same company as nTopology?

Yes. nTopology rebranded to nTop. The product is the same lineage.

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
nTop: Does it replace SolidWorks or NX?

No. It is used alongside them. Mainstream CAD handles the conventional geometry and assembly; nTop handles the lattice, field-driven and complex internal structure work.

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
nTop: Is there a free version?

No free commercial tier is published. Access runs through a demo and sales process, with academic programmes handled separately.

nTop: Can I buy a perpetual licence?

No. It is sold as an annual subscription, so budget it as recurring cost across the life of the programme.

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