Softwr

CAD · head to head

Mari vs Smartsheet

Mari logo

Mari

CAD

3D painting for film and games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smartsheet logo

Smartsheet

Construction

The platform for dynamic work

From
$9/month
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; Smartsheet formulas lack Excel robustness; complex data manipulation hits performance limits
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, Smartsheet covers Grid, card, Gantt & calendar views.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and Smartsheet actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and Smartsheet differ
AttributeMariSmartsheet
Starting priceFree$9/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryCADConstruction
Founded19962005

Identical on both: 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 Smartsheet

  • Grid, card, Gantt & calendar views
  • Automated workflows
  • Forms & data collection
  • Resource management
  • Dashboards & reporting
  • Proofing & approvals
  • Document generation
  • Integration platform

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

Smartsheet

  • Project portfolio managementnot Mari
  • IT project managementnot Mari
  • Marketing campaignsnot Mari
  • Product launchesnot Mari
  • Process automationnot 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

Smartsheet

  • Formulas lack Excel robustness; complex data manipulation hits performance limits
  • Gantt chart customization is limited with poor handling of part-time resource allocation
  • Expensive pricing compared to other project management tools; collaboration features are paid-only
  • Limited offline access and minimal mobile functionality compared to modern competitors

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

Smartsheet

$9/month
  • Pro$9/month
    • Core project management
    • Automation
    • 1-10 members
  • Business$19/month
    • Advanced automation
    • Portfolio management
    • 3+ members

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 Smartsheet if

  • You need grid, card, gantt & calendar views.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated workflows.
Smartsheet review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or Smartsheet better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at Free and Smartsheet at $9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or Smartsheet?
Mari has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mari and $9/month for Smartsheet.
Does Mari or Smartsheet run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Smartsheet runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Mari for free?
Yes. Mari has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Smartsheet starts at $9/month.
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 Smartsheet is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that Smartsheet cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Smartsheet covers Grid, card, Gantt & calendar views, Automated workflows, Forms & data collection, Resource management.

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
Smartsheet: What is Smartsheet pricing for a construction team?

Smartsheet Pro starts at $9 per user per month (annual billing) for 1-10 members. A construction company can deploy Business plan for 18 licensed users at $19 per user plus unlimited free collaborators (subcontractors, clients) for a typical monthly cost around $576.

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
Smartsheet: Does Smartsheet work offline?

No. Smartsheet has minimal offline access and requires internet connectivity for full functionality.

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
Smartsheet: What integrations does Smartsheet support?

Smartsheet integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Jira, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, Tableau, Power BI, DocuSign, Box, Dropbox, plus Zapier and Make for no-code automation.

Source
Smartsheet: Can I use Smartsheet formulas like Excel?

Smartsheet formulas lack the robustness of Excel. Complex nested functions or large-scale data manipulation often hit performance limits, requiring multiple helper columns.

Source
Smartsheet: Does Smartsheet have a free plan?

No. Smartsheet Pro starts at $9 per user per month (annual billing). There is a free trial available, but no perpetual free plan.

Source
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