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Mari vs Vectorworks

Mari logo

Mari

Software

3D painting for film and games

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vectorworks logo

Vectorworks

Software

Design software for the AEC industry

From
$29/month
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; Vectorworks the Internet Archive's capture of Vectorworks' products page on 12 December 2019 named seven distinct editions and add-on modules, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, Designer, Vision, and the Braceworks/ConnectCAD add-ons, each with its own 'Buy Now' link, but no price figure appeared on the page itself.
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, Vectorworks covers BIM modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and Vectorworks actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and Vectorworks differ
AttributeMariVectorworks
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWindows, MacOS
Founded19961985

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Vectorworks

  • BIM modeling
  • 2D/3D design
  • Documentation
  • Rendering
  • GIS integration
  • Entertainment design
  • Landscape tools
  • Lumion

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

Vectorworks

  • Building designnot Mari
  • Landscape designnot Mari
  • Stage designnot 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

Vectorworks

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Vectorworks' products page on 12 December 2019 named seven distinct editions and add-on modules, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, Designer, Vision, and the Braceworks/ConnectCAD add-ons, each with its own 'Buy Now' link, but no price figure appeared on the page itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Mari

$29/month
  • Mari$1906/month
    • Full features

Vectorworks

$29/month
  • Architect$2495/month
    • BIM
    • Architecture tools
  • Landmark$2495/month
    • Landscape design
    • GIS
  • Design Suite$3295/month
    • All modules combined

Which should you pick?

Choose Mari if

  • You need high-resolution painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want udim support.
Mari review

Choose Vectorworks if

  • You need bim modeling.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS.
  • You also want 2d/3d design.
Vectorworks review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or Vectorworks better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at $29/month and Vectorworks at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or Vectorworks?
Mari starts at $29/month and Vectorworks at $29/month.
Does Mari or Vectorworks run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. Vectorworks runs on Windows, MacOS.
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 Vectorworks is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that Vectorworks cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. Vectorworks covers BIM modeling, 2D/3D design, Documentation, Rendering. Both handle Windows support, MacOS support.
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