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Mari vs ZBrush

Mari logo

Mari

Software

3D painting for film and games

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ZBrush logo

ZBrush

Software

Industry standard for digital sculpting

From
On request
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; ZBrush subscription model required; no perpetual licence option available
  • They diverge on capability: Mari covers High-resolution painting, ZBrush covers Digital sculpting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mari and ZBrush actually diverge.

Attributes where Mari and ZBrush differ
AttributeMariZBrush
Starting price$29/monthOn request
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, iPadOS
Founded19961986

Identical on both: 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
  • Nuke
  • Katana

Only in ZBrush

  • Digital sculpting
  • Dynamesh
  • ZRemesher
  • PolyPaint
  • Live Boolean
  • Sculptris Pro
  • UV Master
  • High polygon handling

Both cover

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

ZBrush

  • Digital character and creature sculptingnot Mari
  • High-polygon organic form designnot Mari
  • Texture painting and PolyPaint worknot Mari
  • Game asset creation and 3D modellingnot 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

ZBrush

  • Subscription model required; no perpetual licence option available
  • iPad version requires separate subscription to ZBrush for iPad

Pricing, plan by plan

Mari

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

ZBrush

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the ZBrush review.

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 ZBrush if

  • You need digital sculpting.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iPadOS.
  • You also want dynamesh.
ZBrush review

Questions people ask

Is Mari or ZBrush better?
Neither clearly leads. Mari starts at $29/month and ZBrush at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mari or ZBrush?
Mari starts at $29/month and ZBrush at On request.
Does Mari or ZBrush run on more platforms?
Mari runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. ZBrush runs on Windows, macOS, iPadOS.
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 ZBrush is typically brought in for.
What can Mari do that ZBrush cannot?
Mari covers High-resolution painting, UDIM support, Procedural layers, Baking. ZBrush covers Digital sculpting, Dynamesh, ZRemesher, PolyPaint. Both handle Maya, Windows support, MacOS support.
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