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Gamesparks vs Substance 3D Painter

Gamesparks logo

Gamesparks

Software

Backend as a service for game development

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Software

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Gamesparks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gamesparks aWS states "Starting October 1, 2022, access to the GameSparks console will no longer be available" and that all existing games and data needed to be migrated off the platform before that date; Substance 3D Painter the Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.
  • They diverge on capability: Gamesparks covers Real-time features, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gamesparks and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where Gamesparks and Substance 3D Painter differ
AttributeGamesparksSubstance 3D Painter
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCross-platformWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded20061982

Identical on both: 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 Gamesparks

  • Real-time features
  • Multiplayer support
  • User authentication
  • Data storage
  • Matchmaking
  • WebSocket support
  • Cloud integration
  • Analytics

Only in Substance 3D Painter

  • 3D painting
  • Smart materials
  • Generators
  • PBR workflow
  • Baking
  • Export presets
  • Scripting
  • Maya

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Gamesparks

  • Multiplayer gamesnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Real-time gamesnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Cloud gamingnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Game analyticsnot Substance 3D Painter

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot Gamesparks
  • Film assetsnot Gamesparks
  • Product visualizationnot Gamesparks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Gamesparks

  • AWS states "Starting October 1, 2022, access to the GameSparks console will no longer be available" and that all existing games and data needed to be migrated off the platform before that date

Substance 3D Painter

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gamesparks

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1M API requests
    • 1M CloudWatch logs
    • Free for first year
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.01/request
    • Unlimited API requests
    • Real-time multiplayer
    • CloudWatch integration

Substance 3D Painter

$29/month
  • Substance 3D Texturing$19.99/month
    • Painter + Sampler
  • Substance 3D Collection$49.99/month
    • All Substance apps

Which should you pick?

Choose Gamesparks if

  • You need real-time features.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cross-platform.
  • You also want multiplayer support.
Gamesparks review

Choose Substance 3D Painter if

  • You need 3d painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want smart materials.
Substance 3D Painter review

Questions people ask

Is Gamesparks or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. Gamesparks starts at Free and Substance 3D Painter at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gamesparks or Substance 3D Painter?
Gamesparks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Gamesparks and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
Does Gamesparks or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
Gamesparks runs on Cross-platform. Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use Gamesparks for free?
Yes. Gamesparks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
What is Gamesparks best used for?
Gamesparks is most often used for multiplayer games, real-time games, cloud gaming, game analytics. Of those, multiplayer games and real-time games are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
What can Gamesparks do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
Gamesparks covers Real-time features, Multiplayer support, User authentication, Data storage. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow.
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