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CAD · head to head

Lumion vs Zoo

Lumion logo

Lumion

CAD

Architectural visualization made easy

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoo logo

Zoo

CAD

Cloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lumion enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures; Zoo the geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • They diverge on capability: Lumion covers Real-time rendering, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lumion and Zoo actually diverge.

Attributes where Lumion and Zoo differ
AttributeLumionZoo
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, API
Founded1998Unknown

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 Lumion

  • Real-time rendering
  • Content library
  • Effects
  • Video animation
  • VR export
  • LiveSync
  • Revit
  • SketchUp

Only in Zoo

  • KCL scripting
  • Design Studio
  • Design API
  • Zookeeper agent
  • Format conversion
  • Open source client

What people use each for

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

Lumion

  • Architectural visualizationnot Zoo
  • Client presentationsnot Zoo

Zoo

  • A hardware startup that wants part models reviewed in pull requests alongside firmwarenot Lumion
  • A software team generating thousands of parametric part variants programmatically rather than by handnot Lumion
  • A SaaS product that needs to render and convert customer CAD files without licensing a geometry kernelnot Lumion
  • An engineer who models occasional brackets and enclosures and does not want a four figure annual seatnot Lumion

Where each one falls short

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

Lumion

  • Enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures

Zoo

  • The geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • STEP and SLDPRT import are still labelled experimental, which means the most common way of receiving a supplier or customer model is the least reliable path into the tool.
  • Drawing production, GD&T and tolerance annotation are far behind SolidWorks, Creo and NX, so most users still need a second package to release a manufacturing drawing.
  • Zookeeper is billed in reasoning minutes rather than per seat, so a team cannot forecast next month's bill from headcount the way it can with conventional CAD subscriptions.
  • The open source label applies only to the Design Studio client; the kernel that does the modelling is closed and hosted, so forking the repository does not give you a product you can run yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Lumion

$29/month
  • Standard$1499/month
    • Core features
  • Pro$2999/month
    • Full features
    • More content

Zoo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design Studio access
    • About 20 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning per month
    • Around $10 of API calls included
  • Plus$20/month
    • Roughly 400 Zookeeper minutes per month
    • Pay as you go beyond the allowance
    • Design Studio and API access
  • Pro$99/month
    • Unlimited Zookeeper reasoning
    • Higher API allowance
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Lumion if

  • You need real-time rendering.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want content library.
Lumion review

Choose Zoo if

  • You need kcl scripting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
  • You also want design studio.
Zoo review

Questions people ask

Is Lumion or Zoo better?
Neither clearly leads. Lumion starts at $29/month and Zoo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lumion or Zoo?
Zoo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Lumion and Free for Zoo.
Does Lumion or Zoo run on more platforms?
Lumion runs on Windows. Zoo runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
Can I use Zoo for free?
Yes. Zoo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lumion starts at $29/month.
What is Lumion best used for?
Lumion is most often used for architectural visualization, client presentations. Of those, architectural visualization and client presentations are not what Zoo is typically brought in for.
What can Lumion do that Zoo cannot?
Lumion covers Real-time rendering, Content library, Effects, Video animation. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lumion: Where can I find Lumion pricing information?

Specific pricing details are not published on Lumion's public website. Interested customers need to visit the full Lumion website or contact the sales team directly for quotes.

Source
Zoo: Is Zoo the same company as KittyCAD?

Yes. KittyCAD renamed itself Zoo; the GitHub organisation is still KittyCAD and the scripting language KCL keeps the old initials.

Lumion: Does Lumion offer a free trial?

A free trial is available for Lumion, though the specific trial duration and included features are not detailed on the main website.

Source
Zoo: Can I use Zoo without an internet connection?

No. The geometry engine is a cloud service, so Design Studio needs a live connection to model anything.

Lumion: What is Lumion's licensing model?

Lumion is a commercial software product for architects and 3D rendering professionals. Licensing details and purchase options require contacting the sales team directly.

Source
Zoo: Is Design Studio free?

There is a genuine free tier with a small monthly allowance of AI reasoning and API calls. Paid plans start at $20 per month.

Zoo: Can I replace SolidWorks with Zoo?

Not for drawing release, large assemblies or GD&T. Teams typically use Zoo for programmatic part generation and keep an established package for production documentation.

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