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Substance 3D Designer vs Modo

Substance 3D Designer logo

Substance 3D Designer

Software

Node-based material authoring

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Modo logo

Modo

Software

Creative 3D modeling and rendering

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Substance 3D Designer as of a 1 January 2023 archived capture, Adobe Substance 3D Designer is not sold standalone; it requires the Substance 3D Collection subscription plan at US$49.99 per month; Modo foundry announced on November 7, 2024 that it is winding down development of Modo after the Modo 17.1 release, with no further feature or maintenance releases anticipated
  • They diverge on capability: Substance 3D Designer covers Node-based workflow, Modo covers Polygon modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Substance 3D Designer and Modo actually diverge.

Attributes where Substance 3D Designer and Modo differ
AttributeSubstance 3D DesignerModo
Founded19821996

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), 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 Substance 3D Designer

  • Node-based workflow
  • Procedural generation
  • PBR materials
  • Patterns
  • Filters
  • Custom nodes
  • MDL export
  • Painter

Only in Modo

  • Polygon modeling
  • Subdivision surfaces
  • Sculpting
  • UV tools
  • Procedural modeling
  • Rendering
  • Animation
  • MeshFusion

Both cover

  • Unity
  • Unreal
  • Windows support
  • MacOS support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

Substance 3D Designer

  • Material creationnot Modo
  • Procedural texturesnot Modo

Modo

  • Polygon and subdivision surface modelling for media and entertainment assetsnot Substance 3D Designer
  • Look development and rendering of product and character modelsnot Substance 3D Designer

Where each one falls short

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

Substance 3D Designer

  • As of a 1 January 2023 archived capture, Adobe Substance 3D Designer is not sold standalone; it requires the Substance 3D Collection subscription plan at US$49.99 per month

Modo

  • Foundry announced on November 7, 2024 that it is winding down development of Modo after the Modo 17.1 release, with no further feature or maintenance releases anticipated
  • Support continues only until each customer's current contract term expires
  • Foundry does not guarantee that Modo will keep working on future operating system updates because no patches will be issued, and recommends customers migrate to alternative 3D workflows
  • Perpetual licences keep working but receive no further updates, bug fixes or support
  • The Modo forums closed in December 2024 and downloads, docs and the support knowledgebase were committed only until November 2025

Pricing, plan by plan

Substance 3D Designer

$29/month
  • Substance 3D Collection$49.99/month
    • All Substance apps

Modo

$29/month
  • Indie$599/month
    • Full Modo
    • Revenue limit $100K
  • Modo$1898/month
    • Full commercial license

Which should you pick?

Choose Substance 3D Designer if

  • You need node-based workflow.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want procedural generation.
Substance 3D Designer review

Choose Modo if

  • You need polygon modeling.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want subdivision surfaces.
Modo review

Questions people ask

Is Substance 3D Designer or Modo better?
Neither clearly leads. Substance 3D Designer starts at $29/month and Modo at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Substance 3D Designer or Modo?
Substance 3D Designer starts at $29/month and Modo at $29/month.
Does Substance 3D Designer or Modo run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Substance 3D Designer best used for?
Substance 3D Designer is most often used for material creation, procedural textures. Of those, material creation and procedural textures are not what Modo is typically brought in for.
What can Substance 3D Designer do that Modo cannot?
Substance 3D Designer covers Node-based workflow, Procedural generation, PBR materials, Patterns. Modo covers Polygon modeling, Subdivision surfaces, Sculpting, UV tools. Both handle Unity, Unreal, Windows support, MacOS support.
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