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Substance 3D Painter vs ZBrush

Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Software

3D texture painting software

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: 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.; ZBrush subscription model required; no perpetual licence option available
  • They diverge on capability: Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, ZBrush covers Digital sculpting.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Substance 3D Painter and ZBrush differ
AttributeSubstance 3D PainterZBrush
Starting price$29/monthOn request
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, iPadOS
Founded19821986

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 Substance 3D Painter

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

Only in ZBrush

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

Both cover

  • Maya
  • 3ds Max
  • Blender
  • Windows support
  • MacOS support

What people use each for

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

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot ZBrush
  • Film assetsnot ZBrush
  • Product visualizationnot ZBrush

ZBrush

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

ZBrush

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Substance 3D Painter

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

ZBrush

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the ZBrush review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Substance 3D Painter if

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

Choose ZBrush if

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

Questions people ask

Is Substance 3D Painter or ZBrush better?
Neither clearly leads. Substance 3D Painter 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, Substance 3D Painter or ZBrush?
Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month and ZBrush at On request.
Does Substance 3D Painter or ZBrush run on more platforms?
Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. ZBrush runs on Windows, macOS, iPadOS.
What is Substance 3D Painter best used for?
Substance 3D Painter is most often used for game texturing, film assets, product visualization. Of those, game texturing and film assets are not what ZBrush is typically brought in for.
What can Substance 3D Painter do that ZBrush cannot?
Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. ZBrush covers Digital sculpting, Dynamesh, ZRemesher, PolyPaint. Both handle Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Windows support.
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