The Best Blender AlternativesTop 3D Modelers and other similar apps like Blender

Blender is described as 'Free open-source 3D software for modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and simulation' and is a leading 3D Modeler in the photos & graphics category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Blender for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and iPad apps. The best Blender alternative is Autodesk Maya. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Wings 3D or Natron. Other great apps like Blender are Cinema 4D, Autodesk 3ds Max, Bforartists and ZBrush.

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Blender alternatives are mainly 3D Modelers, but if you're looking for 3D Animators or VFX Software you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android Tablet + VFX. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Blender.
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Free open-source 3D software for modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and simulation.

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Blender alternatives page was last updated Jun 8, 2025
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  1. Autodesk Maya icon
     147 likes
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    Professional-grade 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual FX software used in films, TV, and games, featuring advanced tools, Bifrost effects, and a visual programming environment for intricate simulations.

    62 Autodesk Maya alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Autodesk Maya Features

    1.  3D Sculpting
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Texturing
    4.  Cross-Platform

    Autodesk Maya VS Blender

     
    • Most users think Autodesk Maya is a great Blender alternative.

    • Autodesk Maya is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Blender.

    • Autodesk Maya is the most popular commercial alternative to Blender.

    • Autodesk Maya is Paid and ProprietaryBlender is Free and Open Source
  2. Wings 3D icon
     115 likes
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    Wings 3D is a subdivision modeler inspired by Nendo and Mirai from Izware.

    It is possible to assign materials, vertex color, UV coordinates and textures, but there will be improvements in those features before Wings goes 1.0.

    There is no support in Wings for doing animations.

    52 Wings 3D alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • SE flagSweden
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Wings 3D Features

    1.  Uv mapping

    Wings 3D VS Blender

     
    Comments about Wings 3D as an Alternative to Blender
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Mar 23, 2020
    3

    it makes really good models just like blender

    Guest
    Positive Jun 3, 2020
    3

    Simplistic modeling, excellent UV mapping interface, obj and gltf/glb export, great mouse interface.

    Buggy but the best free and simple 3d modeler.

    Anoir Ben Tanfous
    Positive Aug 11, 2022
    -4

    Why work on another project when you can contribute to an already great one (Blender) and improve upon it, I am sure that there are tons of feature that the developer of this free open source could've added to the community without having to reinvent the wheel, unless they have a different vision and philosophy for 3D that I am not aware of.

    Blender Icon
    Wings 3D icon
    • Most users think Wings 3D is a great Blender alternative.

    • Wings 3D is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Blender.

    • Wings 3D is Free and Open SourceBlender is also Free and Open Source
  3. Cinema 4D icon
     83 likes
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    CINEMA 4D is a commercial, cross-platform, high-end 3-D graphics application, produced by MAXON Computer GmbH of Friedrichsdorf, Germany. Noted for its flexible interface and ease of use, it is capable of procedural and polygonal/subd modelling, animating, lighting, texturing...

    48 Cinema 4D alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    Cinema 4D Features

    1.  Rendering
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Support for scripting
    4.  Procedural Modeling

    Cinema 4D VS Blender

     
    Comments about Cinema 4D as an Alternative to Blender
    erisdiscord
    Positive Dec 22, 2017
    -6

    Cinema 4D is a professional alternative to Blender the only other contender is Maya but I consider Cinema 4D to be the best non-free 3D editor suite out there.

    Blender Icon
    Cinema 4D icon
    • Most users think Cinema 4D is a great Blender alternative.

    • Cinema 4D is Paid and ProprietaryBlender is Free and Open Source
  4. Autodesk 3ds Max icon
     147 likes
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    Professional-grade software designed for 3D modeling, rendering, and animation, equipped with comprehensive tools for creating detailed worlds. Widely used across film, TV, games, and design projects, it includes the powerful Arnold renderer, offering artistic control over scenes and characters.

    84 Autodesk 3ds Max alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Autodesk 3ds Max Features

    1.  Splines
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Parametric Modeling
    4.  Bones

    Autodesk 3ds Max VS Blender

     
  5. Natron icon
     205 likes
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    Natron is an open source, cross platform nodal compositing application. It is built around industry standard open source tech such as OpenFX, OpenEXR, OpenColorIO and OpenImageIO. The feature set includes realtime playback/RAM cache, multi-threaded rendering, 2d tracking...

    20 Natron alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Top Natron Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Open FX Support
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Video filters
    5.  Nodal Compositing
    6.  Portable
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Chroma Key / Green Screen
    10.  Support for 4K
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required

    Natron VS Blender

     
    Comments about Natron as an Alternative to Blender
    Most Recent Comment
    tvgoing1
    Negative Jul 21, 2015
    8

    it does not build 3d models, it has no game design, natron is mostly use for videos, and it doesnt allow 3d models in the program

    Guest
    Negative May 13, 2020
    1

    It's not for Composing in 3D!

    Guest
    Positive Aug 8, 2015
    -1

    It does compositing too. If this isn't an alternative, you might want to take Nuke off as well

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    3 of 4 comments
    Blender Icon
    Natron icon
    • Most users think Natron is a great Blender alternative.

    • Natron is Free and Open SourceBlender is also Free and Open Source
  6. Bforartists icon
     33 likes
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    Bforartists is a complete 3D suite to create 3D content. It offers you the full 3D art pipeline to create game graphics, prerendered movies and stills.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • MorphOS

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Rendering
    2.  3D Sculpting
    3.  Texturing
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Keyframe Animation
    7.  Motion Capture
    8.  Live Preview
    9.  Parametric Modeling
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Support for Layers

    Bforartists VS Blender

     
    Comments about Bforartists as an Alternative to Blender
    Most Recent Comment
    Ruyeex
    Positive Jun 8, 2025
    1

    Basically an alternative version of Blender but more accessible to beginners and less reliant on shortcuts. If you don't know about 3D Modeling but want Blender but not want a difficult experience this is for you.

    Guest
    Positive Apr 10, 2024
    0

    Because it is easy to use just like Maya. You can also call this Maya alternative but free to own. License GNU which is best feature of this app.

    Guest
    Positive Mar 18, 2020
    1

    It is the most direct match up to blender on this list and is easier to use too. It has the exact same feature set too.

    Blender Icon
    Bforartists icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Bforartists is a great Blender alternative.

    • Bforartists is Free and Open SourceBlender is also Free and Open Source
    • Bforartists is LightweightBlender is not according to our users
  7. ZBrush icon
     82 likes
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    Comprehensive digital sculpting tool offering advanced features like sculpting up to a billion polygons, customizable brushes, real-time painting, and powerful rendering system. Ideal for professionals in film, gaming, and more. Integrates with Redshift and supports Apple Pencil.

    55 ZBrush alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  3D Sculpting
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Texturing
    4.  Handwriting recognition

    ZBrush VS Blender

     
    • Almost everyone thinks ZBrush is a great Blender alternative.

    • ZBrush is the most popular iPad alternative to Blender.

    • ZBrush is Paid and ProprietaryBlender is Free and Open Source
    • ZBrush is LightweightBlender is not according to our users
  8. Spline icon
     24 likes
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    Create 3D objects, edit materials, add interactivity, and export. Control the outcome of your 3d design work.

    19 Spline alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  No Coding Required
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Create UI Components
    5.  3D Sculpting
    6.  Parametric Modeling
    7.  Non Destructive Editing
    8.  Real time collaboration
    9.  Live Preview
    10.  Design handoff
    11.  3D design
    12.  Web-Based

    Spline VS Blender

     
    • Spline is the most popular Web-based & SaaS alternative to Blender.

    • Spline is Freemium and ProprietaryBlender is Free and Open Source
    • Spline is LightweightBlender is not according to our users
  9. Armory 3D icon
     32 likes
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    Armory is an open-source 3D game engine with full Blender integration, turning it into a complete game development tool. The result is a unified workflow from start to finish, making you work faster. No more jumping between different applications.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Blender

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

    1. Blender icon  Blender Integration
    2.  Logic Nodes
    3.  Multiplatform Export
    4.  Real-time Global Illumination

    Armory 3D VS Blender

     
    Comments about Armory 3D as an Alternative to Blender
    Mino Developer
    Apr 20, 2023
    1

    Armory3D is a game engine that runs inside of Blender, so it doesn't count as alternative to Blender.

    Blender Icon
    Armory 3D icon
    • Armory 3D is Free and Open SourceBlender is also Free and Open Source
  10. VRoid Studio icon
     24 likes
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    VRoid Studio is a 3D character creation software developed for you to freely express yourself, even without 3D modeling expertise. The software is easy-to-use. Even first-time users can fully enjoy the software by picking preset items and playing around with the parameters’...

    48 VRoid Studio alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Steam

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Custom characters
    2.  Character database
    3.  Artwork
    4.  3D design
    5.  VR support
    6.  Customize avatar
    7.  Pressure Sensitivity
    8.  3D Sculpting
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Parametric Modeling

    VRoid Studio VS Blender

     
    Comments about VRoid Studio as an Alternative to Blender
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Mar 12, 2021
    3

    It is a dress up game rather than a 3d model making software

    Guest
    Negative Jul 9, 2021
    1

    Its a 3D character maker, not a 3D modeling tool

    Guest
    Negative Jul 22, 2022
    0

    It is not a 3D modeling Softwore It's a 3D Character (avatar) Creator

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    3 of 4 comments
    Blender Icon
    VRoid Studio icon
    • Most users think VRoid Studio is a great Blender alternative.

    • VRoid Studio is the most popular Android & iPhone alternative to Blender.

    • VRoid Studio is Freemium and ProprietaryBlender is Free and Open Source
    • VRoid Studio is LightweightBlender is not according to our users
10 of 140 Blender alternatives