Free Autodesk Maya Alternatives

The best free alternative to Autodesk Maya is Blender, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Autodesk Maya and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Autodesk Maya are SketchUp, Wings 3D, Bforartists and K-3D.

Autodesk Maya alternatives are mainly 3D Modelers but may also be VFX Software or 3D Painting Apps. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Autodesk Maya.

Autodesk Maya alternatives page was last updated

Autodesk Maya

140

Paid • Proprietary
3D Modeler

Mac
Windows
Linux

Autodesk Maya software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution.

Learn more about Autodesk Maya

Blender
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
3D Modeler
VFX Software
3D Animator
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Steam
Flatpak
151 Blender alternatives
Blender is the free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and motion tracking.
- - Blender is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Autodesk Maya.
- - Blender is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Autodesk Maya.
Suggest and vote on features
Blender Features
1. 3D SculptingBlender offers tools to push, pull, smooth, grab or pinch to manipulate a 3D model.
2. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in Blender, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
3. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsBlender can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
4. Animation RiggingBlender supports bone structures to manipulate a 3D model like a puppet for animation.
5. Physically-Based RenderingPrecise rendering method for Blender to represent of how light interacts with material properties.
6. Ad-freeBlender doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
7. Motion CaptureYou can capture and modify/animate faces, gestures, movements or objects within the Blender.
8. Node BasedBlender supports node editing, a form of visual programming that gives you full control over the rendering.
9. LightweightBlender consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Real time rendering
Compositor
Community-based
Texturing
3D Renderer
Grease Pencil
Texture painting
2D and 3D physics
Rendering
Low memory usage
Comments about Blender as a Alternative to Autodesk Maya
Almost everyone thinks Blender is a great Autodesk Maya alternative.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
smess
Blender has advanced to become a powerful tool. Just look at the improvements that have been made in the UI, viewport quality, performance improvements, and new feature releases. Just one simple download of about ~200Mb will give you a valuable 3D editor for your graphics career.
Top positive comment•
1

Guest
The team is continually adding updates, and the features are excellent. Unfortunately, the UI is hard to navigate.
Top positive comment•
12

Guest
It is free, has a big community on Youtube, a pretty friendly user interface
Positive comment•
2

Tobin L
In the 2.8 update it went from being terrible to awesome, a great alternative, plus it's free!
Positive comment•
1

nyaleymomoh
open source and versatile
Positive comment•
2

Show more comments ▾
5 of 12 comments
SketchUp
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
3D Modeler
Interior Design App
Mac
Windows
Online
167 SketchUp alternatives
SketchUp (formerly Google Sketchup) is a 3D modeling computer program for a wide range of drawing applications such as architectural, interior design, civil and mechanical engineering, film, and video game design—and available in a freeware version, SketchUp Make, and a paid...
- - SketchUp is the most popular Web-based alternative to Autodesk Maya.
Suggest and vote on features
SketchUp Features
3d sketching
Built-in 3D model viewer
Pencil
3d Drawing
Cabinet design
Image to 3D
Mechanical Design
Browser-based
Comments about SketchUp as a Alternative to Autodesk Maya
pros, cons and recent comments
Tobin L
SketchUp is geared towards architecture, whereas Maya is for 3D modelling and animation.
Negative comment•
0
Wings 3D
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
3D Modeler
Mac
Windows
Linux
55 Wings 3D alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Wings 3D Features
1. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in Wings 3D, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
Uv mapping
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Comments about Wings 3D as a Alternative to Autodesk Maya
Some users think Wings 3D is a great Autodesk Maya alternative, some don't.
Guest
Wings 3D only does modeling, it does not do animation.
Negative comment•
4
Bforartists
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Windows
Linux
Haiku
AmigaOS
MorphOS
79 Bforartists alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Bforartists Features
1. Motion CaptureYou can capture and modify/animate faces, gestures, movements or objects within the Bforartists.
2. 3D SculptingBforartists offers tools to push, pull, smooth, grab or pinch to manipulate a 3D model.
3. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in Bforartists, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
4. Ad-freeBforartists doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
5. Dark ModeBforartists supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
6. LightweightBforartists consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Rendering
Texturing
Non linear editor
Customizable
HD-Rendering
Rendering with graphics card
Compositor
Texture painting
K-3D
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
PortableApps.com
52 K-3D alternatives
K-3D is free-as-in-freedom 3D modeling and animation software. It features a plugin-oriented procedural engine for all of its content, making K-3D a very versatile and powerful package.
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K-3D Features
1. PortableK-3D can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Discontinued
According to the official website k-3d.org :The latest "source code" release is from November 2015. And the latest binary executable release is even older. According to its Sourceforge page ( https://sourceforge.net/projects/k3d/files/K-3D Win32 Binaries/ ), latest release is from june 2010.
TouchDesigner
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Windows
29 TouchDesigner alternatives
TouchDesigner is a complete authoring tool for building interactive 3D art, visualizations, prototypes and UIs. Derivative makes and supports TouchDesigner and offers their services to do custom production using TouchDesigner.
Suggest and vote on features
TouchDesigner Features
1. Node BasedTouchDesigner supports node editing, a form of visual programming that gives you full control over the rendering.
Fragmentarium
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
3D Modeler
Mac
Windows
Linux
73 Fragmentarium alternatives
Fragmentarium is an open source, cross-platform IDE for exploring pixel based graphics on the GPU.
Suggest and vote on features
Fragmentarium Features
1. Procedural ModelingFragmentarium can create or modify 3D models and textures based on a sequence of rules.
GLSL
Procedurally generated
Comments about Fragmentarium as a Alternative to Autodesk Maya
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
Fragmentarium is only for modeling, not animation.
Negative comment•
0
Spline
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
3D Modeler
3D Animator
Graphic Design Tool
Software as a Service (SaaS)
14 Spline alternatives
Create 3D web experiences without coding. Build and iterate fast with production-ready results.
- - Spline is the most popular SaaS alternative to Autodesk Maya.
Suggest and vote on features
Spline Features
1. No Coding RequiredSpline can be used without an coding or programming skills.
Web-Based
3D design
Gmsh
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
CAD Software
Mac
Windows
Linux
31 Gmsh alternatives
Gmsh is a 3D finite element grid generator with a build-in CAD engine and post-processor. Its design goal is to provide a fast, light and user-friendly meshing tool with parametric input and advanced visualization capabilities.
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Gmsh Features
FEM
Comments about Gmsh as a Alternative to Autodesk Maya
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
Gmsh is for modeling, not animation.
Negative comment•
0
Zmodeler
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
3D Modeler
Windows
67 Zmodeler alternatives
ZModeler (or Zanoza Modeler) is a 3D modeling application. It is aimed at modelers who model for computer games such as 18 Wheels of Steel, Grand Theft Auto, Need for Speed, Midtown Madness or similar video games.
Zmodeler has no features, suggest some!