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It's a split decision.
Choose 3DCoat if you want one app whose listed scope runs from voxel sculpting through retopology, UVs, PBR painting, and rendering: the Individual license is €379 one-time, with 12 months of updates. Choose ZBrush if digital sculpting and painting are your priorities and a subscription fits: Individuals cost $49 monthly or $33.25 per month billed annually. ZBrush also has a free iPad tier, but it limits tools and does not allow export. The right pick depends on workflow and billing preference.
01Side by side
| 3DCoat | ZBrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | €379 one-time; 30-day trial | $49/month; $33.25/month billed annually |
| Free plan | No free plan; 30-day trial | Free iPad tier; export disabled |
| Best for | Sculpting through texturing and rendering | Digital sculpting and painting |
| Core strength | Voxel sculpting, retopo, UVs, PBR painting | Digital sculpting and painting |
| Learning curve | Review flags a learning curve | Not specified in source |
| Integrations / data | Integrations and export details not specified | Free iPad tier has no export; integrations unspecified |
| Team price transparency | Company prices not published | $41.25/user/month annual; 3-seat minimum |
| Support | Review support score: 4 | Review support score: 5 |
3DCoat Choose 3DCoat if
- Choose 3DCoat if you want sculpting, retopology, UVs, painting, and rendering in one app.
- Choose 3DCoat if you prefer a €379 one-time Individual license.
- Choose 3DCoat if voxel sculpting and PBR texturing matter to your workflow.
ZBrush Choose ZBrush if
- Choose ZBrush if digital sculpting and painting are your main priorities.
- Choose ZBrush if you want an iPad free tier, despite its export limit.
- Choose ZBrush if you need published team pricing and can meet three seats.
02Pricing compared
3DCoat’s Individual Permanent license is €379 one-time for 3DCoat 2026, according to its pricing page. It includes commercial use, a node-locked license, and 12 months of free updates. After that, optional updates cost €45 from month 13, or €90 from month 25 if the earlier upgrade was not purchased. Company, school, and student prices are not published. A 30-day trial is listed.
ZBrush Individuals cost $49 per month or $33.25 per month with annual billing, according to Maxon’s pricing. The plan covers one user, active on one computer at a time, with desktop and iPad versions. ZBrush also offers a 14-day trial and a free iPad plan, but that plan has limited tools and no export. These prices use different currencies, so compare the billing models rather than treating the amounts as a direct price match.
03Features and depth
3DCoat’s listed scope is broader: voxel and digital sculpting, modeling, retopology, UV mapping, painting, PBR texturing, and rendering. Its voxel tools allow sculpting without topological constraints, with Boolean operations and dynamic tessellation. For painting, it offers microvertex, per-pixel, and Ptex methods, Smart Materials, and texture sizes up to 16k. That makes it the more clearly documented option here for moving a model through several production tasks in one app.
Maxon describes ZBrush as digital sculpting and painting software. Its homepage material does not specify further tools or workflows, so we can’t make a source-backed feature-by-feature comparison beyond those categories. That lack of detail is not proof ZBrush lacks specific capabilities; it means the published product information doesn’t establish them. If UVs, retopology, or rendering are deciding factors, check the current product documentation before choosing.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The 3DCoat review rates ease of use 5/10 and flags a learning curve, despite its wide feature set. That scope can mean more workflows to learn, so use its 30-day trial to check the tasks you actually need before paying €379. The review gives ZBrush 6/10 for ease of use, but the published product information says little about its interface or learning curve. Don’t read that one-point gap as a decisive usability verdict. If you’re choosing between them, compare how each fits your sculpting and painting workflow during the available trials.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, 3DCoat or ZBrush?
They use different billing models and currencies. 3DCoat Individual is €379 one-time, while ZBrush Individuals cost $49 monthly or $33.25 per month with annual billing. 3DCoat includes 12 months of updates; optional updates cost extra after that. We can’t make a direct currency comparison from these prices.
Does 3DCoat have a free trial?
Yes. 3DCoat lists a 30-day free trial. Its Individual Permanent license costs €379 and includes 12 months of free updates. The pricing material does not list a free plan, and company, school, and student license prices are not published.
Can I use ZBrush for free?
ZBrush offers a free iPad plan, not a free desktop plan in the published pricing details. The iPad tier includes 28 introductory brushes and limited Dynamesh, SculptrisPro, ZSpheres, and ZRemesher, and it does not allow export. A 14-day trial is also listed.
Which should I choose for a broader 3D workflow?
3DCoat lists sculpting, modeling, retopology, UV mapping, painting, PBR texturing, and rendering. Maxon describes ZBrush as digital sculpting and painting software, without specifying further workflows in the vendor's homepage material. Check current documentation if a particular tool is essential.