Cinema 4D vs iClone
Cinema 4D
maxon.netiClone
reallusion.comSide by side
| Figure | Cinema 4D | iClone |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 8 |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 8.3 (#28) | 9.2 (#5) |
| Spec score · 3D Character Animation Software | 8.0 (#14) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · 3D Animation Software | 8.0 (#16) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Founded | 1986 | 1993 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany | Hsintien, New Taipei City, Taiwan |
| Integrations | Cinema 4D supports workflows with Adobe After Effects and Unreal Engine through Cineware. | Official pipelines connect iClone with Character Creator, Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Marmoset Toolbag and NVIDIA Omniverse. |
| Motion graphics | Its MoGraph tools include cloners, effectors, fields, and distributions for procedural motion design. | No |
| Platforms | Cinema 4D runs on Windows, including Windows on Arm, and macOS; the product page says iPad availability is planned for late 2026. | windows |
| Rendering | Every Cinema 4D subscription includes GPU-accelerated Redshift rendering. | The renderer supports PBR, subsurface scattering, motion blur, lens flare, glare, fog, reflections and particle effects. |
Plans
iClone
- PersonalFree
- iClone 365Priced on request
- iClone 8Priced on request
- iClone 8Price not published
- iClone Personal EditionFree
- iClone 365$16.58 a month
- iClone 365 Pro$23.28 a month
- iClone 8 Perpetual License$359, paid once
In their own words
Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D combines 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering in a desktop application. Modeling options include parametric and polygonal workflows, sculpting, generators, deformers, and spline-based tools. MoGraph provides cloners, effectors, fields, and distributions for procedural motion design. Its simulation system supports cloth, rigid and soft bodies, particles, hair, smoke, flames, and liquids. Animation features include keyframes, character rigging templates, motion tracking, and motion capture support. Every subscription includes GPU-accelerated Redshift rendering, and Cineware supports workflows with Adobe After Effects and Unreal Engine. Listed formats include OBJ, FBX, Alembic, USD, glTF, STEP, CATIA, and Solidworks. The application supports 3D print export and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Cinema 4D was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany. There is no free plan, but a 14-day Maxon One trial includes Cinema 4D and Redshift; only the latest releases are available for trial. A CPU with AVX2 support is required for Cinema 4D 2025 and newer.
iClone
iClone is a Windows application for character rigging and real-time capture, including facial tracking. It supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 and exports FBX, OBJ, ABC, and USD files. The listed capabilities do not include 2D animation, 3D modeling, motion graphics, or cloud collaboration. iClone uses a freemium model with a Free Personal Edition priced at free, with no time limit and 30 3D exports. The iClone 365 and iClone 8 plans each list 2,000+ free assets, but their prices are not provided. Capture sources are both, and the product is intended for users working with rigged characters and captured motion on Windows. The maker is headquartered in Hsintien, New Taipei City, Taiwan, and was founded in 1993.