KeyShot vs Light Tracer Render
KeyShot
keyshot.comLight Tracer Render
lighttracer.orgSide by side
| Figure | KeyShot | Light Tracer Render |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $9.99/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Spec score · 3D Rendering Software | 8.2 (#10) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Materials and lighting | The software includes drag-and-drop materials, a procedural material graph, and a patented HDRI editor. | The cloud library includes over 2,300 PBR materials and 900 HDRI maps. |
| Purpose | KeyShot Studio is 3D visualization software built for product design and CAD data. | Light Tracer is a physically based 3D rendering tool designed for jewelry and product designers. |
| Rendering | KeyShot Studio offers real-time ray tracing and rendering on CPU, GPU, or both. | It uses GPU rendering and hardware ray tracing when available, with software ray tracing as a fallback. |
| Support | The pricing page lists critical issue response SLAs of 12 hours for Professional, 4 hours for Business, and 2 hours for Enterprise. | Paid plans include priority email support, and the site links to a Discord community. |
Plans
KeyShot
- KeyShot Studio ProfessionalPrice not published
- KeyShot Studio BusinessPrice not published
- KeyShot Studio EnterprisePrice not published
- KeyShot Studio EducationPrice not published
- KeyShot Studio for Education (EDU)$95 a year
- KeyShot Professional$1,299 a year
- KeyShot Business$1,599 a year
- KeyShot EnterprisePriced on request
Light Tracer Render
- 3-Month Plan$9.99 a month
- Monthly Plan$12.99 a month
- Perpetual License$169.99, paid once
In their own words
KeyShot
KeyShot Studio is 3D visualization software for product design and CAD data. It renders with real-time ray tracing on CPU, GPU, or both, and includes drag-and-drop materials, a procedural material graph, and an HDRI editor for lighting. Local AI tools provide Restyle, Background, Imagine, Transform, and Replace modes. KeyShot supports native import of 34 3D file formats and LiveLinking plugins, including options for Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, and Autodesk Fusion. Its listed outputs and capabilities include image rendering, a product configurator, an interactive 3D viewer, and augmented reality. Plans are listed for individual designers, freelancers, studios, and larger teams, but several plan prices are not shown. KeyShot Professional is $108.25 a year, billed at $108.25 per user per month annually ($1,299.00 per year); KeyShot Business is $133.25 a year, billed at $133.25 per user per month annually ($1,599.00 per year). A 14-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Linux support is for Network Rendering only. KeyShot Connect lists access controls, single sign-on, guest access, and an audit log; it is in Early Access with a select group of teams.
Light Tracer Render
Light Tracer Render is a physically based 3D rendering tool for jewelry and product designers. It uses GPU rendering and hardware ray tracing when available, with software ray tracing as a fallback. Users can animate objects, lighting, and camera paths, and record physics simulations on a timeline. It imports OBJ, STL, PLY, glTF 2.0, FBX, DAE, 3DM, STEP, IGES, and BREP files. Its cloud library contains over 2,300 PBR materials and 900 HDRI maps, while the web version supports live sharing links and an embeddable real-time viewer.
The listed platforms are Windows 11, macOS 15+, web browsers, iOS, and Android. Downloads require a GPU released after 2015 with an updated driver. Licenses can be installed on multiple computers but used on only one at a time without an additional license. Internet access is needed for license verification at startup and during use. There is no free plan; a 14-day trial is available. The 3-Month Plan costs $9.99 a month, billed every three months.