Rhino 3D vs ZBrush
Rhino 3D
rhino3d.com
ZBrush
maxon.netSide by side
| Figure | Rhino 3D | ZBrush |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $95/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 14 | 7 |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 9.5 (#1) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Spec score · 3D Design Software | 9.0 (#1) | 8.5 (#12) |
| Spec score · Jewelry Design Software | 8.8 (#2) | 8.5 (#6) |
| Animation tools | Yes | Yes |
| Documentation | McNeel provides online and offline Rhino help, context-sensitive command help, learning materials and a dedicated developer documentation site. | The official help system includes feature overviews, getting-started material, a user guide, scripting references and release notes. |
| Founded | 1980 | 1986 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | The company lists its Seattle, Washington office at 146 N Canal Street, Suite 320. | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany |
| Notable news | McNeel's March 2024 Rhino 8 announcement highlighted ShrinkWrap, SubD Creases, faster Apple Silicon and Metal performance, new Grasshopper components and a new script editor. | Maxon announced on January 11, 2022 that it completed its acquisition of Pixologic, ZBrush's former developer. |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.6 out of 5 from 80 ratings for iRhino 3D. | 4.1 out of 5 from 247 ratings. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.6 out of 5 from 92 reviews for Rhino 7. | 4.7 out of 5 from 37 reviews. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 192 reviews. | 4.7 out of 5 from 104 reviews. |
| Render engine | both | both |
| Self-hosting | Compute documentation covers local execution, Linux, Azure, AWS, HTTPS deployment and custom endpoints. | Maxon distributes ZBrush through the Maxon App or website and requires a MyMaxon login for access, with no self-hosted deployment described. |
| Support | Support resources include forums, telephone, email, live chat, tutorials, training classes and community sites, with support included in purchase price. | Maxon provides a support center with knowledge-base articles, ticket support, installers, requirements, release notes, training and community forums. |
Plans
Rhino 3D
- Commercial — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$995 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 10 concurrent users$9,950 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 50 concurrent users$49,750 a month
- Commercial upgrade — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$595 a month
- Student or faculty — Rhino 8 single user$195 a month
- Student or faculty upgrade — Rhino 8 single user$95 a month
- School — Rhino 8, 30-user lab$975 a month
- EvaluationFree
- Rhino 8 EvaluationFree
- Rhino 8 Educational Single User$195, paid once
ZBrush
- ZBrush for iPad Free PlanFree
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPrice not published
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPriced on request
- ZBrush DesktopPrice not published
- ZBrush DesktopPriced on request
- ZBrush for iPad$33.25 a month
- ZBrush$399 a year
In their own words
Rhino 3D
Rhino 3D is desktop software for Windows and macOS with listed capabilities for parametric modeling, animation, rendering, and 3D print export. The commercial Rhino 8 single concurrent-user license is listed at $995 a month, billed as a permanent license that does not expire. Licenses for 10 and 50 concurrent users are listed at $9,950 a month and $49,750 a month, respectively, also as permanent licenses. Student or faculty and school options are listed, with educational-status or school-licensing requirements. Commercial and student or faculty upgrade options are available, though evaluation versions cannot be upgraded. A free evaluation license costs nothing and lasts 90 days; saving and plugins stop working after that period. The listing describes Rhino 3D as paid while also indicating a free plan and free trial. Its maker is listed as founded in 1980 and based in Seattle, Washington, USA.
ZBrush
ZBrush is a 3D sculpting and modeling application with desktop and iPad offerings. Its listed tools include sculpting, parametric modeling, animation, rendering and 3D print export. Desktop is listed for Windows and macOS, while a separate supported-platform list also includes Linux. The desktop plan includes ZBrush for iPad and advanced sculpting, modeling, rendering and export tools. Rendering is described as hybrid, with GPU and animation rendering and denoising. Listed workload areas include CPU and GPU rendering, ray tracing, shader execution and geometry processing. Other listed capabilities include rotoscoping, 3D camera tracking, custom test profiles and CLI or automation support. The listed result export formats are none documented, and results are not saved as a file. Headquarters are listed as both Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Friedrichsdorf, Germany; the maker is listed as founded in 1986.