InstaMAT vs Mari

InstaMAT9.4Visit Mari9.1Visit

Higher score InstaMAT #1 in 3D Texturing Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit InstaMAT

vs

Mari #3 in 3D Texturing Software 9.1/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Foundry

• InstaMAT fits best

  Professional texture artists and technical teams

• Mari fits best

  VFX studios needing advanced UDIM workflows

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Side by side

Feature	InstaMAT 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Mari 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.1
Ranking	#1 in 3D Texturing Software	#3 in 3D Texturing Software
Best for	Professional texture artists and technical teams	VFX studios needing advanced UDIM workflows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$689/user/yr
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, Linux
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features InstaMAT 5/5 · Mari 5/5
3D texture painting	✓	✓
Procedural materials	✓	✓
Texture baking	✓	✓
PBR workflow	✓	✓
Node-based authoring	✓	✓
Specs
Maximum texture resolution	Not checked yet	32768 px
Supported platforms	windows, macos, linux	windows, linux
Our review
Pros	Non-destructive painting, procedural authoring, PBR generation, and mesh baking Integrates with Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Unity, and Unreal Engine Supports command-line execution, batch processing, and CI/CD integration	Supports thousands of UDIM textures per model Combines projection painting, procedural layers, and node graphs Handles up to eight painting streams and 32K textures
Cons	The $8/month Indie rate requires annual billing Pioneer License requires attribution Pipeline automation and C++ SDK access are limited to selected tiers	macOS is not currently supported Monthly pricing starts at $86 per license Advanced workflows may exceed individual-artist needs
Our verdict	InstaMAT is a desktop platform for creating procedural materials, painting and texturing 3D models, authoring node-based graphs, and automating asset pipelines. It is aimed at individual creators, small businesses, game-production teams,… Read the review →	Mari is desktop 3D painting and texturing software from Foundry for artists working in visual effects, animation, games, and other digital content. Its focus is detailed digital-asset work, with projection painting on models and UVs, PBR… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• InstaMAT — where it wins

  • Non-destructive painting, procedural authoring, PBR generation, and mesh baking
  • Integrates with Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Unity, and Unreal Engine
  • Supports command-line execution, batch processing, and CI/CD integration

  Where it doesn't

  • The $8/month Indie rate requires annual billing
  • Pioneer License requires attribution
  • Pipeline automation and C++ SDK access are limited to selected tiers

• Mari — where it wins

  • Supports thousands of UDIM textures per model
  • Combines projection painting, procedural layers, and node graphs
  • Handles up to eight painting streams and 32K textures

  Where it doesn't

  • macOS is not currently supported
  • Monthly pricing starts at $86 per license
  • Advanced workflows may exceed individual-artist needs

• InstaMAT9.4/10 · Free plan

  A cross-platform toolkit for procedural materials, texture painting, baking, and pipeline automation.

  Visit InstaMATFull verdict →
• Mari9.1/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A deep texturing tool for VFX teams that need UDIM scale and procedural control.

  Visit FoundryFull verdict →