Best Autodesk 3ds Max Alternatives in 2026

20 apps from 3D modeling software ranked against Autodesk 3ds Max on the same published basis.

  1. 1Autodesk 3ds Max vs Blender
  2. 2Autodesk 3ds Max vs Houdini
  3. 3Autodesk 3ds Max vs SketchUp
  4. 4Autodesk 3ds Max vs Onshape
  5. 5Autodesk 3ds Max vs Rhino 3D
  6. 6Autodesk 3ds Max vs ZBrush
  7. 7Autodesk 3ds Max vs Shapr3D
  8. 8Autodesk 3ds Max vs Bforartists
  9. 9Autodesk 3ds Max vs MeshLab
  10. 10Autodesk 3ds Max vs MakeHuman
  11. 11Autodesk 3ds Max vs Daz 3D
  12. 12Autodesk 3ds Max vs Meshy
  13. 13Autodesk 3ds Max vs Spline
  14. 14Autodesk 3ds Max vs Blockbench
  15. 15Autodesk 3ds Max vs form·Z
  16. 16Autodesk 3ds Max vs Gravity Sketch
  17. 17Autodesk 3ds Max vs Tripo AI
  18. 18Autodesk 3ds Max vs SelfCAD
  19. 19Autodesk 3ds Max vs uMake
  20. 20Autodesk 3ds Max vs Gaea

Autodesk 3ds Max alternatives compared

#AppScoreFree planFromRuns on
1Blender9.5Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
2Houdini8.2Free plan$7.92/moWindows, Mac, Linux
3SketchUp8.1Free plan$0.90/moiOS, Web, Windows
4Onshape8.0Free plan$125/moAndroid, iOS, Web
5Rhino 3D7.9Free plan$95/moWindows, Mac
6ZBrush7.8Free planFreeWindows, Mac
7Shapr3D7.8Free plan$24.92/moMac, Windows
8Bforartists7.8Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
9MeshLab7.6Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
10MakeHuman7.6Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
11Daz 3D7.6Free plan—Mac, Web, Windows
12Meshy7.6Free plan$20/moAndroid, API, iOS, Web
13Spline7.5Free plan$15/moAndroid, Web
14Blockbench7.5Free planFreeAndroid, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows
15form·Z7.4Free plan$18.25/moWindows, Mac
16Gravity Sketch7.4Free plan£15.99/moWeb, Windows, Mac
17Tripo AI7.3Free planFree—
18SelfCAD7.3Free plan$11.67/moWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux
19uMake7.2Free plan$9.99/moiOS, Mac
20Gaea7.2Free plan—Windows
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Questions about Autodesk 3ds Max alternatives

What is the best alternative to Autodesk 3ds Max?

Blender, number 1 in 3D modeling software with a score of 9.5 out of 10. The others here: Houdini, SketchUp, Onshape and 16 more.

What is the best free alternative to Autodesk 3ds Max?

Blender is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 20 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Is there an open-source alternative to Autodesk 3ds Max?

Yes: Blender.

How are these alternatives ranked?

Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.