Side by side

Autodesk Maya vs Autodesk MotionBuilder

Both stand on game motion capture software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Choose MotionBuilder if your animation or game workflow needs character animation tools and FBX exchange with compatible applications. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan or if the stated hardware requirements do not suit your setup.

Visit Autodesk MotionBuilder

The facts

	Autodesk Maya	Autodesk MotionBuilder
Free plan	No	A free trial
Open source	Not published	No
Runs on	Mac, Linux	API, Linux, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Annual subscription: $2,010 a year	MotionBuilder 2025: $2,145 a year
Plans published	3	6
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	autodesk.com	autodesk.com
On game motion capture software	#14 of 23	#10 of 23

Autodesk Maya: what it does well

Autodesk MotionBuilder: what it does well

Real-time movement generation for biped or human skeletons
Includes motion capture, retargeting, and facial animation capabilities
Exchanges data through Autodesk FBX
Subscription includes three previous versions
Autodesk lists 24x7 online support options

What to know first

No free plan is available
The free trial lasts 30 days
Minimum hardware includes 8 GB RAM and 4 GB free disk space

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