Comparison

Adobe XD vs ZBrush

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Adobe XD

Instantly preview your Adobe XD designs on native devices with real-time transitions. Connect via USB or load cloud documents to see your creations come to life before development.

Highlights
  • Real-time prototype preview
  • Transitions on native devices
  • USB connection
  • Cloud document loading
  • Optional storage upgrade
Features
Read full description

Eliminate the guesswork by previewing your Adobe XD designs, complete with transitions on native devices, in real time via USB or by loading them as cloud documents. If you enjoy using Adobe XD, please share a nice review. It really helps! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE STORAGE (Optional in-app purchase) You can purchase an additional 20GB for $1.99 (US dollars) of Creative Cloud file storage per month. The recurring payment is automatically charged to your iTunes account. To stop service, go to account Settings and turn off auto-renew at least 24-hours before the end of your billing period. Prorating is unavailable — when you turn off auto-renew, service will continue until the end of that month’s billing period. The Fine Print You must be 13 or older and agree to Adobe’s terms and privacy policy, viewable at: https://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy http://www.adobe.com/go/terms Do not sell or share my information: https://www.adobe.com/privacy/us-rights-linkfree.html Use of Adobe mobile apps and online services requires registration for a free Adobe ID as part of a free, basic level of Creative Cloud membership. Adobe online services require an Internet connection, are not available in all countries or languages, and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice.

About

ZBrush

Create professional 3D models and digital sculptures on your iPad. This app offers advanced sculpting, painting, and modeling tools with desktop-quality performance, ideal for artists on the go. Seamlessly integrate with desktop workflows for a complete creative experience.

Highlights
  • Pressure-sensitive sculpting with Apple Pencil
  • 200+ digital sculpting brushes
  • Advanced 3D modeling tools
  • Seamless desktop-iPad workflow
  • High-resolution polygon support
  • 3D painting without UV setup
Read full description

ZBrush for iPad. Create stunning 3D models, digital sculptures, concept art, and detailed characters with ZBrush for iPad—the award-winning, industry-leading digital sculpting app trusted by professional artists across film, AAA games, collectibles, toy design, jewelry, illustration, and 3D design. ZBrush for iPad brings unrivaled desktop-grade digital sculpting and 3D painting power into an intuitive, touch-first mobile environment optimized for Apple Pencil. Take complete creative freedom on the go with high-poly mesh density, proprietary digital clay brushes, procedural detailing, and seamless cross-platform interoperability. Subscribers to Maxon One or ZBrush desktop can download the iPad app and sign in to activate full access instantly. A comprehensive free tier is also available to start sculpting immediately. NEW FOR IPAD • Spotlight Integration: Seamlessly load reference images directly onto the canvas, apply projection painting and texture mapping across complex mesh surfaces, and extract custom 3D geometry from 2D source imagery. • 3D Layers: Store high-resolution sculpting details, PolyPaint color channels, and masking non-destructively. Effortlessly toggle layer visibility, blend sculpt deformations, and refine feature intensity with precise slider controls. CORE SCULPTING & MODELING FEATURES • 200+ Sculpting Brushes: Pressure-sensitive digital brushes engineered for Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro, supporting squeeze, roll, hover, double-tap gestures, and haptic feedback. • Sculptris Pro & Dynamic Tessellation: Add local mesh detail on the fly without manual topology management. • DynaMesh Digital Clay: Re-topologize mesh density evenly during early concept exploration. • ZRemesher: Industry-standard automatic retopology for clean, optimized edge flow. • Live Boolean: Non-destructive real-time union, subtraction, and intersection modeling. • PolyPaint: High-resolution 3D painting directly on vertex geometry without preliminary UV unwrapping. • Advanced Detailing: VDM Brushes, Surface Noise, Retopo Brush, Subdivision Modeling, NanoMesh, and ArrayMesh. DESKTOP INTEROPERABILITY & EXPORT • One-Click GoZ: Seamless transfer of ZTool and ZProject files between iPad and desktop ZBrush. • 3D Print Hub: Direct export for additive manufacturing and 3D printing workflows. HIGH-PERFORMANCE HARDWARE OPTIMIZATION Handles up to 90+ million polygons per mesh on M4 iPad hardware. Optimized for multi-touch gestures, custom hotkey bars, rapid undo/redo touch shortcuts, and real-world photogrammetry base mesh imports for high-end digital asset creation. TARGET CREATIVE USE CASES 1. Game Developers: Hero character modeling, creature design, and environment asset creation. 2. Collectibles & Toy Designers: High-detail prototyping and precise 3D print preparation. 3. Film & VFX Artists: Production-grade concept sculpting and digital asset creation. 4. Industrial & Jewelry Designers: Precision organic detailing for consumer products, apparel, and hardware. 5. 2D Illustrators & Concept Artists: Fast 3D block-outs and visual design expansion. LANGUAGE SUPPORT English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese (BR).

Screenshots

Adobe XD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ZBrush at 85% against Adobe XD's 40%. Adobe XD's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (11K vs 254). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Adobe XD sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and ZBrush sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Adobe XD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe XD has 11K ratings behind it against 254, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Adobe XD's written reviews are positive against 85% of ZBrush's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Adobe XD ships an update every 5 weeks, ZBrush monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Adobe XD versus ZBrush: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdobe XDZBrush
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11K ratings) — better4.1 (254 ratings)
Positive reviews40.1% of reviews85.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11K — better254
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB1.1 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.MAXON Computer GmbH

Customer experience

Adobe XD

All ratings10,769 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews726 reviews
Positive40.1%
Neutral14.0%
Negative45.9%

ZBrush

All ratings254 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%

Bugs and requests

Adobe XD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues with Adobe account
  • Inconsistent performance and refresh
  • Fonts not rendering correctly
  • Prototype viewing limitations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Full XD editing capabilities on iPad
  • Wireless connectivity for prototyping
  • Improved font support and rendering
  • Ability to open files from cloud storage

ZBrush

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Adobe XD

Subscriptions1
  • CC Storage (20 GB)$1.991 Month
2 purchases

ZBrush

Subscriptions2
  • ZBrush Monthly$9.991 Month
  • ZBrush Annual$89.991 Year

Questions

Is Adobe XD free?
Adobe XD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZBrush free?
ZBrush is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Adobe XD or ZBrush?
Adobe XD is rated higher. Adobe XD averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while ZBrush averages 4.1 from 254 ratings.
Do Adobe XD or ZBrush have ads?
Neither Adobe XD nor ZBrush shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Adobe XD or ZBrush?
Adobe XD ships an update every 5 weeks, and ZBrush monthly. Most recently, Adobe XD was updated on October 20, 2026 and ZBrush on October 17, 2026.

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