Comparison

Show3D vs ZBrush

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

Head to head
About

Show3D

Create and edit 3D content with professional tools and AI generation. This app offers modeling, sculpting, and rendering features, allowing users to bring their ideas to life without prior experience. Supports various import and export formats.

Highlights
  • AI 3D Generation (Text, Image, Multi-View)
  • Professional 3D Editor (Modeling, Sculpting, Rigging, Animation, Render)
  • PBR Material Support
  • Scene Hierarchy Management
  • HDR Environment Presets
  • Full Undo/Redo History
  • Multiple Import/Export Formats (GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL)
Features
Read full description

Show3D is a complete 3D creation studio with professional modeling, sculpting, and rendering tools — plus built-in AI generation. Create, edit, and share 3D content with no experience required. AI 3D GENERATION • Text to 3D, Image to 3D, and Multi-View to 3D generation • AI post-processing: auto-texture, retopology, UV unwrap, part decomposition, format conversion PROFESSIONAL 3D EDITOR Six modes: Modeling, Sculpting, Rigging, Animation, Render, and View. • Modeling — Primitives, lights, booleans, sub-object editing (vertex/edge/face), transform snap • Sculpting — Clay, Normal, and Flatten brushes with adjustable size and intensity • Render — Cinematic post-processing (AO, Bloom, DOF, Vignette, Color Grading) with up to 4K export CREATION TOOLS • 5 PBR material types with full texture map support (albedo, normal, roughness, metalness, emissive, AO) • Scene hierarchy with drag-and-drop, group/ungroup, multi-select, and search • 7 HDR environment presets plus custom HDR/EXR upload • Full undo/redo with complete history tracking IMPORT & EXPORT • GLB, GLTF, FBX, OBJ, STL with DRACO compression support • Dark/Light themes • English & Chinese • Optimized for iPad • Keyboard shortcuts Show3D 是一款完整的 3D 创作工作室,提供专业的建模、雕刻和渲染工具,并内置 AI 生成能力。无需经验,即可创建、编辑和分享 3D 内容。 AI 3D 生成 • 文字生成 3D、图片生成 3D、多视角生成 3D • AI 后处理:自动贴图、拓扑优化、UV 展开、部件分解、格式转换 专业 3D 编辑器 六大模式:建模、雕刻、绑定、动画、渲染、查看。 • 建模 — 基础几何体、灯光、布尔运算、子对象编辑(顶点/边/面)、变换吸附 • 雕刻 — 粘土、标准、平滑笔刷,支持大小与力度调节 • 渲染 — 电影级后处理(AO、辉光、景深、暗角、色彩调整),最高 4K 导出 创作工具 • 5 种 PBR 材质类型,完整纹理贴图支持(漫反射、法线、粗糙度、金属度、自发光、AO) • 场景层级树,拖拽、编组/解组、多选、搜索 • 7 种 HDR 环境预设 + 自定义 HDR/EXR 上传 • 完整撤销/重做历史记录 导入与导出 • GLB、GLTF、FBX、OBJ、STL,支持 DRACO 压缩 • 深色/浅色主题 • 中英双语 • iPad 优化 • 键盘快捷键

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

Show3D3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Show3D at 5.0 against ZBrush's 4.1. Show3D also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). ZBrush's advantage is ratings volume (254 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads 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. ZBrush sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Show3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Show3D holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZBrush has 254 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Show3D ships an update every 2 months, ZBrush monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Show3D versus ZBrush: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShow3DZBrush
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.1 (254 ratings)
Positive reviews—85.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1254 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB1.1 GB
Age rating4+4+
Developer飞翔 任MAXON Computer GmbH

Customer experience

Show3D

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ZBrush

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

In-app purchases

None

Show3D

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ZBrush

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

Questions

Is Show3D free?
Show3D is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZBrush free?
ZBrush is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Show3D or ZBrush?
Show3D is rated higher. Show3D averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ZBrush averages 4.1 from 254 ratings.
Do Show3D or ZBrush have ads?
Neither Show3D nor ZBrush shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Show3D or ZBrush?
Show3D ships an update every 2 months, and ZBrush monthly. Most recently, Show3D was updated on October 2, 2026 and ZBrush on October 17, 2026.

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