Comparison

ZBrush vs ISD Buddy

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

Head to head
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).

About

ISD Buddy

Features
Read full description

A conversational front-end of ISD Studio 3D. You answer a series of questions and the app opens ISD Studio 3D filled with a completed 3D model with its skeleton and a sample motion. You can also watch a sample animation and open ISD Studio 3D filled with the character's model and its skeleton to export the character as an avatar.

Screenshots

ISD Buddy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ISD Buddy at none against ZBrush's 2. ISD Buddy also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). 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. ISD Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZBrush ships an update monthly, ISD Buddy every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ZBrush versus ISD Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZBrushISD Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (258 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings258 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAXON Computer GmbHLilysoft LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ZBrush

Subscriptions2
  • ZBrush Monthly$9.991 Month
  • ZBrush Annual$89.991 Year
None

ISD Buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZBrush free?
ZBrush is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ISD Buddy free?
ISD Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ZBrush or ISD Buddy have ads?
Neither ZBrush nor ISD Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZBrush or ISD Buddy?
ZBrush ships an update monthly, and ISD Buddy every 5 weeks. Most recently, ZBrush was updated on October 27, 2026 and ISD Buddy on October 5, 2026.

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