Comparison

Zbrush vs Goblin Node

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, games, collectibles, toy design, jewelry, illustration and 3D design. ZBrush for iPad brings unrivaled design power to the iPad for a fully immersive 3D sculpting and painting experience. Take creativity on the go with our proprietary brush system, intuitive controls and boundless resolution capabilities. Get started at no cost with ZBrush for iPad, which offers a comprehensive feature set designed to enable you to begin creating immediately, with the option to upgrade at any time. Already a subscriber to Maxon One or ZBrush for desktop? Simply download the iPad app and activate your license in the app. WHY ARTISTS CHOOSE ZBrush? ZBrush is the industry-leading 3D sculpting software built for Apple workflows and trusted by professional 3D creators worldwide. With over 200 digital sculpting brushes, advanced 3D modeling tools and desktop-quality performance, ZBrush offers game, film and concept artists powerful tools for 3D designing, printing and digital sculpting. TURN YOUR TABLET INTO A PROFESSIONAL CANVAS: • Pressure-sensitive sculpting with Apple Pencil • Sculptris Pro dynamic tessellation • DynaMesh digital clay workflow • ZRemesher automatic retopology • Live Boolean modeling tools • PolyPaint 3D painting without UV setup • NanoMesh & Array Mesh workflows • Surface Noise procedural detailing • Retopo Brush for clean topology • Subdivision modeling tools • VDM Brushes for advanced detailing Sculpt, carve, smooth, cut and paint directly onto your 3D models with fluid, responsive controls built for touch and stylus workflows. SEAMLESS DESKTOP-iPAD WORKFLOW • Use GoZ to move ZTool and ZProject files between iPad and desktop in one-click. • Use custom hotkeys and keep identical controls across devices for uninterrupted sculpting and 3D modeling. • Unwrap models with UV Master • Export directly to 3D printers using 3D Print Hub • Get full control over surface detail with our Texture, UV and Displacement Map tools • Start with built-in base meshes or scan real-world objects using photogrammetry tools to accelerate your workflow. DESKTOP-LEVEL 3D PERFORMANCE ON iPAD ZBrush for iPad supports up to 90+ million polygons per mesh on an M4 or newer iPad, delivering powerful high-resolution sculpting wherever you work, while Apple Pencil Pro offers squeeze and roll support, double-tap gestures, intuitive touch controls and fast undo and redo gestures to keep your creative flow uninterrupted. WHO USES ZBRUSH? 1. Game Developers who sculpt detailed characters, environments and in-game assets from concept to final 3D model 2. 3D creators who design toys, collectibles or cosplay and simply want to achieve accurate 3D printing 3. Visual designers who build realistic characters and visual effects for film and concept art 4. Industry product designers who design jewelry, sneakers and components 5. Creative artists that want to take advantage of today's 3D printers for costume, architecture, hardware and more. 6. 2D artists who want to ‘level up’ learning how to design in 3D Download ZBrush for iPad today and create professional 3D art, digital sculptures and high-resolution models anywhere. LANGUAGE SUPPORT ZBrush supports English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese (BR).

About

Goblin Node

Create professional PBR textures and materials on your iPad with a touch-first, non-destructive procedural workflow. Generate reusable patterns, tileable surfaces, and complete material suites anywhere inspiration strikes, without needing a desktop rig.

Highlights
  • Touch-native procedural texturing
  • Non-destructive workflow
  • Modular material generation
  • PBR material suite creation
  • 100+ nodes including generators
  • 3D preview engine
  • One-time purchase for pro features
Features
Read full description

Stop chaining yourself to a desktop rig just to experiment with textures. Goblin Node brings professional, non-destructive and touch-first procedural texturing directly to your iPad. This isn't just another shader editor. Goblin Node has been designed specifically for generating modular and reusable patterns, tileable surfaces and complete PBR material suites wherever inspiration strikes. No subscriptions. No AI bloat. Just pure, portable procedural power. ——————————————————————————— SAY GOODBYE TO DESKTOP TEXTURING FRICTION ——————————————————————————— ⁃ Desktop-Grade Power, Zero Desk Required: Craft materials on the couch, on set, or in transit without compromising node complexity. ⁃ Touch-Native Precision: Effortlessly zoom, pan and edit node graphs with intuitive gestures designed specifically for iPad. ⁃ Focused Texture Workflow: Unlike complex shader editors, Goblin Node lets you skip the math so you can focus on pattern logic, surface wear, and map creation. ⁃ Non-Destructive Freedom: Swap out base patterns or tweak parameters downstream without breaking your material logic or re-doing past work. ⁃ No Subscriptions, Ever: Buy once, keep your tools forever and own your creative pipeline. ——————————————————— WHAT YOU CAN BUILD ——————————————————— ⁃ Complete PBR Material Suites: Generate production-ready maps; Albedo, Normal, Height, Roughness, Metallic, AO, Curvature and more ⁃ Complex Surface Mechanics: Build everything from weathered bricks and organic patinas to intricate weave patterns, tiles, and sci-fi paneling. ⁃ Deep Procedural Engine: Combine 100+ nodes, including generators like Voronoi, Perlin noise, mathematical shapes, text, imported imagery, and custom paint passes. ⁃ Advanced Spatial Transformations: Offset, rotate, distort, warp, mirror, blur and blend with precision controls. ⁃ Atlas & Multi-Asset Packing: Pack, split, and organize multi-texture maps into unified texture atlases for game engine optimization. ⁃ Touch 3D Preview Engine: See light and shadow react to your materials in real time on 3D meshes. ⁃ Modular Material Generators: Expose key parameters to turn your node graphs into reusable, customizable templates for instant variations. ——————————————————— PRO FEATURES (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) ——————————————————— ⁃ 45+ Advanced Nodes: Including Flood Fill, Multi-directional Warp, Slope Blur, Bevel and more! ⁃ One-Tap PBR Batch Export: Export all output channels (PNG, JPG, TIFF, TGA) simultaneously up to 4K—ready to drop straight into Unreal, Unity, or Blender. ⁃ Reusable Templates: Expose node parameters to turn complex graphs into customizable material generators. ⁃ Unlimited Graphs: Build, organize, and export without arbitrary project caps.

Screenshots

Goblin Node3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Goblin Node at 4.5 against Zbrush's 4.1. Goblin Node also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). Zbrush's advantage is ratings volume (245 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Goblin Node sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Goblin Node holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zbrush has 245 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zbrush ships an update monthly, Goblin Node every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Zbrush versus Goblin Node: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZbrushGoblin Node
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (245 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings245 — better2
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAXON Computer GmbHRainer Weston

Customer experience

Zbrush

All ratings245 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral4.1%
Negative18.4%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%

Goblin Node

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Zbrush

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

Goblin Node

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is Zbrush free?
Zbrush is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Goblin Node free?
Goblin Node is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Zbrush or Goblin Node?
Goblin Node is rated higher. Zbrush averages 4.1 out of 5 from 245 ratings, while Goblin Node averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Zbrush or Goblin Node have ads?
Neither Zbrush nor Goblin Node shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zbrush or Goblin Node?
Zbrush ships an update monthly, and Goblin Node every 9 days. Most recently, Zbrush was updated on October 13, 2026 and Goblin Node on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons