Here is the useful fact almost no comparison mentions: 3ds Max and Maya cost exactly the same. Both are US$168 a month billed annually, both US$255 monthly, both 6 Flex tokens a day. Autodesk owns both and prices them identically. So price is not the decision — which means you can pick purely on the work.
The split, in practice
| 3ds Max | Maya | |
|---|---|---|
| Strongest at | Modelling, architectural visualisation, product rendering | Character rigging, animation, VFX |
| Industry default in | Arch-viz, interiors, product design, some game art | Film, television, games animation |
| Modelling toolset | Very strong poly and spline modelling; the modifier stack | Capable, but Max is generally preferred |
| Animation | Adequate; not its centre of gravity | The reason Maya exists |
| Rigging | Basic | Industry standard, deep and scriptable |
| Scene setup for viz | Excellent — the arch-viz plugin ecosystem lives here | Weaker; fewer viz-specific tools |
| Price | US$168/mo annually · US$2,010/yr | US$168/mo annually |
| Platform | Windows only | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Autodesk US list prices, checked 29 August 2026.
How to decide in thirty seconds
- You render buildings, interiors or products: 3ds Max. The plugin ecosystem around it — V-Ray, Corona, Forest Pack, RailClone — is the real reason, and it has no Maya equivalent.
- You animate characters: Maya. Nothing else in the comparison matters.
- You work in film or episodic VFX: Maya, because the pipeline around you already is.
- You are on macOS or Linux: Maya. 3ds Max is Windows-only, and that settles it.
- You do game art: either — check what your studio or engine pipeline expects.
The option both articles forget
Blender is free and does both. Not “free but limited” — free, open source, and used in real production for modelling, animation, simulation and rendering. If you are a freelancer or building a portfolio, the honest advice is to try Blender before spending US$2,010 a year, and let the money buy better hardware instead. See Blender vs 3ds Max for where that comparison actually breaks down.
If you are choosing for a team
Match the pipeline, not the feature list. The cost of a mismatched tool is not the licence — it is every file exchange, every plugin you cannot use and every artist you cannot hire because they trained on the other one. Ask what your collaborators send you, and buy that.
Pricing detail: 3ds Max costs · Maya costs. Softwares Academy does not host or distribute installers, licence keys or activation tools.
