Best Surface Labs Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from game texture software ranked against Surface Labs on the same published basis.
- 2Surface Labs vs ArmorPaint
- 3Surface Labs vs InstaMAT
- 4Surface Labs vs Mari
- 5Surface Labs vs Material Maker
- 6Surface Labs vs PBRize
- 7Surface Labs vs PBRgen
- 8Surface Labs vs Unity
- 9Surface Labs vs Blender
- 10Surface Labs vs VFX Texture Lab
- 11Surface Labs vs Houdini
- 12Surface Labs vs ZBrush
- 13Surface Labs vs TextureLab
- 14Surface Labs vs 3DCoat
- 15Surface Labs vs World Machine
- 16Surface Labs vs PixPlant
- 17Surface Labs vs AwesomeBump
- 18Surface Labs vs Blacksmith3D
- 19Surface Labs vs Gaea
- 20Surface Labs vs xNormal
- 21Surface Labs vs Filter Forge
Surface Labs alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ArmorPaint | 8.6 | No | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | InstaMAT | 8.1 | Free plan | $3/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Mari | 8.0 | Free plan | $57.42/mo | Linux, Windows |
| 5 | Material Maker | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | PBRize | 7.6 | Free plan | $10/mo | Web |
| 7 | PBRgen | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 8 | Unity | 7.3 | Free plan | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Blender | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | VFX Texture Lab | 6.6 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 11 | Houdini | 6.5 | Free plan | $7.92/mo | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 12 | ZBrush | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows, Mac |
| 13 | TextureLab | 6.3 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 14 | 3DCoat | 6.2 | No | €379/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | World Machine | 6.2 | Free plan | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | PixPlant | 6.1 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | AwesomeBump | 6.1 | No | — | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| 18 | Blacksmith3D | 6.1 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | Gaea | 6.1 | Free plan | — | Windows |
| 20 | xNormal | 6.0 | No | — | Windows |
| 21 | Filter Forge | 5.9 | No | — | Windows, Mac |
Make your app an alternative to Surface Labs
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled and never changes the order above.
Questions about Surface Labs alternatives
What is the best alternative to Surface Labs?
ArmorPaint, number 2 in game texture software with a score of 8.6 out of 10. The others here: InstaMAT, Mari, Material Maker and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Surface Labs?
InstaMAT is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Is there an open-source alternative to Surface Labs?
Yes: Blender.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.