Best xNormal Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from game texture software ranked against xNormal on the same published basis.
- 1xNormal vs Surface Labs
- 2xNormal vs ArmorPaint
- 3xNormal vs InstaMAT
- 4xNormal vs Mari
- 5xNormal vs Material Maker
- 6xNormal vs PBRize
- 7xNormal vs PBRgen
- 8xNormal vs Unity
- 9xNormal vs Blender
- 10xNormal vs VFX Texture Lab
- 11xNormal vs Houdini
- 12xNormal vs ZBrush
- 13xNormal vs TextureLab
- 14xNormal vs 3DCoat
- 15xNormal vs World Machine
- 16xNormal vs PixPlant
- 17xNormal vs AwesomeBump
- 18xNormal vs Blacksmith3D
- 19xNormal vs Gaea
- 21xNormal vs Filter Forge
xNormal alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surface Labs | 9.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 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 |
| 21 | Filter Forge | 5.9 | No | — | Windows, Mac |
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Questions about xNormal alternatives
What is the best alternative to xNormal?
Surface Labs, number 1 in game texture software with a score of 9.2 out of 10. The others here: ArmorPaint, InstaMAT, Mari and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to xNormal?
Surface Labs is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 12 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Is there an open-source alternative to xNormal?
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.