Blender vs. Clip Studio Paint

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Blender
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Blender is a free and open source 3D creation suite available in under the GNU General Public License. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, video editing and 2D animation pipeline. Blender Cloud is a related service accessible via subscription, and is a training and content platform providing access to expertise from the Blender Institute for advancing one's use of Blender.
$11.50
per month
Clip Studio Paint
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
Celsys headquartered in Shinjuku City, Tokyo supports creators to create artistic content with digital technology. They provide solutions for content creation, distribution, and browsing, including support of creative activities through our illustration, manga and animation production app “Clip Studio Paint” and web service “Clip Studio”, as well as our e-book solution, “Clip Studio Reader”.
$49.99
one-time fee
Pricing
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Editions & Modules
Blender Cloud Membership
$11.50
per month
Clip Studio Paint Pro
$49.99
one-time fee
Clip Studio Paint Ex
$219.99
one-time fee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Best Alternatives
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Navisworks
Navisworks
Score 9.3 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(25 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
BlenderClip Studio Paint
Likelihood to Recommend
Open Source
Blender is an excellent tool for everything from simple to complex 3D animations, the creation of 3D images, etc. It performs excellently in all of these areas. In the realm of 3D modelling, animation and rendering, there is very little that Blender is not suited for.
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Celsys, Inc
I cannot really imagine a situation other than creating custom 3D models in which Clip Studio Paint would ever be inappropriate; it offers tools for art such as: 2D, pixel/voxel work, vectors, painting/drawing, comics, animations and more. The only place that Clip Studio Paint does not shine is in the creation of 3D models, but I think that that is fair given that it's competitor, Photoshop, also cannot do this; this was never a tool meant for 3D model design or creation, but the fact that you can import models and that there is a library of free and paid posable models native to the app is rather impressive.
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Pros
Open Source
  • Creating complex polygonal geometries is very easy in Blender.
  • Edit Mode and Sculpt Mode helps in creating non uniform surfaces for objects like rocks, surfaces, terrains etc.
  • Blender can use various external plugins to make it work in more smoother way. For example to import any 3d object one can use sketchfab plugin and easily import the free assets from web after logging in.
  • Blender has a better rendering engine known as Cycles, it is far more better than any other stock rendering engine which can generate realistic lightning, shadows and reflections.
  • The animations can easily be generated with blender animation toolbar and also it incorporate any other animations made in any other software.
  • The bone generation and its behavior of animations can be achieved easily in blender.
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Celsys, Inc
  • Handles huge files with grace, and auto-saves back-ups while you draw.
  • Can export into any other image file format, making for easy program transfers.
  • Offers animation abilities, posable 3D models as references, mange/comic tools, and so many other options.
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Cons
Open Source
  • It's really a hard question, but it could be: a game engine. Older versions used to have it; I would use it to simulate machines game-like.
  • I'm struggling to find another one; maybe the fact that it is so powerful and has so many features that learning it can be daunting; better documentation WITH examples and/or a map of Blender capabilities would help to know where you are in terms of knowledge and the planning the roadmap to where you want to go.
  • Precision modeling. Coming from CAD and using Blender as part of my design workflow, I'd love to be able to model inside Blender as I model with CAD tools. At this moment, it's simply impossible.
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Celsys, Inc
  • The UI is absolutely not user friendly out of the box, and there are an overwhelming number of keybinds and options.
  • Some huge files, while saveable, take about 3 minutes.
  • Limited cloud space even though you pay for a license.
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Usability
Open Source
Because while it's a pretty good piece of software, the default built-in commands, the interface layout, and certain functions aren't as logical in their way of being arranged and executed. This, of course, doesn't diminish its use or effectiveness in your field of work, but it is quite awkward at first. A big advantage is that Blender lets you customize the interface however you want as well as keyboard shortcuts and several general program parameters.
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Celsys, Inc
I think that once one gets the hang of how to navigate and use Clip Studio Paint, they will find that it has so much more to offer than one might expect when looking at it for the first time. There are hidden gems all throughout this program, and they are all there to make your creative experience all the more streamlined and natural.
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Alternatives Considered
Open Source
We've only used the consumer (non-pro) version of SketchUp, which we love, but is very limited in features and output capabilities compared to Blender. While Blender's learning curve is MUCH steeper than SketchUp, it feels like truly complete, professional design software.
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Celsys, Inc
I have used a handful of other free art programs, including MediBang Paint, and while they are all good, and I'm sure perfect in the hands of the right artist, I feel as though they simply do not offer the number of options necessary for my needs. They feel very limited and stale; customization is limited and their UI's are outdated. Clip Studio Paint is modern and sleek, highly customizable, and offers far more tools than the other options around it.
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Return on Investment
Open Source
  • As it is a beginner-friendly software with increasing demand in the animation sector again, it positively impacts the business.
  • Except in some specific cases, no one will use Blender on their own at a professional level.
  • When I was a beginner, it took me a lot of time to learn, consequently designing the creation. But if we want to learn to master Blender, we can do it. As long as we have time and a lot of willpower, since, we repeat, it is not a simple program and hides thousands of tools and possibilities.
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Celsys, Inc
  • I think that the initial price was incredibly steep, but I managed to get it on discount. As a starting artist, this was a hard blow to take at the start, especially before these subscription options existed.
  • After years of use I have more than paid off the cost I sunk into Clip Studio Paint EX.
  • I see myself making marked profits by continuing to use the program, even with the new subscription service rather than a perpetual lisence.
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ScreenShots