Best xNormal Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from game texture software ranked against xNormal on the same published basis.
- 1xNormal vs Houdini
- 2xNormal vs Blender
- 3xNormal vs Surface Labs
- 4xNormal vs InstaMAT
- 5xNormal vs Marmoset Viewer
- 6xNormal vs World Machine
- 7xNormal vs Mari
- 8xNormal vs Material Maker
- 9xNormal vs ZBrush
- 10xNormal vs Gaea
- 11xNormal vs PBRize
- 12xNormal vs PBRgen
- 13xNormal vs 3DCoat
- 14xNormal vs ArmorPaint
- 15xNormal vs Pigmi
- 16xNormal vs World Creator
- 17xNormal vs TextureLab
- 18xNormal vs AwesomeBump
- 19xNormal vs VFX Texture Lab
- 21xNormal vs Autodesk Mudbox
xNormal alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houdini | 7.3 | Free plan | $7.92/mo | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 2 | Blender | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Surface Labs | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | InstaMAT | 7.0 | Free plan | $3/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Marmoset Viewer | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 6 | World Machine | 7.0 | Free plan | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Mari | 6.9 | Free plan | $57.42/mo | Linux, Windows |
| 8 | Material Maker | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | ZBrush | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows, Mac |
| 10 | Gaea | 6.7 | Free plan | — | Windows |
| 11 | PBRize | 6.7 | Free plan | $10/mo | Web |
| 12 | PBRgen | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 13 | 3DCoat | 6.3 | No | €379/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | ArmorPaint | 6.3 | No | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Pigmi | 5.8 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 16 | World Creator | 5.8 | No | $4.92/mo | Windows |
| 17 | TextureLab | 5.7 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 18 | AwesomeBump | 5.6 | No | — | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| 19 | VFX Texture Lab | 5.5 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 21 | Autodesk Mudbox | 5.4 | No | — | — |
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Questions about xNormal alternatives
What is the best alternative to xNormal?
Houdini, number 1 in game texture software with a score of 7.3 out of 10. The others here: Blender, Surface Labs, InstaMAT and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to xNormal?
Houdini 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 on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.