When it comes to rendering services, some important things to think about are hardware, compatible post-production software, and pricing.

Hardware has to do with the type of computing resources that are available. Most rendering is done with a collection of GPUs and CPUs. The more processing power you have access to, the less time your project will take to be rendered.

When it comes to compatible software, some rendering services only support a few programs, while others can be very versatile. If you’re a non-professional animator, you might be looking for a rendering service compatible with free or low-cost tools like Blender. We’ve listed the major compatible software for each render farm below, but it’s always worth checking the individual websites for updated compatibility lists.

Pricing for any project is a make-or-break factor. If animation is a hobby or side project and you’re not looking to spend a lot of money, you might want to go for a company that offers a free trial or a lower cost. If, however, you’re planning to invest in regular rendering power, it would probably be more advantageous to go for a service with more features and a transparent pricing structure. We’ll give a brief outline of each company’s pricing, but once again, you’ll always find the most up-to-date information from each service’s website.

So, now that we know what we’re looking for, let’s get to the list!

Concierge Render is all about getting the job done, and they do this with parallel operation of GPUs, low queue times, and a quick-to-use interface. With over 40,000 GPUs available, the sky’s the limit for your rendering needs.

If you’re someone who’s committed to Eevee rendering in Blender, this company has servers optimized to support your files, which they charge $2 an hour to use.

• Hardware: 64 nodes, up to 500 GPUs per project (more on request)
• Software: Blender, Cinema4D, Redshift
• Pricing: Prices start at $0.35/hour for GPU service, $0.85/hour for CPU service, and $2/hour for Blender-optimized servers. New customers get $5 free credit to get started.

Since 2011, Fox Renderfarm has been leading the industry for its cloud-based services. They’ve worked with big names in the CGI industry, like Disney and Dreamworks, and been a choice VFX company for studios around the globe.

Over the years, Fox Renderfarm has gained a reputation for its impressive security, so they’re a good choice if your project contains sensitive material. They price their services by a pay-as-you-go system, and there’s a handy cost calculator on the website, so you can estimate your project costs before you begin.

• Hardware: 16 cores (hyperthreading available), 64-128 GB RAM
• Software: Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Arnold, V-Ray, Redshift, Clarisse, RenderMan, Corona, Katana, Nuke, Anima, and more
• Pricing: For non-regular customers, prices start at $0.06 per core per hour. New customers received $25 credit, and regular users, educators, freelancers, and students have discounts.

Garage Farm is built on the efforts of a small group of 3D enthusiasts. The aim was to allow CGI developers to focus on their art and not worry about their rendering.

There are different price points for different priority levels, so you can pay more for a faster turnaround if you’re on a tight deadline, and you can even switch priority-levels mid-render. There’s also a basic cost calculator.

If you’re working with Blender, there’s a dedicated Blender render farm that offers $50 starting credit, up from the $25 you’ll get for rendering for other software.

• Hardware: 100-300 nodes, GPUs and CPUs, 60-240 GB RAM
• Software: Blender (dedicated render farm), 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema4D, After Effects, LightWave 3D, SketchUp, Rhino, and more
• Pricing: Low-priority pricing starts at $0.015/GHz per hour for CPUs and $0.0025/GHz per hour for GPUs, though prices decrease for higher-volume orders. Anyone can receive a $25 starter credit, which could allow for several hours of rendering, depending on the aspects of the file.

iRender is a render farm based in Vietnam. They offer a rendering platform-as-a-service solution with GPU server rendering, data processing, and other GPU/CPU intensive jobs. The iRender data center is also solar powered, so you can feel good about the environmental impact of your projects.

They have over 1,000 CPU and GPU servers that can be accessed over the cloud, and they’re priced according to a pay-as-you-go method. They’ve also recently expanded their services for AI and deep learning applications for smart system designers.

• Hardware: Over 1,000 CPUs and GPUs, 128 GB RAM (CPUs)
• Software: Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, Houdini, SketchUp, Foundry Modo, Lumion, and more
• Pricing: Prices range from $1/hour to $612/month, with discounts for higher credit purchases.

LeaderGPU offers high-performance rendering services by providing massive GPU power. They have servers optimized for software such as Blender, Maya, and Octane Render.

To use LeaderGPU’s services, one must have their software installed on his or her computer. From there, they upload their animations to LeaderGPU’s servers and track progress.

Pricing is calculated purely based on rendering time, with prices by the minute, day, week, or month, depending on the scope of your project.

• Hardware: Nvidia GPUs (Tesla V100, Tesla P100, GeForce RTX 2080Ti’s, 1080 Ti’s, and 1080s)
• Software: Maya, Octane Render, CFD, Blender
• Pricing: Prices range based on which GPU configuration you choose, starting at ~$0.17/minute for the most basic setup, with a ~$12 minimum order.

Based in Paris, Ranch Computing‘s goal is to help graphic designers of all backgrounds access rendering power. The company was founded back in 2006 when there were very few rendering farms available. They host both CPU and GPU servers having a combined core count of nearly two million.

Users have commented on the outstanding customer support that made the rendering process easier.

• Hardware: Up to 192 CPUs or 56 GPUs, 128 or 156 GB RAM
• Software: Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Blender, Indigo, Houdini, LightWave, Maxwell, Vue
• Pricing: Service prices range from $0.011-$0.047/hour depending on the number of nodes used. There’s a ~$36 free trial for new users and discounts for high-volume orders.

Render Pool is another cloud-based rendering service that gives the customer a worldwide network of GPUs to render their project in mere minutes. The company supports a wide array of post-production software and files are output as either OpenEXR or PNG files.

RenderPool will hold your rendered project in the cloud for two weeks, protected with their end-to-end data encryption, which is handy when you don’t know exactly when the render will complete. They also provide a price calculator on their website.

One disadvantage is the file size limit of 50 GB, but they’ll take special requests if you inquire.

• Hardware: GPU-based rendering with AMD Radeon RX Vega56
• Software: Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Unreal Engine, Houdini, Hydra Render
• Pricing: It costs $0.03 per GPU per minute for ProRender or $0.03 per GPU per minute for Blender Cycles. New users receive free credit, but trial renders will be watermarked.

Render Rocket is part of a bigger company called StratusCore, which provides powerful tools for entertainment production needs. Their services are provided over the web in a secure, private cloud environment. Render Rocket been used by recognizable brands such as Nike and FrameWork.

Even if you don’t have a huge budget, the company provides pay-as-you-go memberships that start as free trials, so there’s the possibility to try before you buy. You can also submit a five-frame test render.

• Hardware: All-gigabit network and 64-bit processors
• Software: Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Nuke, V-Ray, Blender, After Effects
• Pricing: Prices start at $0.40 per core per hour and get cheaper if you pay for a membership or pre-purchase credits.

Coming in with high-density servers, Summus gives the designer access to a huge supply of render nodes and high-speed communication over the network. They price their rendering service by the size of the project, which could then qualify you for discounts. You send them the file, and they take care of the rest with their support team.

Summus supports application-specific plug-ins for Maya and 3ds Max, allowing you to launch your render directly. Renders for other programs are supported, but at a higher price point.

• Hardware: 32 cores per machine, RAM from 32 GB, unlimited virtual load capacity
• Software: Maya and 3ds Max (dedicated supported), LightWave, Blender, Cinema 4D, V-Ray, After Effects, Fryrender
• Pricing: Prices start from $0.0099 for Maya and 3ds Max or ~$0.097 for other programs, with discounts of up to 50% for higher volumes.

Since its creation back in 2013, Turborender has been helping customers hit the ground running with the help of their fast rendering speeds. They provide over 800 servers for a fast and secure rendering experience over the cloud, and a Windows desktop app for easy project management.

They provide services not only for independent developers but also for large-scale industries with respectable prices. They advertise that they’ll provide an NDA for every user, so there’s good assurance that your data will be secure.

• Hardware: Up to 20 servers per project with 64 GB RAM
• Software: Maya, 3ds Max, After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, Redshift, Octane Render, Eevee, Cycles
• Pricing: The first four hours are free, then prices range from $0.87-$4.37 per machine per hour, depending on the hardware.