Blender Feedback Survey 2025 Results
The Blender Foundation presents the results of its user feedback survey 2025! The main goal was to better understand the needs and preferences of the community. 5102 people participated during October and November 2025. 1200 people participated in last year's survey as well. The number of participants is fairly smallconsidering the very large number of estimated Blender usersand it's expected that the survey will be biased toward more committed and engaged users who follow the project regularly. This aspect should always be kept in mind when observing the results of the survey.
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The NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a widely used metric to measure user satisfaction and loyalty. Respondents are categorized into three groups:
- Detractors (0-6): Users who are unhappy and unlikely to recommend
- Passives (7-8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic users
- Promoters (9-10): Enthusiastic users who actively recommend the product
The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. Scores range from -100 to +100.
Blender's NPS:
- Detractors (0-6): 153 responses (3.1%)
- Passives (7-8): 564 responses (11.3%)
- Promoters (9-10): 4,253 responses (85.6%)
NPS = 85.6% - 3.1% = 82.5
This score of +82 is exceptional. For contextany NPS above 70 is considered world-classand Blender's score demonstrates extraordinarily high user satisfaction and loyalty within the community.
1.0Sources and Demographics
1.1 Sources and Demographics
Source
When asked how they found out about this questionnairemost users answered "blender.org". Howeversocial media channels combined brought in a similar number of users.
How did you find out about this questionnaire?
1.2 Sources and Demographics
Age
Most respondents declared an age between 19 and 35.
How old are you?
1.3 Sources and Demographics
Country/Region
The majority of participants are distributed globallywith the highest number from the United States, followed by Germany and China. See the next chart for a per-continent breakdown.
Where are you based?
Complete List of Countries/Regions
| Country/Region | Participants |
|---|
1.3.1 Sources and Demographics
Continent
In terms of continentmost respondents are based in Europe.
Where are you based?
1.4 Sources and Demographics
The Freedom to Create
Asking participants if they feel that Blender is following its declared mission of getting the world’s best 3D CG technology in the hands of artists as free/open source software.
The Blender project is following its mission.
1.5 Sources and Demographics
Signup date
The survey was not anonymousand required a Blender ID account to be completed. Approximately one third of participants signed up for a Blender ID during the time the survey was running. Over 500 people who created their account in 2017 (when Blender ID was first available) also completed the survey.
1.6 Sources and Demographics
Community badges
Badges are assigned to Blender ID profiles to recognize their contributions to the community. For examplethey help to identify Development Fund membersBlender Studio supportersetc. The most popular badge is the “Feedback Survey 2024”. Development Fund members are around 10%.
1.7 Sources and Demographics
What describes you
This question was introduced in 2025to better allow participants to define their identityseparate from the type of work they do. This was a multiple answer question, as you can see from the "Connections" view.
2.0Getting Started
2.1 Getting Started
First 3D software
There is a roughly even split between participants who started their 3D journey with Blender and other software.
What was your first 3D software?
2.1.1 Getting Started
Other 3D software
Among Blender alternativesthe most popular first-time 3D software are 3DS MaxMaya and Cinema 4D. Sketchup and Autocad are also noteworthy.
For the "other section". Legacy/Vintage software (Amiga era): Imagine (for Amiga)Sculpt 3D/Sculpt Animate 4DTurboSilverReflectionsReal-3D
Other notable mentions: Wings3DAnim8orCarraraLightwaveSoftimage/XSIDAZ Studio/DAZ 3DBlockbenchMikuMikuDanceRoblox StudioHash Animation Master
Complete List of Other 3D Software
| Software | Users |
|---|
2.2 Getting Started
First Blender version
Survey participants have adopted Blender evenly over the years.
Which Blender version did you start with?
3.0Access
3.1 Access
Download source
The majority of participants download Blender from the official websites. The 1:10 ratio between Steam and blender.org is consistent with download data sourced from the blender.org website and Steam.
Where do you get Blender?
3.2 Access
News
While the blender.org websites are still relevant to get updates on the state of the projecta multitude of other channels are used as well. When it comes to social mediaYouTube and X represent the largest source of information.
Where do you get Blender news?
3.3 Access
Problem solving
Online search and the official Blender manual are the most popular tools used to solve issues. "Ask AI" has grown from 9.5% to 15.7% this year.
How do you solve Blender problems?
4.0Using Blender
4.1 Using Blender
Frequency
More than half of the participants use Blender on a daily (majority) or weekly basis.
How often do you use Blender?
4.2 Using Blender
Motivation
While Blender being free is the the most popular reason for participants to use it, the joy of using itand its open source nature are important reasons as well. Over half of the respondents who use Blender because it's free also use it because it's fun and open source.
Why do you use Blender?
Other reasons
- PowerCapability & Versatility
- "It's powerful/capable/versatile" - mentioned hundreds of times
- "It's the best" - extremely common phrase
- All-in-one/complete workflow - can do everything without jumping between apps
- Quality professional tool - as good as or better than paid alternatives
- Community & Resources
- Largehelpfulsupportive community
- Excellent tutorials and educational content
- Tons of free learning materials
- Active add-on development ecosystem
- Performance & Workflow
- Fast/efficient workflow
- Quick to work withgets the job done
- User-friendly/intuitive UI
- Better real-time performance than alternatives
- Lightweight and fast loading
- Key Features
- Geometry Nodes (specifically mentioned many times)
- Grease Pencil
- Sculpting tools
- Video Sequencer
- Cycles/EEVEE rendering
- Shader nodes
- Python API & extensibility
- Platform & Technical
- Cross-platform (LinuxMacWindows)
- Rapid development cycle
- No subscriptions required
- Can install without admin rights
- Stable and doesn't crash
- Strong Emotional Responses
- "I love it"/"I love Blender" - appears dozens of times
- "It's my passion"
- "It brings me happiness"
- "Blender is like a drug! You get addicted to it"
- "I'm happy when I use Blender"
- "It's the best software ever made"
- "BLENDER IS GOAT!"
- "Just Perfect!"
- "It's the ultimate digital sandbox"
- Philosophical & Ethical Reasons
- Freedom and open-source values
- Ethical software development
- Community-driven development
- "I don't want to support companies that ultimately grow so big they start squeezing their userbase"
- "I believe in Blender's mission"
- "It's ethically made"
- Simply preferred to other software
- Professional Adoption
- Becoming industry standard
- Studio adoption
- Work projects
- Teaching at universities
- Game development pipelines
- VFX work
- Architecture
- "I will make it as a the 3D industry standard in Philippines"
- Practical Reasons
- Started learning itfamiliar with it now
- Works on their platform (especially Mac and Linux users)
- Can install on work computers without admin rights
- No piracy needed
- Can teach it to others without license issues
- Future-proofing their skills
- Makes freelance work affordable
- International Adoption
- Many responses in ChineseRussianSpanishFrenchPortuguese
- Shows global adoption across all continents
- Active communities in non-English speaking countries
Key Takeaway
The overwhelming sentiment is that people use Blender not just because it's freebut because it's genuinely goodpowerfuland often superior to paid alternatives for their needs.
Many users explicitly state they would choose Blender even if it cost moneyhighlighting that quality and capability are the primary driversnot just the free price tag.
4.3 Using Blender
Current version
The majority of participants use the last 1-2 major versions of Blender. This question heavily depends on the Blender release cycleand in the next will likely be tweaked to get more information on the update frequency and motivation.
Which version of Blender do you currently use?
4.3.1 Using Blender
Long-term Support
The Blender LTS release is extremely popular. From data gathered via the Blender Extensions platformit's clear that the users can stick to an LTS version for years.
Do you use Blender LTS?
4.3.2 Using Blender
Experimental
Almost 40% of the participants use experimental builds. That shows active interest in upcoming development and new features.
Do you use experimental builds?
4.4 Using Blender
What do you use Blender for
This question was introduced in 2025to better identify popular tasks and workflows performed when using Blender. By observing the connection graphit appears that most people use Blender for multiple tasks.
What do you do with Blender?
4.4.1 Using Blender
Work
This question was added in 2025to better identify the type of work performed by users. Graphic Design is currently the most common use-case for Blenderfollowed by Game DevelopmentProduct Design and Film/TV.
What kind of work do you do with Blender?
4.5 Using Blender
Blender in a team
Most participants who use Blender professionally work alone or in a small team.
Do you work in a team or company that uses Blender?
4.6 Using Blender
Companion software
Top 10 companion software used by respondents.
What other software do you use Blender with?
Complete List of Software
| Software | Users |
|---|
4.7 Using Blender
Artificial Intelligence
This question was introduced in 2025to gauge interest and sentiment towards AI. More than half of respondents do not use AI tools and only 7% use them regularly.
Do you currently use AI tools in your Blender workflow?
4.7.1 Using Blender
Which AI Tools
Usage is distributed between LLM (the most popular) and a number of generative AI workflows.
Which AI tools do you use alongside Blender?
4.7.2 Using Blender
How do you use AI with Blender?
The most popular use is to aid with scripting and automationfollowed by concept art generation.
How do you primarily use AI in your Blender projects?
5.0Money and Contributions
5.1 Money and Contributions
Making money with Blender
Almost half (49.7%) of participants make money with Blender! There has been a 5% growth compared to last year.
Do you make money with Blender?
5.2 Money and Contributions
Money Spent
Users were asked how much they spent on Blender-related products in the past year. Add-ons are still the most popular expense among users.
How much did you spend on Blender add-ons?
How much did you spend on assets?
How much did you spend on other software?
How much did you spend on Blender education or training?
5.3 Money and Contributions
Contribution to Blender
Around 40% respondents identify donations the preferred way to contribute to Blender, followed by reporting issues.
For the "Other" section: evangelismteaching and trainingBlender Studio subscription, offering supportcreating tutorialspurchasing add-onscreating social ocial media content.
How do you contribute to the Blender project?
5.4 Money and Contributions
Donating to Blender
While 35% of respondents donate (this is over 10-100x of the proportional amount of global users)42% of respondents can't afford to donate. This leaves us with 20% of users who choose to not donate for reasons that are not financial.
Have you donated to the Blender Foundation in the past year?
5.4.1 Money and Contributions
How?
One-time donations are very popularfollowed by Development Fund memberships. A significant portion of participants choose to support the project via marketplace purchases. Please note that marketplace purchases are a very indirect way of supporting Blender development. Consider donating directly via fund.blender.org.
How did you donate?
5.4.2 Money and Contributions
How much?
Over half of the participants who donated claim to have given up to 100 EUR.
How much did you donate?
6.0Blender Development Feedback
6.1 Blender Development Feedback
Satisfaction
Satisfaction is overall very highwith Development Direction being the more controversial topic.
How satisfied are you with the following topics?
6.2 Blender Development Feedback
Areas to focus on
Animation is considered the top area to focus on. Howeverthe top ten areas are separated by only a few percentage pointsbeing considered equally important. Participants could pick up to three options.
Which area would you like Blender to focus on?
6.2.1 Blender Development Feedback
Projects to focus on
The most anticipated and requested project is related to texturing workflowsclosely followed by animation and rigging tools. Participants could pick up to three options.
Which project would you like Blender to focus on?
6.2.2 Blender Development Feedback
Research to focus on
There is significant interest in rendering-related researchevenly followed by other topics.
Which research topic would you like Blender to focus on?
6.3 Blender Development Feedback
Freeform feedback
Here's a summary of what users say about Blender development. The most common themes and feelings from the feedback have been summarized and grouped into positiveneutraland negative categories.
Positive
Users in this category expressed gratitudeexcitementand satisfaction with the current state of the software and the development team.
- General Appreciation:Overwhelming gratitude for the software being free and open-source. Many comments simply stated"You guys rock," "Best 3D software," and "Thank you for changing my life."
- Development Speed:Several users are impressed by how quickly features are added (e.g."taken aback by how quick development has been as of the past 3 or 4 years").
- Geometry Nodes:Significant praise for the power and potential of Geometry Nodes as a foundation for future tools.
- Community & Transparency:Users value the open communicationthe "Blender Today" streamsand the feeling of being part of a family.
- Specific Features:
- Cycles: Praise for the addition of ACES and general rendering quality.
- Modeling: Many users feel the modeling tools are strong and improving.
- Portability: Excitement for the move toward Apple Silicon support and potential iPad versions.
- Vulkan: Transition to Vulkan was noted as a positive step by technical users.
- Comparisons:Users frequently mentioned Blender allows them to escape paid subscriptions and that it competes well with industry standards.
Neutral
This category includes feature requestsmixed feelingssuggestions for improvementand comments from users who are still learning.
- Feature Requests (Specific):
- CAD/Precision: High demand for NURBSCAD-like precision toolsmeasurement toolsand better .step/.iges import support.
- NPR (Non-Photorealistic Rendering): Strong desire for better toon shadinganime- toolsand better NPR support in EEVEE Next.
- Simulation: Requests for better fluidsmokeand cloth simulations (often compared negatively to popular commercial software).
- VR/AR: Requests for better VR inspection tools and controllers.
- Workflow Integration:Users want better interoperability with Unreal EngineUnityand After Effects.
- Geometry Nodes (The "Too Hard" Factor):While praisedmany "Neutral" comments noted that Geometry Nodes are too mathematical/complex for artists and requested pre-made tools/modifiers so they don't have to "program" everything.
- Learning Curve:Beginners mentioned the UI is intimidating and requested better onboarding or official structured tutorials.
- Video Sequencer (VSE):Many users want the VSE to be more robust to replace commercial alternativesasking for better performance and audio tools.
Negative
Users in this category expressed frustration with specific modulesbugsdevelopment prioritiesor regressions.
- Texture Painting & Baking (Major Pain Point):This was the most frequent specific complaint. Users feel this module is abandonedoutdatedand lacks a layer system (layers are constantly requested to compete with the industry standard solution).
- Sculpting:Complaints that sculpting performance (high poly counts) is lagging behind the most popular 3D sculpting tool and that "Sculpt Layers" and Multiresolution modifier bugs have been ignored for too long.
- UI/UX & Keymaps:
- Frustration with constant shortcut changes between versions.
- Complaints about the UI becoming cluttered or "too many clicks" for simple tasks.
- Specific dislike of the "Extension" platform and how addons are managed.
- Development Pace & Stability:
- "Too Fast": Some users feel updates come too quicklybreaking add-ons and making it hard to finish projects (LTS stability issues were mentioned).
- "Too Slow": Converselyothers feel core issues (legacy bugs) are ignored in favor of shiny new features.
- EEVEE Next:Specific complaints about regressions in performanceshadow qualityand the loss of stylized/NPR capabilities compared to the legacy EEVEE engine.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI):A strongdistinct subset of users is vehemently opposed to Generative AI (LLMs/Image Gen) being integratedviewing it as unethical or environmental theft. (Converselya smaller group wants AI toolsbut the anti-AI sentiment is louder/more aggressive).
- Rigging & Animation:Users coming from other DCCs feel the rigging system is outdatedspecifically the NLA editor and the lack of a robust pose library or animation layers (though they acknowledge improvements are coming).
Summary
The feedback for Blender 5.x/4.x is polarized between immense gratitude for the tool's existence and specific frustrations regarding its evolution.
- The "Abandoned" Modules:
There is a consensus that Texture Painting and Sculpting have been neglected. Users are asking for a layer-based painting system and better high-poly performance in sculpting. The reliance on paid add-ons to fix these native deficiencies is a common frustration.
- Geometry Nodes: Powerful but Inaccessible:
While users acknowledge the power of Geometry Nodesthere is a strong demand for "Artist Friendly" wrappers. Users want the result of Geo Nodes without having to do the math/programming themselves.
- The AI Divide:
The community is split but leans toward caution. There is a vocal contingency demanding Blender stay "human-art focused" and avoid Generative AIwhile a smaller group wants AI assistants for tedious tasks (retopology/UVs).
- Industry Standardization vs. The "Blender Way":
Professionals want better integration with industry pipelines (USDMaterialXUnreal EngineCAD formats). They are frustrated when Blender ignores industry-standard UI/UX conventions (like keymaps or selection behaviors) in favor of uniquesometimes unintuitive"Blender" methods.
- Performance & Stability:
Regressions in EEVEE Next and general instability in recent LTS releases were cited frequently. Users with high-end hardware feel limited by optimization issues in large scenesand macOS/Linux users have specific niche complaints regarding API support (Metal/Vulkan).
Overall:The user base is incredibly loyal and passionatebut they are asking the developers to slow down on new features and focus on polishing existing toolsspecifically TexturingSculptingand Physicsto make Blender a truly complete pipeline tool.
It's important to note that this summary categorizes general sentimentbut individual feedback entries often contain a mix of positivenegativeand neutral points.
This is Open Data
You can downloadverify and analyze the data yourself. Let us know if you spot interesting trendsdata points or simply issues with the report.
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