Create customizable 3D avatars for VTubing and games
VRoid Studio is a free desktop app for designing and exporting customizable 3D anime-style avatars, ideal for illustrators, indie game developers, and VTubers who need detailed, rig-ready character models without licensing fees. It primarily targets creators who want hair, face, and clothing editing with texture painting and OBJ/VRM export; core functionality is free, with optional paid assets on VRoid Hub and marketplaces.
VRoid Studio is a desktop application for creating anime-style 3D avatars and exporting them as VRM for VTubing, games, and social VR. It offers parametric face and body sliders, polygonal hair creation with strand-level controls, and integrated texture painting to produce rigged models ready for use in Unity, VRChat, or VTuber software. Its key differentiator is artist-focused hair and face editors combined with free VRM export, serving illustrators, indie game developers, and livestreamers. The core app is free to download, while additional outfits, accessories, and Hub services may cost extra.
VRoid Studio launched as part of Pixiv’s VRoid project and positions itself as an artist-oriented 3D character authoring tool focused on anime-style avatars. The app runs on Windows and macOS and emphasizes accessible rigged model output in VRM format. Its value proposition is removing technical barriers for 3D character creation: artists can sculpt faces, paint textures, and construct hair without deep knowledge of 3D modeling or rigging. VRoid Studio ties into the VRoid ecosystem (including VRoid Hub) for sharing and asset distribution, making it easier to move avatars into VTuber setups and Unity-based games.
Key features include a parametric face and body editor where users adjust dozens of sliders for proportions, eyelids, and expressions; these sliders produce morph targets compatible with VRM. The hair editor is polygonal-strand-based: you draw hair guides and edit thickness, curl, and segments to generate mesh hair with editable UVs. Texture painting supports layered brushes and PNG export, letting artists paint directly onto the model and export texture atlases. VRM export and humanoid rigging are built in, producing a VRM file with blendshapes, node hierarchy, and basic physics settings; this makes avatars ready for VTube Studio, Luppet, VSeeFace, VRChat, and Unity workflows. The software also supports importing custom models (OBJ/FBX) and external textures, and integrates with VRoid Hub for publishing and licensing control.
VRoid Studio itself is free to download and use for personal and commercial projects, including VRM export; this free tier includes full model creation and export but no official paid “Pro” desktop tier from Pixiv. Additional costs arise from third-party assets and marketplace purchases on VRoid Hub or external stores; some creators sell outfits and accessories there with individual prices. VRoid Hub offers account features and distribution tools for free, though paid licensing or asset purchases depend on creators’ listings. Enterprise or team support is not sold as a formal Pixiv subscription tied to the Studio app — instead costs are per-asset or via third-party services if you need custom development or pipeline integration.
VRoid Studio is used by VTubers building a first full-body avatar and indie game devs creating NPCs or player characters, plus illustrators converting 2D designs into 3D. For example: a VTuber/streamer uses VRoid Studio to design and export a VRM avatar to VSeeFace to achieve real-time facial tracking; a Unity developer imports VRM avatars into a Unity project for prototype characters. The workflow often pairs VRoid Studio with VSeeFace/VTube Studio for live streaming or Unity/VRChat for in-world use. Compared to competitors like VRChat’s in-app creators or more general 3D apps (Blender or Character Creator), VRoid Studio focuses on anime-style parametric editing and VRM-first export.
Three capabilities that set VRoid Studio apart from its nearest competitors.
Current tiers and what you get at each price point. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
| Plan | Price | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Full model creation and VRM export; no official paid desktop features | Individual creators, VTubers, indie developers |
| Marketplace Assets | Per-item pricing (varies) | Buy outfits/accessories per item; prices set by creators | Users seeking premade clothing and accessories |
| Custom/Enterprise | Custom | Custom pipeline, licensing or dev work billed separately | Studios needing integration and custom licensing |
Choose VRoid Studio over Blender if you need VRM-ready anime avatars quickly without manual rigging or complex shader setup.