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Should I use Quixel?

Explore a huge library of 2D and 3D scanned assets, captured from real-world objects with advanced photogrammetry, for games, film, archviz, and more. - quixel.com

Depends. Buy it if you work in Unreal Engine — Megascans is effectively free there with an unmatched photo-real scan library. Teams on other engines or needing predictable pricing should think twice, since free access ended in 2025 and licensing moved to Fab.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so user quotes are partial.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Quixel Mixer

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Megascans for Unreal EngineFree with Unreal Engine
Megascans for other enginesPaid via Fab since 2025 (exact prices not in reviewed sources)

Best for

  • Unreal Engine game and archviz studios
  • Film/VFX environment artists
  • Indies wanting photo-real scans cheaply
  • Artists needing real-world textures in Blender or 3ds Max

Not for

  • Teams outside Unreal — the free ride ended in 2025
  • Projects needing unique art — everyone uses these same scans
  • Budget holders who hate surprise licensing changes
  • Anyone expecting hand-holding support

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Fab licensing changed in 2025 — verify terms cover your engine and use before building pipelines on it

high

Epic already changed free-access terms once: free-for-all in 2024, ended 2025. Expect shifts again

medium

Some users lost Megascans library access inside UE editors after the Fab migration

medium

Historically, purchased points expired and were deleted — watch account and wallet terms

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Megascans made free for Unreal Engine users
  • Quixel Mixer texturing app is free
  • Huge library of real-world scanned 2D and 3D assets
  • Deep Unreal integration via the Bridge plugin
  • Some VFX users recommend it over Substance Designer

Cons

  • Free-for-all Megascans access ended; paid via Fab since 2025
  • Pulled from Unity's Asset Store; favors Epic's ecosystem
  • Only 4 independent G2 reviews exist
  • Educators report pricing changes disrupt classroom budgets
  • Old policy deleted customers' purchased points

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/30/2026 - 15 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; quixel.com/security currently 404s, and Hudson Rock lists 18,892 infostealer credentials tied to the domain — stolen user credentials from malware, not a Quixel breach.

official x3review x6security x2news x4
  • Security page returns 404, shows 'Page not found' — no public security documentation.
  • Infostealer credentials tied to domain, Hudson Rock lists 18,892 infostealer credentials for. This reflects malware on some users' machines, not a Quixel data breach.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free with Unreal; paid via Fab elsewhere
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Bridge plugin integrates directly into Unreal editors
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Largest real-world photogrammetry library plus free Mixer app
  • Support quality: 2/5. Login complaints; library access broke; security page 404s
  • Security posture: 3/5. No product breaches found; stolen user creds listed
  • 4/5 G2 rating Only 4 reviews — thin independent feedback
  • Yes Free tier Mixer free; Megascans free with Unreal Engine
  • 2019 Epic acquisition Owned by Epic Games since Nov 2019
  • 10,000+ scans Library size At time of the 2019 Epic acquisition

Pricing

Quixel Mixer

Free

  • Texture and material authoring app

Megascans for Unreal Engine

Free with Unreal Engine

  • Full scan library via Bridge/Fab
  • Free-for-all promo ran through 2024 only

Megascans for other engines

Paid via Fab since 2025 (exact prices not in reviewed sources)

  • Licensing restructured under Fab

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; quixel.com/security currently 404s, and Hudson Rock lists 18,892 infostealer credentials tied to the domain — stolen user credentials from malware, not a Quixel breach.

  • Security page returns 404shows 'Page not found' — no public security documentation.⁴
  • Infostealer credentials tied to domainHudson Rock lists 18,892 infostealer credentials for. This reflects malware on some users' machines, not a Quixel data breach.⁵

What users say

Users praise the scan quality and free Mixer tooling, but complain about shifting pricing, licensing changes, and access hiccups after the Fab migration.

“I highly recommend quixe…”
Reddit, r/vfx
“Quixel Mixer is free and…”
Facebook, Mixer course review
“Quixel suite is a useful…”
G2 review

Alternatives

Compare Quixel with each alternative.

  • Adobe Substance 3D

    Procedural materials powerhouse; the pricier rival users compare it to

  • Guess: Poly Haven

    Free CC0 textures and HDRIs; far smaller library

  • Guess: ambientCG

    Free CC0 PBR textures; solid Megascans stand-in

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so user quotes are partial.

Massive photo-real scan library; free inside Unreal Engine, but pricing moved to Fab in 2025 — great for UE, check terms elsewhere.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets were truncated, so user quotes are partial.

Sources

  1. Quixel Megascans official sitequixel.com
    official
  2. Epic Games and Quixel join forcesunrealengine.com
    official
  3. Quixel Bridge Plugin for Unreal Engine docsdev.epicgames.com
    official
  4. Quixel security page (404)quixel.com
    security
  5. Hudson Rock domain check — 18,892 infostealer credentialshudsonrock.com
    security
  6. Epic made Megascans free to all until end of 2024cgchannel.com
    news
  7. Megascans won't be free anymore in 2025reddit.com
    news
  8. Thoughts on new FAB licensing for Quixelreddit.com
    review
  9. Megascans tile disappeared from UE Fab tabforums.unrealengine.com
    review
  10. Quixel assets removed from Unity Asset Storediscussions.unity.com
    news
  11. Megascans deleted bought points policypolycount.com
    review
  12. Educator pricing impact threadforums.unrealengine.com
    review
  13. Quixel G2 reviewsg2.com
    review
  14. Mixer vs Substance Designer discussionreddit.com
    review
  15. Epic acquires Quixel — KitGurukitguru.net
    news

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