What CG Cookie does

CG Cookie is a Blender-focused online education platform founded in 2008 and headquartered in Geneva, US (with secondary presence in Austin). The company delivers 200+ courses to individual 3D artists, hobbyists, students, and educators, built around structured learning paths including the CORE series (9-course fundamentals), SESSIONS (bite-sized projects), and COLLABS (community-driven animation productions). Its content targets users of Blender, the open-source 3D creation suite, and is produced by a roster of instructors with feature-film and professional production backgrounds.

The business is monetized primarily through individual subscriptions at $27.99/month and $199/year (sale price; regular $279.99), with a free Blender Basics course serving as a lead-generation funnel. A community of approximately 3,000 members interacts through a forum, Discord, live streams, the student gallery, and the Denoise podcast. CG Cookie maintains an official partnership with the Blender Foundation and is a project of Autotroph, which also operates the Superhive marketplace used as a distribution channel for downloadable assets (add-ons, rigs, brushes).

The company is bootstrapped with a small team (11–50 employees) and has supplemented organic growth with a stacked set of GTM partnerships across the 3D ecosystem (Wacom, 3DMakerpro, CDA, RetopoFlow, GameTextures, LogicKeyboard, Chimirus, InstaMAT) and event-based brand building via BCON North America 2026 in Austin. Secondary revenue streams include downloadable assets, the Blender Teaching Guide for educators, and event-related income. The business is therefore a niche, vertically specialized D2C education brand rather than a horizontally diversified learning platform.

Name

CG Cookie

Website

https://cgcookie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CG Cookie is a Blender-focused online education platform founded in 2008, offering 200+ courses and a ~3,000-member community to individual 3D artists, hobbyists, and educators via subscription tiers and free lead-in content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online 3D Education

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Educational Support Services (61171), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Course Marketplaces (Multi-Instructor Catalogs) (MPACALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Standalone Creator Course Platforms (Branded Schools) (MPACALAB), Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL), Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI), Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Blender 3D courses
• Online 3D education
• Digital art training
• 3D modeling tutorials
• Animation learning platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Membership: Monthly and annual subscription plans providing access to full course library, instructor feedback, project files, live streams, community access, and member perks including free add-ons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CG Cookie sells subscription access to 200+ structured Blender 3D video courses covering modeling, animation, rigging, materials, rendering, sculpting, and Grease Pencil. Memberships (monthly $27.99 or annual $199) unlock instructor feedback on submitted exercises, downloadable project files (add-ons, rigs, brushes, models), community Q&A forum access, and live streams. A free Blender Basics course drives top-of-funnel acquisition, while a standalone Blender Teaching Guide is sold separately for educators.

Product overview

CG Cookie is an online learning platform for Blender 3D software, offering 200+ video courses through subscription-based membership. The core offering consists of streaming courses covering modeling, animation, rigging, rendering, sculpting, and procedural workflows. Key products include the CORE fundamentals series (a structured 9-course learning path), the SESSIONS series (bite-sized 2-hour projects), Blender Basics (free introductory course), and COLLABS (community-driven production projects). Supplementary offerings include a downloadable resource library (add-ons, rigs, brushes, materials), the Denoise Blender podcast, a student gallery for portfolio showcase, community Q&A forums, educator teaching guides, and membership partner discounts. The platform combines video instruction with instructor feedback on exercises, project file downloads, and community support features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Denoise Podcast: A podcast about Blender, hosted by CG Cookie, discussing what's happening in the Blender world.
• Collabs

Products and services

• CG Cookie Membership Subscription-based access to 200+ structured Blender 3D video courses, instructor feedback on submitted exercises, downloadable project files (add-ons, rigs, brushes, materials, models), community Q&A forum, Discord channel, and live streams. Offered as monthly ($27.99) or annual ($199) plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free Blender Basics tier for lead generation.
• Blender Teaching Guide 29-page standalone PDF teaching guide with bonus classroom materials including quizzes, hotkey guide, and Blender glossary. Sold as a one-time purchase for educators, with a 50% discount available for educators, active students, and teams of 5+.
• Individual Course Purchases (via Superhive Marketplace) Individual Blender courses such as SESSIONS: Type sold à la carte through the Superhive online marketplace, allowing non-members to purchase specific courses (e.g., $39.99) with the option to convert that purchase into a full CG Cookie subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Skill improvement from beginner to professional level through structured curriculum
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WacomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWacom partnership offers CG Cookie students 20% discount on the new Intuos Pro tablets. Wacom is the industry standard for 3D modelling and graphics, and CG Cookie promotes this as an exclusive member benefit.
• 3DMakerprominorGTM or Marketing Partner$20 off 3DMakerpro 3D scanners for CG Cookie subscribers. 3DMakerpro specializes in professional, cost-effective 3D scanners with over 100 R&D professionals.
• Certified Digital Artist (CDA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner15% off the Certified Digital Artist accreditation, which provides industry benchmark for skills in Visual Effects, 3D Animation, and Games.
• RetopoFlowminorGTM or Marketing Partner10% off RetopoFlow add-on for Blender, which brings together retopology tools enabling faster, more efficient work in an artist-friendly manner.
• GameTextures.comminorGTM or Marketing Partner15% off GameTextures.com subscriptions, providing access to the world's largest texture library for games, cinema, and artistic projects.
• LogicKeyboardminorGTM or Marketing Partner15% off Blender-specific keyboards designed for precision 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects work.
• ChimirusminorGTM or Marketing Partner20% off game art coaching at Chimirus, which provides world-class career coaching for game artists led by working artists.
• InstaMATminorGTM or Marketing Partner15% off InstaMAT paid license, which provides workflows for 3D material and mesh processing including procedural graph-based geometry pipelines.
• Blender (Blender Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCG Cookie is dedicated exclusively to Blender education. Instructors present at BCON (official Blender conference) and the platform aligns with Blender's rapid growth (17M+ downloads in a single year).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blender Guru: Andrew Price's Blender education platform offering tutorials and courses on Blender. Directly competes with CG Cookie in the same niche Blender learning category, with overlapping instructor credibility and a course marketplace model.
• FlippedNormals: Online Blender and 3D education platform offering courses on modeling, sculpting, and asset creation. Directly comparable as a focused Blender/3D creator-led course platform with a similar subscription and individual course model.
• CGMasters (formerly CG Masters Academy): Long-running Blender-focused online school offering structured courses on modeling, animation, and visual effects. Direct competitor in the standalone creator course platform category for Blender education.
• CG Fast Track: Blender-focused online learning platform offering courses on modeling, animation, and game asset creation. Directly comparable subscription-style learning experience targeting the same Blender hobbyist and prosumer audience.

Broad incumbents

• Domestika: Large global marketplace for creator-led courses across creative disciplines including 3D, illustration, and animation. Operates a similar subscription/purchase course model but with vastly broader scope and a much larger instructor catalog.
• Skillshare: Subscription-based learning platform with thousands of creative courses including 3D and animation. Competes on the same subscription learning model but spans many creative categories rather than specializing in Blender.
• Udemy: Massive global course marketplace with extensive Blender and 3D course offerings. Operates as a broader incumbent where CG Cookie's curated catalog competes against thousands of individual Blender courses at variable price points.
• Pluralsight: Enterprise-focused technology and creative skills training platform that includes 3D software and Blender content. Overlaps with CG Cookie's professional upskilling use case but serves a broader technical audience with B2B licensing.

Emerging players

• Polygon Runway: Blender-focused education channel and course platform by instructor Polygon Runway (Kristijan Perić). Emerging competitor in the Blender creator course space with strong YouTube-driven audience overlap with CG Cookie.

Others

• BCON / Blender Conference: Official annual Blender community conference organized by the Blender Foundation. CG Cookie presents at BCON and is hosting BCON North America 2026 — a strategic ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but a primary touchpoint with the Blender creator community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9VayT7q3pQ7tdF-TG4Q0yQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/cgcookie
• Xx.com/cgcookie
• Facebookfacebook.com/cgcookieinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cg-cookie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CG Cookie