The split approach saved us about 15% compared to putting everything on one farm. The biggest surprise: the team actually renders more now because there's no queue for the render node.
Last Updated: May 2026
My 5-person animation team switched from a local render node to cloud rendering last year. Monthly cost dropped from ~$2,800 (hardware depreciation + electricity + maintenance for a dual-Xeon 128 GB render server) to ~$340 on iRender during average months and ~$580 during crunch. We use one shared iRender account with individual server templates per artist. Three team members handle GPU work (Arnold GPU, Redshift) on iRender. Two focus on CPU-heavy Maya scenes and submit to GarageFarm through their plugin. The split approach saved us about 15% compared to putting everything on one farm. The biggest surprise: the team actually renders more now because there’s no queue for the render node.
| Setup | Monthly Cost | Peak Month | Scalable? | Queue Wait? | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local render node | ~$2,800 | ~$2,800 (fixed) | Fixed hardware | Yes (1 machine) | IT staff needed |
| iRender only (5 users) | ~$390 | ~$650 | Rent more GPUs | No (multiple servers) | Self-managed |
| iRender + GarageFarm ⭐ | ~$340 | ~$580 | Full flexibility | No | Mixed (IaaS + SaaS) |
| GarageFarm only (5 users) | ~$420 | ~$700 | Unlimited nodes | No | None (fully managed) |
How Does a 5-Person Team Share One iRender Account Without Conflicts?
Each artist gets their own server template with their software and settings pre-installed. When someone needs to render, they boot their template, it doesn’t block anyone else’s template. iRender allows multiple servers running simultaneously on one account, so 3 people can render at the same time. We label templates clearly: “Maya_Arnold_GPU_Linh,” “C4D_Redshift_Tom,” etc.
The billing all goes to one account, which makes expense tracking simple. I export iRender’s billing history monthly and split costs by artist based on their server usage hours. The only conflict we’ve had: two artists trying to boot the same GPU server type at peak hours when availability was limited. That’s happened three times in a year. When it does, one person waits 10-15 minutes or switches to a different GPU tier. Not ideal, but far better than queuing behind 8-hour renders on a local machine.
When Should a Studio Use GarageFarm Instead of iRender for Team Projects?
When the team is less technical. Two of my artists aren’t comfortable managing remote servers, they just want to click “submit” and get frames back. GarageFarm’s plugin is perfect for them. They open Maya, install the GarageFarm plugin, submit their scene, and download results. No server management, no billing timer to watch, no manual shutdown anxiety.
We also use GarageFarm for overnight batch renders from the whole team. On Fridays, each artist queues their weekend renders on GarageFarm before leaving. By Monday morning, everything’s done. On iRender, we’d need someone to start and stop servers or trust that everyone remembers to disconnect. After one artist left a server running over a weekend and burned $48 in idle time, we moved all unattended overnight renders to GarageFarm. Lesson learned the expensive way.
This is how my team of 5 handles cloud rendering → Try iRender for your animation team
FAQ
Can multiple people use one iRender account at the same time?
Yes. iRender supports multiple simultaneous servers on a single account. Each team member creates their own server template with their pre-installed software. Multiple artists can boot and render at the same time without blocking each other. We run 3 concurrent sessions regularly. The only limitation: if two people try to boot the same GPU server type during peak hours, one may need to wait 10–15 minutes for availability. We’ve hit this about 3 times in a year, inconvenient but manageable.
How much does cloud rendering cost for a 5-person animation studio per month?
Our 5-person team spends about $340/month on average using iRender for GPU work and GarageFarm for CPU batch renders. During crunch months, that peaks around $580. Compare that to a local render node at ~$2,800/month (hardware depreciation, electricity, maintenance, IT). The cloud model is roughly 85% cheaper on average and scales up during crunch without buying new hardware. iRender’s Credit Back program returns 10-20% of credits, and we schedule heavy renders during Golden Hours for the 20% return rate.
Should a small studio use iRender, GarageFarm, or both?
Both. We found that splitting GPU work (iRender) and CPU batch work (GarageFarm) saves about 15% compared to using either farm alone. iRender is faster and cheaper for Arnold GPU and Redshift. GarageFarm is better for unattended overnight renders and for team members who prefer a simple submit-and-wait workflow. The hybrid approach also gives you redundancy. If one farm is down or busy, the other covers you. Setup overhead for maintaining two accounts is minimal: about 20 minutes total one-time setup.
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Image source: MH Tutorials
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