Corona 15 was announced on May 27, 2026, and it still renders on the CPU only. That single fact changes how you should shop for a Corona render farm. A GPU farm with the fastest cards on the market gives Corona nothing, because the cards sit idle while the processor does all the work. What matters is core count, RAM, clock speed and how the farm bills you for them.
This guide checks what four farms (GarageFarm, RebusFarm, RANCH Computing and iRender) actually publish about Corona on their own pages, read on November 10, 2026. Most of them publish less than you would expect, so the second half is a practical checklist for getting the missing numbers before you spend money.
- Corona 15 (announced May 27, 2026) works with 3ds Max 2016 and later and Cinema 4D R17 and later, according to CG Channel. Faster animation rendering is 3ds Max only, and the first native particle support is Cinema 4D only.
- Corona is rental only. CG Channel lists Corona Solo at $62.90 per month or $414 per year, and floating Corona Premium at $72.90 per month or $514.80 per year.
- Corona has no GPU rendering path, so a farm’s GPU model is irrelevant to your render time. Look at CPU model, cores and RAM.
- None of the four Corona pages I read lists CPU core counts. Only one states Corona version numbers. Ask support before you commit a big job.
- Always render three to five test frames first and compare cost per frame, not price per hour.
Table of Contents
What changed in Corona 15
CG Channel’s coverage of the release lists the following changes. None of them alters the CPU only design, but a few affect which farm and which host app you pick.
- Veras, Chaos’s generative AI ideation tool, is now included with every Corona subscription.
- A light override material lets one surface react differently to different light sources, for example under UV light.
- A Glints layer in the Physical material adds small reflective flecks, useful for metallic car paint.
- Imported 3D Gaussian Splats can bounce global illumination onto nearby objects.
- Faster animation rendering arrives for 3ds Max only, and initial native particle support arrives for Cinema 4D only.
If your project uses a 3ds Max only or Cinema 4D only feature, confirm that the farm runs Corona 15 and that its plugin supports your host version. A version mismatch between your scene and the farm can change how a render looks, so check it before you upload.
Why a Corona render farm is a CPU decision
RANCH Computing describes Corona as a CPU render engine built for architectural visualization, and Chaos itself markets Corona as proudly CPU based. On a farm that rents whole machines with GPUs, you pay for the machine while Corona uses only its processor. That is not automatically a bad deal, because those machines often carry strong workstation CPUs and a lot of RAM, but it means you should compare the CPU and the price, and ignore the GPU line on the pricing table.
Three numbers decide how fast a frame finishes: the number of cores, the clock speed they hold under load, and whether the scene fits in RAM. Large scatter scenes with Forest Pack or heavy displacement can need far more memory than a typical desktop has. A farm that lists 256 GB of RAM per node handles those scenes more safely than one that lists nothing.
What each Corona render farm publishes
The table below records only what I could read on each farm’s pages on November 10, 2026. A dash means the page did not state it, which is different from the farm not offering it.
| Farm | Host apps named for Corona | Corona versions | CPU hardware | Price information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GarageFarm | 3ds Max (Windows), Cinema 4D (Windows and Mac) | Not listed | “Intel Xeon/AMD Epyc” in the FAQ, no models or core counts | Pay as you go by node time, no rate on the page |
| RebusFarm | 3ds Max, Cinema 4D | Corona 6 through 15 on its Austrian page; an older regional page still says version 7 | Not listed | No rate on the page; trial credit differs between pages |
| RANCH Computing | Cinema 4D, 3ds Max | Not listed | “GPU and CPU servers,” no specs | No rate; cost estimator and volume bonus credits of up to 128 percent |
| iRender | Corona not named on the price page | Not listed | AMD Threadripper PRO: 3955WX on the 1x and 2x RTX 4090 nodes, 5975WX on the 4x and 8x nodes; 256 GB RAM | Per node hour, billed per minute, 10 percent off for 3 hours or more |
Fox Renderfarm is left out of this table because I could not retrieve a Corona page for it that I trusted today. Its different regional domains showed conflicting specifications, and I would rather omit it than repeat a number I cannot confirm.
Farm by farm notes
GarageFarm
GarageFarm’s Corona page names 3ds Max on Windows and Cinema 4D on Windows and Mac. Submission goes through the renderBeamer app plus a plugin installed in your 3D software. The page gives no Corona version numbers and no CPU models, and its trial credit appears as $25 in the FAQ and $50 in the page description, so confirm the current offer with support.
RebusFarm
RebusFarm says it was one of the first official partners of Corona Renderer and supports Corona for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D. Its plugin list includes Forest Pack, Phoenix FD and X-Particles, which matters if your scenes depend on scatter or simulation add-ons. It is the only page of the four that states Corona version numbers, but it shows no hardware, so ask what CPUs run Corona jobs.
RANCH Computing
RANCH lists Corona for Cinema 4D and 3ds Max and offers a cost estimator that returns render time and cost for a project. It also advertises bonus credits of up to 128 percent with volume purchases. The Corona page itself carries no CPU specs or version numbers, so the estimator and support are your sources.
iRender
iRender rents whole machines with one to eight GPUs. Its price page lists an RTX 4090 node at $8.20 per hour for one card and $52 for eight, an RTX 5090 node at $10.80 for one card and $62 for eight, 256 GB of RAM on the 5090 plans, billing per minute and 10 percent off sessions of three hours or more. Corona ignores the GPUs, so the figure that matters for Corona is the CPU. The price page lists a Threadripper PRO 3955WX on the 1x and 2x RTX 4090 nodes and a 5975WX on the 4x and 8x nodes, and iRender’s October 2025 announcement says the 5S package moved from the 3955WX to the 5975WX with 32 cores and 64 threads. The price page does not name Corona, so confirm which package carries the CPU you want and what you pay for the idle GPUs.
Where iRender fits for a Corona render farm job
Among the four farms, iRender is the one that publishes the CPU model and the RAM on its public price page, and those are the two specs that decide a Corona render farm job. The nodes use AMD Threadripper PRO processors, a 3955WX on the 1x and 2x RTX 4090 nodes and a 5975WX on the 4x and 8x nodes, and iRender states that the 5975WX has 32 cores and 64 threads. Every RTX 4090 plan lists 256 GB of RAM, and the RTX 5090 plans list the same. That is enough memory for scenes heavy with Forest Pack scatter or large textures, and you can read it before you upload anything.
The billing model also suits Corona test runs. iRender bills per minute of actual use, so a five minute test costs five minutes, not a full hour, and sessions of three hours or more get 10 percent off. Because you rent the whole machine, you control the Corona install and can match your local version exactly instead of relying on a farm’s build.
The trade off is real: the GPUs in each plan sit idle during a Corona job, and the hourly rate includes them. For Corona, pick the node by its CPU and compare the rate per finished frame against another farm, using the test routine below. iRender’s own hardware page does not name Corona, so ask support which package suits your scene before a large job.
How to compare a Corona render farm
The routine matters more than any ranking. A test of three to five frames, taken from the heaviest and lightest parts of the shot, tells you the real cost per frame on that farm, including upload, queue time and any difference in how the scene looks. Compare that figure across two farms and the choice usually becomes obvious.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which Corona version and build do you run? | A mismatch with your scene can change materials or lighting, and some Corona 15 features depend on the host app. |
| Which CPU model and how many cores per node? | Corona uses only the CPU, so this sets your speed. |
| How much RAM per node? | Scenes with heavy scatter or displacement can run out of memory. |
| How is Corona licensing billed? | None of the pages I read states this in a way I could verify, so get it in writing. |
| Which scatter, simulation and texture plugins are supported? | Missing plugins are the usual cause of failed or incomplete renders. |
| Do you bill per minute or per hour, and is idle upload time charged? | Short test jobs can cost very different amounts under different billing rules. |
When a Corona render farm is not worth it
A farm pays off when a sequence would tie up your workstation for a day or more, or when a deadline needs many frames finished at once. For a single still that finishes overnight on your own machine, upload time and setup usually cost more than they save. Run your own three to five frame test locally, note the minutes per frame, then compare it with the farm test before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Can Corona render on the GPU?
No. Corona is a CPU renderer with no GPU rendering path, so a farm’s GPU does not speed up Corona jobs. Compare CPU model, cores and RAM instead.
Which Corona version is current?
CG Channel reported the Corona 15 release on May 27, 2026. No newer version turned up in my checks on November 10, 2026,, and works with 3ds Max 2016 and later and Cinema 4D R17 and later.
Which host apps does Corona support?
Corona runs inside 3ds Max and Cinema 4D. The farms covered here all list those two hosts for Corona or on their general software pages.
How much does a Corona license cost?
CG Channel lists Corona Solo at $62.90 per month or $414 per year, and floating Corona Premium at $72.90 per month or $514.80 per year. Ask each farm how it handles licensing for render nodes.
Do I need a farm with a lot of RAM for Corona?
Scenes with heavy scatter, displacement or large textures can need much more memory than a desktop provides. Ask the farm for RAM per node before you upload a large scene.
How do I check a farm before a big job?
Render three to five test frames from different parts of the shot, with the same Corona version as your local scene, and compare cost per frame and visual match.
Rendering Corona on iRender? iRender publishes its Threadripper PRO CPUs (up to 32 cores and 64 threads on the 5975WX nodes) and 256 GB of RAM per node, billed per minute. Pick the node by CPU, then test a few frames first. See iRender plans and prices
See more: Top render farms for V-Ray and Best render farms for 3ds Max
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