: Since 2018, Maya has introduced massive improvements in Bifrost (physics/liquids), the Arnold renderer, and faster animation playback that you would miss in an older version. Download Maya | Maya Free Trial - Autodesk
: For those making under a certain income threshold (usually $100k/year), Autodesk offers a significantly discounted "Indie" subscription that provides the full professional version at a fraction of the standard cost.
If you are looking for Maya for learning or hobbyist use, there are official, safe ways to access it: