Best Free CAD Software

Compare the Top Free CAD Software as of April 2025

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What is Free CAD Software?

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software is software used by engineers, architects, and designers to create precise 2D and 3D models. It enables users to design, visualize, and simulate their projects with high accuracy, facilitating efficient prototyping and problem-solving. CAD software supports a variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, and product design, by offering features like parametric modeling, rendering, and automated drafting. Its intuitive interfaces and integration with other engineering tools make it a cornerstone of modern design workflows. By streamlining the design process, CAD software helps reduce development time, improve collaboration, and bring innovative ideas to life. Compare and read user reviews of the best Free CAD software currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.

1

CADhobby

CAD-MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS INC.

CADhobby Student - free version for Academic use only. CADhobby IntelliCAD is a powerful and affordable computer-aided design (CAD) software application that is perfect for both hobbyists and professionals. It offers a wide range of features, including 2D and 3D modeling, rendering, and animation. CADhobby IntelliCAD is also compatible with a variety of file formats, including DWG, DXF, DGN, and STL. CADhobby IntelliCAD is a great choice for anyone who wants to create high-quality CAD designs without breaking the bank. It is easy to learn and use, and it has a large and active community of users who can provide support and help.

44 Ratings

Starting Price: $0.00/one-time/user

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2

SkyCiv Structural 3D

SkyCiv Engineering

SkyCiv Structural 3D is a cloud-based Structural Analysis software that allows users to model, analyze and design complex 3D structures. It is completely online; requiring no installation to use. SkyCiv Structural 3D offers the very best in online structural analysis. It includes the following: - Powerful Analysis: Linear, P-Delta, Cables, Buckling, Plates, Frequency, RS - Integrated Design checks for steel, wood, connections, foundations, wind (AISC, NSD, AISI, EN, AS, CSA, BS plus more...)

4 Ratings

Starting Price: $79/month/user

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3

Solid Edge

Siemens

Solid Edge is a portfolio of affordable, easy to deploy, maintain, and use software tools that advance all aspects of the product development process – mechanical and electrical design, simulation, manufacturing, technical documentation, data management, and cloud-based collaboration. Developed on Siemens industry leading technologies, Solid Edge provides the most innovative and comprehensive approach to product development for the mainstream market.

1 Rating

Starting Price: $75/month/user

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4

Canvas

Occipital

The new power tool for home improvement. Fast, easy, mobile 3D scanning for home service pros and DIY warriors. Powered by the world’s first mobile depth sensor, the Structure Sensor, Canvas makes capturing a 3D model of a room delightfully easy. Simply tap scan, walk around the room, and watch as a scale-accurate model is built in real-time, right on your iPad. No more busting out the measuring tape and converting scribbles into floor plans later – Canvas captures tens of thousands of measurements all at once, and then pieces it together into an interactive 3D model. Your 3D model is saved on your iPad, so you can go back and revisit any space, at any time. Whether you just need to refresh your memory of a given viewpoint or capture a forgotten measurement, you're never more than a few taps away. Save hours with professional-grade CAD output. With our Scan To CAD service, we’ll convert your scan into an editable, professional-grade, CAD file.

1 Rating

Starting Price: $10

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5

RFEM

Dlubal Software

The FEA program RFEM allows for quick and easy modeling, structural and dynamic calculation, as well as the design of models with member, plate, wall, folded plate, shell, and solid elements. Due to the modular software concept, you can connect the main program RFEM with the corresponding add‑ons in order to meet your individual requirements. The structural analysis program RFEM provides structural engineers with a 3D FEA program that meets all requirements in modern civil engineering. Efficient data input and intuitive handling facilitate the modeling of simple and complex structures. The structural analysis program RFEM is the basis of a modular software system. The basic program RFEM is used to define structures, materials, and loads for planar and spatial structural systems consisting of plates, walls, shells, and members. The program also allows you to create combined structures as well as model solid and contact elements.

Starting Price: €697.50 rent 1 month

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6

Onshape

Onshape

Onshape is a modern CAD and data management solution with features that include modern CAD, standard content libraries, multi-part modeling, and in-context editing. Onshape allows users to access the solution anywhere and anytime without downloads and installations. Onshape enables users to store and share CAD data in a secure cloud workspace. Onshape allows users to control and monitor access privileges of stored CAD files.

Starting Price: $125.00/month/user

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7

HydroCAD

HydroCAD Software Solutions

HydroCAD Stormwater Modeling provides easy TR-20, TR-55, SBUH, and Rational hydrology, plus TC calculations, pond storage, outlet hydraulics, pump routing, underground storage, pollutant loading, and more. Special features include direct CAD import, dam breach routing, skimmers, tubes, siphons, local rainfall data import, and a constantly expanding chamber library. Interactive graphical environment is fast and intuitive, producing better results in less time on every project.

Starting Price: $295.00

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8

OnScale Solve

OnScale

OnScale is the first Cloud Engineering Simulation platform. It combines powerful multiphysics solver technology with the limitless compute power of cloud supercomputers. With OnScale, engineers can run massive numbers of full 3D multiphysics simulations in parallel to create true Digital Prototypes digital representations of physical high-tech devices that capture the complete behavior of a device over its operating envelope. With OnScale Solve we want to provide you with an awesome Cloud Engineering Simulation experience that’s easy, powerful, and gets the job done. OnScale Solve is built to run on public and private cloud supercomputers and includes a functional web-based UI, an API to efficiently integrate into any design workflow, scripting languages to fully customize engineering simulations, and plugins to enhance its modeling capabilities. OnScale Solve gives engineers the simulation capability necessary to synthetically generate data to train sophisticated AI/ML algorithms.

Starting Price: $4

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9

uMake

uMake

Create beautiful designs, photos, presentations, or 3D models, using a library of content and easy-to-use tools in uMake app for iPhone and iPad. Designing in 3D is now easier than ever. Drag and drop from the content library, or draw precisely using the precision tool. Everything you need is within reach. Create 3D text in seconds, or drag & drop shapes and objects from our vast content library. Already got something? It's a cinch to import file types like SketchUp or OBJ. Rather draw it yourself? Use the freestyle tool to sketch and doodle rapidly in 3D. Let your ideas flow! When precision matters, uMake puts you in control. Draw perfect lines, arcs, and angles, and specify exact dimensions. Push and pull extrusions or cutouts. Chamfer and fillet corners, and loft or revolve curves to create complex 3D surfaces. With intuitive inputs and powerful features, it's easy to model the shapes you envision.

Starting Price: $7.99 per month

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10

PVSketch

PVComplete

PVSketch is an intuitive web app designed to streamline solar project development. A friendly interface allows sales professionals easy access to a precision layout tool with little or no training. PVSketch helps visualize solar energy solutions and creates accurate energy modeling. PVSketch is part of the PVComplete platform. PVComplete allows solar developers, installers and engineers to work together on a single, versatile platform combining efficiency and accuracy. Sales professionals can begin a project quickly online with PVSketch and then transfer the project to PVCAD, our AutoCAD plugin, for a detailed engineering plan. PVSketch makes solar design simple. As little as five clicks and you can create a solar project packed with valuable information. Simple and instinctive drawing tools make accurate solar design accessible to any individual. While a single click can generate an entire layout if you dig deeper you can refine your solar design to create sophisticated designs.

Starting Price: $50 per month

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11

EnSuite ReVue

CADCAM

Share design data & invite anyone to evaluate, discuss, feedback & collaborate. Organize your design discussions for each design in one place, chronologically. Collaborate securely with complete visibility and accountability of your design evaluation & discussion. Securely evaluate, discuss, offer feedback & collaborate on design data. Offer rich feedback to your team, partner, or customer on the product designs at any time, from anywhere. The only place to share your designs with other stakeholders easily, quickly, securely. Retain complete visibility and accountability of your design discussions. Your team, partners, suppliers, and customers can view, evaluate, discuss, and collaborate with the 2D & 3D designs you share with them. A host of productivity tools makes it easy to work with design data. Discussion participants can share feedback using simple notes referencing relevant parts of the design.

Starting Price: $1,995 one-time payment

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12

JSCAD

JSCAD

JSCAD is an open-source set of modular, browser, and command line tools for creating parametric 2D and 3D designs with Javascript code. It provides a quick, precise and reproducible method for generating 3D models, and is especially useful for 3D printing applications. There are different 'flavors' of JSCAD that you can use based on your needs. JSCAD is a solids modeling system. It is fundamentally unitless, however, when you export files, typically 1 unit in JSCAD corresponds to 1 millimeter in your model file. Modeling in JSCAD is often a case of building the shape you want out of primitives, but there are often many different options to get the same shape. Check out the examples on the JSCAD app's info menu to learn about the different capabilities. Booleans are one of the most important tools in the solid modeling toolkit. Many of the shapes that you will need to create on your journey can be created by joining, subtracting and intersecting simple shapes.

Starting Price: Free

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13

Toggle3D

nextech AR

Choose your project template, import your CAD file, and create 3D visualizations directly from your browser. No experience is required in 3D design. No app downloads, create directly in your browser. Start instantly by uploading a CAD file or 3D model. Use pre-made templates to make 3D visualization easy and fast. Start with our 3D Configurator template today. Stay tuned for more coming soon. Browse through over one thousand high-quality PBR materials and edit them in real time to make your model come to life. Toggle3D is your ultimate design studio for 3D. Whether you are here to create and texture 3D models, build product configurators for eCommerce, or to prototype design, Toggle is a tool anyone can use to turn 2D into 3D with no relevant 3D design experience required. Start by signing up to our free or pro plans and jump straight into the platform. To start creating, make sure you have a CAD or 3D model ready.

Starting Price: $29 per month

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14

ARES Touch

Graebert

ARES Touch is a comprehensive mobile CAD solution for iOS and Android devices, enabling users to create and modify DWG drawings on tablets and smartphones with a full suite of 2D drafting and annotation commands. Optimized for touch inputs, it allows field workers to access, annotate, and synchronize drawings in real time, ensuring they always work with the latest versions. Users can view, annotate, and modify DWG files on the go, making it ideal for technical surveys, on-site inspections, maintenance, project coordination, client meetings, and facility management. It supports synchronization with popular cloud storage services like Dropbox, Box, iCloud, Google Drive, and OneDrive, allowing offline access when needed. It offers a complete set of 2D drafting tools, including precise drawing aids such as the loupe, entity snap, tracking, and coordinate input. Additionally, ARES Touch enables users to annotate drawings with pictures taken from the device's camera and text legends.

Starting Price: Free

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15

Hurricane for AutoCAD

74Mph Solutions

Batch edit your AutoCAD drawings in 3 clicks (or less), Make simple, complex and/or dynamic changes to each drawing. Manage your files to process. Keep lists, save "project" directories. Share these lists and "user-scripts". Combine user scripts to accomplish complex editing tasks. (You can even store scripts specific to each project, and retrieve them easily.) AutoCAD Electrical ".WDP" project file compatibility - Double-click an AutoCAD Electrical .WDP (Project) file within Hurricanes file selector, to quickly load an entire AutoCAD Electrical project into the FileQueue. This means you can EASILY use AutoCAD to Batch Plot your files, Batch Purge, Batch Bind, batch script anything, maximizing your PC's power to perform redundant tasks fast! Add more time-saving batch script functionality to AutoCAD Electrical, Mechanical, and Architectural. Batch all drawings run in a single AutoCAD session (They don't "open-run-close, open-run-close...")

Starting Price: $99.95 one-time payment

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16

Electra Cloud

Radica Software

Electra® Cloud offers impressive benefits that more than save time or eliminate tedious work, it leaves the engineer free to focus on the important parts of a design, the control scheme, operations and safety of the entire machine. For many companies, creating and managing technical drawings efficiently are often critical to become competitive with direct impacts on a company's bottom line. Surprisingly, many companies are still using inefficient and costly methods, resulting in higher cost, lower productivity and technical drawings that are only accessible to a few people in an organization. Cut the amount of time a electrical engineer spends on generating electrical designs, and they could spend more time working with customers. The fact is, technical drawing is an invaluable resource and should be accessible to everyone in an organization.

Starting Price: $99.00/month

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17

VrLiDAR

Cardinal Systems

The task remains the same which is to extract intelligent data from images and (or) point cloud data (LiDAR, DSM, point clouds) in the form of vectors and attributes for various disciplines. VrThree (VrLiDAR) offers the ability for photogrammetry firms to utilize existing personnel and software while offering new and powerful tools for other mapping disciplines such as architecture, all types of surveying and engineering. VrThree (VrLiDAR) is software that integrates point cloud data into the time tested Vr Mapping Software packages, VrOne® and VrTwo. This package allows the display and editing of LiDAR point data in 2D and in true three-dimensional stereo. The four configurations available in VrThree enable vector, symbol and text entities to be collected and edited using the extensive VrOne®/VrTwo mapping tools. Mapping professionals now not only need the ability to collect three dimensional vector data from traditional photogrammetric sources.

Starting Price: $2500.00/one-time/user

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18

AxisVM

InterCAD

The primary applications of AxisVM are in the design of buildings, and industrial and geotechnical structures. Due to its powerful finite element solver and practical modeling tools, it has also been used in bridge design, and in the design of composite structures, machines, and vehicles. Besides the basic configurations, optional design modules are available for structures made of reinforced concrete, steel, timber, and masonry members and connections. In addition, thanks to the special elements and analysis capabilities, users have successfully applied AxisVM to the design of innovative and custom structures. Reports can be created based on tables, drawings, and detailed design calculations with additional headings and text lines. Reports are auto-updating, i.e. generated based on the most current model data and results.

Starting Price: $500 one-time payment

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19

ODOP:Spring

SpringDesignSoftware

More than a Spring Calculator. ODOP:Spring is a spring design application of the problem-independent Open Design Optimization Platform (ODOP) software. It finds solutions for demanding spring application requirements in mechanical engineering and machine design. Most coil spring calculators require users to manually input values – such as wire diameter, coil diameter, free length and number of coils – and then repeatedly re-analyze until an acceptable solution is reached. ODOP’s ability to invert formula relationships removes that guesswork. Spring design equations are backsolved to meet constraints placed on the problem variables. Need to identify the lightest-possible material weight? Ensure a long spring life and low risk of failure? Our helical coil spring design software can find the constrained extreme of any variable, whether independent or dependent.

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20

OpenSCAD

OpenSCAD

It is free software and available for Linux/UNIX, Windows and Mac OS X. Unlike most free software for creating 3D models (such as Blender) it does not focus on the artistic aspects of 3D modelling but instead on the CAD aspects. Thus it might be the application you are looking for when you are planning to create 3D models of machine parts but pretty sure is not what you are looking for when you are more interested in creating computer-animated movies. OpenSCAD is not an interactive modeller. Instead it is something like a 3D-compiler that reads in a script file that describes the object and renders the 3D model from this script file. This gives you (the designer) full control over the modelling process and enables you to easily change any step in the modelling process or make designs that are defined by configurable parameters.

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21

SolveSpace

SolveSpace

SOLVESPACE is a free (GPLv3) parametric 3d CAD tool. Modeling 3d parts, drawing with extrudes, revolves, helixes and Boolean (union/difference/intersection) operations. Modeling 2d parts, draw the part as a single section, and export DXF, PDF, SVG; use 3d assembly to verify fit. 3D-printed parts, export the STL or other triangle mesh expected by most 3d printers. Preparing CAM data, export 2d vector art for a waterjet machine or laser cutter; or generate STEP or STL, for import into third-party CAM software for machining. Mechanism design, use the constraint solver to simulate planar or spatial linkages, with pin, ball, or slide joints. Plane and solid geometry, replace hand-solved trigonometry and spreadsheets with a live dimensioned drawing. Sketch sections using lines, rectangles, datum lines and points. Sketch circles, arcs of a circle, datum circles, cubic Bezier segments, C2 interpolating splines, and more.

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22

VariCAD

VariCAD

VariCAD is 3D / 2D CAD software primarily intended for mechanical engineering design. The comprehensive CAD software enables designers to quickly create, evaluate, and modify their models. The software is sold as one "fully loaded" package, with all features and functions, for one affordable price. VariCAD delivers an excellent performance-to-price ratio, making it one of the smartest choices on the market today. VariCAD is compact, fast, easy to use, and provides everything necessary for mechanical design. The system contains: 3D Modeling 2D Drawing and Editing Optional Support of Parameters Optional Support of Geometrical Constraints Shells Modeling, Pipelines, Wires Crash Tests (Interferences) 3D Assemblies and Groups Surface Development (Sheet Metal Unbending) Mechanical Part Libraries and Symbol Libraries Calculations of 3D Objects or 2D Sections BOM and Title Blocks

Starting Price: $199/user

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23

ALCAD

ALCADS

ALCAD 2D/3D is the best AutoCAD Alternative. Same interface and functions as AutoCAD. This product only includes the CAD. Compare-Table ALCAD with AutoCAD here: Compare ALCAD | ALCAD (alcads.com) ALCAD – the fully compatible DWG-CAD CAD Interface and functions same as AutoCAD. ALCAD 2025 Professional 2D/3D is available as annual licence 199€ or one-time permanent licence for 349€.

Starting Price: $199

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24

Creo

PTC

Imagine, design, create, and innovate your products better with Creo, 3D CAD/CAM/CAE software, and solutions for product design and development. Now, more than ever, product design and manufacturing teams are expected to create products more efficiently and cost effectively, without sacrificing innovation or quality. Fortunately, Creo delivers the most scalable range of 3D CAD product development packages and tools in today’s market. Creo 7.0 has breakthrough innovations in the areas of generative design, real-time simulation, multibody design, additive manufacturing, and others! Take your products from concept to digital prototype efficiently, precisely, and intuitively with Creo—on the cutting edge of CAD for more than 30 years. With Creo 7.0, PTC amply demonstrates its skill at adding compelling new features to an already robust tool-set using smart partnerships to extend its capabilities even further.

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25

SwiftComp

AnalySwift

SwiftComp is a revolutionary multiscale, multiphysics composite simulation code that quickly and easily delivers the accuracy of 3D FEA at the efficiency of simple engineering models. In doing so, SwiftComp reduces barriers for engineers by enabling them to model composites as easily as metals using conventional structural elements in their FEA codes (without losing accuracy while capturing all the microstructural details). SwiftComp provides unified modeling for 1D (beams), 2D (plates/shells), or 3D structures, calculating all the effective properties. Use SwiftComp either independently for virtual testing of composites or as a plug-in to power your conventional structural tools with high-fidelity composites modeling. SwiftComp can compute the best structural model for use in macroscopic structural analysis, as well as perform dehomogenization to compute the pointwise stresses in the microstructure. SwiftComp directly interfaces with ABAQUS, ANSYS.

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26

MechDesigner

PSMotion

PSMotion Ltd is the developer of the world-leading machine design software - MechDesigner - the best software for cam, mechanism, and motion design of multi-axis machines. You can use MechDesigner to build, with confidence, the best possible packaging, assembly, and textile machines. You can also engage us at any stage of your machine design to quickly build your models, and, additionally, use all of our Motion-Design and Cam-Design expertise to give you the best possible machine performance within your design constraints. You can edit, update, and instantly observe changes, as the model continuously cycles, synchronized to a machine 'clock'. This working environment allows you to design a machine with optimal operating performance. You can collate important design parameters and their limits into one dialog, so you, or others, can review and edit your design at any time in the future.

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27

CADBase

CADBase

When organising collaborative engineering work, a platform that supports CAD file versioning, differentiated data access, verified supplier catalogues with 3D models and supporting documentation is a useful solution. One valuable feature is the capability to access and refresh parts on the platform through computer-aided design systems utilized by engineers and designers. The engineering platform's API, accessible to all users, enables them to create bespoke solutions for automating business processes and presenting data.

Starting Price: Free

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28

SolidFace

SolidFace Technology

Built-in version control and simple management tools solve the costly need for a separate PDM system. Your team and you always on the latest design data. Every modification made by every user is captured and recorded and can be reversed at any time, providing unlimited undo/redo and a documented audit trail. Branching and merging enable many product ideas to be developed in parallel. The parameterization capability is one of the most significant advantages of SolidFace, and it is present in all design steps. 3D Motion simulation is no different; the simulation is updated simultaneously with the movement. Another important capability is the simulation of 2D mechanisms, which can be performed either in 2D drawing or in 3D sketch module. Directly available through SolidFace's software interface, this new online part library features over 100 million part numbers from hundreds of leading component manufacturers and distributors and thousands of ISO, ANSI, DIN, NF, GB, ASME, and more.

6 Ratings

Starting Price: $89 per quarter

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