Computer-Aided Design (commonly referred to as CAD) has become an integral factor that moves the world forward. CAD lets you design everything from tiny pieces of electronic equipment to large buildings, dams, and more. Naturally, CAD programs have become expensive as most professionals use them to design things. And if you are a student or a freelancer, buying expensive CAD software becomes a distant dream. But there is nothing to worry about as we have curated a list of the top 10 free CAD software which are as good as the paid ones. So without any delay, let’s check out the best free CAD software in 2022.

Here, we have compiled a list of the top 10 free CAD software you can use in 2022. The list includes two kinds of software – the free ones and the Student’s edition of premium software. The latter will be useful when your institution uses a particular tool, and you need to use that too.

  • FreeCADTinkercadLibreCADOpenSCADZBrushCoreMini (Earlier Sculptris)SketchUpFusion 360AutoCADOnshapenanoCADFrequently Asked Questions

  • Is there a free AutoCAD program?Is FreeCAD really free?Is there a cheaper alternative to AutoCAD?

  • Is there a free AutoCAD program?Is FreeCAD really free?Is there a cheaper alternative to AutoCAD?

1. FreeCAD

FreeCAD, as the name suggests, is a free and open-source CAD software, and it’s a top choice among both beginners and professionals. If you are well-versed with CAD modeling basics, then this software would be the best pick for you. An educator or programmer can also get the best out of FreeCAD, given its multi-purpose behavior and intuitive interface.

In addition, from an advanced user’s perspective, its ability to be implemented into an app through Python modules makes it quite useful. Additional features of FreeCAD include the Robot Simulation module that helps you study the movement of robots, a rendering module for exporting your project into external renderers, and more. To sum up, if you are looking for free CAD software for beginners, then FreeCAD is an excellent choice. I would say, even professionals can use it given the tools and features it packs.

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Suppose you’re at your friend’s home and get a call to design a simple 3D Model. Now, your friend’s PC does not have any CAD software installed in it, but you do have a powerful internet connection at hand. In such cases, you have a solution in Tinkercad. It is an online solution for 3D Digital Designs. The best thing about Tinkercad is that it does not require any previous experience, and it’s free to use.

The thing I love the most about Tinkercad is that it entices youngsters into learning CAD. It might not seem like a compelling prospect to young audiences, but the lectures are fun-filled. There’s a lot to learn here. You can learn 3D design, electronics design, code blocks, and more. There are even tutorials on how to create Minecraft models.

Unlike other CAD software in this list, LibreCAD is a 2D modeling software for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is an open-source and free CAD software that you can use for both personal and commercial use. LibreCAD uses some of the libraries from another CAD program called BRL-CAD.

Moreover, you can export your 2D design in DXF, SVG, and PDF formats. LibreCAD has support for plugins as well, so you can add advanced tools just by installing a third-party plugin. If you are looking for free CAD software for beginners interested in 2D modeling, LibreCAD is the best program out there.

ProsConsCompletely freeCan be a little unintuitiveOffers a plentiful selection of tools

4. OpenSCAD

If you are okay with using a textual description language to create 3D CAD Objects, you may find OpenSCAD to be an effective free CAD Software. There are several scenarios where you might need such an interface, especially when you are in a professional field. You will have to be as specific as you can when you model things, and you can find how useful OpenSCAD is in such cases.

The user interface is developer-centric, so you can go with OpenSCAD if you are okay with it. OpenSCAD is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS devices. Developers say that they find OpenSCAD excellent for designing, as they don’t have to deal with menus or shortcuts, but pure code. However, this means that the software is not for beginners. If you are just starting with CAD, this is not for you.

ProsConsOpen sourceCan be a little unintuitiveGreat for people from a programming backgroundChallenging to design complex shapes

ZBrushCoreMini is another free CAD Software that focuses on 3D Sculpting & 3D Modelling. It is made by one of the industry leaders named Pixologic. The tool has a professional User Interface and can be learned by anyone in a lesser time-period, given that you know the basics of creative designing.

There are several features here that are very helpful when it comes to designing. For instance, there is support for both ZBrush navigation & standard-level navigation.

ZBrushCoreMini even offers support for plug-ins, using which you can extend features and productivity. Plus, there are some sculpting and designing-oriented features, which you can find on the official site. This CAD software is available for macOS and Windows with a system requirement of 1 GB of RAM or more.

SketchUp is a professional-grade software used for 3D Modelling in several industries such as interior design, architecture, engineering, video game design development, etc. As you may have guessed, SketchUp is a paid tool, but it offers a free tier for personal users and students. The free service, however, is only available on its web platform.

You can design 3D models, render them and save your project in DWG format. One of the noticeable additions of SketchUp includes its open-source library of model assemblies and 3D Warehouse, a large-enough collection of 3D models uploaded by other users.

Also, as it’s a tool developed using Ruby, there’s support for extensions as well. The Extension Warehouse of SketchUp is an essential feature for those who need enhanced productivity. Further, if you want to use its native app, you can check out SketchUp Pro, available for a 30-day trial. So, there’s plenty of time to check it out before you buy it.

For the unaware, Fusion 360 is a CAD software developed by Autodesk. It is available free of charge to make computer-aided designing accessible to students, creators, and even hobbyists. As such, it’s one of the best apps for students as well. Fusion 360 stresses on building the concepts first, making it an excellent tool for learning. You will have to go through all the basics of 3D Design & Modeling, Simulation, Generative Design, and more.

The best part about Fusion 360 is that you can do everything in one place. You can create 3D designs, render complicated mechanical structures, design custom toolpath, run simulations, collaborate through the cloud, and more.

In addition, if you expand your project in the future, you can move it to CAM or CAE software seamlessly. That’s awesome, right? Apart from that, you can also unify design elements from different projects, create a prototype, and even manufacture on a single platform.

When it comes to 3D Modelling, AutoCAD does not need much introduction since it has been an industry standard for many years. It’s a premium program, but you can get this CAD software for free through a one-year student license. If you did not know, AutoCAD is also part of the Autodesk family, and it is super expensive, such that no student can afford it. However, the company also knows that if students cannot use AutoCAD, they won’t learn it. And that will hurt the sales in the future when those students become graduates and professionals.

In its student version, you get all the features of AutoCAD. When compared to the $200-per-month plan of AutoCAD, this student version is indeed superb. You can create complex assemblies, a variety of metal designs and simulate them within the program. The range of advanced tools and pallets on AutoCAD is unbelievable.

Onshape is modern-age CAD software that is known for its excellent design repository and assemblies. Unlike other software programs that are standalone desktop applications, Onshape is a cloud-based design platform. You can create complex solid and surface models just from a browser and without any fear of losing your design progress.

You can create highly structured and detailed assemblies from its unique databased of architecture design. And for drawing purposes, you can easily import DWG, DW, or DXF files if you were working on Autodesk before.

While nanoCAD is not entirely free, it is a lot cheaper than its competitors. And that is why I have included it in this list. It is an inexpensive CAD software, which offers advanced tools for drawing and creating 2D and 3D designs.

Further, nanoCAD brings several end-user APIs, which you can use to automate complex CAD designs. It can help those companies who regularly create similar products without going through the grinding drafting phase.

Is there a free AutoCAD program?

There are a lot of free CAD software out there, as you can see on this list. Moreover, if you’re looking specifically at AutoCAD, even that is available to students for free. So, if you have a student email ID, you can get started with using AutoCAD completely free right away.

Yes, FreeCAD is a completely free CAD software that’s really powerful and feature rich, which is why it’s our top pick for this list as well. The software brings support for plugins and more, all for free.

Is there a cheaper alternative to AutoCAD?

AutoCAD is the industry standard for CAD software, but it’s very expensive at $200 per month. However, there are a lot of affordable and even free AutoCAD alternatives that we have covered on this list such as FreeCAD, among others. Moreover, AutoCAD can be used for free by students.