Top Free General-Purpose CAD Software
If you have worked with CAD, or even dabbled with CAD drafting, you probably know how powerful and important these tools are across a variety of industries. Computer aided design and drafting software is used not only in architecture and engineering, but also in the creation of video games and in the classroom. Due to the high demand of CAD, and the increased need for companies to invest in a CAD designer, computer aided drafting all together can cost an awful lot of money. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of the best free and open source CAD software! Now, you can enjoy all the fun offered by a computer aided design without the heavy price tag
If you’d like to see more products and to evaluate additional feature options, compare all General-Purpose CAD Software to ensure you get the right product.
Top 10 Free General-Purpose CAD Software in 2021
- AutoCAD
- SketchUp
- Onshape
- AutoCAD LT
- MicroStation
- Inventor
- Fusion 360
- DraftSight
- Solid Edge
- BricsCAD
View Free General-Purpose CAD Software
Subscribe to Autodesk® AutoCAD® including specialized toolsets and get access to industry-specific functionality, greater mobility with the new web and mobile apps, and the latest feature updates. Speed up your work with specialized features & libraries for mechanical design, architecture, 3D mapping, and more while working in a familiar AutoCAD interface. Only AutoCAD, with the new web and mobile apps, gives you the freedom and flexibility to work on anything, anywhere, at any time. Design… Show More


The most popular 3D modeling and design tool in the world, SketchUp users model everything from treehouses to intricate, energy-efficient buildings. Owned by Trimble Inc., an entrepreneurial company focused on leveraging technology to change the way the world works, SketchUp is both intuitive and powerful for professionals and creatives of all kinds. The suite of tools within the program enhances workflows and creative concepts across a variety of industries including architecture, engineerin… Show More


Onshape is a next-generation SaaS design platform that speeds up product development. It’s an all-in-one system that combines CAD, release management, workflow, collaboration, analytics, admin tools, and an API with more than 50 engineering applications. Onshape helps extended design teams work together faster and helps executives make better business decisions with real-time analytics and unprecedented visibility into their company’s design and manufacturing processes. Thousands of companies … Show More
Create precise 2D drawings faster with the easy-to-use drafting tools in Autodesk® AutoCAD LT® software. Share your work with confidence using TrustedDWG™ technology, the original and most accurate way to store and exchange design data. Simplified 2D drafting and documentation tools help you produce detailed technical drawings that you can easily edit and repurpose. Collaborate with colleagues using connected desktop, cloud, and mobile Autodesk® AutoCAD® solutions. AutoCAD LT software – enginee… Show More

MicroStation’s advanced parametric 3D modeling and intelligent drafting capabilities enable infrastructure professionals of any discipline to collaborate on and deliver projects of any scale and complexity. You and your team can aggregate work in MicroStation, including designs and models created with Bentley’s discipline-specific modeling applications. As a result, you can create comprehensive, multi-discipline BIM models, documentation, and other deliverables. MicroStation and all Bentley BI… Show More
Autodesk® Inventor® 2021 software provides engineers and designers professional grade design and engineering solution for 3D mechanical design, simulation, visualization, and documentation. With Inventor software, engineers can integrate 2D and 3D data into a single design environment, creating a virtual representation of the final product that enables them to validate the form, fit, and function of the product before it is ever built. Autodesk Inventor includes powerful parametric, direct ed… Show More

Fusion 360 is for product designers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and machinists. It unifies design, engineering, PCB design, and manufacturing into a single platform. It allows you to connect your disconnected product development process to deliver high-quality products to market faster and positively impact your bottom line. Fusion 360 is a fully integrated CAD, CAM, PCB, and CAE software that includes generative design, 2.5, 3, 4, & 5 axis machining, and advanced simulati… Show More

A feature-rich 2D and 3D CAD solution for architects, engineers and construction service providers, as well as professional CAD users, designers, educators and hobbyists. DraftSight lets you create, edit, view and markup any kind of 2D and 3D DWG file with greater ease, speed and efficiency. Its familiar user interface facilitates a quick transition from your current CAD application.

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.
BricsCAD the first all-in-one CAD design solution in .dwg that answers all your needs; 2D drafting, 3D modeling, mechanical design, and BIM. The BricsCAD® family of products brings a cost-effective, multi-platform CAD solution to Windows, macOS, and Linux. BricsCAD is available as a permanent/perpetual license & subscription license, for networked or stand-alone computers. You can also add Maintenance for ease of keeping up-to-date. Familiarity for other CAD users and full LISP support c… Show More
CMS IntelliCAD® is the intelligent, powerful and affordable full-featured CAD Software providing extended customization. CMS IntelliCAD offers a full suite of 2D and 3D Autodesk® AutoCAD® compatible drawing tools! It is the smartest choice for engineers, architects and consultants, or anyone who communicates using CAD drawings. It is designed to give you the best unrivaled compatibility and a true CAD Software alternative providing an extensive programming toolkit for LISP, VBA .Net and IRX dev… Show More

ActCAD is a 2D Drafting and 3D Modeling CAD software meant for Engineers, Architects and other technical consultants. ActCAD is a native DWG & DXF CAD software to create and edit drawings. ActCAD is based on the technologies from IntelliCAD Technology Consortium (ITC), ODA Teigha Libraries, ACIS 3D Kernel, Wintopo, ps2edit etc. ActCAD uses the most recently released version of IntelliCAD to offer the best performance and features to its users. ActCAD as many add-on commands and features sup… Show More
TurboCAD Pro Platinum is a professional 2D/3D CAD application that offers a great collection of 2D/3D design tools to design, modify, present, and document in an integrated fashion. An optional AutoCAD®-like 2D drafting interface with command line and dynamic input cursor helps professionals already familiar with AutoCAD easily get up to speed. Advanced technology —a powerful drafting palette, D-Cubed constraints, and ACIS® engine—enhance productivity. Advanced architectural and mechanical de… Show More

nanoCAD Plus is a professional grade CAD tool. It has a familiar interface, powerful drafting and design tools, native DWG compatibility, and an open API. It is available through a low-cost annual subscription, including updates and priority online support.
Integrated BIM tools for building design, civil infrastructure, and construction. Get access to a set of integrated tools that equip you to meet any project challenge – now and in the future. Use powerful BIM and CAD workflows enabled by a comprehensive set of software and services to deliver your best work and stay competitive. Why a collection? • Be ready for anything with a full set of BIM tools Get an essential set of tools, including Revit and AutoCAD, at a great price. And with access … Show More
Design and make your products with our best Inventor, including in-canvas workflows for design, advanced simulation, 5-axis CAM, nesting, and factory layout. You also get access to the full breadth of specialized toolsets available with AutoCAD, along with new cloud-based technologies like Fusion 360. Why a collection? Professional-grade design and manufacturing Design and make your products with the full collection of tools that work inside Inventor, including Inventor Nastran, Inventor CAM,… Show More

THE ARES TRINITY OF CAD SOFTWARE: Modern DWG Editing for Desktop, Mobile and Cloud Create and modify DWG drawings anywhere, on any device, and enjoy unrivaled flexibility Much more than a cost-effective alternative for CAD in DWG, our Trinity concept combines the strengths of desktop computers, mobile devices and cloud computing into a unique ecosystem. With ARES Commander, you keep the ability to work offline on your main computers as usual. With ARES Kudo and ARES Touch you further add the… Show More

Shapr3D is the first professional 3D modeling app for iPad and Apple Pencil, now also available on macOS. It offers a quick but precise way to create solid models. Fueled by the same geometric modeling engine as SolidWorks, we bring you the power of MCAD and the ease of use of SketchUp, right on your Apple devices. Perfect for engineers, industrial designers, manufacturers, and other design professionals, as well as 3D hobbyists. Regardless of your level of experience, you will find Shapr3D ea… Show More