Buyers look past SOLIDWORKS when a yearly fee per seat is hard to justify for a small design office, when they want data management without a separate product, or when most of the work is 2D. Most go to Onshape for a browser-based replacement, to Alibre Design for a desktop one, or to FreeCAD for no fee at all.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Onshape
Cloud-native CAD with built-in data management · United States
Runs in the browser with data management, branching and release management built in, so there is no file server or sync client to maintain. The vendor offers a free plan for non-commercial work with public documents, and a Discovery Program for qualified professionals to try the paid plan. Needs a stable connection.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you want data management and collaboration without installing software or running a file server.
Pricing: Standard is $1,500 per user per year and Professional $2,500 per user per year; Enterprise is custom pricing, and a Free plan exists for non-commercial work with public documents. (free plan)
Full review: #7 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit Onshape →
2. Alibre Design
Perpetual-license mechanical CAD for Windows · United States
A locally installed modeler for parts, assemblies and production drawings. Its import list names SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, CATIA, Solid Edge, NX and Rhino files, plus STEP and Parasolid. The Expert edition adds sheet metal with flat patterns and direct face editing. Buyers choose a lifetime license or a subscription.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you want a desktop tool that reads SolidWorks files and lets you choose a lifetime license.
Pricing: One-time license that does not expire; the Design Expert page showed a sale price of $1,349 per license when read, with an optional updates and support package at $465 per license per year. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit Alibre Design →
3. FreeCAD
Open-source parametric 3D modeler · Belgium
Open-source parametric modeler with workbenches for assemblies, architecture and more. Version 1.0 added a built-in assembly workbench based on the Ondsel solver. It reads and writes STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF and STL. There is no vendor support desk, so help comes from documentation and the community forum.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you have an engineer who can live without vendor support and wants no license cost.
Pricing: Free to download and use; the project states there are no licensing fees, no sign-up and no paywall. (open source)
Full review: #6 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit FreeCAD →
4. BricsCAD
DWG-based 2D and 3D CAD in five editions · Belgium
Built on the DWG format, so 2D drawings from AutoCAD-style workflows open without conversion. The Mechanical toolset adds 3D assembly modeling, sheet metal unfolding and design-for-manufacturing checks. It suits a shop with a large archive of 2D drawings that wants to add 3D at its own pace.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if your drawings live in DWG and you want 3D mechanical tools on the same file format.
Pricing: Annual subscription per seat, listed on the store: Lite at €330 per year (shown on the store as sold in packs of 5 seats), Pro at €710, Mechanical at €998, BIM at €1,060 and Ultimate at €1,176; a 30-day trial is offered. (free trial)
Full review: #4 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit BricsCAD →
5. Shapr3D
3D CAD for iPad, Mac and Windows · Hungary
Direct modeling with sketch constraints on Windows, macOS and iPad, plus Apple Vision Pro. Its plan table lists SLDPRT and SLDASM import among the paid features, next to NX, Creo and Solid Edge. Basic is capped at two projects. Better for concept work and short production runs than for deep assemblies.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you design on a Mac or iPad and mostly need parts and 3D-print files.
Pricing: Basic is free and limited to 2 projects; Pro is listed at $299 billed annually, excluding VAT, per editor seat; Enterprise is by contact with sales. (free plan)
Full review: #8 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit Shapr3D →
6. nanoCAD
Modular DWG CAD platform · Norway
A DWG-compatible platform with optional modules. The 3D Solid Modeling module brings parametric modeling, 3D mating constraints and sheet metal tools. A separate Mechanica module covers 2D and 3D mechanical design with a standard parts library. You buy the platform first and add only the modules you need.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you want to buy 3D and mechanical tools as add-on modules to a DWG platform.
Pricing: nanoCAD 26 Platform is $289 per year or $867 for three years per workstation, $379 per year as a network license; modules such as 3D Solid Modeling and Mechanica are $229 each. (free trial)
Full review: #3 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit nanoCAD →
7. ZWCAD
DWG-compatible CAD with perpetual licenses · China
A DWG-compatible 2D platform; the vendor sells a manufacturing edition called ZWCAD MFG for 2D mechanical drafting. Parametric 3D machinery design is a separate product from the same company, ZW3D. Fits a drawing office that produces more 2D sheets than models.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if your output is mostly 2D manufacturing drawings and 3D is occasional.
Pricing: Perpetual and network licenses; the product page says prices start from $899 and vary by country, and the vendor's store lists Standard, Professional and MFG editions with optional yearly maintenance. (free trial)
Full review: #2 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit ZWCAD →
8. Rhino
Freeform NURBS and SubD modeler with Grasshopper · United States
Models NURBS curves, surfaces and solids, SubD and meshes, with Grasshopper included for algorithmic design. It is a freeform surface modeler, not a feature-tree assembly tool. The vendor states licenses are permanent and carry no maintenance fees. Suits industrial design, jewelry and fabrication more than standard machine parts.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if your parts are freeform surfaces rather than prismatic machine components.
Pricing: One-time purchase: Rhino 8 is US$ 995 for a single concurrent user and US$ 595 as an upgrade; the vendor states licenses are permanent and there are no maintenance fees. (free trial)
Full review: #5 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit Rhino →
9. Plasticity
Direct NURBS modeler for concept work · United States
A direct modeler built on the Parasolid kernel and its own xNURBS surfacing, with no history tree. The vendor calls it a complement to history-based CAD. The 30-day trial allows STEP import and low-resolution OBJ and STL export only, with no commercial use. Paid licenses add Parasolid and STEP export. Not an assembly or drawing tool.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you want fast hard-surface modeling next to your main CAD, not instead of it.
Pricing: One-time purchase: Indie is $175 USD and Studio $299 USD, each plus local taxes, with a 12-month window of upgrades; a 30-day trial is free but not for commercial use. (free trial)
Full review: #12 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit Plasticity →
10. DraftSight
2D DWG drafting for Windows and Mac · France
Dassault Systèmes sells it too, so this is a move inside the same owner. It creates and edits 2D and 3D DWG files, and the vendor presents it as 2D CAD. Offers a free trial and network licensing. It drops the parametric part and assembly modeling that SOLIDWORKS is bought for.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you only draft in 2D now and want to stay with the same vendor.
Pricing: Annual subscription: Professional is $299 USD per year, Premium $599 USD per year, and Network licensing starts at $399 USD per year; a 30-day trial of Premium is offered. (free trial)
Full review: #10 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit DraftSight →
11. TurboCAD
General-purpose CAD in four editions · United States
Windows and Mac editions in four tiers, with 2D drafting, ACIS solid modeling and DWG read and write. The Platinum tier adds 2D geometric and dimensional constraints and sheet-metal unfolding. Sold as perpetual licenses, with term licenses on offer. A general drafting tool more than a product-development system.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if you want one perpetual license covering 2D drafting and simple solids.
Pricing: Perpetual licenses: Designer $199.99, Deluxe $399.99, Professional $999.99, Platinum $1,499.99; term licenses of 1 or 3 years are also sold, for example Designer at $99.99 per year. (free trial)
Full review: #14 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit TurboCAD →
12. SketchUp
3D modeling for architecture and interiors · United States
A polygon-style 3D modeler built for architecture and interiors, with LayOut for 2D documentation and more than 1,000 extensions. Studio, Windows only, adds a Revit importer and point-cloud tools. It is a poor fit for tolerance-driven mechanical parts, which is what SOLIDWORKS is bought for.
Switch from SOLIDWORKS if your work is architecture, interiors or presentation models, not machine parts.
Pricing: Go is $10.75 USD per month per user billed annually (iPad and web), Pro $33.25 (desktop, iPad and web) and Studio $71.58 (Windows only); a 7-day Pro trial needs no credit card. (free trial)
Full review: #11 of 14 in our ranking ·
Visit SketchUp →
Questions and answers
Can I stop paying for SOLIDWORKS and still open my files?
Only by keeping a license. SOLIDWORKS says native SLDPRT and SLDASM files need one of its Design licenses, and the cloud-native xDesign is not the desktop product. A quarterly term or a reseller-sold perpetual license keeps access to the originals. Otherwise convert what you need to a neutral format first.
Which alternatives read SolidWorks files directly?
Alibre Design lists SolidWorks among its import formats, and the Shapr3D plan table lists SLDPRT and SLDASM import as a paid feature. FreeCAD and Plasticity state STEP support instead. We did not find a vendor page that confirms direct SolidWorks reading for the others, so test with your own parts.
Is there a free option if I leave SOLIDWORKS?
Yes, with limits. FreeCAD is open source with no fee. Onshape has a free plan for non-commercial work with public documents, so it is not suitable for client jobs. Plasticity and Shapr3D have trial or limited free tiers, and Shapr3D Basic is capped at two projects.
Can I buy SOLIDWORKS for a short time?
Yes. The Design license is sold by the quarter or the year online, and resellers sell quarterly, yearly or perpetual licenses. SOLIDWORKS also states a 15-day money-back policy for online purchases. A short overlap during a migration is therefore a modest extra cost, not a full year.
Does SOLIDWORKS offer a trial before I decide to leave or stay?
Yes. The Design product page and the how-to-buy page both offer a free trial. The trial is delivered without installation, according to the vendor. That lets you rebuild one real part in SOLIDWORKS and in a rival and compare the effort.
What do I lose by moving to a 2D-focused tool?
You lose 3D parts, assemblies and associative drawings. DraftSight and ZWCAD MFG are presented by their vendors as 2D CAD, and nanoCAD adds 3D solid modeling as a separate module. Choose them only if most of your output is already 2D sheets.
Can I run SOLIDWORKS and an alternative at the same time?
Yes, and it is the safer migration path. Quarterly terms keep the cost of overlap low. Use SOLIDWORKS for open jobs and the new tool for new ones. Keep the seat until the last customer who sends SLDPRT files has been moved to neutral formats.
