SOLIDWORKS vs Onshape
Editor Sebastiaan Smits ·
Published November 14, 2026 · Updated November 14, 2026
SOLIDWORKS sells licences you can take as a yearly or quarterly subscription or buy outright through a reseller, with the Design Standard package at $2,820 a year. Onshape sells only annual per-user plans, from $1,500, plus a free tier for non-commercial work. The choice is mostly about how you want to buy and who needs a seat.
Side by side
 SOLIDWORKS |  Onshape | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Mechanical 3D CAD in three annual plans | Cloud-native CAD with built-in data management |
| Best for | Suppliers to larger manufacturers | Distributed product design teams |
| Headquarters | France | United States |
| Pricing model | Per user / year | Per user / year |
| Pricing | Annual subscription per user, USA prices excluding tax: Standard $2,820 per year, Professional $3,456 per year, Premium $4,716 per year, with a 15-day full refund policy. | 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 option | None | Free plan |
| List price as listed on November 14, 2026 | $2,820 USD per year (Design Standard with Cloud Services, US price excluding local taxes) | $1,500 per user per year (Standard, billed annually); Free plan for non-commercial use |
| Place in our CAD software ranking | #9 of 14 | #7 of 14 |
| Website | solidworks.com | onshape.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best CAD Software in 2026. Vendors can pay for more visibility, and commercial relationships can affect which products we feature and how prominently. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose SOLIDWORKS if
you want the option of a perpetual licence or a quarterly term, prefer to buy with a reseller's guidance, and are fine with a licence tied to a device or a single named installation.
SOLIDWORKS, #9 in the ranking · Visit SOLIDWORKS →
Choose Onshape if
you want the lowest listed price per seat, a free tier for hobby or learning work, and annual per-user plans with private storage included from the first paid tier.
Onshape, #7 in the ranking · Visit Onshape →
Where they differ
List price per seat per year
Onshape lists Standard at $1,500 per user per year and Professional at $2,500. SOLIDWORKS Design Standard with Cloud Services is $2,820 a year, Professional $3,456 and Premium $4,716, all as US prices excluding local taxes. The tiers are not feature for feature, so compare what each includes before counting savings. On the figures shown, Onshape is cheaper at each step.
Edge: Onshape
Ways to buy and pay
SOLIDWORKS offers yearly, quarterly or perpetual Design licences, a 15-day money back policy on the pricing cards, and a choice between buying online or through a Reseller Partner. Perpetual CAD licences go through a local reseller. Onshape's pricing page shows commercial plans billed annually per user, with no monthly or perpetual option. For buyers who want flexibility in term, SOLIDWORKS gives more choices.
Edge: SOLIDWORKS
A free tier versus a free trial
Onshape has a permanent Free plan at $0 with unlimited public storage, but it is for non-commercial use and every document is public. It also runs free Education and Startup programs for qualifying users, and a Discovery Program of up to 6 months. SOLIDWORKS offers a product trial with no installation and a low-cost Design for Makers edition, whose price we could not verify.
Edge: Onshape
Where your files and licence live
Onshape is cloud-native: Standard includes unlimited private storage, and the education page describes documents kept in the cloud with an edit history. SOLIDWORKS splits its offer in two. Design with Cloud Services is a device-locked licence, while plain SOLIDWORKS Design is a single-user licence deployed from the cloud and installable on any PC. Both vendors involve the cloud, but the products are built differently.
Edge: even
Who may use a seat
Onshape requires every user to have a unique email address and login, and users cannot share one. The SOLIDWORKS device licence is described as accessible by any user on a single device with a serial number, which suits a shared workstation. A named-user model suits a distributed team, while a device model suits one machine used by several people in shifts. Neither wins outright, since it depends on how your team works.
Edge: even
Tally: SOLIDWORKS 1, Onshape 2, even 2.
When neither fits
Neither is right for a buyer who needs a CAD tool at zero licence cost for commercial work. Onshape's free plan is limited to non-commercial use with public documents, and SOLIDWORKS has no permanent free plan on the pages we read. FreeCAD is open source with no licensing fees, and Shapr3D has a free tier and a tablet-first approach.
See Shapr3D and FreeCAD among the 14 products in Best CAD Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Is Onshape cheaper than SOLIDWORKS?
On the listed prices, yes. Onshape Standard is $1,500 per user per year and Professional is $2,500, against $2,820 and $3,456 for SOLIDWORKS Design Standard and Professional with Cloud Services. The packages differ in what they include, and SOLIDWORKS prices shown are US prices excluding local taxes, so check your region in the cart.
Does Onshape have a free plan?
Yes, Onshape Free costs $0 and includes unlimited public storage. It is limited to non-commercial use and all documents are public. Education and Startup programs are also free for qualifying users, and the Discovery Program offers up to 6 months free.
Can you buy SOLIDWORKS as a perpetual licence?
Yes, SOLIDWORKS lists yearly, quarterly and perpetual Design licences. Perpetual CAD licences are bought through a local reseller rather than online. Onshape's pricing page shows only annual per-user commercial plans, with no perpetual option.
Is there a SOLIDWORKS free trial?
Yes, the SOLIDWORKS FAQ says the product trial gives access to the latest release with no installation required. There is no permanent free plan on the pages we read. A low-cost edition called SOLIDWORKS Design for Makers exists, but we could not verify its price.
Sources
Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on November 14, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.
- SOLIDWORKS how to buy: Yearly, quarterly and perpetual licences, the two Design products, the free trial and the buy-with-a-reseller option
- SOLIDWORKS plans and pricing: Design Standard, Professional and Premium yearly prices, the 15-day money back policy, perpetual licences through resellers and the device licence wording
- Onshape pricing: Free, Standard, Professional and Enterprise plans, annual per-user billing, unique logins, unlimited storage and the Education, Startup and Discovery programs
- Onshape home page: Onshape company details shown in the site footer
- Onshape FAQ: Onshape company details shown in the site footer
- Onshape for Education: Cloud document storage with edit history and the Education offer
- Shapr3D pricing: Shapr3D free Basic plan and annual Pro price
- FreeCAD home page: FreeCAD being open source with no licensing fees