Free CAD programs: best free drafting software in 2023

Intro

Among such numerous CAD software, it can be very difficult to choose exactly what will meet all your needs. This is not to mention that software that is free or offers a free version for a certain period or with limited features. Such free CAD drawing software is indispensable for architects, designers, engineers, and many others. That is why we have compiled a list of the best free CAD programs that you should know about in 2023. Below you’ll find 10 solutions ranked based on user reviews. You will also find here the features of each program, pros and cons, system requirements, the latest version, and much more. Read about the best free CAD software and select the option that is right for you! The information is relevant for 2023.

Best free CAD software

Free CAD programs in detail

1. FreeCAD

Price: Free
Level: For professionals, beginners, and amateurs
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Last version: 2022
Use: Parametric 3D modeling, mechanical engineering product design, architecture, and electrical engineering

4.3

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

4.3

Software Advice

4.32

GetApp

4.3

G2

4.2

Of course, FreeCAD is worth putting in the first place of best computer-aided design software free. It is open-source CAD software, that has a simple and intuitive interface. Due to its clarity and rather extensive functionality, this easy CAD software is suitable for both beginners and professionals. Free CAD drawing software also has many features. 

FreeCAD is a cross-platform program. Now there are versions of the free drafting application for almost all popular operating systems. This free CAD program also supports export to DWG, DXF, SVG, PDF, and many other popular file formats. FreeCAD will be a great solution if you are well-versed in the basics of CAD modeling.

Pros:

• Works in interactive mode
• Differs in a wide range of tools
• Ability to create your own drawings
• Supports various file formats
• Has tools for designing the mechanics of objects
• Free CAD software for Windows 10
• Export/import data from other programs Cinema 4D, 3Ds Max, Solid Edge, and so on.

Cons:

• As it is a drafting program free, it may seem too simple compared to a professional and paid CAD drawing app
• To develop professional projects, knowledge of the Python language is required.

2. Solid Edge

Price: From $83 per month; Free 30-day trial 
Level: For professionals
Platform: Windows
Last version: 2023
Use: Solid modeling, 2D and 3D drawings

4.3

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

4.3

Software Advice

4.28

GetApp

4.3

G2

4.3

Solid Edge is drafting software free that improves every aspect of the product development process – mechanical and electrical design, manufacturing, modeling, data management, technical documentation, and collaboration in the cloud. With synchronous technology, this simple drafting software can be used for both direct modeling and parametric modeling.

Mastering this free mechanical drawing software is easy – a training block with exercises is built into the program. No matter what free CAD drawing software you’ve used before, you won’t lose your work with Solid Edge. With the help of synchronous modeling tools, you can also work with a model obtained from any CAD system.

Pros:

• Contains a set of tools for creating drawings at any stage of the project
• Combination of parametric and direct modeling
• Sheet metal design
• Advanced surface treatment.

Cons:

• Difficult user interface
• Lack of 3D drawing capabilities.

3. DraftSight

Price: $199 per year; Free trial version for 30 days
Level: For professionals
Platform: Windows, macOS
Last version: 2022
Use: 2D drafting, 3D design

4.2

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

4.3

GetApp

4.3

G2

4.0

DraftSight is a functional 2D and 3D CAD solution for architects, engineers, and builders as well as professional CAD users, designers, educators, and hobbyists. That is a user-friendly and easy-to-use computer drafting program for working with DWG files. With this free simple drafting software, numerous functions are available to you.

DraftSight helps you easily, quickly, and efficiently create, edit, view, and annotate any 2D or 3D DWG file. This all-in-one free technical drawing software provides a fast transition from 2D drawing to 3D modeling. Simple drafting software freeware offers a free 30 days trial. Free drafting tools like DraftSight allow you to create technical 2D drawings, compare designs, and more. This free drafting app is a strong competitor to SketchUp.

DraftSight used to provide a full free version of the software, but after the release of a new version of DraftSight in 2019, it was canceled.

Pros:

• Convenient user interface
• Rich functionality
• Allows you to work with DXF and DWG files.

Cons:

• Only a free 30-day trial is available
• Some commands from AutoCAD do not work.

4. 3D Builder

Price: Free 
Level: For beginners
Platform: Windows
Last version: 2022
Use: 3D modeling, 3D printing

4.2

Rating by Applet3D

Microsoft Store

4.2

3D Builder is a dedicated free 3D modeling and printing CAD software freely available for desktop PCs and other Microsoft platforms (Windows Mobile, Xbox One, and Windows Hololense). Users can upload 3D models created by other users from the cloud for modification and 3D printing. This free CAD designing program allows both drawing and sculpting. Templates of finished models can be downloaded from various resources.

The free CAD software as a mobile application also allows the user to scan objects and convert them into 3D files using the device’s camera. With such free CAD programs as 3D Builder, it simply takes a series of photographs of an object from multiple angles, and the images will be merged to recreate the object as a 3D model.

Pros:

• Easy to use free CAD program
• The ability to configure a huge number of model parameters
• In the absence of equipment, you can order a printout of the project via the Internet.

Cons:

• Only for Windows devices
• Some users find the program too easy.

5. QCAD

Price: Free 
Level: For beginners and amateurs
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix
Last version: 2022
Use: Technical drawings

4.2

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

4.1

GetApp

4.1

G2

4.3

QCAD is a computer-aided design system free designed to create 2D drawings, plans, diagrams, and complex diagrams. The program interface consists of separate panels that can be freely moved and scaled. Among other free 2D CAD programs, QCAD supports export to DFX, DWG, DGN, BMP, SVG, and PDF formats.

Also, QCAD has a huge library of ready-made objects, a set of various tools, CAD sources, etc. Simple CAD drawing software also has about thirty font styles for text blocks. This blueprints software free uses the default DXF format for saving and importing drawings, but the paid professional version also supports DWG. In many ways, the QCAD interface and working methods are similar to free AutoCAD software. 

Pros:

• This simple 2D drawing software comes with studying instructions 
• Easy to use
• Intuitive user interface
• Extensive library of objects.

Cons:

• Work only with 2D objects.

6. OpensCAD

Price: Free 
Level: For amateurs
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Last version: 2021
Use: 3D modeling for 3D printing

3.9

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

3.5

G2

4.3

OpenSCAD is an open-source CAD for the parametric (not visual) creation of solid 3D objects. This free computer-aided drawing program has an extensive level of documentation that can be very helpful for both newbies and future use of the program. Foremost, OpenSCAD is great free engineering drawing software. As far as drafting applications go, it comes with a serious learning curve. Using a text description language, programmers will be able to create CAD objects. 

OpenSCAD is available on various devices such as Windows, Linux, and macOS. You can also work with drafting freeware online directly on the official web resource without the need to download the program. This drafting app is free and supports various file formats.

Pros:

• No need to install drafting software freeware (just download it to a flash drive)
• Has an intuitive interface 
• Simple design language 
• Allows transferring projects to another CAD drawing software free or paid
• The project can be saved in various formats: STL, OFF, AMF, DXF, SVG, CSG.

Cons:

• Difficult to integrate with other systems
• Only simple parts are available
• Code management experience required
• It is not easy CAD software
• This drafting app free has a low scalability limit.

7. LibreCAD

Price: Free 
Level: For beginners
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Last version: 2022
Use: 2D design

3.9

Rating by Applet3D

Capterra

4.0

G2

3.8

LibreCAD is a free and open-source drafting software that allows you to make technical 2D drawings. LibreCAD is a modern and advanced free drafting app that allows you to design and create various drawings (including engineering and construction), as well as plans and diagrams. It is an easy drafting software based on the QCad project. The free 2D drawing software is a worthy replacement for the paid AutoCAD product.

LibreCAD is mainly used for 2D design, but in addition, LibreCAD software handles many tasks that are usually assigned to computer-aided design systems. This 2D drawing software free supports both DWG and DWF file formats and has its own file format called DXF, which was originally developed to exchange files with the AutoCAD package. It is free drafting software for Windows 10, macOS, and Linux. This simple free drafting program has support plugins as well.

Pros:

• The interface is clear and easy to customize
• Easy to use drafting software
• Has a wide range of different tools for designing and editing drawings
• Best CAD software for beginners
• Layers, object grouping functions, snaps support.

Cons:

• Lack of direct documentation
• Features may be limited
• Simple interface doesn’t include many tools.

8. nanoCAD

Price: From $200 per year; Free older version
Level: For professionals
Platform: Windows, Linux
Last version: 2022
Use: Engineering and architecture drawings

nanoCAD is a universal CAD software for designing and creating drawings. Among free drafting software for Windows 10, nanoCAD is the best solution. The free CAD program focused on the creation of 2D projects. The interface of this free 2D drafting software is similar to Autodesk products, making it easy to switch from one program to another. That drafting app free contains ready-made standard shapes. The functionality can be expanded using plug-ins, but they need to be purchased separately. 

Among other free drafting applications, nanoCAD offers a wide range of features, such as the automatic construction of complex objects and their filtering, quick selection of the desired object, etc. That CAD drawing free software supports the most common formats of drawings and 3D models, including DXF, DWT, and DWG. There is a ready-made library of standard elements that can be changed to suit your needs. Although this drafting design software is free and easily available for use, you will have to pay for using the newest version or special add-ons.

Pros:

• Supports work with raster images and their conversion to vector
• Allows to import and edit objects from other similar drafting programs
• Customizable interface elements
• Full-fledged work with 2D and 3D drawing elements
• Regular software updates from the official website
• One of the best free drafting software for Windows 10
• DWG and DXF files support 
• An excellent alternative to AutoCAD.

Cons:

• The free version is reduced in functionality
• To get a free license, you need to confirm the status of a teacher or student
• The paid version of nanoCAD Plus 10 has more features.

9. SolveSpace

Price: Free 
Level: For professionals and amateurs
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Last version: 2022
Use: Parametric 2D and 3D modeling

SolveSpace is a top CAD software that is great for parametric 2D and 3D modeling. It is an open parametric 2D/3D CAD system distributed under the GPLv3 license. This drafting app free provides 2D and 3D part modeling and printing, CAM data preparation, mechanism design, and planar and solid geometry. Most of SolveSpace’s core features include sketches, constraints, extrusions, and Boolean operations. Unlike other free drafting applications, SolveSpace allows you to export a triangle mesh in STL format or another one that is used in most 3D printers.

SolveSpace is a free drafting application with mechanical modeling capability. Files to be opened must be in SolveSpace Models native text format (*.slvs). Flat and volumetric geometry in such drafting programs helps to create drawings of existing models without preliminary calculations. This drafting app free allows you to dynamically manipulate a model until it is fully constrained, both in 2D and 3D. This can be very helpful when studying a model or looking for its best shape.

Pros: 

• Easy to learn
• Modeling with the ability to export to PDF, DXF, SVG
• Good tutorials
• Checking the constructions’ correctness in a 3D
• Open-source drafting program.

Cons:

• Slow to numerous constraints.

10. ZBrushCoreMini

Price: Free 
Level: For beginners
Platform: Windows, macOS
Last version: 2022
Use: 3D modeling and sculpting

The last one among the best CAD programs free is ZBrushCoreMini. ZBrushCoreMini focuses on 3D modeling and sculpting. That CGI software free has a professional and user-friendly interface, which allows you to master it in a short time. This is open-source CAD software available on macOS and Windows.

Features such as ZBrush navigation and standard-level navigation will prove to be very useful for designing. Since ZBrushCoreMini contains only the most basic and important features of ZBrush, you can use various plug-ins to enhance the program’s capabilities and performance. If you are looking for free CAD software for PC, then ZBrushCoreMini is a great choice.

Pros:

• Easy to use toolbars
• Provides preloaded materials to make object design fast.

Cons:

• Includes only the core features of ZBrush
• ZBrushCoreMini is only about sculpting.

Using these specialized tools you can create not only 2D and 3D models, but also entire universes. And thanks to our 3D visualization services, you can easily bring your project to life.

Conclusion

All reviewed drafting and design programs free are and suitable for a certain type of task. In this article, we have provided you with the top CAD programs free that promise to be the best in 2023. The description of these drafting programs for free is accompanied by information about the level of complexity, the year of the last release, and notes about the appropriate platform for use – Windows, macOS, or Linux. Choose the best solution among these free CAD programs! You also may be interested in our other article about the Best online CAD software.