FreeCAD vs SOLIDWORKS
FreeCAD is free, open-source parametric CAD with files on your own disk and no vendor behind it; SOLIDWORKS is the commercial mechanical standard with resellers, vendor support and a huge ecosystem. Small workshops designing parts and fixtures can now defend choosing FreeCAD. Production departments with large assemblies, deadlines and SOLIDWORKS-using suppliers still end up paying for SOLIDWORKS.
Niels AbrahamsenAnalyst, Security & Infrastructure
Tomasz Wierzbicki
Elena MarchettiVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose FreeCAD ifyou design parts, jigs, enclosures or modest assemblies, want no licence fee and no vendor able to switch the software off, and have in-house time to learn it.
Choose SOLIDWORKS ifyou run production engineering with deadlines and large assemblies, your suppliers and machinists take native SOLIDWORKS files, and you need add-ins plus someone to call for support.
FreeCAD and SOLIDWORKS side by side
| FreeCAD | SOLIDWORKS | |
|---|---|---|
| Our CAD rank | #4 of 16 | #5 of 16 |
| Established in | Belgium | France |
| Pricing | Free and open source under LGPL; no licence or support contract | Yearly licence per user from $2,820, published; quarterly and perpetual licences through resellers |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Free, open source; no paid plan | $2,820 USD/year for one single-user licence of SOLIDWORKS Design Standard (USA price, excluding local taxes) |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Small teams and workshops wanting parametric CAD with no licence dependency | Manufacturers whose suppliers, hires and add-ins already assume SOLIDWORKS files |
| Not for | Production engineering departments with deadlines and large assemblies | Buyers wanting a licence with no ongoing obligation or cloud-deployed licensing |
Both are reviewed in full in our CAD ranking: FreeCAD and SOLIDWORKS.
Where they differ
FreeCAD 2 · SOLIDWORKS 2 · open 1- 01
Licence cost and ongoing obligation
FreeCAD is a free download under the LGPL, with no sign-up, licence fee or support contract and nothing anyone can revoke. SOLIDWORKS Design is listed from $2,820 USD per year for a single-user Standard licence, rising to $4,716 for Premium, with perpetual licences sold only through resellers. FreeCAD is free in licence rather than in effort, but on commercial obligation alone there is no contest.
Edge: FreeCAD
- 02
Large assemblies and drawing output
FreeCAD is now defensible for parts, fixtures and small assemblies, and ships Assembly, TechDraw, FEM and CAM workbenches, but large assemblies are slow, drawing production needs patience, surfacing is limited and workbench quality is uneven. SOLIDWORKS is the safe technical choice for mid-market mechanical work. For a department shipping large assemblies against deadlines, SOLIDWORKS is the one that holds up.
Edge: SOLIDWORKS
- 03
Help when you are stuck
FreeCAD points users to its community forum and wiki; there is no vendor to escalate to, so expertise has to be built internally. SOLIDWORKS lists technical support in every Design package and live support from a local reseller partner with each licence type, and engineers who already know it are easy to hire. When a deadline depends on an answer, SOLIDWORKS has someone accountable.
Edge: SOLIDWORKS
- 04
Dependence on the vendor's direction
FreeCAD is governed by a non-profit and writes ordinary files to your disk. SOLIDWORKS is moving towards the 3DEXPERIENCE platform: the single-user licence sold online is a named-user licence deployed from the cloud, with offline use capped at 30 consecutive days. If the priority is that nobody else's roadmap changes how you work, FreeCAD carries less risk.
Edge: FreeCAD
- 05
Platforms and file exchange
FreeCAD runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and reads and writes open formats including STEP, IGES, DXF and IFC. SOLIDWORKS Design is installed on a PC and opens STEP, IGES and ACIS files, with diagnostics to repair imported geometry. The two therefore meet on STEP, which carries shapes but not feature history. Mac and Linux workshops can only run FreeCAD natively.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
A team that wants commercial support but dislikes the SOLIDWORKS reseller model and the effort FreeCAD demands could look at Solid Edge, with published entry tiers and direct editing of imported geometry, or Autodesk Fusion, which combines CAD and CAM at a price a two-person workshop can pay.
FreeCAD or SOLIDWORKS: questions
4 answersIs FreeCAD good enough to replace SOLIDWORKS?
For parts, jigs, enclosures and small assemblies, FreeCAD has been a defensible choice since version 1.0. It is not the pick for production departments with large assemblies and deadlines, where slow assemblies, laborious drawings and forum-only support become real costs.
Can FreeCAD and SOLIDWORKS exchange files?
Yes, through neutral formats. FreeCAD reads and writes STEP and IGES, and SOLIDWORKS opens both, keeping the assembly structure and running diagnostics on the imported geometry.
What travels is the shape, not the feature history, so a supplier working natively in SOLIDWORKS receives a model it can machine or measure rather than edit parametrically.
What does FreeCAD cost compared with SOLIDWORKS?
FreeCAD has no licence fee and no support contract; the cost is training time and internal expertise.
SOLIDWORKS Design is listed at $2,820 USD per year for Standard, $3,456 for Professional and $4,716 for Premium per single-user licence, as USA prices before local tax. Perpetual licences are quoted by resellers.
Does FreeCAD run on Mac and Linux?
Yes. FreeCAD is offered for Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 Monterey or later and Linux, the last as an AppImage.
SOLIDWORKS Design is described by its vendor as locally installed on a PC, while the separate browser-based SOLIDWORKS xDesign runs on any device with a web browser.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- FreeCAD home page: FreeCAD has no fees or sign-up and reads and writes STEP, IGES, DXF and IFC.
- FreeCAD GitHub repository: FreeCAD is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and refers users to its forum.
- FreeCAD features page: FreeCAD workbenches for assembly, drawings, FEM and CAM.
- FreeCAD downloads page: FreeCAD supported operating systems and no cost.
- SOLIDWORKS Design plans and pricing page: SOLIDWORKS Design prices and included technical support.
- SOLIDWORKS licensing page: reseller support with each licence type; perpetual through resellers.
- Dassault Systemes store, SOLIDWORKS Design: named-user licence with a 30-day offline limit.
- SOLIDWORKS buying options and FAQ page: SOLIDWORKS is locally installed; xDesign is browser based.
- SOLIDWORKS help, importing STEP, IGES and ACIS files: SOLIDWORKS opens STEP, IGES and ACIS files.