Best Free CAD Software 2026: 8 Options Compared

Free CAD software covers two different jobs under one name, and mixing them up is the usual reason people give up. Drafting tools such as LibreCAD, QCAD and nanoCAD produce 2D drawings, floor plans and DXF or DWG files. Solid modelers such as FreeCAD, Onshape, SolveSpace and Fusion produce 3D parts you can print or machine. If you want to open and edit a DWG from a client, look at the drafting group first. If you want to design a bracket, start with a solid modeler. The free tiers also come with different conditions. FreeCAD, LibreCAD, QCAD Community and SolveSpace are open source with no conditions at all. Onshape's free plan is for non-commercial use and makes all documents public. Fusion's personal-use license is for hobbyists earning under $1,000 a year and limits you to 10 active editable documents, so a business cannot rely on it. nanoCAD Free is non-commercial and limited to DWG up to 2013. Tinkercad is the gentlest entry for beginners but not meant for engineering drawings. Read the license line for each pick before you start a project you plan to sell, because moving a half-finished model between CAD programs is rarely clean.

FreeCAD

Free, no sign-up, LGPL-2.1 parametric 3D modeler. The best open option for real mechanical parts; 2D drafting is weaker, so pair it with a drafting tool if you need drawings.

Price: Free (Free, no sign-up) (FreeCAD pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. LGPL-2.1 (open source).

Project activity: 34.9k GitHub stars · latest release 1.1.4 (Sep 28, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Parametric 3D parts.

Worth knowing: Mainly parametric 3D; 2D drafting is not its strength.

LibreCAD

GPL-2.0 2D CAD, free with no trial or subscription. Handles flat drafting well and has no 3D at all, so it only replaces the 2D side of commercial CAD.

Price: Free (Free, no trial or subscription) (LibreCAD pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-2.0 (open source).

Project activity: 6.5k GitHub stars · latest release v2.2.1.6 (Oct 17, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: 2D drafting and DXF work.

Worth knowing: 2D only.

QCAD

The Community Edition is free and open source (GPL-3.0 with exceptions) 2D CAD. The Professional edition is a separate paid product; check the vendor site for its price.

Price: Free (Community Edition is free (source on GitHub)) (QCAD pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Desktop. GPL-3.0 with exceptions (Community Edition) (open source).

Project activity: 1.9k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: 2D drawings on any desktop.

nanoCAD

nanoCAD Free v5 is for non-commercial use and handles DWG up to 2013. The free build lacks 3D solid modeling, so it works as a DWG viewer and 2D editor.

Price: Free (nanoCAD Free v5: non-commercial use only, DWG up to 2013); paid from $289 per year, nanoCAD 26 Platform (nanoCAD pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.

Best for: Hobby DWG editing.

SolveSpace

GPL-3.0-or-later parametric 3D CAD with a constraint solver, compact and quick to learn. Smaller feature set than FreeCAD, license details from package metadata.

Price: Free (Free and open source) (SolveSpace pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0-or-later (open source).

Project activity: 4.2k GitHub stars · latest release v3.3 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Small constraint-based parts.

OpenSCAD

GPL-2.0 script-based solid modeler: write the part as code. Excellent for parametric parts, but there is no drag-to-sketch interface at all.

Price: Free (Free software; no paid tier) (OpenSCAD pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-2.0 (open source).

Project activity: 10.5k GitHub stars · latest release openscad-2021.01 (Feb 7, 2021) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Programmers designing parts.

Worth knowing: Script-based solid modeler: you describe parts in code, there is no drag-to-sketch interface. License from an archived copy of openscad.org; other listings say GPL-2.0-or-later.

Onshape

Cloud parametric CAD on a free plan for non-commercial use, with no install. The trade-off: all documents on the free plan are public.

Price: Free (Free plan for non-commercial use; all documents are public); paid from $1500 per user/year, Standard, billed annually (Onshape pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.

Best for: Hobby 3D CAD in the browser.

Worth knowing: Cloud 3D parametric CAD, not a DWG drafting tool.

Compare: Onshape alternatives

Autodesk Fusion

Autodesk's personal-use license is free for hobbyists earning under $1,000 a year, limited to 10 active editable documents. Confirm the current terms with Autodesk before relying on them.

Price: Free (Personal-use license for hobbyists earning under $1,000 USD a year from home-based non-commercial projects; limited to 10 active editable documents, per Autodesk's personal-use page as quoted in search) (Autodesk Fusion pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.

Best for: Hobbyists wanting a full commercial-style tool.

Compare: Autodesk Fusion alternatives

Which one to pick

• You need to open and edit 2D DWG or DXF files: LibreCAD
• You design 3D parts and want no usage rules: FreeCAD
• You are a hobbyist and want cloud CAD with no install: Onshape
• You want to define parts in code: OpenSCAD
• You need a tiny CAD app for quick sketches: SolveSpace