Best Free Woodworking Software 2026: 7 Options Compared
Best free Woodworking Software compared: FreeCAD, Onshape, Autodesk Fusion, SolveSpace and 3 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•3D & CAD
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD | Free (Free, no sign-up) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Furniture with exact dimensions | Docs only |
| Onshape | Free (Free plan for non-commercial use; all documents are public); paid from $1500 per user/year, Standard, billed annually | Web | Browser-based hobby CAD | Docs only |
| Autodesk Fusion | 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) | Windows, macOS | Hobbyists wanting CAM later | Docs only |
| SolveSpace | Free (Free and open source) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Simple joinery and parts | Docs only |
| OpenSCAD | Free (Free software; no paid tier) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Adjustable designs written as code | Docs only |
| Sweet Home 3D | Free (Free download; also usable in a browser per search coverage) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Built-ins and room layouts | Docs only |
| Tinkercad | Free (Free, browser-based 3D design) | Web | Small jigs and simple parts | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a free CAD with no license conditions (FreeCAD is the pick)
- You prefer to design in a browser (Onshape is the pick)
- You plan a built-in unit in a room (Sweet Home 3D is the pick)
- You make a quick jig (Tinkercad is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
Woodworking software ranges from a quick cutting diagram to a full model of a cabinet with joinery. Free tools cover the second job better than the first. FreeCAD, Onshape, Fusion and SolveSpace are parametric CAD programs where you draw a part to exact dimensions, change a measurement and let the model update, which suits furniture with repeated parts. Sweet Home 3D is a better fit for a room or a built-in layout. Tinkercad works for small jigs and simple shapes. OpenSCAD makes sense if you like writing dimensions as variables. The conditions on the free tiers matter. Onshape's free plan makes your documents public. Fusion's personal-use license is for hobbyists earning under $1,000 a year, so selling your furniture could push you out of it. FreeCAD, SolveSpace and OpenSCAD have no such rules. The honest trade-off is that none of these knows what a board, a tenon or a dado is. You model solids and make your own cut list, where dedicated woodworking tools produce one for you. For a one-off table, a general CAD program and a pencil are plenty. For a production shop, expect to pay for specialized software.
FreeCAD
LGPL-2.1 parametric modeler, free with no sign-up. Dimensioned sketches update as you change measurements; it has no built-in cut lists.
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: Furniture with exact dimensions.
Worth knowing: Mainly parametric 3D; 2D drafting is not its strength.
Onshape
Free plan for non-commercial use in a browser. Every document on the free plan is public, so unfinished designs are visible to others.
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: Browser-based hobby CAD.
Worth knowing: Cloud 3D parametric CAD, not a DWG drafting tool.
Compare: Onshape alternatives
Autodesk Fusion
Personal-use license for hobbyists earning under $1,000 a year, limited to 10 active editable documents.
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 CAM later.
Compare: Autodesk Fusion alternatives
SolveSpace
GPL-3.0-or-later parametric CAD with a constraint solver, small and fast. Fewer features than FreeCAD, and no cut-list output.
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: Simple joinery and parts.
OpenSCAD
GPL-2.0 script-based modeler where measurements are variables. No drag-to-sketch interface, so it suits coders more than carpenters.
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: Adjustable designs written as code.
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.
Sweet Home 3D
Free GPL program for planning rooms and furniture placement. It lays out spaces, not joinery or cut lists.
Price: Free (Free download; also usable in a browser per search coverage) (Sweet Home 3D pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-2.0-or-later (open source).
Best for: Built-ins and room layouts.
Tinkercad
Free browser-based 3D design from Autodesk. Good for jigs and simple shapes; too limited for cabinet-scale work.
Price: Free (Free, browser-based 3D design) (Tinkercad pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Small jigs and simple parts.
Compare: Tinkercad alternatives
Which one to pick
- You want a free CAD with no license conditions: FreeCAD
- You prefer to design in a browser: Onshape
- You plan a built-in unit in a room: Sweet Home 3D
- You make a quick jig: Tinkercad
Limits of this review
Docs-only for FreeCAD, Onshape, Autodesk Fusion, SolveSpace, OpenSCAD, Sweet Home 3D, Tinkercad: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: FreeCAD, Onshape, Autodesk Fusion, SolveSpace, OpenSCAD, Sweet Home 3D, Tinkercad. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.