SketchUp Alternatives for Woodworking: 4 Free CAD Options

If you want to leave SketchUp for woodworking, FreeCAD is the free option with no strings, and Onshape is the easiest free start because it runs in a browser, as long as your documents can be public. SolveSpace suits simple parts and jigs, and Autodesk Fusion is the more powerful option, with a steeper climb and its own personal-use terms. No free tool gives a real cut list on its own. The wider field is in our SketchUp alternatives guide.

What matters for woodworking

1. Free offer and its limits. Commercial use, public files and feature cuts decide whether free is really free.
2. Cut or parts list. A parts list names the pieces. A cut list shows how to cut them from stock.
3. Learning curve. A box and some joinery should not take months to model.
4. Platforms. Windows, macOS, Linux or a browser.
5. Dimensioned plans. You need drawings you can take into the shop.

According to SketchUp's pricing page, prices are per user, billed annually before tax. Go is $10.75 a month and covers iPad and web only. Pro is $33.25 a month and adds the desktop modeler, LayOut and over 1,000 extensions. Studio is $71.58 a month and is Windows only. The only free offering the page lists is SketchUp for Schools, and subscriptions renew automatically. That price gap is why woodworkers look elsewhere.

FreeCAD

FreeCAD is a free, open-source parametric 3D modeler. According to its homepage, it has no licensing fees and no paywall, runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and lets you change a design by going back into its model history. It also extracts "production ready drawings" from 3D models, and furniture is among the uses it lists.

The catch is effort. A poster who makes woodworking plans in an old SketchUp worried FreeCAD was overkill for simple cuts and joinery. In that post, one reply called it very capable and not difficult to use, while another said that neither FreeCAD nor its fork Ondsel is efficient for woodworking, though FreeCAD suits real woodworking once the basics are known. SlashGear's May 2025 roundup quotes a user who thinks it may be a stretch without a CAD background. Expect a learning period before it feels natural.

Who should not pick it: anyone who wants to sketch a bookcase in an hour. Parametric tools reward planning.

Onshape

Onshape is a browser-based CAD system with a free plan. According to its pricing page, the Free plan is for non-commercial use only and "all Onshape documents are accessible to the public." It includes CAD tools, version control and collaboration, and the page says Onshape runs in a web browser on any web-enabled device with no specialty hardware. Native iOS and Android apps are included in the Free plan.

Standard costs $1,500 per user per year and adds unlimited private storage. The pricing page also says Onshape runs in a web browser with no specialty hardware, which fits an older shop computer. If you cannot publish your plans or sell what you design, the free plan is the wrong fit.

Who should not pick it: a woodworker who builds for clients and needs private files without paying $1,500.

SolveSpace

SolveSpace is a small free parametric 3D CAD tool. According to its homepage, it is GPLv3 and lets you model a 2D part as a single section and export DXF, PDF or SVG. You can use 3D assembly to check fit.

That makes it a good match for jigs, templates and flat profiles for a CNC or laser. In the community post above, one commenter suggested it and wished for lofting. Lofting is not among the features on its homepage, so check that it covers your curves before building a project in it.

Who should not pick it: someone designing a full cabinet with hardware and many parts.

Autodesk Fusion

Autodesk Fusion is a commercial CAD and CAM tool. According to Autodesk's personal-use comparison page, the free personal-use version is for personal, non-commercial projects only, for individuals generating less than $1,000 a year, and not for primary employment, company environments or commercial training. It keeps the design and 3D modeling tools but limits CAM, 2D documentation and drawings, and import/export file types, with forum support only. Full Fusion costs $680 a year or $85 a month and adds full CAM, automated drawings, configurations and a bill of materials.

In the 2022 UK Workshop thread one poster found Fusion more intuitive than SketchUp. One poster pointed out it makes a parts list, not a true cut list. A user quoted by SlashGear calls its workflow more complicated than SketchUp's but more powerful.

Who should not pick it: anyone selling furniture above the $1,000 limit who does not want to pay $680 a year.

Cut lists need a separate tool

CAD tells you the size of each board. A cut list tells you how to cut them from sheets. CutList Optimizer calculates panel layouts from stock sheets, and its options include cut thickness, edge banding and grain orientation, with results exported to PDF. It uses paid upgrades, and its free limits are not stated, so test it with a real project first.

When a paid tool is the better answer

Staying with SketchUp Pro is reasonable if you want LayOut for shop drawings and its extensions. At $33.25 a month billed annually it is a real cost, so the case is strongest if you build for clients and the time saved is worth it. Go at $10.75 a month is iPad and web only.

Onshape Standard at $1,500 per user per year makes sense when you need private files and commercial rights in a browser. Solid Edge Community Edition is free for makers, but Siemens says it is non-commercial, its 2D drawings are watermarked, and its files cannot open in commercial versions. Stay free if your work is for yourself.

Comparison

How to choose

You build for yourself and want zero cost. Start with FreeCAD and watch for a woodworking tutorial series on joinery. Our free woodworking software guide lists more.

You use an older computer or want to design anywhere. Try Onshape's free plan for open projects. Read our Onshape alternatives page if public files are a problem.

You make jigs and flat parts. SolveSpace exports the outlines directly. For more picks, see free SketchUp alternatives and free CAD software.