Alibre Design vs FreeCAD
Alibre Design
alibre.comFreeCAD
freecad.orgSide by side
| Figure | Alibre Design | FreeCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $999/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Engineering CAD Software | 9.0 (#1) | 8.1 (#12) |
| Spec score · Engineering Design Software | 8.9 (#1) | 8.0 (#10) |
| Spec score · Computer-Aided Design & Manufacturing Software | 9.0 (#1) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Spec score · 3D CAD Software | 8.8 (#5) | 8.1 (#28) |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.8 (#20) | 8.3 (#45) |
| Spec score · CAD software | 8.6 (#6) | 8.0 (#17) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Richardson, Texas, United States | Brussels, Belgium |
| Parametric modeling | Yes | Yes |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Render engine | built-in | external |
Plans
Alibre Design
- Design Pro$999 a month
- Design Expert$1,999 a month
- Alibre Design Pro$999, paid once
- Alibre Design Expert$1,999, paid once
FreeCAD
- Bronze sponsorPrice not published
- Gold sponsorPrice not published
- Normal sponsorPrice not published
- Silver sponsorPrice not published
In their own words
Alibre Design
Alibre Design has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
FreeCAD
FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler for product design, mechanical engineering, architecture, and technical tasks. Users can sketch constrained 2D shapes, build 3D models, and revise them through parameter changes or model history. The software creates production-ready drawings from 3D models and includes animation, finite element analysis tools, experimental computational fluid dynamics, and robot simulation. It reads and writes STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, DAE, and other open formats. FreeCAD runs as desktop software on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with add-ons and workbenches for customization. Documentation, tutorials, FAQs, forums, chat, and community channels provide support resources. There are no licensing fees, no sign-up, no paywall, and no stated restrictions. The project is supported by the FreeCAD Team, the FPA, KiCad Services Corp., and other sponsors. External rendering is listed.