AutoCAD vs DesignSpark Mechanical 

SolidWorks Premium

Revit

FreeCAD

Red Giant Complete

PaleBlue

SAP Enterprise Product Development

Compare AutoCAD and DesignSpark Mechanical  based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Revit is a BIM (building information modeling) solution for architects, structural engineers, construction companies, & MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) services. The platform facilitates coordinated 3D design & offers tools such as floor plan design, 3D visualizations, & a WYSIWYG editor.

SolidWorks Premium is the leading 3D design solution in the industry. It seamlessly integrates powerful design tools-including industry-leading part, assembly, and drawing capabilities with built-in simulation, rendering, animation, product data management, and cost estimation. 

SolidWorks will help you get work done faster and easier than before, using innovative phases of product creation to achieve a more productive 3D design experience.

FreeCAD is an on-premise open-source paramedic 3D modeler, which helps businesses design objects of all sizes. Programmers can sketch constrained 2D shapes and utilize them as a base to create other objects. It supports several file formats such as IGES, SVG, DXF, DE, IFC, STL, STEP, OBJ, and more.


AutoCAD is a design and drafting platform which supports automated design tasks and offers features such as 2D drafting, drawing and annotation, 3D modeling and visualization, and more.

2D Drawing

3D Design & Modeling

3D Modeling

Access Controls/Permissions

Animation

Annotations

Bills of Material

CAD Tools

Change Management

Civil

Collaboration Tools

Commercial

Compliance Management

Component Library

Configurable Workflow

Content Library

Customizable Fields

Data Import/Export

Design Management

Design Templates

Document Generation

Document Management

Document Storage

Drafting

Drag & Drop

Electrical

Estimating

File Management

Floor Plans & Maps

For 3D Printing

For AEC Industry

For Architects

For Manufacturers

For Residential

Landscape Design

Manufacturing Design Data

Mechanical

Mobile Access

Offline Access

Parts Management

Planning Tools

Product Data Management

Project Management

Project Templates

Project Workflow

Real-Time Updates

Rendering

Reporting/Analytics

Reusable Designs

Rules-Based Workflow

Scheduling

Search

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

Sketching and Annotation Tools

Third-Party Integrations

Workflow Management

AutoCAD

Android

Linux

Web-based

Windows

iPad

iPhone

Search Engine Optimization Manager

The biggest disadvantage of AutoCAD is that it comes with a lot of problems, which is to be expected from a tool that can do so much. It seems reasonable to me.

Civil engineer

WOW, all that I can say is that probably this is the most important software to make blueprints in the world.

interior designer 

The AutoCAD is very good to be used for many industries like construction and industrial / manufacturing process as well, good for beginners and professional level as well.

architecture

I use this program all of the time because their Features are awesome powerful tool and easy for professional and beginners.

excellent application

Excellent for architects and engineers, all functions and tools are easy to use, and have an excellent cost benefit.

Co Founder

It is the most accessible CAD software to date with lots of documentation and a great and responsive community. Very user friendly and a well designed interface.

Telecommunications Specialist

I have been using AutoCAD (Mostly 2D) for almost 9 years now and I found it very useful, easy to use, and great platform for drafting anything you like.

Sometimes the user interface becomes annoying, file can get very big and may crash the computer, drawings can get corrupt.

Web Developer 

It was one and still is the best Architectural software they was and will every be. I remember how easy it was to make designs and configure settings to my liking.

Student

Great software with a great user interface that has a ton of functionality to it.

Firstly, I like all the features in AutoCAD which make the software one of the best in engineering designs. Also, it is not complected and that make the software easy to use for any user.

INDEPENDENT BUSINESS CONSULTANT

I love the shortcut keys for various tools, it makes the job a lot quicker. As a Mechanical Engineer , I really love spending time with different drawings in this cool software.

Front-End Web Developer

Overall, I think AutoCAD has been a great addition to our company. We needed a 3D drawing tool and even with the price, I believe AutoCAD was the best software for us.

Landscape Architect

I love how easily other pieces of software can integrate with it and how you can produce quality looking technical drawings within a relatively short time-span.

Planner

It is frustrating when in the AutoCAD updates over the years that the interface has changed so much that it makes it hard to adjust and find things.

Applications Engineer

This is also backed up by AutoDesk's excellent customer service and a very large catalogue of training documentation and tutorials online.

Innovation Manager

The 3d is terrible and right now the 3d is absolutely need for design.

Freelancer

The software keeps improving with update and the integration with other software as well as the online version gives me interest working experience.

AutoCAD screenshot: AutoCAD design models

AutoCAD screenshot: AutoCAD manage model design

AutoCAD screenshot: AutoCAD customize workspace 

Freelancers

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Non Profit

Public Administrations

Small Business

SAP Enterprise Product Development helps enterprises accelerate the development of new products in industries ranging from automotive to petrochemical, from consumer electronics to pharmaceuticals. It provides actionable information so you can make decisions based on real-world data and see the connected results across your network. SAP Enterprise Product Development enables architects, engineers and business users to work together quickly, enabling a dynamic digital thread that is customized fo

PaleBlue is a cloud-based solution which helps businesses of all sizes manage training processes and streamline workflows using augmented, virtual reality and 3D simulations, enabling users to import 3D models from multiple computer-aided design (CAD) sources to automatically optimize designs.

Red Giant Complete is a video making and editing software that helps filmmakers and motion designers create 3D animations, add lens distortion effects, manage color corrections, create shadows, and more on a centralized platform. It allows team members to track and maintain an editing history.

DesignSpark Mechanical is a free mechanical CAD software for Microsoft Windows, which enables users to rapidly prototype or reverse engineer any physical object. Using the direct modelling approach, it allows for unlimited and frequent design changes using an intuitive set of tools.

Architectural Symbol Library

Bill of Materials Management

Customizable Templates

Image Editing

Multiple Format Support

Multiple Projects

Projections

Version Control

DesignSpark Mechanical 

I have been using FreeCAD and QCAD for my most works and used Solid Edge for some projects then a buddy from reddit suggested me DesignSparks. I had a pretty good experience with it.

Great Tutorials with well explanation. Good support from the community.

Senior Engineer

It is great for school kids and older students who want to submit a drawing for manufacture or just want to get the hang of using CAD software.

We needed a fast and easy to use model based design system for the early development of an energy storage system. We evaluated a number of products and DesignSpark was the best for our needs.

Overall, I'd say that this software works great for me. I've used a number of other 3D modeling packages, and I keep coming back to this one when I need to model up a small part for 3D printing.

Co-owner

With direct modeling we were up and creating items within a few minutes. As we gained experience we found more and more ways to create complex items, both mechanical and cosmetic in nature.

It has many of the important / necessary features required to create a part or drawing, so somebody with little CAD experience can quickly produce something that can be submitted to a workshop.

Assistant managers

In some areas it is  really difficult to customise  for example. To create  customised template of  Bill of Materials.

They seem to be continuing the development of this software and they've kept it free, so what is there to complain about.

Sales & Business Development

Learning curve is not as easy it will take you time. Several tools are confusing they require too many steps to get them to work.

Although it can do most of what the other software packages can do, sometimes the path to get there can be a bit different. One thing that I struggled with was mirroring of objects.

Inventor

I only have one criticism with DesignSpark Mechanical. I have been used to AutoCad instruction books with over a thousand pages.

AutoCAD vs DesignSpark Mechanical Comparison (2026)

AutoCAD

DesignSpark Mechanical

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives