AutoCAD vs Inventor

SolidWorks Premium

Revit

CATIA

FreeCAD

Creo

Designcenter Solid Edge

Compare AutoCAD and Inventor 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

Creo is an engineering CAD software that helps businesses optimize the entire product lifecycle using augmented reality, real-time simulation, additive manufacturing, and generative designing methodologies from within a unified platform.

Designcenter Solid Edge provides businesses with a range of modeling and simulation tools to address all aspects of the product development process. The software portfolio covers electrical design, 3D design, computer aided manufacturing (CAM), 3D printing, simulation, data management, and more.

CATIA is a cloud-based and on-premise product modeling software, which helps businesses in various industries, such as architecture, aviation, transportation & construction, design, build, and visualize 3D models. Features include team collaboration, simulation, and real-time concurrent designing.

Inventor is a Windows-based 3D CAD software that assists in 3D modelling through mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. Professionals can create custom design configurations and automate repetitive tasks.

3D Imaging

Bill of Materials Management

BOM Creation

Configuration Management

Design Analysis

Item Management

Modeling & Simulation

Multiple Projects

Version Control

Inventor

Instructor

The price, for education, is great. Also, I am very impressed with the user interface and the ease of use.

Electrical Engineer

Only downside is it does crash sometimes for no reason when opening step files.

Inventor is a perfect tool for mechanical drawings as well as 3D mechanical models. Document production is  a very important ability of Invetor.

We used it mainly for R&D, in which we find it usable with some features earning a 'good' and even a 'very good.

Engineering Sales and Marketing Member

Really great as the designers have the great experience using this and create the ideas into 3D models and drawings.

Graduate Research Assistant

The visualization and rendering options offered in a well-built user environment was appreciable. This was quite advantageous for exporting visually good outputs.

Project engineer

Has a great deal of value in using all inventor products. The PLM system integrated with engineer works great.

Research Assistant

The platform is very memory demanding, so running the application on multiple computers caused it to crash or slow down.

Virtual Design Construction Estimator

It creates cleaner lightmaps for objects than many other programs and the built-in render engine is actually surprisingly good, negating the need to export and render elsewhere, saving time.

Corrosion and Materials Engineer

Overall the experience has been great and Inventor is almost a necessity for anyone who works with cad drawings. All drafters and engineers will want to learn this.

It has a good subscription program which makes it easy to scale as you need licenses.

In other words, it helps take the complex and break it down to where a manufacturer can get on board easily and quickly.

Engineer

Ease of use and Vault integration. Makes file management easy.

Additive Manufacturing Engineer

The fact that Inventor is easy to use is a huge plus.

I did not like the fact that the program crashes a lot, i would like an autosave function so if if does crash you dont loose your work.

Privacy and Data Protection Consultant

It takes some time to get the look and feel of Inventor and to be able to exploit all differents functionalities.

AutoCAD vs Inventor Comparison (2026)

AutoCAD

Inventor

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives