Onshape vs Alibre Design

AutoCAD

SketchUp

SolidWorks Premium

Inventor

Autodesk Fusion

FreeCAD

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

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.

SketchUp is a design and collaboration solution that helps businesses streamline AEC and interior design workflows. Its intuitive 3D modeler allows users to visualize projects, while its 2D documentation and AR/VR viewing applications keep stakeholders aligned throughout the design-build process.

Autodesk Fusion is a 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool that combines industrial and mechanical design, simulation, collaboration, and machining to connect the entire product development process in an integrated, concept-to-production toolset

Onshape is a cloud-based 3D CAD solution for agile design & engineering teams, with tools for version control, collaboration, analytics, reporting, and more

2D Drawing

3D Design & Modeling

3D Imaging

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Animation

Annotations

Bill of Materials Management

Bills of Material

CAD Tools

Change Management

Collaboration Tools

Component Library

Configurable Workflow

Configuration Management

Content Library

Customizable Branding

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Data Visualization

Design Analysis

Design Management

Document Management

Electrical

File Management

For 3D Printing

For Manufacturers

For Solar Companies

Manufacturing Design Data

Mechanical

Mechatronics

Modeling & Simulation

Multiple Format Support

Multiple Projects

Product Data Management

Project Templates

Real Time Comparisons

Real-Time Updates

Reference Management

Reporting/Analytics

Role-Based Permissions

Rules-Based Workflow

Secure Data Storage

Sketching and Annotation Tools

Solar Design

Template Management

Third-Party Integrations

Version Control

Visual Analytics

Workflow Management

Onshape

Android

Linux

Web-based

Windows

iPad

iPhone

Software Engineer

Then I realized that I could myself produce my own 3D models and I found on Onshape the perfect tool for it. It also has great features that allows you to produce perfect models.

Principal Engineer

This is because Onshape is so portable, stable and reliable. It is a solid solid modeler with some very thought through features that are tested with the community before deploying it into the wild.

Designer

I'm sure the best Onshape feature is its super user-friendly interface, very, very good. I loved it an how the software still looking like a CAD software.

Lead Development Engineer

The stability of the software has been flawless, with minor hiccups being rapidly fixed by the outstanding customer support team.

Lack of offline caching causes Models to need to be reloaded when experiencing poor network coverage such as riding down the interstate while working on a customer design.

General manager

Great support; excellent training available; powerful but economical; fairly easy to begin, even for newbies.

Technical Director

It will be great if you organize on site training,  I am sure you can get a good turn out in KL. As a start you can help to build the local Onshape community.

Mechanical Design Engineer

I also love how easy it is to share designs with other members of my team. The import from other CAD file types works great and so far it's just been very easy to use and get used to.

Mechanical Engineer

It offers a lot of lessons for rookies and is generally a great platform for people who are transitioning from a simple CAD software like Tinkercad, to something more complicated.

Senior Engineer

My productivity and efficiency when generating 3D drawings have substantially increased because to the user-friendly interface and comprehensive range of tools.

This software helps generating complex 3D printed objects and smaller architectural projects. It helps with with getting the projects done.

Owner

This software seemed to have the best workflow out of the other similar design products I evaluated.

Engineer

Onshape is perfect for people looking for a funcational CAD without the prohibitive cost. It will do just about all that the major CAD programs will do.

Director

Browser accessibility, live collaboration, app integration. Being able to share with customers instantly is also a great perk.

I love that my designs are cloud-based. I can hop on to any device including my phone and start editing.

Owner / Designer

Printing is a bit of a pain; gotta export / download file and then print.

Director 

It is training and support that differentiates competitors. Onshape training is totally inadequate in my experience.

Machinist

The lack of well-integrated CAM makes the final step in engineering solutions a bit harder than some other packages.

Onshape screenshot: Detailed 3D assembly in Onshape with a section view for internal component design and gear alignment.

Onshape screenshot: Onshape’s structured BOM view with part revisions and ‘where used’ traceability for complex assemblies.

Onshape screenshot: Onshape simulation showing modal analysis with visualization of mode shapes, and excitation energy for individual modes.

Onshape screenshot: Onshape 3D trailer assembly with integrated bill of materials for accurate part tracking and design management.

Onshape screenshot: Onshape version control graph with full history tracking and branching for iterative machine design.

Onshape screenshot: Onshape drawing with an integrated inspection table for precise dimension tracking and quality control.

Onshape screenshot: Photorealistic rendering of a jackhammer created in Onshape’s integrated Render Studio for high-quality visualization.

Freelancers

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Small Business

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.

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.

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.


Alibre Design is a computer-aided design (CAD) solution designed to help businesses streamline 3D modeling, scripting, rendering, surfacing, 2D documentation, and publication operations. The application allows mechanical engineers to create manufacturing drawings and 3D designs for product development.

Customizable Fields

Data Synchronization

Projections

Alibre Design

Senior Instructor

The price point is good. The features are very good, assemblies are seamless and fluid.

Mechatronics Instructor

Even though I teach SolidWorks to students, I pitch this software to them when they graduate because it is affordable, effective, the support is top notch with same day(sometimes hour) response.

Alibre's customer service has also been consistently very good, every question receives careful attention and an immediate helpful response.

I bought Alibre in 2010 and found that it was easy to use and the cost was perfect for me at the time. I liked that at the time it came with many features.

I really like the ability to not only create individual parts, but to have the assembly capabilities.

Construction Manager

It is a great product been using it for years. Very functional and powerful.

Engineering director

Lack of structural threads is a massive issues to be able to print on a printer directly. Lack of support for 5 axis cnc generation.

We build custom camera/laser inspection systems for manufacturers to do quality control. It has worked great for our needs so far.

President

Lack of ability to produce models of boat hulls and project a flat pattern for hell shapes.

Another awesome feature is the sheet metal parts that can be created with Alibre. Then there is also the paper space mode where I am able to create detailed drawings for ordering or customer requests.

Product Design Engineer

The user interface is very user-friendly and also easy on the eyes. Also moving from a 3D workspace to 2D drawing is pretty seamless.

The software is full-featured and easy to use. The purchase cost is very affordable for a small business or individual and the software maintenance is minimal.

Ease of use ability to export data for machining.

Unknown

Then an update arrived and ruined the experience. I wrote to rep was on my case almost immediately.

Product Engineer

A couple of times over the years, I've had to completely scrap a design are restart when the software would crash repeatedly.

Manufacturing Engineer

There is a metal simulation portion of the software that is very useful for bending and shaping metal components with decent realism.

Managing Partner

Also helpful during this process was Alibre's customer support team. They were easy to get hold of, and were able to work with us when we got stuck along the way.

In future  I would like to integrate with CAM software, as well as FEM software in future.

Onshape vs Alibre Design Comparison (2026)

Onshape

Alibre Design

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives