App comparison

Add up to 4 apps below to see how they compare. You can also use the "Compare" buttons while browsing.

Fusion 360 Logo

Fusion 360

Cloud enabled 3D CAD & collaboration platform for designers

see alternatives

(17)

Fusion 360 Reviews

Overall rating

4.5

/5

226

Rating criteria

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend8.6/10

Reviews by rating

Pros and cons

Overall, I have had a fantastic experience with Fusion 360 and would highly recommend it to anyone in need of a comprehensive and integrated design platform.
Fusion 360, I believe, is the best tool in its price range for 3D modeling. It is very affordable, and for the price, very powerful.
I loved that it worked on my mac. I wound up winning two national awards while in school with designs I created on Fusion 360.
Some specific issues with parametric modeling were noticed by me. I also noticed some problems with fillets around curves.
Continous updates and patches are released frequently. Some times this becomes annoying.
The user interface at first can be a bit confusing, and there's a lot of unlabeled buttons that take time getting used to.
Filter reviews by

Overall rating


Company size


Industry


Time used


226 reviews

Recommended

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Brock P.

Vice President of Marketing

Retail, 51-200 employees

Review source

Overall Rating

Fusion 360 quickly became our #1 Design software

Reviewed 2 months ago

Transcript

Brock: Hi, I'm Brock. I'm the vice president of marketing at StewMac. We are the world's largest supplier...

AD
AvatarImg

Andrew D.

Teacher

Education Management, 51-200 employees

Review source

Overall Rating

Not as powerful, but still very useful.

Reviewed 2 years ago

Transcript

Andrew: Hi, I'm Andrew. I'm a high school teacher. I would give Fusion 360, a four out of five stars....

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Ryan L.

Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 1-10 employees

Used monthly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

The best CAD tool for hobbyists and anyone who wants to make something

Reviewed 4 years ago

I first used Fusion 360 as an undergrad because it was free for students, and later found out that it was also free for hobbyists. I love that approach to software, because I believe anyone should be able to dream something up and make it; Fusion 360 just provides one of the most powerful tools for that development process. I've used it to design robot parts, program machine toolpaths, and modify CAD designs from free libraries for fun. I really enjoy using it.

Pros

Fusion 360 set out to be the best integrated CAD and design software, and it certainly has achieved a lot of its goals. While not as high-powered as top-tier CAD programs, it holds its own and is uniquely designed with the user in mind. I love Fusion 360's cloud-based system; without having to store files locally, I can log in on any machine that has Fusion 360 and access my projects. The interface is clean and easily customized, and the tools are intuitive. There is also an active community that is great at answering questions, and a lot of YouTube tutorials put out by Autodesk and others that fully explore Fusion 360's functionality.

Cons

Because Fusion 360 is constantly being updated and new developments are being added regularly, sometimes you will open it up after a few weeks without using it and the interface will be different. If you're trying out a preview feature, you might not get to keep it if the development team decides to go in a different direction. But this is rare.

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Shubham A.

Design, 201-500 employees

Used weekly for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend8/10

Share this review:

Top-rated features for kinematics and simulation

Reviewed 2 years ago

We're an Robotics based Ed-tech startup with the help of which we're creating robotics and other technical solutions for our customers. Therefore, a lot of R&D we do, we create each and every single part or component of a robot in the software. We're rendering the models, creating scenarios and simulating in real time in order to get the right design values and material selection for our product

Pros

1. I've been using this software to create the kinematic links and simultaneously creating the mechanism joints resulting in getting the desired motion, I want to show in a simulation 2. With the help of it's feature recognition tool, it's easy to design each and every single part and can align them in a single tree 3. Easy to access shortcuts helps an advanced user to design components more quickly

Cons

As this software a cloud-based, it requires high-speed internet to stay logged in while designing and rendering the whole model. Constant updating is one thing that I'm concerned cause it popped out in the middle of your work

IK
AvatarImg

Ilgaz K.

Design, self-employed

Used daily for 6-12 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support

Share this review:

Overpriced and doesn't properly work

Reviewed 2 years ago

It's bad, i wouldnt recommend. I've started to use it because it was free to makers and small companies, then it got hella expensive and i wouldn't suggest to even touch it.

Pros

Ease of use and UI is elegant to look at.

Cons

Software isnt yet to be finished. Coding itself is bad and people with coding background including myself thinks that this one software is built upon 2 different programming languages that contradict each other. It's clunky and tries to bring you errors instead of trying to understand what you're trying to do and forums are full of self-boasting fans and dwellers which only to bring you that it has...

UO
AvatarImg

Udoka O.

Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

Create Professional Designs with Ease

Reviewed 2 months ago
Pros

Fusion 360 has a wide range of features that allow you to create and manipulate models, drawings, and assemblies. It also has powerful simulation, analysis, and rendering tools to help you get the most out of your designs.Extensibility: Fusion 360 is extensible, which means you can customize it to meet your specific needs. There are a number of add-ons and plugins available to extend the capabilities of the software.

Cons

Fusion 360 is not free, although subscription options make it more affordable.

KN
AvatarImg

Kanad N.

Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 10,001+ employees

Used daily for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

Best 3D Modelling Software

Reviewed 3 years ago

As a hobbyist and educators Fusion 360 provides free licence for it.

Pros

Ease of use. Free 3 Year license for students and educators Fast and easy Model Analysis. Cloud-based Model storage.

Cons

As it is comparatively new software still contains some glitches and crashes or sometimes requires a restarting the computer to get it working.

FA
AvatarImg

Freddy A.

Design, 11-50 employees

Used weekly for less than 6 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7/10

Share this review:

A (Surprisingly) Nice Alternative for CAD/CAM

Reviewed 2 years ago

As I said previously the team had the idea that we were going to need additional software to design and produce all our prototypes (considering the special needs of our CNC machines), but we ended up adopting Fusion completely for the whole design process.

Pros

It's the most affordable CAD/CAM alternative for our team (and I know I'm not alone on that). Fusion has actually surprised us for good with its capabilities, since at first glance we thought we were going to need additional software to design and mechanize prototypes, but we ended up adopting Fusion completely even for using it directly with our dated CNC machines.

Cons

Learning the software from zero it's a bit hard, specially coming from other "traditional" softwares like Pro-Engineer and Solidworks, but it totally pays off in the end. But I would totally like to see more customizable keyboard shortcuts and interface parts.

MK
AvatarImg

Marius K.

Information Technology and Services, self-employed

Used monthly for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7/10

Share this review:

The permissive hobbyist license allows you to quickly design 3d printable things

Reviewed 2 years ago

Compared to freecad it's super easy too use and intuitive, and does not have any quirks.

Pros

The availability of the fusion 360 for hobbyists to have it for free is stunning. as one gets access to powerfull and intuitive cad tools.

Cons

In recent updates they removed some functionality for hobbyists. Also it's cloud based.

SS
AvatarImg

Shoeb S.

Design, 1-10 employees

Used weekly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend6/10

Share this review:

An amazing tool developed by AutoDesk

Reviewed a year ago
Pros

The project management capabilities alongside its robust and easy to use UI makes it a dream for any designer to use.

Cons

The cost of getting the software on an yearly subscription is very high.

GZ
AvatarImg

Gal Z.

Design, 5,001-10,000 employees

Used weekly for 6-12 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7/10

Share this review:

Benefits and struggles of fusion 360

Reviewed 5 months ago
Pros

Fusion brings the best of industry-related 3d modeling softwares (you can recreate today's industry production methods) with more flexibility.

Cons

After working many years with other softwares, getting used to the way Fusion handles assemblies has been a challenge. However, once you understand the logic behind it, using the software is quite easy and has a very beginner-friendly interace

JB
AvatarImg

James B.

Information Technology and Services, 11-50 employees

Used weekly for less than 6 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

Easy to learn, but impossible to master. Everything I need for 3D modeling.

Reviewed 3 years ago

I have used Fusion 360 to create some 3D models of my own, as well as modifying some models provided by others in the huge community of 3D modeling. I'm sure it will take years to master, if I ever come even close, but so far, I have been very impressed.

Pros

This software, although a little daunting at first for a newcomer, was surprisingly easy to learn. Watch some youtube videos to learn the basics, and off you go.

Cons

As mentioned, at first glance, from a beginner perspective, the software is a little overwhelming. But with a little guidance, the basics will be taken care of, and I feel it was easy sailing after jumping in there and trying a few things out.

KA
AvatarImg

Karim A.

Computer Software, self-employed

Used weekly for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

If you're a 3d designer or have 3d printers, Fusion 360 is a great option.

Reviewed 2 years ago

Fusion 360 is a fantastic project management application that caters to 3D printing customers online. It's an excellent modeling tool that's required for a successful 3D printable design. Fusion 360 offers a unique module for 3d printing in addition to its solid features. It connects to Autodesk's MeshMixer, which is another 3D printing program. The extension *.stl is required for 3D printable files. Fusion 360, on the other hand, handles this file extension with ease. A 3D printable file with specific qualities is urgently required. If there are any flaws in the design, they must be fixed before 3d printing. This is done through MeshMixer, which can be found inside Fusion 360.

Pros

- Fusion 360 is an excellent choice for technical design projects. You can work on the same file with your teammate or customer because it can function on the cloud with numerous users. - Fusion 360's assembly features are another fantastic feature. Fusion 360 allowed you to quickly and easily create assembly pieces. - And, maybe most importantly, it has a parametric design. This provides a designer a lot of power. After you've completed your project, you can adjust some design parameters. As a result, after discussing the final design with your customer, making last-minute modifications on Fusion 360 is a breeze. - Fusion 360 is available for free and includes all functionality. It's an excellent software option for a startup with a limited budget.

Cons

- Fusion 360, despite having excellent cloud software, becomes extremely sluggish when using slow internet connections. - Fusion 360 consumes a significant amount of RAM on your smartphone. On your device, it's best to set the RAM setting as high as possible. - Fusion 360's sculpting and retopology capabilities lag behind those of competitor products.

RH
AvatarImg

Rob H.

Oil & Energy, 51-200 employees

Used weekly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

SolidWorks will soon be dead

Reviewed 5 months ago

Fusion is awesome because it is free for education, easier to learn that SolidWorks, crashes WAYYY less than SolidWorks, and has so many amazing features! I love it and I have recommended it to many people.

Pros

Fusion 360 is an all in one engineering powerhouse of software. It includes 3D CAD, parametric modeling, electronics design, simulation, CAM, and more. Fusion's workflow is smooth and seamless. I really like how assemblies are all one file containing the subassemblies and parts. Sharing a .f3d file is as simple as that. Send one file. Solidworks stores every part as its own file and then puts instances of those parts into assemblies. SolidWorks assemblies require a folder with all of the part files (could be hundreds) and the assembly file to be packed into a zip before sharing. Not to mention that Fusion is cloud based so all of my projects are available from any machine. Simulations and renders can also be done using the Fusion cloud which can save time if your computer isnt the best.

Cons

Working with meshes is a new feature in Fusion, but it is still very limited and tricky to use. I hope it has similar functionality to Meshmixer one day.

KJ
AvatarImg

Kyle J.

Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 11-50 employees

Used daily for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

Great Program for the price

Reviewed 2 years ago

For anyone who does not want to drop thousands of dollars on a modeling program, Fusion 360 is the best choice.

Pros

Fusion 360, I believe, is the best tool in its price range for 3D modeling. It is very affordable, and for the price, very powerful.

Cons

There are a few things here and there that I am unable to do in Fusion, however there is usually a workaround.

WS
AvatarImg

Wil S.

Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees

Used monthly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

Fusion 360

Reviewed a year ago
Pros

I came from using it in high school to using it for hobbies and business designs. Best CAD for MAC OS

Cons

Since the change in the free plan. Many changes have been made that taken away features from free users. However the software is great but the changes in licensing has had me move away from it however I still recommend it.

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Christopher V.

Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 6-12 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

I use this for prototyping AND teaching children how to design 3D prints!

Reviewed 4 years ago

I've really been able to take my modeling and prototyping and even teaching STEM students to the next level.

Pros

Fantastic ease of use, easy to teach and learn. Everything is in places that makes sense and you can create models based on measurements very easily. The software is designed to go right to 3D printers and even CNC machines. Lot's of options for modeling types/contexts such as parametric and even sculpting primitives. The cloud platform makes it very easy to access your work from other computers/devices.. One of the most useful features for me is the fact it handles threads so well, easy to 3D print and have parts properly screw together. I tested over 30 different modeling software packages before I settled on this. No regrets.

Cons

The only real gripe I have is with the overall model of subscription services, I'd rather pay and own this type of software but I understand I am getting real time patches and updates.

AR
AvatarImg

Verified reviewer

Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, self-employed

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

Best CAD software

Reviewed 2 years ago

It is great software if your design is simple, for complex designing you have to invest more time in it to become an expert.

Pros

It have great UI. It is full featured 3D modelling software can be accessed freely using student version. we can create machine code for 3d printing the designed model. It is best suitable for mechanical industry . Online tutorials can be found so using this is not that difficult.

Cons

It run on cloud so you have to have an internet connection for using this. Learning can be difficult for the beginners. Beside these it is a great software for 3D modelling

WF
AvatarImg

Wesley F.

Medical Devices, 51-200 employees

Used weekly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend5/10

Share this review:

Powerful, easy to use, but buggy and unreliable.

Reviewed 6 months ago

It does a great job of helping us create prototypes but the bugginess requires extreme patience. It's like a sports car that handles well but stalls every 2 miles. It feels like a beta product yet it's been out for years. However, as far as I know there is nothing better unless you're willing to pay a lot more.

Pros

Relatively easy to use.Tons of features, more than enough for modest needs.Cheaper than Solidworks by a long way.

Cons

The half-local, half-cloud implementation is a disaster when Autodesk have server problems, which they do.Performance is poor - randomly and frequently locks up for 5-10 sec for no apparent reason, even when just rotating the view. The design doesn't even have to be very complex for it to start doing this.Other random common glitches like view drawing bugs, requiring reload of design.(on i7, 16GB RAM, GTX2070. No plugins. Reinstalling the software doesn't help)

JK
AvatarImg

JOHN K.

Military, 10,001+ employees

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

3D printing.

Reviewed 4 years ago

I love fusion 360. I use it for all my 3D modeling designing techniques. I find myself wanting to use this more and more with each use. It's honestly the best i have found yet.

Pros

This application blows others like sketchup out of the water. It allows me to create a components so that i can create an entire object within the application rather than creating seperate components and trying to merge them all in a different project/file.

Cons

Fusion 360 can cost a little much if you can't take advantage of its student license.

GL
AvatarImg

Greg L.

Consumer Electronics, 1-10 employees

Used daily for 6-12 months

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

Development of consumer products in the electronics industry.

Reviewed 9 months ago

I switched to F360 a is it is feature-rich. From basic sketching to rendering as a standard. It fits all my needs in 1 package.

Pros

Compatibility with existing files. I do not need to use feature-rich software in conjunction with other software as add-ons.

Cons

So many features so little time to use to learn. I am still discovering features 2 years later. Not really a con but after 2 years I still use online tutorials to discover more.

AR
AvatarImg

Verified reviewer

Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, self-employed

Used daily for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

Great For Everyone

Reviewed 4 years ago

Fusion has provided me an insight into the world of CAD and helped me build up a useful skillset for engineering design

Pros

Versatile in its ability to construct anything, Has materials and structural testing suite and can produce a variety of dependable results (tested against irl results and had a 2% margin of error)

Cons

Takes some time to learn if not trained in previous renditions of the software, quite a few bugs with intercepting elements.

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Brian C.

Biotechnology, 1-10 employees

Used monthly for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

Fusion 360 is a more Modern and Friendly Solidworks

Reviewed 3 years ago

I enjoy using Fusion 360 for design, the interface and modern design make it pleasant to use.

Pros

The interface is very up to date and easy to get used to. It does not feel like most cad software programs, it is a sort of happy medium between the old interface of products like SolidWorks and AutoCAD and newer simpler products that are made for more lightweight editing. It is easy to manipulate and create objects, and I find myself often working faster in Fusion 360 than when I use SolidWorks.

Cons

It feels like some of the more intense and powerful tools are missing (like structural analysis and finite element modeling), which is likely more a result of the kind of product they are trying to release than slacking on the part of the developers.

AvatarImg
AvatarImg

Vedant A.

Automotive, 1,001-5,000 employees

Used daily for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend8/10

Share this review:

Cost effective with some drawbacks

Reviewed 4 months ago
Pros

It is a very intuitive software that is cheaper than most of the alternatives and performs on par if not better than its competitors. It has a great cloud facility which makes collaborating possible.

Cons

it is not possible to replace parts within an assembly which makes it a hassle to reassemble it. Sometimes, the tools that we organize according to our liking defaults to their original places, which then requires us to manually rearrange the tools again.

Sv
AvatarImg

Sreenath v.

Research, 5,001-10,000 employees

Used weekly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend7/10

Share this review:

Easing the solution by fusion

Reviewed a year ago

It is a pleasant and professional experience offered by fusion 360. As the name suggests a 360 degree coverage of the modelling world is brought into the package. Though the software is in its nascent stage it has managed to show the maturity at this level offering best of its capability and service

Pros

The interactive tool box and ease of using it coupled with cloud storage, thus overcoming the nuance of file saving that at times can get tedious with passage of time in large products

Cons

Advanced tools requires more refining that makes the modelling easier enabling user to gain more confidence in handling the product. Lack of tutorials in complex problems also needs to be addressed

SB
AvatarImg

Steven B.

Medical Devices, 1-10 employees

Used weekly for 2+ years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend10/10

Share this review:

My current favorite 3D modeling tool for 3D prints

Reviewed 5 years ago

I use Fusion for rapid prototyping of medical devices, furniture, and art. I'm satisfied with the program and like that it is both Cloud Based and has offline capabilities.

Pros

Fusion 360 is pretty easy to use and the drop-downs are intuitive (assuming you're not new to modeling). I like how easy it is to export models to the CNC or 3D Printer.

Cons

I also do video game design and Fusion has NOT made that easy to do at all. It looks like I'll aso be using 3DSMax for awhile until they Fusion becomes a little more friendly to the VR world. It is super easy to accidentally delete previous work if you don't save before closing Fusion (Windows update is the bane of productivity and cause of a lot of lost work).

AC
AvatarImg

Aakash C.

Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, self-employed

Used daily for 1-2 years

Review source

Overall Rating
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9/10

Share this review:

Fusion 360

Reviewed 9 months ago

I has been an incredible experience for me so far

Pros

I Like this Software because it is easy to use and learn. It provides us with a variety of options for 3D Modelling. I also allow us the option of 3D Printing and FEA for testing us models under different conditons

Cons

I think that this software is quite expensive for smaller organizations and for freelancers other than that I Completely like is software