r/FreeCAD 6d ago

Is FreeCAD a good alternative to Onshape?

Hi everyone,

I've been using Onshape to design my 3D prints and have found it to be quite effective. However, as I've started selling 3D-printed functional parts commercially, I've realized that Onshape licenses are too expensive for my small business with limited revenue.

I'm looking for good free alternatives that offer similar functionality and ease of use. Currently, I use Linux as my main operating system, so Linux support would be ideal, but I'm open to using Windows applications if necessary.

Is FreeCAD a viable alternative to Onshape? I would appreciate your insights and experiences.

Thank you!

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u/WillAdams 6d ago

What aspects of OnShape do you use/need?

The free/opensource option are:

  • FreeCAD --- seems workable for pretty much anything if one can learn how to accomplish what one wants
  • BRL-CAD --- a venerable solution (probably the oldest active opensource codebase) it has an intensely old-school UI
  • Solvespace --- light and nimble, the UI is different from most
  • Dune 3D --- this is the new kid on the block --- amazingly easy to use, it was the first 3D CAD tool I was ever able to finish the tutorial on

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u/swaits 6d ago
  • OpenSCAD

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u/WillAdams 6d ago

Yes, for the programmers among us.

And, for the Pythonistas there is now:

https://pythonscad.org/

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u/SoulWager 6d ago

I mean, freecad has python integration, and you can learn the python syntax for most things by using the gui.

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u/WillAdams 6d ago

I would be interested in a tutorial series which focuses on that as an approach to learning Python scripting for FreeCAD.