# Compare ActCAD vs Alibre Design 2026 | Capterra

> Unsure of what to choose? Check Capterra to compare ActCAD and Alibre Design based on pricing, features, product details, and verified reviews.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/compare/168061-172312/ACTCAD-Professional-vs-Alibre-Design

---

# ActCAD vs Alibre Design Features and Cost Comparison

Last updated March 13th, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews  
moderated by our Reviews Verification team.[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

Your comparison:

ActCADAlibre Design2/4 selected

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.2 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.7 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

[## ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.2 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

Starting Price

$249.00one time

Value-for-Money

4.6

Functionality

4.2

Ease of Use

4.3

Customer Service

4.1

Reviews Sentiment

AC

AC

Based on [214 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

179

Neutral

23

Negative

12

[## Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.7 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

Starting Price

$10.00/month

Value-for-Money

4.8

Functionality

4.6

Ease of Use

4.6

Customer Service

4.8

Reviews Sentiment

Based on [183 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

176

Neutral

5

Negative

2

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## Send this comparison chart to my inbox

### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.

## Summary

* * *

Key features rated by users

Features selected based on 2,499 reviews from engineering cad software users.  
about the Fit Score methodology.

Fit Score methodology

Our Fit Score reflects how reviewers rate a product’s performance against a set of features reviewers rate as most important. A higher score indicates the product is rated better in delivering what reviewers most care about.

  

If the Fit Score is not shown for a specific product, that only means there are currently not enough relevant data points to develop a meaningful score. It does not indicate that the product should be excluded from further evaluation. Best for Methodology

62%Fit

Missing features

Feature ratings

CAD Tools

4.3

Document Generation

NA

2D Drawing

4.6

Bills of Material

NA

Data Import/Export

4.0

71%Fit

Missing features

Feature ratings

CAD Tools

4.5

Document Generation

NA

2D Drawing

4.3

Bills of Material

4.2

Data Import/Export

4.3

User satisfaction

User satisfaction

4.2

User reviews[214](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

Ease of use

4.3

Functionality

4.2

Value for money

4.6

Customer support

4.1

User satisfaction

4.7

User reviews[183](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

Ease of use

4.6

Functionality

4.6

Value for money

4.8

Customer support

4.8

Price starts from

Price starts from

$249Other, One Time

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Price starts from

$10Flat Rate, Per Month

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Best for

Best for

ACTCAD is suitable for professional drawings creation for Architects, Structural Engineers, Civil Engineres, Mechanical Drawings, Electrical drawings, interior design, tool design, machine designs etc

Best for

From SMBs, startups, labs, educational institutions, and machine shops all the way to Sandia National Laboratories. Organizations of 1 to 1000 choose Alibre for economical, powerful 3D engineering.

## User reviews

Pros & cons

AC

Alessandro C.

software technician

> "ActCAD offers a strong combination of powerful 2D drafting and 3D modeling tools, support for DWG/DXF formats, and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___6630491)

AC

Alessandro C.

software technician

> "However, it does have some drawbacks, including limited file format support, occasional lag, a steep learning curve for..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___6630491)

AC

Alessandro C.

software technician

> "Overall, it's a solid choice for professionals, but it may require some patience and adaptation, especially for those..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___6630491)

RP

Rasmus P.

technical designer

> "Smaller annoying thins were worst autoregen I've seen in years (even with the best settings the circles most of the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___4757896)

SS

Srinivas S.

CEO

> "The ease of use makes it more user friendly software for cad users."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___6497765)

AM

Alan M.

Engineer

> "The error is so small it is hard to detect until you zoom in and look at the corners. When you close the program, if..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3751395)

RkK

Ratna kumari K.

Design Engineer

> "The software is working smoothly and quick response from the technical team."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___6452040)

KN

Kosmas N.

Electricity Engineer

> "Text change paragraph on its right if you don't have the text window dragged downwards enough for your text to fit in..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3740220)

RR

Refugio R.

Civil Engineer

> "I found ACTCAD provided a basis to get to the next level , to integrate with a modern corporate status as well as..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3740158)

SN

Shivakumar N.

Design Supervioser

> "need improvement on PDF export & PDF import & edit not up to the mark text are importing as text"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3728973)

GH

Gary H.

Designer / CAD Tech.

> "I believe this would be a game changer, and also capable of "VR" Virtual Reality type design capabilities and you could..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3733624)

TK

Tom K.

Supervisor

> "I could not get it to transfer the license because their web domain is blocked on our internal network."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3742003)

VS

Vuppala S.

Entrepreneur

> "It's good for me as i am mostly use 2d development drawing ( detail drawings and conceptual drawings) its good."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3732490)

DB

David B.

home owner

> "Ive never used AutoCad, which here in America is really the leading Cad program, but the companies license agreements..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3749905)

SN

Shivakumar N.

Design Supervioser

> "overall tool is good but need improvements in PDF export & import & advance generic features like AUTOCAD"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3728973)

FRD

Fernando Raffaele D.

Responsabile Area Tecnica Comunale

> "The software update function does not work, even after contacting support and following their instructions."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3755859)

SA

Steve A.

C.T.O

> "The pros of ACTCAD is the comparative price to its functionality and the compatibility to the AutoCAD."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3748627)

RG

Robert G.

Retired

> "Integration with autocad. Had some difficulty opening files in autocad after working in actcad."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3757776)

CC

Charilaos C.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

> "Interface very similar to Autocad (used before Actcad), very easy transition and file compatibility"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3762468)

HK

Hamid K.

Principal Architect

> "The online support is based in India, so there is difficulty due to time difference."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3724461)

RR

Refugio R.

Civil Engineer

> "Th ePerpetual license with a dongle is completely independent and accessible."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3740158)

HK

Hamid K.

Principal Architect

> "Some of the feature are non-functioning or have bugs."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3724461)

DB

David B.

home owner

> "Not wanting to spend a lot of money, or have to have a renewable license, this software is perfect. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3749905)

HK

Hamid K.

Principal Architect

> "Lack of adequate help reference, documentations and support."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3724461)

AM

Alan M.

Engineer

> "Overall, I have been able to do the same 2D work with ActCad that I had been doing with AutoCad. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3751395)

EA

Ercan A.

General Manager

> "sensitive content hidden\] If these portions of website is not used, remove them from the site."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___4757954)

EB

Edmond B.

President-Owner

> "The transferable key is easy to switch over to my laptop when I travel."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___4758591)

RH

Robert H.

Retired

> "The scaling to print is something I cannot get right which is a great limitation"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3758282)

HJ

Hedaia J.

Planning Manager

> "The ActCAD mobile app is equally simple to use, allowing field engineers to create assignments or respond to site..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3343756)

EM

EKkehard M.

Owner

> "Incompetent Support and promised features do not work."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3721983)

GnR

Germán R.

Project Engineer

> "It's easy to use (if you are already familiar with AutoCAD) and you can generate a proffesional product using the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3749620)

NP

Nilesh P.

Director

> "There are some bugs which they need to work on it."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3760265)

DG

David G.

Project Manager

> "Very impressed with the interface (once I determined where everything was located) and the overall product."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3740948)

RP

Rasmus P.

technical designer

> "I tried to report that bug but got no response for that."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___4757896)

PP

Petros P.

Land Surveying Engineer

> "Great in importing/exporting orthos, points, collaboration with addons, can replace other pricey products easily."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3325733)

JM

John M.

President

> "License transfer to my travel computer is clumsy; wish there was a better mechanism to share a license between two..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3321448)

KS

Kishore S.

Assistant Manager

> "cost benefit with perpetual and Network license."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3768781)

HK

Hamid K.

Principal Architect

> "I am not as pleased with some of the technical difficulties and support."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3724461)

JM

John M.

President

> "ActCAD presents a complete palette of 2D and annotation tools, critical to my business."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3321448)

SM

Satyaki M.

Proprietor

> "Moderately big size drawings get stuck up frequently, causing frustration and loss of business."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3319665)

LG

Louis G.

Architect (retired)

> "I've tried other resellers and found that ActCAD has the best after-sale support. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3734329)

LL

Leonidas L.

Civil engineering

> "Makes lots of errors."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3748992)

AM

Alan M.

Engineer

> "I have used the same drawings on both systems with no issues."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3751395)

EA

Ercan A.

General Manager

> "Customer support is very bad."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___4757954)

GnR

Germán R.

Project Engineer

> "The best part is, you don't have to pay a subscription."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3749620)

DAS

Dhruvil Ashokkumar S.

Structural Engineer

> "Block library would not work in most of the cases and would disappear from your drawing and you would not be able to..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___2708631)

HP

Halgauda P.

Desighn engineer

> "Software is user friendly, all the command are similar as autocad."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3722079)

VH

Valandis H.

carpender

> "Sometimes you lose very easy the windows tools that opens in backround"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3319884)

CT

Carmen T.

E&I Designer

> "Works like the big name in CAD software, function keys, keyboard shortcut, etc."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3337437)

CT

Carmen T.

E&I Designer

> "This was not a big concern, but I could not get a .lsp to load properly."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3337437)

AM

Allen M.

Engineer

> "The cost of the software is probably the most beneficial to our company."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3734125)

AK

Alan K.

Owner

> "Mostly food production / automation issues"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___2913211)

VS

Vuppala S.

Entrepreneur

> "I like the most is price and ease of installing and when ever any requirement ofi fo"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3732490)

DAS

Dhruvil Ashokkumar S.

Structural Engineer

> "With the recommended system requirements as they have on their website, ActCAD is not able to handle even small scale..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___2708631)

BS

Binit S.

Director

> "Good S/W with commercial affordable to suggest the client"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___3751739)

DAS

Dhruvil Ashokkumar S.

Structural Engineer

> "I contacted customer support regarding "Block Library" issue somewhere in October 2020 but till date the issue is NOT..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#Capterra___2708631)

[View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

JE

Jeff E.

Owner

> "Great customer support and rapid learning curve (I transitioned from AutoCAD and Pro E). Have been using since 2014 to support..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7113007)

JK

Julian K.

Engineer

> "I found it difficult to set up defaults (dimension styles, set to use millimetres etc.) and get them to persist between drawing..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7049064)

MR

Mike R.

Owner

> "Alibre's pricing and licensing policy are very fair, and offer the best bang-for-buck, of all of the 3D CAD programs that I looked..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7047978)

GR

Geoff R.

Draftsman

> "It glitches occasionally, mainly when drawing a geometry line where many already exist, suddenly making all the geometry look like a..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6332346)

BC

Brian C.

Owner

> "I use the 3D modelling and assembly a lot and find it allows me to design and engineer more quickly and accurately than some other CAD..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7053271)

RJ

Ron J.

Owner and Engineer

> "difficulty getting the program to accept fillets - I spend more time trying to get the fillets to work than drawing the parts."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6843494)

JS

Joseph S.

CEO

> "My Alibre tools get me quickly and efficiently from model concept through to generation of a .stl file that I can move into slicer..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6828408)

GR

Geoff R.

Draftsman

> "It also has issues where, in an assembly, it substitutes one item for another and the only solution is to completely redraw the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6332346)

GC

Gregory C.

NA

> "The combination of price and capabilities, Alibre Design is the best tool to facilitate the flow from rough pencil-sketch, to 3d model..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6825569)

ME

Mark E.

None

> "The one complaint I have is the tutorials that I can find."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7049772)

SK

Scott K.

Engineer

> "I really like their pricing structure, subscription based or one time based with option to pay for upgrades as needed. Plus, I was..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7013044)

JK

Jason K.

Mechanical Design

> "For all intents and purposes no ability whatsoever to manage project files, creating an impossible mess on your hard drive that you..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6039503)

MR

Mike R.

Owner

> "I like that the license is perpetual, and the fact that the service update subscription is optional, which helps control the cost."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7047978)

RJ

Ron J.

Owner and Engineer

> "Unable to intersect a line to a curve or two curves."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6843494)

AN

Adam N.

Owner

> "With pricing options for every budget, friendly upgrade options, and nearly every tool the other guys have, Alibre is a no-brainer."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7083772)

JS

Jason S.

Mechatronics Instructor

> "I use Alibre for making blueprints quite often and this is a constant headache."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6755493)

RF

Reg F.

Senior Electronics Engineer

> "The continuous development and release of new features (as well as bug fixes) again offered in a value for money annual maintenance..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7086970)

DJ

David J.

Chief Technology Officer

> "I had no idea how to work with 3D CAD twelve years ago and now I have designed a patent pending suspension modification."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6452809)

ES

E S.

Product Engineer

> "Alibre Design is a fully capable parametric modeling application and I can complete a product design from idea to model to production..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6655356)

DP

Donald P.

Design Engineer

> "Can't get to my design files to edit them. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6537884)

RJ

Ron J.

Owner and Engineer

> "The support has generally been good. If I did not have so many files saved in Alibre, on a major project that I need to finalize and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6843494)

EW

Errol W.

Owner Director

> "Lack of Multi Body modelling."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6666535)

AH

Arron H.

Production Manager

> "it has helped alot with our 3d rendering of products so our workers can see the end result"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6864015)

RM

Rochan M.

Engineering manager

> "It has a hard time with organic shaped"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6622220)

SK

Scott K.

Engineer

> "I'm really glad I found and use Alibre for my 3d modeling for general CAD and lots of 3d printing stuff."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7013044)

JN

John N.

President

> "When drawing detailed layout's with many shapes the software crashes."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6274493)

JE

Jeff E.

Owner

> "Most capable product that punches way above it's weight from a cost perspective."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7113007)

GC

Gavin C.

Director

> "Very occasional crashes and hangs like most cad software. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6146444)

LK

LaVerne K.

President

> "I moved from TurboCAD 2D and had a very little Solidworks experience, the switch was very easy, Alibre is intuitive, after a couple of..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6393194)

AL

Arturo L.

Owner

> "You should reselect (edit) plane when edit scketh When you replace a part in assembly, do not respect the relations with other parts"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3862564)

GC

Gregory C.

NA

> "I also appreciate the "buy once to own" sales model as opposed to the ubiquitous software-as-subscription subscription model."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6825569)

SU

Sascha U.

freelancer

> "Alibre is a bit lacking in surface modeling tools, making it harder to model complex curved or organic surfaces."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3868143)

JK

Julian K.

Engineer

> "Alibre's licensing options are perfect for this."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7049064)

DJ

David J.

President

> "One that always bothers me is that selection of multiple elements requires shift-clicks in some contexts, but just clicks in others,..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3851976)

DP

Dave P.

Automation Engineering Tech

> "I have gotten to the point now that I don't even miss Autodesk Inventor any more for 3D modeling."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7104514)

DS

David S.

President

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

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3796842)

AH

Arron H.

Production Manager

> "it has been relatively good ive only used 2 drawing programes alibre been one of them and have found it is able to do what we require..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6864015)

GC

Gavin C.

Director

> "Some advanced features not available."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6146444)

RB

Ryan B.

Manager

> "Great value for the money with a permanent license, great customer support on the rare occasion I have a question. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7114764)

JC

Joseph C.

Chief Builder

> "The 2D sketching experience is decent and gets the job done, but it is not as easy to use and lacks 2D drawing features compared to..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3866536)

DP

Dave P.

Automation Engineering Tech

> "I found Alibre Experrt Design and decided to try, and after a short learning curve I am now comfortable with the software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7104514)

RG

Robert G.

Engineering manager

> "Overall assembly constraints can be quite a challenge, especially if some blow up, turns into a major cluster when trying to..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852191)

MR

Mike R.

Owner

> "Alibre Design was easy to learn, coming from SolidWorks, which I use at my day job."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7047978)

DH

Darrell H.

Owner / Mechanical Engineer

> "Hidden Line Management in 2D drawing can be a real pain and cumbersome to manage. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852281)

SK

Scott K.

Engineer

> "Can install it on my machine, easy to setup and they have great getting started tutorials for the beginner 3D modeler! "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7013044)

DS

David S.

Owner

> "I may have chosen otherwise if cost was no object but I don't design things every day and paying many thousands of dollars for a..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3872613)

WW

William W.

Research and Development Engineer

> "The Sheet metal functions in the Expert version are really intuitive for me to use and there are several projects I could not have..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6359821)

Anoop N.

Operations Manager

> "Alibre lacks easy integration with PCB / Electronics / Electrical Design software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3853222)

RH

Ralph H.

President

> "The ability to compute weights of assemblies that easily flow into a top assembly is excellent."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6557351)

RW

Ron W.

Senior Hardware Design Engineer Technologist

> "I do find limitations though, so unfortunately I also use SolidWorks on the large projects."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852042)

JW

Jon W.

Technical Manager

> "A huge improvement on the old CADMAX system."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7114024)

TD

Thomas D.

Project Manager

> "I don't have anything that really bugs me about the software, small refinements are really all that is needed."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852792)

Craig F.

Owner

> "Overall it's a rocksolid design tool you can count on."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7096405)

SG

Samuel G.

Electronics and Software Engineer, Retired

> "not quite match up to the 3-D CAD technology."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852197)

PW

Paul W.

manager

> "i like the fact its a software purchase, not subscription based."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7053808)

EA

Eric A.

Engineer

> "Drawing errors are notified but not pinpointed where they occur."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3914045)

JW

Jared W.

Owner, Engineer

> "Alibre is an affordable, all-in-one CAD solution. While it's similar to other packages, there is a small learning curve."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6708542)

JW

James W.

CEO

> "Complex artistic forms is where it begins to hit limits."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852039)

JD

Jim D.

Creator

> "I started with Atom in early 2023 but very soon upgraded to to Alibre Design Expert for all of the extra features."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6615234)

SU

Sascha U.

freelancer

> "Sometimes there are also basic tools you expect to be there, and they don't exist."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3868143)

BL

Brian L.

Co-owner

> "I have been using it since 2011 and it has had continuous improvement."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___7071560)

DT

Dan T.

Owner

> "I still have a few issues with sketching, not really as intuitive as I would like. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852054)

TG

Thomas G.

Manufacturing Engineer

> "Assemblies are easy to create, and I can import parts from virtually any source."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6861900)

BG

Bent G.

Owner

> "The motion simulation was removed some years ago that's BAD."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3906164)

TG

Thomas G.

Manufacturing Engineer

> "Enjoying the new tools added with this update and look forward to new innovations from the development team."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6861900)

DO

Duane O.

Owner

> "There are some features I would like to see, but there's nothing i really don't like"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852164)

MN

Matthew N.

Lead Engineer

> "Also, the ability to import common file formats (CATIA, SolidWorks, Inventor, ProE, NX, etc.) makes Alibre Design Expert the go to."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6230553)

DH

Darrell H.

Owner / Mechanical Engineer

> "I would be less productive and less profitable with any other Software. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___3852281)

AG

Alex G.

Design Engineer

> "I've been using Alibre for 20 years and it's the CAD package I always return too, having had experience with many others more than..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___6427442)

Eugene B.

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."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#Capterra___2611603)

[View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

## User interface

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)

4.22 (214)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)

4.69 (183)

## Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

### Features

Do these products fit your needs?

Prioritize real-user-identified key features according to your needs to find your best fit.

\--% Fit

vs

\--% Fit

2D Drawing

207

Important

3D Imaging

150

Important

Access Controls/Permissions

120

Important

ActCAD

15/35

-   2D Drawing
-   3D Imaging
-   Access Controls/Permissions
-   AI Copilot
-   Bills of Material
-   CAD Tools
-   Change Management
-   Civil
-   Collaboration Tools
-   Compliance Management
-   Configurable Workflow
-   Configuration Management
-   Content Library
-   Customizable Fields
-   Data Capture and Transfer
-   Data Import/Export
-   Data Visualization
-   Design Analysis
-   Design Management
-   Document Generation
-   Document Management
-   Electrical
-   File Management
-   Generative AI
-   Manufacturing Design Data
-   Mechanical
-   Mechatronics
-   Presentation Tools
-   Process Control
-   Product Data Management
-   Project Management
-   Project Templates
-   Reporting/Analytics
-   Version Control
-   Visual Analytics

[See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/#features)

Alibre Design

15/35

-   2D Drawing
-   3D Imaging
-   Access Controls/Permissions
-   AI Copilot
-   Bills of Material
-   CAD Tools
-   Change Management
-   Civil
-   Collaboration Tools
-   Compliance Management
-   Configurable Workflow
-   Configuration Management
-   Content Library
-   Customizable Fields
-   Data Capture and Transfer
-   Data Import/Export
-   Data Visualization
-   Design Analysis
-   Design Management
-   Document Generation
-   Document Management
-   Electrical
-   File Management
-   Generative AI
-   Manufacturing Design Data
-   Mechanical
-   Mechatronics
-   Presentation Tools
-   Process Control
-   Product Data Management
-   Project Management
-   Project Templates
-   Reporting/Analytics
-   Version Control
-   Visual Analytics

[See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/#features)

### Recognition

ActCAD is recognized as a top-rated tool in 2 Capterra Shortlist reports

Best Value Engineering CADSoftware (2022) 

Alibre Design is recognized as a top-rated tool in 2 Capterra Shortlist reports

Best Value 3D CADSoftware (2024) 

### Deployment & support

ActCAD

Deployment

-   Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
-   Desktop Mac
-   Desktop Windows
-   Desktop Linux
-   On-Premise Windows
-   On-Premise Linux
-   Desktop Chromebook
-   Mobile Android
-   Mobile iPhone
-   Mobile iPad

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Alibre Design

Deployment

-   Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
-   Desktop Mac
-   Desktop Windows
-   Desktop Linux
-   On-Premise Windows
-   On-Premise Linux
-   Desktop Chromebook
-   Mobile Android
-   Mobile iPhone
-   Mobile iPad

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

### Company Details

ActCAD

-   By ActCAD
-   Located in India
-   Founded in 2006

Alibre Design

-   By Alibre
-   Located in United States
-   Founded in 1997

## Popular Comparisons

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

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vs

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4.6

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4.6

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[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

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Contact vendor for pricing

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4.3

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[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

vs

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$10/month

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Contact vendor for pricing

4.6

Features

4.6

4.6

Ease of Use

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[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-172312/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-Alibre-Design)

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[4.63 (756)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/)

$249one time

Price

Contact vendor for pricing

4.2

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.3

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-168061/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-ACTCAD-Professional)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

vs

[Inventor](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/)[4.53 (277)](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/reviews/)

$10/month

Price

$310/month

4.6

Features

4.5

4.6

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172312-236745/Alibre-Design-vs-Inventor)

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

[MATLAB](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/)[4.60 (2,093)](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/reviews/)

$249one time

Price

$203.63/year

4.2

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.0

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/125813-168061/MATLAB-vs-ACTCAD-Professional)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

vs

[Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/)[4.49 (269)](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/reviews/)

$10/month

Price

$85/month

4.6

Features

4.5

4.6

Ease of Use

4.1

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172312-178416/Alibre-Design-vs-Fusion-360)

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

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$249one time

Price

$310/month

4.2

Features

4.5

4.3

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/168061-236745/ACTCAD-Professional-vs-Inventor)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

vs

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$10/month

Price

$19.99/month

4.6

Features

4.3

4.6

Ease of Use

4.4

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172312-211798/Alibre-Design-vs-SketchUp)

[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/)

vs

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$249one time

Price

$60/month

4.2

Features

4.4

4.3

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/2011-168061/AutoCAD-LT-vs-ACTCAD-Professional)

[Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/)

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[Onshape](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/)[4.51 (342)](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/reviews/)

$10/month

Price

$1500/year

4.6

Features

4.1

4.6

Ease of Use

4.5

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