# Compare SolidWorks Premium vs MicroStation 2026 | Capterra

> Unsure of what to choose? Check Capterra to compare SolidWorks Premium and MicroStation based on pricing, features, product details, and verified reviews.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-192416/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-MicroStation

---

# SolidWorks Premium vs MicroStation Features and Cost Comparison

Last updated April 15th, 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:

SolidWorks PremiumMicroStation2/4 selected

[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[4.6 (756)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.3 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

[## SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[4.6 (756)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/)

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Value-for-Money

4.1

Functionality

4.6

Ease of Use

4.3

Customer Service

4.2

Reviews Sentiment

Based on [756 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

730

Neutral

18

Negative

8

[## MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.3 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

Starting Price

$2284.00/year

Value-for-Money

4.1

Functionality

4.2

Ease of Use

4

Customer Service

4

Reviews Sentiment

Based on [176 reviews](#user-reviews)

Positive

156

Neutral

17

Negative

3

## Not a match? Find software alternatives tailored to your priorities.

These software suggestions are similar to those you’re currently comparing.

### Onshape

4.5 (342)

* * *

Starting Price

$1500.00

Per User,Per Year

Free Trial

Free Version

* * *

User rating

94%

of reviewers  
rated it above 4 stars

* * *

### Altium Develop

4.6 (181)

* * *

Starting Price

Contact vendor for pricing

Free Trial

Free Version

* * *

User rating

94%

of reviewers  
rated it above 4 stars

* * *

Highest Rated

### CET Material Handling

5.0 (1)

* * *

Starting Price

$2495.00

Per User,Per Year

Free Trial

Free Version

* * *

User rating

100%

of reviewers  
rated it above 4 stars

* * *

### Lumion

4.7 (157)

* * *

Starting Price

€1299.00

Flat Rate,Per Year

Free Trial

Free Version

* * *

User rating

97%

of reviewers  
rated it above 4 stars

* * *

## 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.

What’s your intended use case?

## 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

81%Fit

High performer

Feature ratings

CAD Tools

4.6

Document Generation

4.3

2D Drawing

4.4

Bills of Material

4.6

Data Import/Export

4.3

69%Fit

Missing features

Feature ratings

CAD Tools

4.3

Document Generation

4.0

2D Drawing

4.4

Bills of Material

NA

Data Import/Export

4.3

User satisfaction

User satisfaction

4.6

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

Ease of use

4.3

Functionality

4.6

Value for money

4.1

Customer support

4.2

User satisfaction

4.3

User reviews[176](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

Ease of use

4.0

Functionality

4.2

Value for money

4.1

Customer support

4.0

Price starts from

Price starts from

\--

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Price starts from

$2284Other, Per Year

-   Free version
-   Free trial

Best for

Best for

On-premise and cloud-based manufacturing design platform that allows individuals and enterprises of all sizes to create and collaborate 2D drafts, 3D designs, CAD models, animations and more.

Best for

Design teams responsible for creating and managing the world's infrastructure, including buildings, roadways, bridges, airports, hospitals, industrial, and power plants as well as utility networks.

## User reviews

Pros & cons

CI

Chris I.

CTO

> "Powerful design capabilities: Robust tools for 3D modeling, simulation, and rendering."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6821136)

CI

Chris I.

CTO

> "Recent changes to their subscription model make it feel even more expensive and less customer-friendly on price."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6821136)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Sales Engineer

> "Amazing and intuitive design software with an abundance of features that allows you to bring a design to life with ease!"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6837536)

NK

Nicholas K.

Chief Research Officer

> "Also the lack of compatibility with older versions can make it difficult to collaborate to institutions that canot afford the latest model..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6545287)

Steven P.

CEO

> "I liked the 3DExperience cloud PDM fonctionnalities that are now available in my package"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___7108353)

CD

Craig D.

Mechanical Design Engineer

> "SolidWorks crashes very often."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___7094844)

Caleb T.

Mechanical Engineer

> "It also has one of the most straightforward UIs of any CAD software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6869396)

AA

Amine A.

Senior Mechanical Engineer

> "The 3D experience is terrible i've paid like for 2 years it's plugging with solidworks it has 0 efficiency only cloud problems"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6670590)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Senior analyst and consultant

> "Best software for engineering cad design and products innovation."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6855107)

CI

Chris I.

CTO

> "Expensive: The cost is simply very high compared to alternatives like Fusion 360."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6821136)

Subhair S.

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

> "Solidworks simulation tools help us to do stress analysis with that data we can easily able to design stress carrying members."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4893081)

SG

Shan G.

CTO

> "Also it lacks AI upgrade."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6772826)

SM

Steve M.

product design engineer

> "I started using SolidWorks in my second year as an undergraduate , it's was very easy to learn meaning you spend less time learning and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5029451)

TK

Thomas K.

Engineer

> "The changes between model years can be frustrating."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6488671)

EB

Edgar B.

Design Engineering

> "The Libraries are a very valuable resource for engineers and designers, providing a wide range of components that improve the efficiency..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4899990)

Slim B.

teacher

> "unfortunately, although Solidworks is a tick font software, it remains not affordable, in fact, its cost is very high, which is a major..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4987406)

JK

Jacob K.

Process Engineer

> "SolidWorks let me translate my ideas into something other people can understand exactly how I do."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6627678)

AJ

Amjad J.

Technical Support

> "SolidWorks Premium is a powerful CAD software that offers a range of advanced design and simulation tools, but it may not be the best fit for..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4759824)

SM

Steve M.

product design engineer

> "As a product development engineer ,using solidworks enables me to develop and test 3D CAD designs easily and effectively."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5029451)

TL

Trevor L.

Controls Engineer

> "With Solidworks we use the collaboration database which is great for revision control and collaboration but it causes all sorts of issues. If..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4192056)

Subhair S.

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

> "Solidworks Sheetmetal and part modeling has many tools for making complex shapes and models easily."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4893081)

BS

Bertin S.

Sr. PCB Design Engineer

> "Sometimes it takes a bit too long to perform some commands and the assemblies can be a little tricky."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6239350)

SD

Swarnim D.

Associate Engineer

> "I appreciate SolidWorks Premium for its robust modeling and simulation features, which help streamline product development."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5036986)

RM

Rajiv M.

Senior design engineer

> "Solidwork drawing is quite boring end not so effective it got crash when you use for long time without saving."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6013094)

NK

Ngiria K.

Mechanical design engineer

> "its amazing architecture and incredible features like solid cam"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6591108)

CW

Cindy W.

Bill of Materials Technician II

> "Sometimes finding the error when trying to fully define a part/assembly."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4998487)

DK

Dev K.

Design Engineer

> "It has all the tools you need for 3D modeling, drawings, and analysis."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6119193)

Miguel P.

Software Enginner

> "Sometimes it shutdowns, other times it breaks the relations I set up before."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4808726)

RM

Rajiv M.

Senior design engineer

> "Multi body feature in a part modelling is very helpful for me , top to bottom assembly is so easy , it's sketching tools are are very..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6013094)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Industrial Designer

> "Organic surfaces and volumes are hard to figure out how to model in Solidworks (specially comparing to other 3D modelling softwares used in..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3695257)

JLI

Jean-Louis I.

President

> "It remains the industry standard so is a must-have for any design agency."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6540682)

FM

Felipe M.

Research Associate

> "A drawback of SolidWorks Premium is also its steep learning curve."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4834261)

NK

Ngiria K.

Mechanical design engineer

> "im impressed to share my good experience using this software as i learned using it within weeks due to its ease of integration."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6591108)

TG

Tarun G.

Mechanical Design Engineer

> "The most useless part of this software is its rendering part, I have used its rendering many times, but I never got good results, it seems..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4224363)

AM

Ash M.

Design Engineer

> "It is the most commonly used CAD package within manufacturing and has a vast array of plugins."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5020941)

Miguel P.

Software Enginner

> "When I worked in big assembly projects, I experienced erratic behavior from the program."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4808726)

MP

Motheo P.

Industrial Designer

> "D features which enables a user to transform a 2D drawing into 3 dimensional shape,and lastly the rendering tools makes a model look..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3934110)

AM

Ash M.

Design Engineer

> "It is definitely very pricey but generally covers its cost if using it commercially."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5020941)

Eduardo R.

Engineering Student

> "Solid allows for various types of studies so engineers can optimize, geometries or materials that can result in efficient and quality results..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3933027)

BT

Beatriz T.

Industrial Management Engineer

> "The price becomes a bit high for some companies."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5077796)

Eduardo R.

Engineering Student

> "SolidWorks is an essential tool for any mechanical engineer who is in a design area, you can run studies to know what to expect on your..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3933027)

DlH

Daniël H.

Student

> "Some tools, like the design study tool which lets you do a FEA of the product is not the most intuitive to use."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3579912)

Mammaye Ousmane T.

Student in Industrial Maintenance

> "SolidWorks Premium is an effective CAD tool for mechanical product design, it offers robust features such as parametric design tools,..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4458629)

DK

Dev K.

Design Engineer

> "It's an expensive tool and Dassault can be a difficult company to work with."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6119193)

Caleb T.

Mechanical Engineer

> "It is a very user-friendly program and super easy to learn."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6869396)

SO

Sofia O.

Student

> "At the same time, the software limits a lot the studies of the pieces because it has some bugs."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3600723)

C

Cevdet Ö.

Project Engineer

> "SolidWorks Premium is a powerful CAD software with advanced features for 3D modeling, simulation, and product visualization."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4750224)

MH

Mohamad H.

Freelancer

> "Like any 3D engineering drawing software, it requires having dedicated RAM and a good graphics card. If another application is running in the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3022819)

NK

Nizamudin K.

Technology innovation fellow

> "I like the professional quality and the capacity of solidworks to be used in a wide variety of design types, with engineering and manufacture..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3693236)

YK

Yusaku K.

Freelancer

> "need parcel of memory and processor power, can't be utilized with other programming while at the same time delivering or making complex..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___2871693)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Project Engineer

> "Best platform for rendering 3D models (using visual plug-ins).Editing the parts in the assembly is much more convenient when compared to..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4545156)

HDS

Harsharan Deep S.

Marketer

> "I would say the price point is a bit on the expensive side and they only issue the software to students or a registered company, others might..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4212800)

Richard S.

Remote Assistant

> "One of the most impressive things about it was the fact that every piece of hardware within the refinery was selectable as a 3D component in..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4289676)

PS

Prabhat S.

Project Leader

> "Fails to produce a detailed picture utilising data from the raw,"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3854603)

AA

Allanys A.

Student

> "What I liked most about SolidWorks Premium was that it haves a lot of features to create designs and print them in a 3D printer."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4490779)

RP

Rafael P.

Financial Director

> "Features that go beyond the core for 3d modeling, such as rendering, animations and the toolbox, not only lack the intuitiveness as the main..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___2878290)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Mechanical Development Engineer

> "The ease of developing the 3D Model and assembly of the part and easy simulation tool that makes us visualize the defect in the part before..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3715858)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Mechanical Engineer

> "It requires too many computer resources to handle large assemblies."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4245006)

MA

Mohammed A.

Engineer

> "As an engineer i using it for designing the 3d simple and complex modeling its really powerful program and its saving a lot of time and cost ."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4182159)

BO

Bethany O.

Account Representative

> "The material library is limited and camera angles feel clunky at times."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4725723)

AM

Ash M.

Design Engineer

> "There is a lot of help online so getting community support for niche questions is normally possible."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5020941)

AV

Alexandra V.

DevOps Developer

> "Absolutely found nothing to like least about this product with advanced simulation and analytics to estimate cost."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3827164)

AA

Alanis A.

Team Manager

> "As an engineer it is a must to use this platform and to create assembles."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5009592)

AA

Abdullateef A.

engineer

> "It also needs a large storage space and strong random access memory, as it stops working at times And it may be too expensive for some..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3398539)

Mammaye Ousmane T.

Student in Industrial Maintenance

> "In conclusion, SolidWorks Premium is an incredibly powerful tool for mechanical product design and is highly recommended for anyone looking..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4458629)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Engineer

> "The un- uniform shapes design it's take long time to make accurate"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3771185)

MUA

Muhammad Umair A.

Quality Engineer

> "It's works for designers may be a must have for automotive industry."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___5017346)

AJ

Amjad J.

Technical Support

> "SolidWorks Premium is expensive software, and the high cost may not be affordable for some businesses or individuals."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4759824)

AV

Alexandra V.

DevOps Developer

> "Easy to manage product data with this solution and it integrates seamlessly with other design tools and also offers excellent drawing..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3827164)

VL

Vitor L.

Eng

> "It consumes a lot of RAM memory."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4692725)

TB

Thomas B.

Media team lead

> "Solidworks Premium is extremely intuitive and easy to use."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6557721)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Project Manager

> "quite often it crashes and reports an error"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4681697)

SN

Suvajit N.

Senior Design Engineer

> "Very intuitive and user friendly interface."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___6390479)

CD

Caleb D.

Graduate Research Assistant

> "SolidWorks is so expensive and it is common for people to post opensource CAD files that are SolidWorks, but if you don't pay for the..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3112998)

CW

Cindy W.

Bill of Materials Technician II

> "It has useful features that make designing parts much easier."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4998487)

PS

Prabhat S.

Project Leader

> "These drawbacks are unimportant in light of the price."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3854603)

TK

Tejashree K.

Team leader

> "The software is great for beginner level and its used in various industry specially for mechanical, designing and electrical also."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4165630)

RG

Robert G.

Engineering manager

> "Cost cost is way too high for a year subscription. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3852220)

KK

Krishnakanth K.

Senior Recruiter

> "As i am using this software , the designs and data's are highly accurate and only knowledged person can able to handle this software ."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___4444112)

RG

Robert G.

Engineering manager

> "Does the job, but costs more than I can personally afford per year"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#Capterra___3852220)

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

JR

Julius R.

Senior Technical Designer

> "Pull down menus, ribbons and command palettes are easy to use and they are helpful in speeding up drafting works and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6579255)

NK

Nina K.

Designer

> "When referencing AutoCAD files (what we need quite often) - sometimes it does not work, needs transfer AutoCAD files into..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6114621)

VR

Verified Reviewer

BIM Manager

> "After working with MicroStation for many years for client required projects, I have become efficient at using the platform,..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6670135)

GB

Garrett B.

Director of Operations

> "It only works on Windows computers making it hard to deploy in a multi OS environment."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4153399)

JR

Julius R.

Senior Technical Designer

> "I have used Microstation for 5 years and it has delivered what you expect from it when it comes to 2D drafting and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6579255)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Project Engineer

> "Lots of crashes, software can be slow, 3D renders are dated."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4788218)

Arturo S.

Associate Director

> "For example, civil engineers can leverage MicroStation's road design tools to create accurate alignments, profiles, and..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4847130)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Student

> "Not able to see how to draw 360 degrees circle using micro database"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4432641)

VR

Verified Reviewer

BIM Manager

> "I also like the way it handles levels and the way seed files work."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6670135)

TC

Tara C.

Researcher's

> "Certain aspects of the product can be challenging to use, primarily due to the complexity of the software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4550344)

Arturo S.

Associate Director

> "MicroStation's visualisation tools offer realistic representations for effective communication and decision-making."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4847130)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Engineer

> "It was costly and time-consuming and sometimes very frustrating"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3828216)

TC

Tara C.

Researcher's

> "Benefits include faster delivery of design and construction drawings, better document management, improved accuracy,..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4550344)

CM

Chad M.

Principal

> "Way too expensive for a small company. "

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#SoftwareAdvice___4518666)

Arturo S.

Associate Director

> "The software's interoperability facilitates seamless data exchange and collaboration."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4847130)

AA

Alexander A.

GIS Technician

> "A recent update changed some of the files on my machine, effectively breaking my normal workflow and resetting my machine..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2340914)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Student

> "It database micro modeling 3D not using pencils or paper but saving time to work quickly as possible."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4432641)

MZ

Miguel Z.

Universal Business

> "I saw very few cons, but one of them is that they should improve the interface a bit, it is already a bit outdated."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2903380)

TC

Tara C.

Researcher's

> "Additionally, MicroStation includes helpful documentation and tutorials to help users get comfortable with the software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4550344)

AT

Audrey T.

Designer

> "There is a lack of training resources and it's only learnable if someone holds your hand and walks you through."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3258696)

Veronica D.

Tecnico Mecanico

> "The CAD functionalities on this platform is the best and the data import and export is easy."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3768901)

SnM

Saw naing M.

marine engineer

> "It sometimes got bugs while rendering sketch."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3179398)

VK

Vikash K.

Architect

> "Its good for drawings and 3d models."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4520222)

TG

Taylor G.

Engineering Technician II

> "There are some things that I miss that AutoCAD has, like using the space bar as enter/replicate the last command."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2384263)

HUA

HAFIZ USMAN A.

Engineer

> "Its easy to use as compare to other CAD software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___6132612)

Arshad R.

Student

> "The user interface is not very user-friendly or intuitive."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3144582)

Valarie V.

Project Director

> "Excellent 3D modeling experience with MicroStation, easy document editing and construction drawings management."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3101627)

AT

Audrey T.

Designer

> "This is not a beginner friendly software."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3258696)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Data analyst

> "I will continue to test this cool and amazing application that suit me for my project."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___4194427)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Vr Developer

> "Microstation has a trial version that is the only viewer and it is very costly is not easily accessible."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2775307)

AA

Ahmed A.

student

> "one of the best features that it has is Integration with State Departments' rules and regulations."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3154539)

AM

Aditya M.

Civil Designer

> "MicroStation is expensive software to have for a single person to design infrastructure projects."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2817378)

AT

Audrey T.

Designer

> "Microstation v8i has a feature that lets you project coordinate systems."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3258696)

VR

Verified Reviewer

Staff project manager

> "Very pricy and no free trials available to the market"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2733047)

Valarie V.

Project Director

> "The CAD capability that MicroStation has is productive, and the tool reporting functions are perfect."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___3101627)

Hareesh I.

Senior land surveyor

> "Dimension tool seems to be unprofessional"

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2292693)

Marlen S.

Freelancer

> "Software helps me out a lot and when I work with government projects where by I have to attach reference files,the software..."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2697939)

HH

Hillory H.

Engineer

> "It is not user-friendly in the least bit."

[See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/#Capterra___2825529)

[View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

## User interface

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

4.63 (756)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)

4.34 (176)

## 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

SolidWorks Premium

Top features

32/35

-   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/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/#features)

MicroStation

20/35

-   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/192416/MicroStation/#features)

### Recognition

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

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

### Deployment & support

SolidWorks Premium

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

MicroStation

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

SolidWorks Premium

-   By SolidWorks
-   Located in United States
-   Founded in 1993

MicroStation

-   By Bentley Systems
-   Located in United States
-   Founded in 1980

## Popular Comparisons

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

vs

[Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/)

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

Contact vendor for pricing

4.6

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.3

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-175058/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-Altium-Designer)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/)

$2284/year

Price

$250/month

4.2

Features

4.6

4.0

Ease of Use

4.1

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/192416-265024/MicroStation-vs-AutoCAD)

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

vs

[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/)

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

$250/month

4.6

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.1

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-265024/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-AutoCAD)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

[SketchUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/211798/SketchUp/)[4.49 (1,046)](https://www.capterra.com/p/211798/SketchUp/reviews/)

$2284/year

Price

$19.99/month

4.2

Features

4.3

4.0

Ease of Use

4.4

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/192416-211798/MicroStation-vs-SketchUp)

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

vs

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

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

$10/month

4.6

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.6

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

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

[AutoCAD Architecture](https://www.capterra.com/p/172801/AutoCAD-Architecture/)[4.61 (289)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172801/AutoCAD-Architecture/reviews/)

$2284/year

Price

$1775/year

4.2

Features

4.5

4.0

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172801-192416/AutoCAD-Architecture-vs-MicroStation)

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

vs

[Creo](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/)[4.38 (126)](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/reviews/)

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

$3190/year

4.6

Features

4.3

4.3

Ease of Use

3.8

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-164678/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-Creo)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

[Revit](https://www.capterra.com/p/265023/Revit/)[4.61 (482)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265023/Revit/reviews/)

$2284/year

Price

$365/month

4.2

Features

4.6

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/192416-265023/MicroStation-vs-Revit)

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

vs

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

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

$203.63/year

4.6

Features

4.6

4.3

Ease of Use

4.0

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-125813/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-MATLAB)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

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

$2284/year

Price

$249one time

4.2

Features

4.2

4.0

Ease of Use

4.3

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/168061-192416/ACTCAD-Professional-vs-MicroStation)

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

vs

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

Contact vendor for pricing

Price

$310/month

4.6

Features

4.5

4.3

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-236745/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-Inventor)

[MicroStation](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/)[4.34 (176)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192416/MicroStation/reviews/)

vs

[ARCHICAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/2018/ArchiCAD/)[4.44 (279)](https://www.capterra.com/p/2018/ArchiCAD/reviews/)

$2284/year

Price

$33.33/month

4.2

Features

4.4

4.0

Ease of Use

4.2

[View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/2018-192416/ArchiCAD-vs-MicroStation)