--- title: "Onshape Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Onshape the right Manufacturing solution for you? Explore 356 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Onshape 4.5 (356) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 4th, 2026 # Reviews of Onshape Ease of use 4.5 Customer Service 4.7 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews GC Gonçalo C Project ManagerConstruction, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The main areas I would like to see improved are the management of very large imported models and the integration with 3Dconnexion devices on macOS. Although the SpaceMouse works well for navigation, application detection and command integration in browsers (especially Chromium-based browsers on macOS) could be much more reliable.“ July 24, 2026 GC Gonçalo C Project ManagerConstruction, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Very large imported models (especially SAT files with thousands of parts) can become difficult to manage and performance starts to degrade.“ July 24, 2026 ÁV Álvaro V Systems EngineerMedical Devices, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Version control, history, and collaboration are built directly into the CAD environment, which removes the complexity of external PDM systems and makes teamwork much smoother.“ November 25, 2025 CD Craig D Team LeadMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Snap system when designing in context is frustrating as it won't snap automatically to all edges or vertexes in the plane.“ November 24, 2025 ST Sreenath T Mechanical EngineerConstruction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Its server based system, which enables access from anywhere, and even with relatively basic hardwares.“ March 2, 2026 AG Axel G General ManagerIndustrial Automation, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Till now we find only some problems with the point that the configurations with versions are some times a bit unuseful.“ November 19, 2025 HL Hans L CEOMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Publications give us secure, file-free collaboration with customers and suppliers—important when working with companies like Equinor, who can access our models directly in the cloud.“ November 18, 2025 UE Urs E Head of EyewearConsumer Goods, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The lack of floating license is a pitty.“ November 18, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 356 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Murilo A. Software Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great software for 3D printers hobbyist " March 16, 2021 5.0 We can find easier tools on the internet like Tinkercad, but Onshape can deliver much more, like a professional and expensive tools can deliver, but you get it for free, you just need to spend a little time learning how to use it, but this time learning is very well paid off. Pros During this pandemic period I bought a 3D printer and started using it printing mainly already defined and available 3D models on the internet. Then I realized that I could myself produce my own 3D models and I found on Onshape the perfect tool for it. It also has great features that allows you to produce perfect models. Cons At the beginning Onshape seems complicated to use, but it is not, you just need to watch on Youtube some tutorials to start modeling your own 3D models. Anyway I can not complain about this tool, as the free version delivers what I need and much more. Switched from [Tinkercad](https://www.capterra.com/p/207354/Tinkercad/) Using Onshape I can better design the models, with perfect control of distance between parts of the model, producing models with higher quality. Review Source GK Glendon K. VP Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Reliable and Accessible CAD" December 9, 2025 5.0 We've been very pleased with Onshape because of its accessibility and reliability. Unlike some of its competitors, there is no initial "purchase" required, and the annual subscription is very competitive with other annual subscriptions. This means the value is realized immediately. Pros Natively cloud CAD means you can do design work in your browser. Completely platform agnostic and reliable, Onshape is very accessible to even low-power computers. Database documents mean that collaboration on models is very easy and allows for simultaneous viewing and editing. Cons The drawings package is not native to Onshape, so its features are different from the rest of the platform. For example, it is very easy to collaborate on part and assembly tabs, but drawings only allow one user to have them open at the same time. This is a bit frustrating because drawings are the one feature most engineers need to collaborate on. Alternatives considered [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/) Reason for choosing Onshape Fusion is still based on files, whereas Onshape documents are actually databases. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) The pricing of SolidWorks is high, and reliability is low. Review Source MM Mark M. Senior R&D Engineer Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Very positive, I really like it. One of my favourite packages I have used." August 11, 2017 3.0 Pros How quick a thought or idea can become a model. The look of the modeling space is brilliant. How intuitive the program is, a lot of steps are removed because I feel the program is working me. It understands what I am trying to do. The customer support and community is also a big bonus. The webinars are great as well as the help functions. The functionality within the part studio, assembly and drawings is just brilliant. Cons The functionality of the tabs within a document. I find it frustrating to use at times, specially it is hard to put my finger on it but it is the one time I grit my teeth. When I have lost my place in tabs/ can't read the full tab/ delete a part and I jump into or out of a folder. I personally just don't like it. How bad the resolution is on the drawings when you are working on them. When they a exported to a PDF they look brilliant but in while working on them it is not great. I understand this could be a cloud issue. Also to that point the lag inside an assembly again I understand this is a cloud issue. The thumbnail constantly changing on the document page. I would like to be able to set the image is I wish because like the tab it is easy to lose place of where you were working. Review Source Response from PTC August 24, 2017 Hi Mark! Thanks so much for taking the time to review Onshape. I'm so glad to hear you've enjoyed using it so far! I'd love to schedule some time with you to understand the issues performance issues you're facing better. Your Customer Success Manager will reach out directly to set something up. SC Sebastian C. Information Technology Technician Higher Education Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The perfect free CAD software" April 20, 2026 5.0 Overall very very good. It works perfectly well, does everything I need it to, syncs over email account as well. Pros Really a great free platform for CAD work. Has all the necessary features like 3D and 2D design and lots of customization options. Security and customer support are great. Also its free so amazing value for money. Cons There are really no cons to Onshape. It works extremely well and has every feature that other CAD softwares have. Review Source BR Bias R. Research and Development Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Useful main-feature of Onshape: Collaboration" November 25, 2025 5.0 I am very happy with the onshape experience. I would like to share this insight to my relations that this product is so useful for team designing. Pros The Collaboration, make us very easy as a team to make 3d design together. The database that used for doing some part standard and materials library was so easy because of the collaboration feature. Cons The version, looks very complicated and sometimes we are facing editing different version that it is old. So we have to recreate the progress Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) need colaboration, struggle to manage the 3D design if sharing (have to copy the files, no reference of 3D Design in online files) Review Source JL Justin L. Principal engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for startups focusing on high-level design" November 17, 2025 5.0 Extremely satisfied- the design and engineering capabilities of the tool, the data management and collaboration functionality, and the training and support ecosystem provides a first-class experience. It’s really enabled me to take on projects and do things that would have been more expensive and time consuming with most other tools. Pros I’ve been very impressed with onshape’s capabilities for mechanical design, especially the sheetmetal tools. For my purposes (product design and analysis) it is every bit as capable as any other tool I’ve used in my career (mostly CREO, some solidworks). However, the data management functionality and collaboration tools are what really makes it stand out to me. In addition, the web-based aspect makes Onshape extremely cost-effective. This helps me keep my overhead expenses low while also providing extremely high-quality work. Cons Coming from CREO, the part studio concept was a little bit of a learning curve, as was the assembly constraints. However now that I’m used to the workflow, I dread when I have to work with any other tool. The training material provided by Onshape is very high quality and is time well-spent. Alternatives considered [Creo](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/) Reason for choosing Onshape Cost of the license, version control functionality without a separate pdm, and web-based nature were critical. Review Source KA Kalvis A. Mechanical Design Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "up to date" December 3, 2025 5.0 Have been daily user for 7years, more than happy with the dirrection and performance of this CAD solution, newer stops improving. Pros Pace of development. Worflow, data organising, document structure, mates. Support, availability across users. Cons Large assembly performance, I understand it is a difficult issue to manage, but still that is what can feel in day to day use. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Functionality and price, the added functionality Onshape promissed even at early stage was promissing and was wery affordable since our company was new Review Source BT Brad T. Continuous Improvement and Digital Transformation Manager Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best Cloud Native CAD Experience" November 17, 2025 5.0 Being able to hand a fresh CAD user Onshape and they can turn around and understand our product immediately has proven to be exactly what we needed to make our company move in the right direction Pros Fast implementation and cloud native. We are a company that exists in 2D CAD and our transition to 3D has been very straightforward. After a few weeks of training we can get any of our users up to speed and designing our products. We are now natively integrated with our ERP and our time to production ins monumentally faster. Cons It's missing some features the larger CAD software has, such as a not robust plugin system. Most integrations require vast implementation costs compared to counterparts. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Onshape Customer support was better, and implementation was much faster. Switched from [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Outdated way of doing CAD, and not flexible enough to meet our business criteria. Review Source UE Urs E. Head of Eyewear Consumer Goods Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Data Management for CAD Data" November 18, 2025 5.0 It is very comfortable working with onshape. No worries about files, versions or saving your work. No check-in/check-out. Just focus on your design! And never worry about loosing your work due crashes. Onshape never-ever crashed during all those years. Most of our users do not want to go back to the old CAD anymore. Administering Onshape is incredibly easy. Most things are pre-set decently. There is only little to adjust. Never worry about CAD Software updates anymore. Pros File-less datamanagement with easy versioning. CAD design is mostly about managing geometric relations between many parts. There is no other CAD system in the world adressing this so well. It is a game-changer! Customer Support works also very well with direct sharing of affected documents. Cons The lack of floating license is a pitty. It does take some time to update drawings. Also releasing a group of assemblies, parts and drawings takes up quite an amount of time. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Onshape has better CAD Data Management and is always up to date Review Source SF Stewart F. I don’t give myself a title Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User since the beginning and I still think this is the best product out there" November 17, 2025 5.0 During Covid, I went several years where I was not doing any updates to things, but I kept my account active. Relearning it after a couple of years was quick and easy. The interface is certainly user-friendly for designers. I would not use any other product unless I was forced to. Pros I have been a customer since since the first or second week it went into beta many years ago. I have watched it change and improve over the years. All my design work is for 3-D printed parts, so there are certainly a lot of features that I have looked at, but have no direct need for. I have found it much easier to edit from the web interface on my Mac then on an iPad, but I like the fact that when I need to show something, I can quickly login to the app and just hand the person my iPad to look at the part. Seamless integration and I have even at times worked on a part from both interfaces briefly and found that everything just happens as you would expect. And of course I’m going to make the pitch that the users who mistakenly just have a “free“ account are missing out. I have had a professional account since the day they started charging and I have had no regrets in paying for it every month. This is a superior product and is well worth the money. have taught a number of classes to associates as well as the general public at the local maker spaceover the years in basic 3-D modeling design, and the ability to share a “class“ folder with people who have just signed up for free accounts is wonderful. I always encourage them to strongly consider paying for the professional account. Cons It tends to get confused about what was most recently opened, and I wish there were a way to tag and catalog classifications of parts and search for them rather than just by the name. Of course this feature may exist, and I’m just not aware of it. :-) Alternatives considered [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/) Reason for choosing Onshape It was the best option, and it was also the easiest to convert my designs from solidworks. I picked illustrator simply because it was in the list. None of the products that I looked at are in your list. Of course this was a decade ago or so, or however long Onshape has been around, so most of them don’t exist anymore. Switched from [SolidWorks Enterprise PDM](https://www.capterra.com/p/92707/SolidWorks-Enterprise-PDM/) Too many reasons to list them all. The worst was that I had to keep a Windows virtual machine running on my Mac because solid works did not run on Apple products at least not when I left them many years ago Review Source YM Yarin M. Mechanical engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Onshape review " November 24, 2025 4.0 A very good experience in the overall time that i have used this program (2 years) i do think that there is place for improvement Pros The option to share the design between one person to the other and the branch option the let you build various solution for the same design Cons There are a lot of things missing such as mate option (in S.W. you can mate axis ) and threads , also the import option for surfaces is not good Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) The company is working with the program onshape Review Source GW Gage W. Project Manager Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Mechanical Engineering Project Manager" December 1, 2025 5.0 Pros I love not losing any data, how OnShape handles mates in assemblies, and their sheet metal tools. It's solid and dependable. I thought I would struggle with the internet connection requirement, but it really doesn't come up much and certainly a lot less than my other programs crash or have a license server go down. Cons I work extensively with interns. The process for on boarding an intern is great for 1-4 occasionally, but I find myself avoiding adding new interns because it gets cumbersome at 3-6 every quarter. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Solidworks keeps crashing and is about 2x the price Review Source TV Tim V. Director of Engineering Dairy Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A fun modern cad system!" November 25, 2025 4.0 I've enjoyed learning to use Onshape after being familiar with Solidworks. There is a bit of a learning curve, but also many things that are improvements over solidworks. Pros I like that it runs on any computer with a web browser so I can use a lightweight laptop vs a high powered windows computer for other cad programs. I also like the ability to design multiple parts together in the part studios. Cons I get frustrated that I need to manually update the drawing after changing the part/assembly rather than having the drawing be up to date every time I open it. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Onshape For the simplicity of a cloud hosted solution that also manages the storage of all files. Review Source RB Ryan B. Manager Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Very Accessible and Enjoyable" January 18, 2025 4.0 Pros OnShape has a great student rate and provides a cheaper entry into the CAD world. I also like how accessible the cloud is with others. Cons OnShape has one of the highest learning curves I’ve sheen in terms of mating, but you can change the controls to mirror any CAD program really. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) To be able to access CAD drawings within my company and coordination. Review Source ST Sreenath T. Mechanical Engineer Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A CAD software that is worth the money you pay." March 2, 2026 4.0 Overall I am very satisfied with the Onshape and will highly recommend it. Also its something which is very user friendly. Pros Its server based system, which enables access from anywhere, and even with relatively basic hardwares. Cons That it cant read IFC data and the sheet metal tool is not fully developed. Its definitely improving but it can be definitely better. Review Source GB Gerard B. Design Engineer (Sr) Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Onshape review" November 1, 2023 5.0 Product and machine design / improvements / development. I use it as hobby for private design jobs and 3D printing. Pros Ease of use, mating of components (only one required and very flexible), amazing online tutorials, quick to learn, stability, speed, roll back features, versioning, no expensive hardware is required, free public version available which makes it great for learning and hobby (has some restrictions in high end features like revision management); very nice design configuration options using various tables. Cons Some weaknesses are under development, being a fairly new system. Like FEA, material imaging, weldments. Reason for choosing Onshape Was a company decision Review Source TM Teboho M. Design Draughtsman Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "One of the best designing software's you can use for your company or freelancing " November 2, 2021 4.0 The benefits is that it is not expensive, and the fact that one project with its different parts all combined into one file is something that I really like about the software. That really helps to access drawings much easier for a certain part that you want. Pros The best thing is that the software is not complicated to learn and with the tutorial vids that are available on the website makes it easier to learn. As well as the supporting team which is always available to respond to the questions is one of the outstanding things someone can get from the service they are paying for. Cons There are still some features that I feel like the company has to still work on, like having more options if you want to mate parts in an assembly. As well as making it much more easier to automatically change parts that have been created in-context of the parts you are working on. But with time I still believe this can be the best designing software. Review Source DC David C. CTO Railroad Manufacture Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Has the possibility to be the new CAD paradigm like SolidWorks was back in 96 when I left 2D CAD" August 15, 2017 4.0 No real benefits yet, but hopeful. Pros Support is responsive, pricing is fine, love the 'pay by the use' subscription format for advanced features seldom used like FEA. Will be a great all around CAD platform for small flexible companies like ours when its fully featured. I'm very interested in seeing what CAD designed without 20 years of baggage will look like when OnShape is mature. For the amateur, hobbyist, and students; Onshape should be the first system they learn on. Back in the day I used to steer these people to Alibre when asked for a 3D CAD recommendation because they likely couldn't justify the high entry price of SolidWorks and its maintenance. My hope is that Onshape gets this market and most of the small businesses like ours. I do recommend that Onshape come up with a lower tier plan between free and the current paid plan that allows really small organizations to grow in their financial commitment over time. Something token priced per user limited to forum support and limited cloud memory for a longer term test drive. This could accelerate Onshapes replacement of SW because small commercial users can start experimenting without the public files. Picture rouge Engineers in a company already paying for SW that might want to show something to management and shouldn't have to pay per month personally to keep a small amount of company files private! Cons OnShape is not quite ready for us to use on our bigger projects. Like watching the Matrix movies I'm dying to figure out how they keep 'branches' and the current 'versioning' paradigms and also allow part and assembly configurations that should not require an exact linear history. I really hope they do better than the Matrix movies in closing the loop. If they were more open about when we could expect 'configurations' to be ready, my team might be able to jump to bigger projects sooner. But modeling without 'configurations' is really hard for those of us who grew up on SW. It is the king of all built in work-arounds in my design methodology and the longer I try doing things in Onshape the more I realize configurations are a key requirement of mine. They also need to get conical and cylindrical sheet metal as this is sending me back to SolidWorks on some simple jobs I should have gotten done in Onshape, even without configurations. I have less Pros than Cons to talk about at the moment, but my true feelings are demonstrated by the fact that I'm still investing my time in using the software as much as I can, I'm hoping that this can be our primary CAD system in the next 6 to 24 months. SW didn't have that much to offer by 1998 so OnShape is likely comparable in its advancement along this path. Review Source NL Nick L. Owner Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Onshape Review" December 31, 2023 5.0 Pros It really helps with the making of products in the workplace because once you see the product on screen, you can tell if you want to make the product or not Cons There is nothing to say about Onshape, this is a great tool to use in the work environment and in the classroom Review Source NL Nick L. Proprietor Furniture Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Onshape is my 5th and final 3D CAD package - I have arrived!" August 11, 2017 5.0 I spend much less time achieving much more, more reliably than before I found Onshape! Pros The (deceptively) simple, very powerful user interface Amazing, multi-part part studios The reliabity of the software and the way it "just works" Being better suited to woodworking than anything else I am aware of Being able to pick up on a design at home after work without having done ANYTHING Quality, speed and pleasantness of support! The problem being keeping up with releases rather than waiting 18 months to find that X wasn't included after all! Being able to add in your own features using FeatureScript! The amazing new 3D curves and surface generating features allowing me to accomplish things I hadn't succeeded in doing with other CAD software! The app store for all the addons that are not core-CAD Feeling "listened to" when making suggestions or struggling with something! The effort the team put into "joined up thinking", getting things "right" and the many decisions they have got right already Cons No internet = no CAD (but not actually been a problem yet!) The lack of configurations (as yet) The lack of any visual representation of materials in the workspace beyond colour and transparancy (wood, metal, glass, plastic re: SW or inventor) The way variables (parameters) are managed (looking forward to what is coming but this one has felt like a long wait) Review Source Response from PTC August 25, 2017 Hi Nick! Thanks for your feedback as always. I'm excited to see how you enjoy our upcoming releases! Please keep me posted if you need anything in the meantime. VR Verified Reviewer Structural engineer Industrial Automation Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A really capable browser based cad that excels in collaboration " March 3, 2024 4.0 Pros Collaboration features and branches of the same design is great and allows great design exploration Cons Can be slow to upload files. The file structure is not that clear sometimes Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Manager of Curriculum Development Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Onshape is awesome" September 16, 2019 5.0 Pros I love the combination of direct editing with parametric modeling. The options opened up with direct editing is simply amazing. I often work in my job with models that came for outside of my organization, leaving me without the full feature history to work with, so direct editing is a game changer. The cloud based access is also incredibly helpful. I’m no longer tied to a particular device to access my models. Working in the office, at home or on road, it doesn’t matter. I wondered at first if working in a browser would be tough given that cad programs are so computationally heavy, but I have never had an issue. Cons The only time I’ve wished I had a feature not available was when I needed a font that wasn’t available. Review Source PS Paul S. Chief Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Solid Web-Based Solid Modeling Software" November 3, 2022 5.0 This is really good modeling software. I was surprised at how good it was for a free program. It is in-line with the performance of Solidworks. Pros I am not using Onshape for work, so it is free. And this is excellent free software. I also love that it is web-based. You could run this on anything with a browser. Cons Coming from Solidworks, my biggest complaint is the lack of axes. Not being able to grab an axis took some getting used to. Review Source JB Jason B. Chief Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Onshape changed the way we do design, interact with customers, and saves us quite a bit of money" August 17, 2017 5.0 Flexibility. We can turn licenses on and off as needed, without having to go through painful installation procedures. If we need other capabilities (such as simulation, rendering, or math tools) that Onshape does not have built in, we can add apps that make it even more powerful. Pros The browser-based nature of Onshape and sharing capabilities are great strengths. We can share designs with infinitely varying levels of permissions from full editing and sharing to view only in anyone's browser. This means that instead of having one person with a clunky laptop during a design review, anyone can bring up the full assemblies and / or piece parts on whatever device they bring...including their phones. One of our customers uses SolidWorks as their design tool and we use our Onshape license to both work on and share designs for viewing that no one would get to look at if they weren't looking over our shoulders at the SolidWorks workstations. Cons One of the main issues with Onshape is that it depends on a solid internet connection. Early on, we had some internet drop-out issues at different job sites that we have shored up now by getting a better provider and adding a hotspot for portable reliability. Review Source Favio R. Project Architect Architecture & Planning Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Accessible and efficient software for Architectural design. Great Cloud service" December 26, 2022 5.0 We had a good experience in the little time we used it, but as it was taking us more than usual to learn, and we needed to finish our projects faster, we decided to migrate to another software. Pros The best part is their customer support. They can help you almost immediately if you ever have a problem. The cloud data they offer is really helpful to develop projects in teams and constantly upload new data to it. The changes are saved to the version history which is really helpful to review past versions if needed. Cons The only thing that I find as a con, is the learning curve. You might need to have a person that already uses this software to teach your team in order to learn correctly. It's not the hardest but as it is not the most known or used, you might find it hard. Review Source ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.