# Page 3 | Alibre Design Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is Alibre Design the right 3D CAD solution for you? Explore 183 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews --- Alibre Design 4.7 (183) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/alternatives/) 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 March 13th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of Alibre Design ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-75 of 183 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use PL Patrick L. Owner Industrial Automation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "LAUCO review" November 21, 2024 5.0 It does everything I need. Very stable and lots of features Pros Ease of use and stability. Lots of features Cons Not being able to modify sketch plane after already selected Switched from [SolidWorks Simulation Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/124171/SolidWorks-Simulation-Premium/) Cheaper Review Source VS Verne S. Owner Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "My assessment of Alibre" March 3, 2025 4.0 It's been relatively good but a bit tedious to use. There should be college courses offered like in AutoCAD or Solid works. Technical support is costly but worth it if one needs to have an question or problem with Alibre Pros Relatively easy to use. Most of the functions are intuitive. Cons The help functions don't always address things like "move" where one can move an object using relative or absolute distances. It doesn't fully explain how to use absolute or relative distances by way of examples. Review Source EW Errol W. Owner Director Civil Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Alibre Expert Cad" January 23, 2025 4.0 For the price and perpetual licence, It's been great. Pros It's well layout with sane defaults, which makes it a breeze to use. Cons Lack of Multi Body modelling. Constraints take longer to update on changes. Alternatives considered [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[Inventor](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design Easy 3d design and price, good after sales support. Review Source DH Dennis H. Electronics Engineering Industrial Automation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Long term User " October 12, 2024 5.0 It has enabled entry into world of 3D engineering design Pros ease of use and lack of temperamental issues Cons Has difficulty handling medium to large sketches Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[TurboCad](https://www.capterra.com/p/32368/TurboCAD-Professional/) lost access to legal SolidWorks and this was affordable. Review Source BR Bill R. President Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Alibre review" October 9, 2025 5.0 Excellent value. I was looking for an additional design tool to add to my suite of design software tools. Pros Affordable design package with a reasonable array of functionality. Specifically the ability to work with EZ-CAM. Cons A rather unique user interface that takes a bit of effort to become comfortable with. Looking forward to exploring this design tool. Review Source DJ David J. Chief Technology Officer Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Alibre Design Expert Why I use Alibre " August 21, 2024 5.0 Very positive. I had no idea how to work with 3D CAD twelve years ago and now I have designed a patent pending suspension modification. Your payment plan back then convinced me to use Alibre as I had no idea whether investing $3500 would help my crane business then I took a chance with Alibre buying lesser modules on time then finally upgrading to Expert. Keep that in mind its a plus for anyone considering the alternates. Pros Alibre support was always there guiding me through my early learning stages. Their initial training modules (twelve years ago) were most helpful. Today they have an excellent presenter guiding newcomers through the important steps. He has a wonderful soft voice and positive demeanor that shine through his explanations making the complex simple. Cons Its struggles with Geomajic and their ownership. These are past now but unfortunately too much was lost. As an example NYC CNC \[sensitive content hidden\] used to recommend Alibre as their go to CAD program but switched to Fusion 360 where they are today. Fusion 360 compares themselves to Solid Works successfully in their comparison but I do not know where Alibre stands in this comparison. That would be helpful. From what I now know about Alibre you are close to both and most importantly closing the gap. Your ownership model is very relevant for professional users but you need to exploit it better. FEA and motion analysis from Simwise could be a plus in this competition if it were available on a favorable monthly payment plan with training support. Review Source RO Robert O. Engineer Design Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Not Even For Free" September 1, 2024 1.0 Spent four hours trying to do a 15 minute OpenSCAD job. Pros It's free. The price. Forty characters for "free". Cons The UI is slow, heavy, convoluted and "sticky". The draft-based editing is clumsy, limited, and assigns correlations and confinements seemingly at random. Parametric entry is borderline impossible; there are four or five types of lines and whichever one you're defining a shape with is the wrong one. Any promise of defining complicated shapes depends on whether or not you are the giving the sales pitch. Alternatives considered [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/)[OpenSCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/233632/OpenSCAD/)[Gaia](https://www.capterra.com/p/182343/Gaia/)[Blender](https://www.capterra.com/p/167519/Blender/)[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design I suppose I didn't? You're just another in a long list of CAD programs that over-promise and under-deliver. I'm going back to OpenSCAD because all of us, at some point, will eventually die, and my time on this Earth is limited. Switched from [OpenSCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/233632/OpenSCAD/) I'm trying to learn peasant software like draft-based CAD. Review Source DP Donald P. Design Engineer Consumer Electronics Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Flakey as Hell" October 11, 2024 1.0 Pros The price was very attractive and learning curve seemed easy. Youtube video gave examples of how to do things. Cons Program is 'flakey' as hell. Designed several parts to be either purchased or 3D printed. Right now, I can't open a previous design without the program just terminating. Can't get to my design files to edit them. I guess you get what you pay for... Review Source GC Gareth C. Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Powerful easy to use CAD with flexible licensing" September 5, 2024 5.0 Pros Powerful and easy to use software / not subscription based. Cons N/A - my experience has been entirely positive. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) I used Solidworks throughout uni and in my daytime job but could not justify the upfront cost for my personal endeavours. Alibre gives me 80% of what I am familiar with in solidworks for a reasonable cost. Review Source MD Mark D. Tool and Die Maker Industrial Automation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best 3d modeling software on the market" August 23, 2024 5.0 Great. And with the you tube channel I’m learning even more ways to use the software Pros I can take it on my laptop everywhere I go. Even my cabin that doesn’t have Wi-Fi Cons I wish I could afford to buy the version with sheet metal Switched from [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/) I didn’t want a subscription based product. When I go to my cabin I don’t have Wi-Fi. I like to draw there I can with Alibre Review Source MH Martin H. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Alibre Design Expert" June 27, 2024 5.0 I am now going on my 3rd year using this software. The technical support is fast and responsive. Each year I receive updates, and many times, during periods of travel between states, my floating license was very convenient, allowing me to set up my workstation on location. Great product, great company. Pros This is quality CAD software at a very affordable price. I have used Solidworks, AutoCAD, ProEngeer. I have been able to do virtually everything I did with those packages at a fraction of the cost. Best investment for a small engineering consulting company. Cons I have no complaints. I am a happy camper with this product. I Alternatives considered [Onshape](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design Onshape is good, but its a subscription service. I own my Alibre Design Expert software. I found I was able to perform all the engineering tasks with Alibre. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) I changed jobs and could not afford Soldiworks. I needed an affordable, effective CAD software. I discovered Alibre. I was very pleased with the trial test and decided to make the investment. Review Source FB Freddy B. Engineering Tech Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "3D Design User" July 29, 2024 5.0 Pros Functionality, support is very helpful. Cons None, Software is very user friendly. Atom 3D works well for 3D printing. Review Source RW Richard W. CTO Consumer Electronics Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It is perfect for my " July 16, 2024 5.0 I have been using Alibre for over 15 years and it is perfect for my needs Pros It gives me full 3D cad at a reasonable price Cons I don't have any major complaints about the product. Review Source MD Mark D. Emeritus Professor Research Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Two Decades of Alibre Use" April 25, 2024 5.0 I love it. At work I use it to design instrumentation for chemical and structural analysis. At home I use it for yacht chandlery and furniture. Once used it to lay out a new bathroom for my plumber. Pros Feature/cost ratio is outstanding and the evolution of the product keeps it competitive in performance. Even though maintaining the licence costs me only $620 per annum (Alibre pro) I also like the freedom to move to a perpetual licence rather than be stuck with a big bill if things are slack. I could never justify the $2000+ per annum of other products. My supplier in the UK is Mintronics. They have been fabulous. Cons Threads were once a bit of a bug bear (before 2010) especially externals. No longer a problem. Reason for choosing Alibre Design Far too expensive, annual maintenance costs unjustifiable. No perpetual licence option. Switched from [TurboCad](https://www.capterra.com/p/32368/TurboCAD-Professional/) Back in 2004 the 3D capability of TC was awful and it was slow and buggy. OK in 2D tho. Review Source MM Michel M. Retired Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An excellent and modern tool for those who care to create with pleasure." February 16, 2024 5.0 I used Alibre for professionnal tasks to fabricate real products, tools and machines, and for my personnal pleasure to create and illustrate dream fantasies. It is an easy and affordable tool in this era of digital creativity. Pros I am an old designer who worked on many cad programs like Autocad, Euclid, Applicon, Versacad, Solid Edge and of course Solidwork. I bought a licence for Alibre Expert in 2006 and upgraded to Professionnal in the same year. And I never left since then. I just feel home with Alibre. Cons Many customers used to ask for Autocad drawings final as-build documents and translating Alibre 2D drawings to Autocad has always been complicated, and I agree that this problem is not easy to solve. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) The excellent price and performance ratio. Review Source JL John L. Cad Specialist Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A very capable cad program for beginners and experts." April 13, 2024 5.0 Alibre Design Expert does everything I want in a 3D cad package, and is the first package I've continued after the first year of use. A big plus on top of this is the customer support and forums, both of which are quick to help. This is the most positive experience I've had with a cad package. Pros I like Alibre Design Expert on many levels. First, it was easy to get started. With over 40 years of cad experience, learning the basics of Alibre Design 3D modeling was fast. Then the more advanced capabilities such as configurations, global parameters and boolean's made it easy to maintain model integrity. Next but not last, the assemblies feature was a major consideration in the purchase. It has been rock solid and invaluable in product design. Cons One drawback for me with Alibre Design is the 2D drawing package. Though it is very capable even when compared to more expensive packages with such features as exploded views, bill of materials and ballooning, etc. , the workflow is not as intuitive as it could be. Sometimes it takes many mouse clicks to accomplish what seems to be a very simple task. It is possible, however , to create very functional and useful drawings. Review Source SC Steve C. Design Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Software for the Money" April 17, 2024 5.0 Pros So many things to like it would be difficult to list them all. I've used various other parametric modeling software over the last 40 years, and for the industries I work with, Alibreprovides me wtih all the tools I need to run a successful design business. Cons That's even more difficult for me to answer that what do I like the most. There is nothing in this design software that makes me cringe, even a little. Reason for choosing Alibre Design It offers more bang for the buck. In fact for me it was a no brainer after researchig the capabilities and price of the other programs. Review Source Rick O. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Exceptional value for money" November 28, 2023 5.0 As a user of SolidWorks at work, I wanted a system that I could use at home with similar capabilities; SolidWorks did not offer a suitable license for this purpose. I discovered Alibre around 2013 and was surprised to find that it closely matched the performance of SolidWorks at an affordable cost, and even more surprised to find that it ran well on my home computer. I used it for parallel work to my day job, for exporting Alibre models into SolidWorks, and for other work on my own account. When I retired in 2019 and set up a small home business, I added a CAM add-in and used Alibre to model products and generate toolpaths for their production on a small CNC machine in my garage; it has paid for itself many times over. Pros Having used SolidWorks at work since 2000, I have found Alibre to be capable of virtually the same performance at home at a small fraction of the cost. - In addition, it runs well on my basic home desktop PC, and it can import SW native files (though without retaining the feature tree). For someone who is comfortable working in SolidWorks, ProE, etc, Alibre is very much the same at lower cost. - The Alibre license is permanent, unlike other CAD systems. You can subscribe to maintenance support, but if you decide to let that lapse your system license is still good - you lose the maintenance but still can continue to use the software. - Alibre's customer service has also been consistently very good, every question receives careful attention and an immediate helpful response. Cons This is not really Alibre's fault, but the discontinuation of a CAM add-in called AlibreCAM 2020 (as I understand, this was not actually an Alibre product but made by MecSoft) around 2021 was unfortunate - it was excellent and seamless in Alibre and critical to my work. In order to retain this discontinued product, I have not updated my system to the most recent version of Alibre. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Lower cost, lower hardware requirements and permanent license Review Source Adrian F. King of my shed Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy for a CAD noob" November 7, 2023 5.0 Absolutely easy to work with lots good tutorials good forum. Mature software! Pros \-easy -software is yours no saas -good tutorials -good forum -nice people Cons \-no real hobbyist license -bad cam there are better choices Alternatives considered [Onshape](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/)[FreeCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/167527/FreeCAD/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design The ease of use. The affordable price and the clean ui Switched from [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/) Unclear license too costly and I don’t like to rent software I like to own it Review Source MR Michael R. President Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Alibre- best value and best performing 3D CAD/CAE tool I know" September 17, 2023 5.0 I use other expensive tools that came before Alibre with various features.....but frankly the Alibre team have reproduced and improved the features of other tools.The design environment is clean. It NEVER crashes and I have built seriously massive 3D models that worked fine where other tools would have choked. Pros As an electrical Engineer more than 10 years ago I invested in Alibre because I wanted to learn 3D CAD\\CAE , 3D printing and CNC CAM. Alibre has taught me so much and has widened my capabilities beyond my wildest imagination. Well done, professional easy to Learn training videos got me started.....and the experience has augmented my inventive imagination like no other tool I have learned. Cons I really cannot think of anything at this time. Any shortcomings over time have been fixed or improved. Reason for choosing Alibre Design Frankly it was cost of ownership and training that started this choice. But after using Alibre for years now, the quality, performance and capabilities stack up against other tools very well.When I purhased it, It started as a learning excercise ...I took a chance....but over time my organization has grown to standardize on all engineering with Alibre. I highly recommend it to any company regardless of size. Review Source SS Steven S. Machinist, Draftsman Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Most powerful CAD system for small companies." January 4, 2024 5.0 We have had excellent customer service and support any time we have needed it. Also we look forward to Alibre updates every year because Alibre gets better and better every year. Pros Alibre meet our price point to bring 3D CAD to our small machine shop. Over the last 10 years Alibre's software has got better and better, giving us a very powerful design tool without the big expense. Cons For the cost, we don't really have any cons. Alibre gets the job done for us day in and day out. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design Price! Alibre had all the features we needed in a CAD program at a price that meet our needs. Review Source PK Phil K. Operations Manager Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Getting a Lincoln at the price of a Chevy....this software is a premium entry point for the price!" August 29, 2022 5.0 I couldn't be happier with Alibre. One of the best parts of Alibre, as a whole, is their support of education. I contacted them to ask about software for a CAD class I was teaching, and they donated 30 seats of the software for my students! Pros This software is so easy to learn and operate. When I first wanted to get into CAD, I did demo's on a few different software options, and Alibre was the easiest to just pick up and use "right out of the box". After using the software for a few years, I introduced it into a Youth CAD Class I was teaching. I had students ranging from 8yo to 13yo in my class, and they all became very proficient in CAD utilizing this software. Cons Alibre has a few little quirks here and there that are challenging to navigate through. I believe this is due to their support team being relatively small. This is likely why their software is so affordable (low overhead). I believe it's a very fair tradeoff. Alternatives considered [BobCad-CAM](https://www.capterra.com/p/230337/BobCad-CAM/)[AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design Alibre was not all that much more in price than BobCad, and was significantly more affordable than AutoCAD. The tradeoff was getting a software that also outperformed both of the other softwares! Switched from [BobCad-CAM](https://www.capterra.com/p/230337/BobCad-CAM/) If Alibre is a Lincoln.....BobCAD is certainly like downgrading to riding a bicycle. Review Source SU Sascha U. freelancer Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Easy to learn CAD software at a reasonable price." September 28, 2022 5.0 Pros Although it has it's share of idiosyncrasies, Alibre proves itself to be a good solidworks alternative for individuals and small businesses. The price of Alibre Atom and Design Pro makes them attainable to home users, Atom especially which is quite a powerful CAD application in it's own right, given it's low price. Overall I am generally designing objects for 3D print, and Alibre gives me the tools I need in an easy to learn package. I often use it alongside Blender and ZBrush, when I need certain components to be accurately modelled or made in a parametric manner. Cons Alibre is a bit lacking in surface modeling tools, making it harder to model complex curved or organic surfaces. Sometimes there are also basic tools you expect to be there, and they don't exist. For example scaling a sketch requires a workaround of extruding the sketch, scaling the entire object, projecting the sketch, suppressing the rescale and extrude, then going into sketch edit and moving the sketch back into position using a somewhat cumbersome move tool. Alternatives considered [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/)[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design Honestly because at the time fusion 360 started screwing over their long time personal/free plan customers, while jacking up their prices. Did not seem like a company policy I was comfortable with. I learned solidworks in class, but the software was just not affordable. Alibre had a similar interface and most of the important features I needed. Review Source DH Darrell H. Owner / Mechanical Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Highly Recommend Alibre Design Expert!! No better Value out there!!" September 22, 2022 5.0 Excellent! Wonderful! Value and Cost Effectiveness are unmatched in the industry. I would be less productive and less profitable with any other Software. Alibre Design Expert allows me to make 3D Models and 2D Drawings for my Mechanical Design Project, that accurately communicates all the proper and relevant information to the many Machine Shops that I work with. Also, allows me to make excellent Proposal and Informational PDF files (3D and 2D) for my Customers. Pros Overall, it is very easy to use, and it works great. Allows me to make Excellent 3D Models and 2D Drawings. I often get positive comments on my Shop Drawings and 3D PDF Models. Cons Hidden Line Management in 2D drawing can be a real pain and cumbersome to manage. No option to set Annotation Text Colors and Leader Colors to be the same, by default. (Req'd by my Internal DWG Standards). 2D Drawings from Scratch are difficult. Easier to make a 3D Model and then Generate the 2D DWG. Can be slow, when you just want to make a sketch. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[Inventor](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/)[AutoCAD LT](https://www.capterra.com/p/2011/AutoCAD-LT/)[CATIA](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/) Reason for choosing Alibre Design I own the software. No Internet Connection Required to operate it. Can run it on more that one device. No Annual Subscription Fee. Very reasonable maintenance pricing. Outstanding Capabilities. Initial Cost. Review Source MS Mike S. Senior Technical Advisor Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A solid piece of software that fits the bill for general engineering & design use" September 23, 2022 5.0 In my 8 years of using Alibre, I've never met an engineering task it wasn't suitable for, and I think that's a pretty solid reflection on the overall product Pros Our organisation has been using this software for over a decade, and it always lets us do the jobs we need to do. Generally very stable, and updates don't break things or make old CAD data stop working; the price is excellent for what the package offers. No hesitation in recommending. Cons There are a small number of things that could be a bit slicker (mainly around moving/renaming files which are associated between assemblies and drawings), but honestly, these are pretty minor issues which don't majorly impact on day-to-day usability, unless you are constantly moving and renaming your data archives for some reason. Once in a blue moon I've seen general exception crashes and lost some data, but this seems to be improving over time Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [3D CAD](https://www.capterra.com/3d-cad-software/)[Engineering CAD](https://www.capterra.com/engineering-cad-software/) ## 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.