--- title: "Inspire Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Inspire Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Simulation products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/173729/Solidthinking/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Inspire Software Review 2026: Features, Reviews, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 16, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Inspire ## What is Inspire? Altair Inspire enhances the concept development process by enabling simulation-driven design to increase your product's efficiency, strength and manufacturability. Applied early in the product development lifecycle, Altair Inspire accelerates the creation, optimization, and study of innovative, structurally efficient parts and assemblies through collaboration. Inspire's award winning user experience for geometry creation and modification can be learned in just a few hours. ## What is Inspire used for? [Simulation](https://www.capterra.com/simulation-software/)[3D CAD](https://www.capterra.com/3d-cad-software/)[Engineering CAD](https://www.capterra.com/engineering-cad-software/) Overall rating Based on 5 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- ### Starting price Free trial available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Inspire?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/altair-inspire/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Inspire 4.6 (5) VS. [### AnyLogic](https://www.capterra.com/p/95940/AnyLogic/) [4.5 (518)](https://www.capterra.com/p/95940/AnyLogic/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.4 (5) Ease Of Use 4.0 (518) Value For Money 4.5 (4) Value For Money 4.2 (361) Customer Service 4.4 (5) Customer Service 4.3 (384) ## Inspire alternatives [MATLAB](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/) [4.6 (2,097)](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/reviews/) Starting price $203.63 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/) [SIMUL8](https://www.capterra.com/p/114609/SIMUL8-Professional/) [4.6 (142)](https://www.capterra.com/p/114609/SIMUL8-Professional/reviews/) Starting price $6049.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 95% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/114609/SIMUL8-Professional/) [Ansys HFSS](https://www.capterra.com/p/252572/Ansys-HFSS/) [4.7 (12)](https://www.capterra.com/p/252572/Ansys-HFSS/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/252572/Ansys-HFSS/) Highest Rated [PTV Vissim](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031498/PTV-Vissim/) [4.9 (16)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031498/PTV-Vissim/#reviews) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/10031498/PTV-Vissim/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/173729/Solidthinking/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Inspire Overview ### What company size and specific industries is Inspire built for? Inspire is designed for manufacturers, builders, and developers, especially organizations in industrial design and model-based manufacturing. The target company size is not specified, but the product appears suited to teams and businesses that need simulation tools for product and manufacturing design work. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Inspire? Inspire offers 2D Drawing, 3D Imaging, CAD Tools, and Animation for creating and refining designs. It also includes Modeling & Simulation, Mathematical Modeling, and Design Analysis for testing concepts, plus Collaboration Tools, Project Management, Data Import/Export, Real-Time Updates, and Historical Reporting for shared design workflows. Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Inspire integrate with? Inspire connects natively to Adobe Illustrator. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Inspire offer? Inspire provides in person training, live online sessions, webinars, documentation, and videos to help teams get started. In person and live online options support guided instruction, webinars cover scheduled group learning, documentation offers written reference material, and videos provide self-paced visual guidance. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Inspire offer? Inspire provides FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, and Chat support options. These channels give users self-service help through articles and community guidance, plus direct chat assistance when needed. No reviewer feedback about support quality is available, so user experience with response times or helpfulness cannot be assessed. ## Features AI summary Based on 961 Simulation reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of simulation software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Graphical Data Presentation** (**33%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Data Visualization** (**37%**) - **Mathematical Modeling** (**44%**) Inspire supports all three features that reviewers identify as most important: **Graphical Data Presentation**, **Data Visualization**, and **Mathematical Modeling**. Together, these capabilities help businesses turn complex model outputs into clear visuals, examine patterns more effectively, and build accurate simulations for planning and analysis, allowing teams to make better-informed decisions faster. Mathematical Modeling 4.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Representing and explaining real systems and occurrences using math formulas, descriptions, and approaches Design Analysis 4.5 (2) 100.00% of 2 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Simulate physical behavior for a design or structure 3D Imaging 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Representation of any object in 3D 2D Drawing Drawing and modeling designs within 2D flat dimensions Animation Ability to insert animations/transitions CAD Tools Computer aided design to create precision drawings or technical illustrations Inspire 18 features ### All Features - 2D Drawing: Drawing and modeling designs within 2D flat dimensions - 3D Imaging: Representation of any object in 3D - Animation: Ability to insert animations/transitions - CAD Tools: Computer aided design to create precision drawings or technical illustrations - Collaboration Tools: Provides a channel for team members to share AI models, media files, communicate, and work together - Data Capture and Transfer: Import, collect, and capture data from multiple sources - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Data Visualization: Graphical representation of data - Design Analysis: Simulate physical behavior for a design or structure - Direct Manipulation: Capabilities within graphical user interfaces that allow users to interact directly with objects to perform a task - For 3D Printing: Designed for 3D printing purposes - Graphical Data Presentation: Visual representation of data using various graphical elements such as charts, graphs, maps & other visual aids - Image Editing: Edit, touch up, and convert images for publishing - Manufacturing Design Data: Access to a library of manufacturing parts, models, and specs - Mathematical Modeling: Representing and explaining real systems and occurrences using math formulas, descriptions, and approaches - Modeling & Simulation: Using physical, mathematical, or logical models as a basis for simulations to generate data for managerial or technical decision-making - Project Management: Plan and coordinate all the resources, costs and time needed to execute assignments - Real-Time Updates: Receive system updates as soon as any changes are made --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.2 (5) 4.2 Based on 5 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.5 (4) ### Starting price Free trial available Value for money 4.5 (4) 4.5 Based on 4 reviews ## Integrations [ Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/) 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. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.4 (5) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.4 (5) 4.4 Based on 5 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 5 reviews Filter by rating 5(3) 4(2) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent SP Sascha P. Berechnungsingenieur Computer Software ### "Mit selbsterklärender GUI und vielen Funktionen einfach das Thema Simulation angehen." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 April 11, 2025 Pros Die Einfachheit der Bedienung und selbsterklärende GUI, sowie die vielen Möglichkeiten zur Simulation. Cons Die Einfachheit schließt auch gewisse Funktionen und Details aus. Es hat eben alles sein Für und Wider. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. NW Nathan W. Engineer Automotive ### "Design Engineer Using Inspire" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 May 24, 2024 Pros Inspire tends to be a great option for quick checks on design. The mesh seems fast and flexible... much better than most. It handles odd conditions like edge contact well. Cons The plug in doesn't particularily work well embedded into CAD programs. It is a little tedious to always have to export models from CAD, import into Inspire, and then try to transfer the results back into CAD. Switched from [SolidWorks Simulation Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/124171/SolidWorks-Simulation-Premium/) Company mandated switch required me to move to an "agnostic" of CAD Simulation program. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Mert S. Sensor application engineer Automotive ### "Easy to optimize" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 April 19, 2019 Pros I really like the user friendly interface, I used to optimize stamping products. Its so easy and lot of source to learn the program. While it might be harder to give constraints on another programs, it's so easy and compact. Cons Can't have a detailed mesh in comparison with other topology optimization Programs. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Jorge L. Docente ### " It is an efficient software, and has a new tool such as the generation of forms of morphogenesis. " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 3, 2018 Using it within my organization has helped me to compare this software with others and thus make the most of it as well as making the classes dynamic and with demonstrations of operation when performing the simulations. Pros The efficiency when designing and how fast this product generates the mechanical parts. It has important new features of solidThinking Inspire 2014 include geometry simplification tools, linear static analysis, concentrated dough pieces and smoothing options, as well as the ability to export solid geometry. this allows design engineers, product designers and architects to create and research structurally efficient concepts quickly and easily, reducing cost, development time, material consumption and product weight. Cons The little diffusion to the Latin countries that makes it little known, besides the cost which is high for the conditions of these countries, should be promoted with a series of plans accessible to the end user, it is important to emphasize that due to being a high software level requires a high capacity ram memory inside the pc, you should also be considered the option of generating modules that require less memory for its operation. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Tech writer ### "Definitely the future of simulation " 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 April 17, 2018 This software is one i implemented during my part time lectures in a local university. The students loved it Pros One can create 3 dimensional images from 2 dimensional images as references, and with a wide variety of online video tutorials and literature, this is possible even for newbies. Cons The software is quite heavy on computers, and can slow down processes to the point of hanging, i suggest an increase in RAM. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.