--- title: "Inventor Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Inventor the right BIM solution for you? Explore 279 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Inventor 4.5 (279) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/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 September 16th, 2026 # Reviews of Inventor Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 4.1 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews MO Mario O Project Fusion EngineerResearch, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I always liked working with Inventor. If you add too many constrains or the system is over complicated it has crashed a couple of times but it might be due to my laptop specs.“ June 29, 2026 sm saravanakumar m Engineering managerAutomotive, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Cost its very expensive,So mutitiple licence will be issue.“ December 20, 2024 MU Marcos Alberto U ManagerComputer Software, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I like that it has a wide range of tools for computer aided design, plus it has simulation tools that allow you to test your designs before producing them, one of my favorite features is the ability to automatically create blueprints based on your three-dimensional design, automatically creating views from different angles.“ November 19, 2024 Ibrahim A Engineering InternMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “sometimes can be slower and require high processing computing power.“ August 30, 2024 KS Kuca S IT ExpertPackaging and Containers, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “This tool grant to the company the possibility to develop and manage evey kind of engeeniring product development, providing all the feautes needed and at the same time provide a huge flexibility for collaboration“ November 11, 2024 IW Ian W Co-FounderEducation Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Furthermore, pulling parts from a library can be quite tedious if you have many different folders.“ January 10, 2023 Ayub K Systems EngineerConstruction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “We primarily use Autodesk Inventor for parametric modeling, and it is very powerful“ March 7, 2025 VL Vitor L engAutomotive, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “CAM and CAE features are not available.“ August 24, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 279 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Steve G. Design Engineer Events Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor for Millwork and Tradeshow Documents" October 24, 2018 5.0 Inventor is a great tool and easy to learn and be productive with. It is not a direct solution for any specific trade other than Sheet Metal, but can be tailored to fit. Pros Inventor is very easy to use to create realistic, solid designs for cabinetry and millwork. I have tailored the software to streamline my creation of repetitive tasks, and it allows me to effectively document my designs quickly and easily. The software allows you to design and see where problems are in real time. My absolute favorite thing is that the drawings created, are always 100% exactly what you've modeled. It is impossible to have a view that does not dimensionally match another view. My experience with CAD systems in the past, is when drawings get revised, if not checked carefully, views can get out of sync with each other and when something is manufactured, the fabricator undoubtedly will ALWAYS pick the incorrect view as the one to follow. Inventor completely eliminates this problem. Last but not least, is that after being an Engineer / Drafter / Project Manager for almost 30 years, learning and using inventor has made designing and drafting fun for me again. Cons If there's anything I dislike, is that the software could be more cabinet and millwork friendly without having to purchase an add-on. The drawing sizes and model file sizes can get very large, in some cases I have drawings over 200mb, which can be painfully slow when loading over a network Review Source CG Chantal G. Software Developer Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Inventor for Excellence in Services. " November 24, 2024 5.0 Inventor is dependable, and has made every process in a firm successful. Pros Inventor has proper procurement guides and all costs are well established. Cons Inventor has a powerful way of managing all inventories. Switched from [Cropwise Operations](https://www.capterra.com/p/133659/Cropio/)[Operation Center](https://www.capterra.com/p/251699/Operation-Center/)[Operations Hub](https://www.capterra.com/p/226298/PieSync/) The complexity of running the programs is something that made us shift. Review Source RM Robert M. delineante Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "RUN AWAY FROM THIS SOFTWARE" July 2, 2024 1.0 The worst Cad software so far. Extremely overrated. I don't even understand the positive comments here. I assume most of them are people new to the game who didn't have a chance to try other software. Solidworks is not perfect, but it is infinitely better than Inventor. This software should be free and even then, it would still be a trash. Pros Nothing positive to mention if you have used other software before. Cons Continued crashes and bugs (I work with an HP workstation optimized for CAD with Xeon, 32gb, Graphics...). Non intuitive tools/Interface. The orbital movement system is trash. Poor restriction functions (specially the tangent one). You need to constantly update the assembly to see the results. Sometimes the preview of the restrictions are not shown for some misterious reason. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!!!! -DON'T HAVE AUTO-SAVE- Review Source JC John C. Entrepreneur Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Intuitive and powerful 3D CAD, yet it takes time to master the more powerful features" May 17, 2022 5.0 I created many solid models, assemblies and drawings. Compared to a previous high end system I used, it has been very robust and rarely crashes. Once you know it it is very intuitive. Pros Easy and powerful solid modeller that can create Assemblies with both Part and Assembly variations. Bill of Materials with tables can be generated directly in the Assembly drawing. A lot of functions are available under the right mouse button, which saves time not having to go through menus. Cons Once you get deeper into the software, the more powerful features can be somewhat difficult to learn. Support does not always understand your exact needs. Some of the lesser used powerful features do not get the same attention from their R&D. An example is that it took about 2 years for a feature to be corrected. Alternatives considered [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/)[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor It was bundled with AutoCAD which some users could use. Review Source CC Carlos C. Structural Engineering Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### " Basically the best software to design mechanical parts." October 13, 2021 5.0 In general I always use this software to design any part, running the stress simulation. Pros You can start form 0 and perform a very specialized analysis for any part. Very organized to go from a point, line, sketch, solid and assembly. Cons How the constraints can be easily affected and the whole model ruined. Very complex to repair this. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor The interoperability between programs. Switched from [CATIA](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/) Because the whole process in the company we do it with Autodesk Software. Review Source DR David R. Engineering Manager Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor - A helpful and useful tool " September 19, 2022 5.0 Excellent. I wouldn't change to another software vendor anytime soon. Pros It is professional and easy to use (once you get past the learning curve). It integrates well with other Autodesk software and is an industry standard for most. Cons It does have some bugs and crashes occasionally. It also is impossible to use without an internet connection. This seems a little unnecessary, but sometimes if you are working very remotely it simply isn't what you want. Alternatives considered [Creo](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/) Reason for choosing Inventor Autodesk's market share and the integration with our current Autodesk software. Review Source MF Mario F. 3D Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor is Decent " September 24, 2020 4.0 I feel 80% is enjoyable. I can build structures or components. It’s getting better every time, the other 20% is just basic frustration not being able to mirror components in assemblies and keep them linked, and not being able to copy mates on assemblies is just a big time waster. Pros I love the rendering and Frame generator! Frame Generator is freaking Awsome! Literally allows you to build a complex frame out of a sketch or a simple extrusion. The frame members can be trimmed and you can create your own profiles! Also ipart creation make things easy. Cons This is a real great software, but I must be honest at 2 Major weak points that are deal breakers for me and maybe others. There is no “copy with mates” like others softwares have. So if you insert 100 Identical components, it’s gonna take you forever to constrain them in your assembly. Also there is no assembly mirror that associative! You have to use pattern, if you can! These are basic standards in even older softwares! How can Inventor not have these Basic staples! Weak points for sure. 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 Inventor It has more abilities and complexity in its features, but not more than solid works. But solid works was much to expensive. Switched from [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/) Solid edge was to glitchy for me, and the assembly changes would just blow up when I changed parameters. Inventors constraints and parameter changing adaptivity was much stronger. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Design Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "3D Modeling Awesome" March 5, 2020 5.0 Inventor allows me to do my job, mechanical engineering, I use it daily to design, analyze and draw components we make. Pros Inventor is used in everything we do. We need to accurately model things in 3d and create the fabrication and shop drawings. Since it is an Autodesk product it integrates easily with our use of AutoCAD too, with easy output to 2D cad formats as well. Cons It can be challenging to learn at first but it is easy if you know another 3D modeling program. The one thing I think the competition does better is exploded views, I dislike the exploded view functionality. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor We use AutoCAD and it is one complete package sold together Review Source AD Andrew D. CAD Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very powerful for "Free" software." September 22, 2020 4.0 After students learn the basics of software they become very proficient users and have a head start in most college classes. Pros Very powerful program and most universities and companies in field have heard of. Cons Step by step tutorials could be better. Premade projects are difficult to introduce to beginner students. Having to send all part files with assembly makes sharing assemblies between teacher and students very difficult. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Education licenses were free while Solidworks was charging for student licenses. Review Source Mariana M. Analista Control de Calidad Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "It is a 3D solid parametric modeling program produced by the software company Autodesk" July 10, 2018 4.0 In my case being a professional of iNGENIERIA IS OF GREAT BENEFIT BECAUSE Inventor is updated (with the help of users in Inventor Ideas) and improves with each new version It keeps the user competitive by accessing our latest innovations at the time they are available, along with the previous versions you need Configure your products more easily with new functions for assemblies and autocomplete in the rules editor. Work with data from any 3D CAD system while maintaining an associative link Pros It has many tools that are very useful not only in the mechanical area, but also in the design of circuits, in the design of pipelines, etc., that's why I like SW. However, what I like about inventor is that besides being a program where you can make designs (CAD), you can also manufacture them (CAM) and do not need an interface like solidworks to recognize it in a cnc. Moldflow analysis: because it shows the quality of the pieces during the preliminary design phases and avoids the problems of higher level. Family mold: this allows the administration of family molds. You can alternate between several charged plastic parts to complete the partition plane design of each core and cavity assembly. Feed channel and injection point: provides the means to specify the type and location of the injection points, and allows to define the characteristics of shape, size and sketch of the feed channel. Cooling channel: improves the efficiency of the mold design and simplifies the process of creating complex cooling channels. Core and cavity design: solves the complex problems of defining the partition plane. The combination of these functions allows the closing of the separation, in addition to the automatic creation of revisions of holes and partition surfaces. Standard component library and tools: supports a wide range of components from commercial catalog libraries and a component utility to create custom parts. Automation of the drawing: the automation of the 2D drawing Cons Java does not generate code for further deeper developments. It does not handle much flexibility like code does in Java It only works with an Internet connection and it is a great disadvantage when you signal it is bad at home or work It can only be developed for Android The program has a high cost, due to its license. Knowing how to fully use the software requires a lot of time since there are many functions, and even that they are of little application, since they are very specific. It requires a powerful computer to work with processing speed, and a high space on the hard drive Review Source sM saravanakumar M. Engineering manager Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Engineering manager review Inventor for quick solution" December 20, 2024 5.0 Powerful parametric design tool, which and all using Autocad this software is easy to use and can easily integrate with other Autodesk products (used in previous organization) Pros Built-in simulation tools always help the end user to use it easily. Cons Cost its very expensive,So mutitiple licence will be issue. Review Source JR Jeisson R. engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor Autodesk " January 10, 2023 5.0 It's very positive. inventor is a competitive software. i recommendit to others engineers Pros inventor can optimizate the process of design and fabrication to many products and it's fast. Cons when I try to change a frame of structure, it should change it without to create another file Alternatives considered [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/)[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Review Source JB Jason B. Teacher Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Basically Required for PLTW's IED" March 5, 2020 5.0 Inventor is meant to be used to design parts of a mechanical machine. It is really good at that and not much else. It makes parts, assemblies, and drawings well. While it has animation tools, they're not great. Because of the detail and accuracy in the renderings, it goes through a lot more RAM, but makes great images and working drawings. Pros Inventor is good if you are rendering parts to a small product. You would not want to design a house or perform city planning on it. It is also not meant for animation, so being good at Inventor probably wouldn't get you a job with Pixar or Dreamworks. If, on the other hand, you want to 3D a missing keyboard key or the insert to your tape dispenser, then Inventor is for you. I am an engineering teacher and my students use this program for the entire second-half of the school year. I have a feeling that students using Inventor in their Introduction to Engineering Design class is a huge majority of where Autodesk Inventor is used. Inventor is very good at turning a part file into both assembiles and working drawings. The images it makes is just as good as anything you would find in IKEA assembly instructions. This works out well because I tell my students that by the end of the class I teach, they will be able to create an assembly instruction book that is just as good as anything IKEA would give their customers. Cons I already know that I don't use even a small fraction of what Inventor is capable of and that I can only review the limited number of tools I have used. But, based on what I have used Inventor for during the better part of a decade... Google SketchUp doesn't require that you place a sketch, then draw, and then extrude the sketch, and it works just fine. Inventor works fine for small simple projects, but it's slow-going to make something in it. Because it uses true curves, Inventor uses a lot of RAM and can crash when you are assembling complicated parts. It won't curve labels in 2 directions, it doesn't have a parabola, catenary, or hyperbola tools. I have struggled a lot with making their parts semitransparent like being able to see a ship inside of a bottle. Review Source CJA Cesar Josue A. Universitary intern Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Autodesk Inventor: A powerful software for engineering" April 11, 2023 5.0 Autodesk Inventor is a powerful and comprehensive CAD software widely used in mechanical design and product development. Its parametric modeling capabilities, extensive set of tools, integration with other Autodesk software, large library of standard parts, and online support community make it a popular choice for many engineers and designers. Pros The parametric modeling is a feature that facilitates and speeds up the design process by allowing you to modify and iterate parameters without starting from scratch. The software counts with an extensive set of tools and makes it a comprehensive CAD program, as it offers a wide range of modeling tools, including 2D sketching and 3D capabilities such as extrusion, assembly, simulation, and more. Another advantage is its easy integration with other Autodesk software, which enables smooth collaboration and data exchange between different programs. In addition, it has a large online community of users who provide educational materials to facilitate learning and management of the software. Cons The cost of Inventor can be quite high, which may pose limitations for companies or individuals with modest budgets. Additionally, certain software functions have demanding hardware requirements, necessitating high-powered equipment for optimal performance. This could result in additional expenses for users with low-end laptops or computers Review Source SB Swaroop B. Design engineer Mining & Metals Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Autodesk inventor user advantage" August 30, 2024 5.0 I am using inventor since 4 years and a user friendly tool to designing and drafting. I logic programming was the greatest advantage by using inventor. Pros I like I logic programming & inventor has a huge content center library. Cons Static analysis results need to be precised & reported errors need to be resolved. Review Source DA Daniel A. Systems Engineer, Analyst, Machinist Defense & Space Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent capability, decent learning curve for existing CAD/CAM users" July 3, 2018 5.0 Being able to flexibly work on design projects for work, hobbies, and STEM Education and Outreach work is incredibly nice, and linking this capability to much more accessible maker tech really opens new doors for rapid prototyping. Pros Really powerful software, surprisingly resource efficient for use on laptops, and the de facto standard for many uses. With a dedicated CAD rig (or repurposed gaming PC), performance even when dealing with large and complex models is excellent. The design and portability is really quite good, and when coupled with access to CNC machinery and 3D printing capability makes the prototyping process incredibly quick. Currently experimenting with amateur photogrammetry for metrology and rapid design capability (converting clay models or plastic-printing pens), and the toolset is powerful enough to leverage those capabilities quite well. Easy enough to use that high school students can tap many of the advanced capabilities with even limited background. Cons For myself as an old school Autodesk user the added capability is impressive, although the UI updates feel a lot like contemporary changes that fixed things which weren't broken in the first place. The biggest headache I have right now is that the install is tedious to reroute, particularly when repurposing existing computers for STEM outreach projects, anything other than the default installation is hard, and often inconsistent. Interfacing with open source tools is actually quite good, but innate support for that is unsurprisingly limited. Still, a really minor complaint, as properly packaged for export files are handled really well with existing CAM workflow and automation in slicing tools for experienced additive manufacturers. Review Source Rostislav Z. R&D Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Interesting alternative to Solidworks" May 11, 2022 4.0 Pros I was really surprised with how modern the UI is. Inventor is definitely more user friendly than Solidworks. Both have their pros and cons but even though I use Solidworks as my daily I really liked the experience with Inventor and I probably wouldn't mind switching back. Cons Not used as much as for example Solidworks, so has smaller user base. Missing some tools. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Ingegnere Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "excellent software for mechanical modeling of components and assemblies" October 30, 2023 5.0 inventor use for mechanical modeling of components for the manufacturing industry Pros the program is easy to use and allows you to model and draw even very complex mechanical components and assemblies. Intuitive and clean interface Cons Surface modeling is terrible. It is not comparable to other high-end software Review Source Darwin Reynell N. Líder de Proyectos Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor is a very powerful 3d design tool. In comparison to Solidworks tool, it is friendlier. " July 25, 2018 4.0 The Mechanical Design is an iterative process with many interactive phases. You can improve the design and making it efficient. I think this software, Inventor, allows me as a mechanical engineer to apply my knowledge and do my work under a specific methodology that leads me to a quality design. It is a powerful mechanical design tool. Pros Have the opportunity to do each of the design of your pieces and then assemble them. It allows you to evaluate every detail in the design process. The 3D design allows you to be focused on what is really important, the design. Every year the tool innovates and introduces you to new functions that make your work a little easier. Once your designs are ready, you can use the 3D printer and manufacture a particular piece. So it allows you a quick "design-fabrication" process. Cons The more pieces you add to your assembly, the computer gets a little slow. In that sense, a large capacity team is required. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer European Technical Outsourcing Manager Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software, easy to use and very intuitive." February 13, 2018 5.0 Pros Easy to use Interface and button layout. The commands are clearly spelt out and even give you a quick tutorial glimpse of what the command or button does when you hover your mouse arrow over it for a few seconds. Cons Like any software, crashes can occur. You have to be sure that you keep up-to-date on all patches and services packs for your Autodesk Products to ensure you have the best experience while using their software. Review Source Narasimhan (Nari) S. Chemical Engineer Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great design and 3D model generation software, especially for mechanical design" May 31, 2018 5.0 helped in easy creation of assemblies, bill of materials and ease of sharing professional looking layouts of plant design. Pros User Interface is quite easy to work with. I also like the button layout although i started as a new user. The tutorial tells you of what the command or button does when you hover your mouse arrow above it for a little bit. Usually it takes a second or two to appear. I had used this more while I was at penn state as a graduate student. At my current workplace I used a server version which was more complicated to use in terms of software accessibility but the commands and other things are same. Cons Occasionally it crashes or sort of freezes. This may have been a computer issue. The issue is with transferring files colleagues and have them continue the work. if the exact folder arrangement etc is not copied then some of the 3D parts show an error to be missing and the assembly rebuild is complicated. Review Source Sandro M. Especialista Técnico Automotive Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "More diverse software for engineers" January 25, 2023 5.0 As I said, it is an excellent software for 3D modeling and other functions for Engineering. I always recommend it to my work friends. Pros Very practical and easy to use its features. As an example, make a quick and easy sketch. Cons Customer service takes a while to respond. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Virtual Design Construction Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor" August 6, 2019 5.0 Pros What Inventor does extremely well is to create a clean space for very detailed assemblies to be shown very simply. In other words, it helps take the complex and break it down to where a manufacturer can get on board easily and quickly. I use it for my visualization projects because of the clean geometry it makes as opposed to other modeling software. It creates cleaner lightmaps for objects than many other programs and the built-in render engine is actually surprisingly good, negating the need to export and render elsewhere, saving time. Cons Some of the mouse controls are different than other Autodesk products, so if you're using muscle menmory, it can trip you up when switching to inventor for a little while until you get the hang of it. Review Source Ayodeji O. Additive manufacturing Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fun and easy to learn engineering software for complex design" July 17, 2021 5.0 I have used inventory for 5 years now, I use inventor to educate college students on engineering design for manufacturing. I have had a lovely experience using inventor and I hope it continues to offer more features. Pros It's a perfect and easy to learn parametric design software for engineers. It has features which makes your work easy and fast. I like the contact center provided whicheans less modeling and gives you more knowledge of standard design for actual manufacturing for example you will be exposed to the types of fasteners and their use. Cons It's difficult to use in area where power supply is not regular because there is no recovery feature. Also, it slows down the system or crashes whenever you are working on an heavy assembly file. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Security Guard Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Where I learned to CAD." May 30, 2018 4.0 Easy to learn and use. Simple interface. Good layout. Fun to learn. Pros This software is perhaps the simplest CAD software out there. Very user friendly with easy to understand terminology. The Software isn't the most complex, but as a student just learning to use CAD, this was perfect. I spent so much time playing around with the software, designing little objects. Cons Can't do as much as other software, but most people don't use the complicated features in other software, so not really that bad. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## 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.