# Page 2 | SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 2 - Is SolidWorks Enterprise PDM the right Product Data Management solution for you? Explore 77 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/92707/SolidWorks-Enterprise-PDM/reviews --- SolidWorks Enterprise PDM 4.4 (77) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/92707/SolidWorks-Enterprise-PDM/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 2 - Reviews of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 26-50 of 77 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use VR Verified Reviewer Mechanical Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Solidworks PDM review" December 20, 2018 4.0 Overall SolidWorks PDM has been helpful to our organization. We migrated a large legacy CAD database into PDM, and also use it presently to track releases, review, and organize CAD design data. Pros Solidworks PDM is a good piece of version control software, with some hiccups. Overall, I like the UI and navigation tools. I like how edrawings has a built in widget of sorts that allows users to preview files in full 3D before opening and editing parts. I also like how easy it is to navigate assemblies and easily see which parts an assembly contains, or where a given part is used. The history tool is also very useful for viewing the changelist and tracking dates of changes, etc. In general I like how PDM interfaces cleanly with the windows navigator UI, and prefer to use the tool in this way as opposed to operating it within SolidWorks why the program is running. Cons Some aspects of the software are not very user friendly. In particular version numbers (as opposed to revision numbers) can be buggy. It's not always clear when a new version is created or pushed to the server, especially in the case of concurrent users. In some cases I've found that a colleague has created a new version that I do not see until I prompt a version get. However, other times in the same situation I find that I am up to date on the version without having to perform a get. Likewise, when sending PDM notifications to a colleague as in flagging a file for review, etc, the notification does not reliably show up in a user's inbox. Granted some of this may be due to our individual deployment / network issues. Additionally, there is far less documentation and info out there for SolidWorks PDM as there is for general SolidWorks usage. As such, we've had to go to our re-seller with issues, which can be inefficient and makes users reliant on their given re-seller's knowledge base to learn the tool. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IS&D System Administrator Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Database for Drawings" November 30, 2018 4.0 Solidworks PDM has been nice to utilize for file management. We are able to keep things organized, have our workflows to deal with the Engineering process, Document Management process, and Management Process for approvals and such, and still have the files available to the rest of the company to utilize in the manner that they need to. Pros The best thing about PDM is that it integrates fully with Windows and Solidworks itself. That way, someone that does not have Solidworks can open the files with a viewer and work with them in the way they need, but someone that has Solidworks can open it directly in Solidworks to edit and change the file as needed. Cons It is not so easy to integrate with any other type of software. We would like to provide a link to a drawing in our Inventory Management database, so that it will open the latest version of the drawing for a particular part, and it is not so easy to link them. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Systems Administor Medical Devices Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Works as well as you put effort into it." October 19, 2020 4.0 If done right, the software brings lots of business procedures to the system automatically or manually. I have spent a lot of time setting these up and it's just now showing some value. Other side being we let it get out of control before and was of no use to anyone. Pros The software is fully customizable. You can make the software do just able anything you want with workflows and permissions. There is quite a bit automation you can create as well. The software ties in very well with SolidWorks for designing. Cons The software is fully customizable. Out of the box, it will do nothing. This isn't a piece of software you can install and let the users go at it. There needs to be a lot of thought and discussion around how the software will be utilized. It also is quite buggy with GDI objects. It's been this way for many years. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Design Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I use SolidWorks every day for my job as a Design Engineer and Enterprise PDM keeps everyone synched" August 1, 2018 5.0 Collaborate and synchronized data for SolidWorks drawings and solid models. Pros SolidWorks is easily the most used software by engineers at my company. Because so much of our work is collaborative or builds off of previous models having Enterprise PDM is essential. Everything is easy to find and everyone can access the same base parts to make sure that all of our products are uniform. It's quick, it's easy, and it helps me make sure my projects are made correctly. Cons It can be complicated, like much of SolidWorks everything is not intuitive at first glance, but this dissipates over time and constant use. Review Source LR Louis R. Director of Strategic Accounts Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Use the program for central control and distribution of documents. Solid performance and stability" December 5, 2017 4.0 Drawing control, design access, revision control Pros Ease of deployment. Allows use within the Windows Explorer interface with document printing and preview within the windows. This eases the user adaption of the product. Our usage is primarily for drawing and model sharing in an environment of approximate 100 users. The controlled access has been key to our revision control process. Our users also enjoy the ability to preview the documents without opening the creating programs - Acrobat, Solidworks, or AutoCad as examples. For Solidworks models, zooming and rotating the view within preview window is also very powerful. Cons Initial launch can be 15 to 30 seconds. After that the usage is very quick. Unsure about interface on Windows 10 as our environment is currently Win 7. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior IT Specialist at Continental Utility Solutions, Inc. Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use for drafting and engineering professionals" April 24, 2018 4.0 Pros The software is easy to use and there are many robust tools and the functionality is great. It works great for drawing up parts for manufacturing. Cons Complex grid valve array with a huge number of mates in it was stable in older versions. If you open in it 2018 it is no longer stable and produces problems. Too many mouse clicks are required for 'ARE YOU SURE' boxes popping up. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Construction Engineer Gambling & Casinos Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Solidworks ePDM Basic tool of modern company " October 16, 2018 5.0 Basic tool of modern company Pros best way to track and menage documentation, reviews, version and modifications on 3d models. very complex setup process, but in the end it worth it. smart way of name coding Cons very complex setup process, but in the end it worth it. too complex process of creating cards, custom design properties, check in/out Review Source RR Rod R. PDM/CAD Administrator Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Extremely Customizable, fits almost any business model." August 10, 2017 5.0 We are supporting key business processes throughout the organization with this tool. Any process that relies on forms, visibility, approval loops and audit trails can be handled by PDM. Pros The ability to quickly and easily create workflows to match your specific processes is the best feature. We have adapted this tool not only to support Engineering processes and Quality processes, but it supports Planning, Production, Marketing and even Purchasing. If you want to buy something, you initiate the request from PDM. Cons Historically, PDM has had some fairly generic tools for the notification system and its error messages should be more specific. To be told that a document doesn't meet the conditions of a transition request without an indicator of what the failure point was is a bit harsh, but it's my understanding that this will change in 2018. Can' wait. Review Source EH Eric H. General Manager - Finance Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Keeping Our CAD Files Up to Date and In One Place" May 25, 2022 5.0 This has been a great additional to our SolidWorks software and has saved our engineers lots of time in manual handling and updates. Pros The most impactful part of this software is the ability for our cross-functional and international engineering team to collaborate in real time on a large engineering model for a world class invention. This type of collaboration used to take hours per week in data management and manual updating of the drawings. Cons The price point is high but this is an issue with the entire SolidWorks suite. They charge you for a perpetual license then annual subscription and every little upgrade includes additional costs. However, this is one piece of their kit we are happy to pay for. We've had some issues with latency but the SolidWorks implementation team has been most helpful in identifying solutions. Review Source MM Mario M. Mechanical Eng. Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Most intuitive 3D modeling software for Engineers" June 22, 2022 5.0 The transition from creating drawings manually to see a D was a lot easier with Solidworks than other software’s in the same price range. Pros With experience draiwing onPaper with ink, this has been by far the software that made my jump to CAD enjoyable. Cons EPDM with it’s datacards were a bit frustrating in the begining. There is some logic behind the control of EP DM but with some time and patience you’ll understand why it’s configure That way. Review Source TP Taylor P. Project Engineer Defense & Space Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Still Figuring Everything Out" August 16, 2020 4.0 Overall though, the PDM I can already tell, once we get the hang of things, will be much more robust in capabilities and will prove easier from a file management standpoint. I look forward to playing around more, better understanding its nuances, and taking advantage of this advanced software CAD package. Pros As a Project Engineer who works with Product Development, our CAD platform's ability of storage/retrieval of models and drawings is essential for the streamlining of production runs. We recently updated to SolidWorks 2019 and updated our PDM/File Vault. As our team continues the transition and is working out the kinks of the data transfer, I can already tell that SW Enterprise PDM has the capabilities we need to succeed. Cons As I mentioned, we are still in a somewhate introductory phase, but one thing that is different that I am still getting used to is the fact that our files are accessible only trough our PC's File Explorer rather than directly through the CAD interface. So, there is some disjoint there. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) New version, previous contract ended. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Member Sales & Marketing Outsourcing/Offshoring Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good tool for CAD data management" January 11, 2020 4.0 Team has achieved higher productivity using this tool Pros SolidWorks PDM is a robust tool when it comes to manage the CAD data being creating on the CAD software like SolidWorks. The best thing about this tool is its easy user interface and it works seamlessly fine with the SolidWorks platform. When you are creating a lot of parts and assemblies then it becomes very tough for the users to manage and track the information like the versions, revisions, etc. Therefore it is imperative to use this tool for better productivity. Cons Can't say much about here, because this is really a great tool to manage the data information. The price is also justice. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Ingeniero en Entrenamiento Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "developing engineering " August 15, 2018 4.0 Pros the most useful application for modeling 3D parts. Solidworks allows me to design parts in detail with small error margins, besides this it allows me to extract the construction drawings of these pieces quickly, including all the information necessary for their manufacture. Cons Some of the problems I've had have been because of the compatibility between different versions of the software. During the use of the program I have had problems but the help window of the software has been useful to solve them. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT manager Banking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very useful PDM software" November 28, 2018 5.0 Very good software for watching over the life cycle of the product. Pros It can allow simple monitoring of the complete documentation of a certain product. Even people without particular engineering knowlege can easlily learn and use this software. It can be adjusted to the specific needs of the company. It enables team work for engineers, simple tracking of revisions, documents and leading project documentation. Cons Document searching is sometimes difficult. Bady desinged property cards can make work very difficult. Review Source RM Richard M. Designer III Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Needs an immediate and major overhaul....." April 22, 2021 3.0 Better than not using a PDM software, but this is easily the worst option. Pros What do I like most? Well, I like the fact that you can use this software to manage different versions of product CAD data. I rated it a 10/10 for recommending it to a colleague, because if you are using nothing, this software is a better alternative. Cons Extremely unstable! Unbelievable. Crashes constantly (and I have had this happen on many different computers over the years, so this isn't a fluke or somehow this one setup). Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Project Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful tool for advance engineering" December 31, 2018 5.0 Overall, it is a great software just need a proper training. Pros Solid works has a deep learning curve. Once you get past the curve you can create powerful simulations. The software do make things easy. Cons I used solid works a lot during my engineering classes. It is a really powerful tool to create simulations and designs. It has great user interface making it easy to move between CAD models and simulation. I do find using the plugins a little troublesome. Review Source CK Chris K. Mechanical Design Engineer Medical Devices Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A Solid Solution for Small to Mid Sized Companies" August 8, 2017 4.0 Pros The addition of customized workflows improves ability to make SolidWorks PDM fit within the company's procedures. It has allowed nearly seamless work sharing on large complicated assemblies. The greatest asset that PDM offers us is consistent storage and organization - making components and sub assemblies easy to find and easy to determine correct revisions/versions of files. Overall, it is one of the cheapest solutions with lots of options for configuration. I would highly recommend it. Cons Setup can be a bit complicated and confusing. While there are videos and documentation walking you through most of the installation steps - knowing how to setup custom workflows, variables, and data cards can be a frustrating event. Having a consultant setup the PDM can be really expensive, but there are lots of proprietary knowledge that's necessary to really grasp custom configuration. The software itself is not as straight forward as I'd like to see - especially understanding the nuances of versions and revisions. Review Source NR Naveen R. Tech Manager Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A Critical Tool for Every Organization that Design & Manufactures Products " October 25, 2022 4.0 1\. The primary objective of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM is to ensure secure backup of design data & ensure manufacturing has the latest revisions, i.e right Design at right time. 2. In an event of file corruptions , the recent versions can be accessed therby avoiding repeat efforts & save time. Pros An Intitive User interface integrated right into SolidWorks built on Microsoft SQL platform thereby compatible with Windows. Compatible with Major 3rd party Design softwares such as Creo, Inventor, Solidedge, Catia etc. Cons Collaboration across mutiple Geo's could be a challenge interms of performance. Integration with SAP is quite a bit of challenge. Reason for choosing SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Being Solidworks User, SolidWorks Enterprise PDM was an ideal compatible tool Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Mechanical Engineer II Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Best PDM I've ever used." July 12, 2021 5.0 Pros SolidWorks "Vault" PDM is the best PDM software I've ever used. It integrates seamlessly with SW (not surprisingly; it's a native plugin) and allows you to do all your PDM tasks even with the models open. Huge timesaver over other software I've used. Cons There are a couple of interesting bugs we've found, but support has been great at helping us with them and they usually don't last long. Review Source MST Mayra Sareth T. Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Solidworks is the program that I have used for 5 years to teach the industrial drawing class." July 29, 2018 5.0 I have been able to teach my students how to do simulations of detailed drawings of mechanical parts. I have also used the software to design a machine to assemble bamboo panels used in the construction industry. Pros What I like most is that it is a program is used very easily. The software allows to simulate the behavior of mechanical parts, which is of great help when making a design. Cons What displeases me about the program is that the library of materials and screws is a bit limited, and the materials do not always look real. Review Source Alex W. Mechanical Design Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best PDM" November 24, 2018 5.0 I've used three PDM devices and this takes the cake by far. PDM enterprise is the most accurate and easiest to use. Choose the blueberry. Pros Very easy to use and searches are very helpful and accurate. Cons Could be slow at times. Large registries can take forever. Review Source MW Michael W. Senior Industrial Designer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Industrial Designer with over 15years experience. My current company uses PDM." May 11, 2017 4.0 Pros I like that each part is automatically given a new rev without having to do it manually. Updating parts in assemblies with a newer version is easy. Cons When searching for files I have to start at the beginning each time. Once I exit a folder and try to access another folder that folder doesn't show its contents. The folder is empty. I have to start at the beginning of EPDM and then the files will show up. Review Source Ege K. Graduate Teaching Assistant Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "SW PDM review" May 16, 2020 5.0 Overall I really enjoyed using Solidworks products for years totally recommend Pros I am a big fan of the SW software products. I used the CAD modding software for a while now and from interface to functionally it has always been a pleasure Cons Only thing probably bothers me most is the no backwards compatibility exist on the software lineup from SW Review Source JT Jesalkumar T. Manufacturing Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Works flawlessly with minimal issues" June 14, 2022 4.0 Overall experience has been very good. It works very smoothly for a medium scaled manufacturing facility like ours. Pros The ability of creating workflows within organization. Cons The back end is not as user friendly as it could be. Review Source MH Mauro H. Application Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A must for for engineering efficiency. " January 8, 2019 5.0 The age old engineering problem of borrowing parts from a mixture of folders and not being able to easily know where certain parts have been used to gauge the effect of a revision. Alternatively, having multiple copies of the same part for no good reason other than to isolate it to the current project. Pros It's integration into the local filesystem to look and behave like a local folder. Cons It's high initial cost, setup and yearly license subscription. Review Source Similar Products Featured