BricsCAD

DWG-native drafting with a perpetual licence option.

CAD & draftingPerpetual or subscription — see their site

What it does

BricsCAD reads and writes DWG natively and is aimed squarely at teams who want AutoCAD-compatible drafting without an AutoCAD subscription. The command line and general working method are deliberately familiar.

Higher tiers add 3D modelling and BIM. The main reason practices move is cost and the availability of a perpetual licence.

Written by Archify, not by BricsCAD — we added this because architects use it, and we are not affiliated with them, paid by them, or earning a commission. Nothing here is their wording, and we haven't audited the product, so judge it on your own trial. If this is your company and you want it changed or removed, tell us and we'll do it.

Also in CAD & drafting

Rhino

NURBS modelling for the geometry other tools can't describe.