Best AutoCAD Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from electrical design software ranked against AutoCAD on the same published basis.
- 1AutoCAD vs Trimble Viewpoint Vista
- 2AutoCAD vs ETAP
- 3AutoCAD vs Siemens Building X
- 4AutoCAD vs KiCad
- 5AutoCAD vs MATLAB Grader
- 6AutoCAD vs ProfiCAD
- 7AutoCAD vs QElectroTech
- 8AutoCAD vs SOLIDWORKS
- 9AutoCAD vs Brightlayer DCIM
- 10AutoCAD vs EPLAN Electric P8
- 11AutoCAD vs SKM Power*Tools
- 12AutoCAD vs Zuken E3.series
- 14AutoCAD vs DipTrace
- 15AutoCAD vs EasyPower
- 16AutoCAD vs eCADSTAR
- 17AutoCAD vs KDE Keysmith
- 18AutoCAD vs OrCAD X
- 19AutoCAD vs LTspice
- 20AutoCAD vs QSPICE
- 21AutoCAD vs Bentley promis.e
AutoCAD alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trimble Viewpoint Vista | 7.0 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | ETAP | 6.7 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Siemens Building X | 6.6 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | KiCad | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 5 | MATLAB Grader | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 6 | ProfiCAD | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Android, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | QElectroTech | 5.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | SOLIDWORKS | 5.5 | No | $4/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Brightlayer DCIM | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 10 | EPLAN Electric P8 | 5.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 11 | SKM Power*Tools | 5.4 | No | $24.92/mo | Android, iOS, Windows |
| 12 | Zuken E3.series | 5.4 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 14 | DipTrace | 5.2 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | EasyPower | 5.2 | No | $97.08/mo | Windows |
| 16 | eCADSTAR | 5.2 | No | £89/mo | Windows |
| 17 | KDE Keysmith | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | OrCAD X | 5.2 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 19 | LTspice | 5.1 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 20 | QSPICE | 5.1 | No | — | Windows |
| 21 | Bentley promis.e | 5.0 | No | — | Windows |
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Questions about AutoCAD alternatives
What is the best alternative to AutoCAD?
Trimble Viewpoint Vista, number 1 in electrical design software with a score of 7.0 out of 10. The others here: ETAP, Siemens Building X, KiCad and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to AutoCAD?
KiCad is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 4 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.