Best Virtual Steel Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from 3D CAD software ranked against Virtual Steel on the same published basis.
- 1Virtual Steel vs Onshape
- 2Virtual Steel vs SOLIDWORKS
- 3Virtual Steel vs Rhino 3D
- 4Virtual Steel vs Shapr3D
- 5Virtual Steel vs CATIA
- 6Virtual Steel vs Creo
- 7Virtual Steel vs Autodesk Inventor
- 8Virtual Steel vs Siemens NX
- 9Virtual Steel vs AVEVA E3D Design
- 10Virtual Steel vs Hexagon VISI
- 11Virtual Steel vs OwlCAD
- 12Virtual Steel vs Solid Edge
- 13Virtual Steel vs Ansys SpaceClaim
- 14Virtual Steel vs FreeCAD
- 15Virtual Steel vs Autodesk Alias
- 16Virtual Steel vs Fusion with PowerShape
- 17Virtual Steel vs CADDS 5
- 18Virtual Steel vs TopSolid'Design
- 19Virtual Steel vs T-FLEX CAD
- 20Virtual Steel vs ZW3D
Virtual Steel alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onshape | 7.4 | Free plan | $125/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 2 | SOLIDWORKS | 7.1 | No | $4/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Rhino 3D | 7.1 | Free plan | $95/mo | Windows, Mac |
| 4 | Shapr3D | 7.0 | Free plan | $24.92/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 5 | CATIA | 6.8 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 6 | Creo | 6.8 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 7 | Autodesk Inventor | 6.8 | No | — | Windows |
| 8 | Siemens NX | 6.7 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 9 | AVEVA E3D Design | 6.7 | No | — | API, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 10 | Hexagon VISI | 6.7 | No | — | Windows |
| 11 | OwlCAD | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 12 | Solid Edge | 6.6 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 13 | Ansys SpaceClaim | 6.6 | No | — | Windows |
| 14 | FreeCAD | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Autodesk Alias | 6.5 | No | — | Windows |
| 16 | Fusion with PowerShape | 6.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | CADDS 5 | 6.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | TopSolid'Design | 6.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | T-FLEX CAD | 6.3 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 20 | ZW3D | 6.3 | No | $3,000/mo | Web, Windows |
Make your platform an alternative to Virtual Steel
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Virtual Steel alternatives
What is the best alternative to Virtual Steel?
Onshape, number 1 in 3D CAD software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: SOLIDWORKS, Rhino 3D, Shapr3D and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Virtual Steel?
Onshape 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.