draftsight-vs-sketchup

SketchUp and DraftSight are both popular Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs on SketchUP has over 100 ratings and 35 reviews whereas DraftSight has over 300 ratings and 100 reviews. Compared to most SaaS platforms, CAD software has been around for several decades. And while CAD software is most commonly used for engineering and architectural purposes, it has a growing variety of applications.

Like DraftSight, SketchUp is also a CAD-first program, unlike a few other products in the category that function as secondary simulation software or visualization tools. On TrustRadius, most SketchUp users are from smaller businesses or architecture firms. While DraftSight also primarily serves small businesses on TrustRadius, more of its reviewers are from engineering companies.

Features

SketchUp’s feature set can differ depending on which version you choose: SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, Sketchup Pro, SketUp Studio, SketchUp for Web, Enterprise, and SketchUp Studio for Education. There are even more industry and use-case specific versions available as well. SketchUp’s major selling point seems to be customization to users’ needs. For B2B software purposes, Sketchup Pro, SketchUp Studio, and Enterprise seem to provide the most business-ready offering.  They all focus on 3D modeling and exporting projects in HD for facilitating easy collaboration.

Draftsight has 5 different tiers of pricing: Standard, Professional, Premium, Enterprise Plus. The key difference between the different tiers is whether or not they support 3D design. While Standard and Professional do not, Premium, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus do.

Standard is best for non-professional use cases, whereas the other three tiers. The more advanced tiers feature APIs for integrating your ERP, PDM, and LISP tools. as well as complete tools for drafting, modeling, prototyping, manufacturing, laser cutting, and 3D printing. The Enterprise offers are best for organizations with many users across multiple sites.

Limitations

SketchUp is considered one of the easiest CAD programs to jump into, however, it is not without some criticisms from users. Interestingly, while it is said to be easy-to-use, it’s actual functionality is difficult. SketchUp can be seen as clunky or lack the finesse of other CAD software. For more advanced projects, SketchUp may not be the best fit. 

With DraftSight, reviewers mention that it is not as customizable as they would like, and that often updates will add new features that make using the tool more difficult to use. When reviewers have ran into issues, they report that customer service with DraftSight leaves much to be desired and that online support is not useful for troubleshooting.

Pricing

SketchUp is gaining popularity with CAD users because it has a web-based version available completely for free. Its next non-student offering starts at $119/yr. Its next plan most suitable for businesses that will be using SketchUp as a team starts at $299/yr. Students still enrolled in institutions of higher education can gain access to SketchUp for as little as $55/yr. Teams requiring more than 10 licenses may benefit from special pricing, but sales must be contacted to get more information. 

DraftSight is marketed as being a cheaper alternative to SketchUp. Its cheapest tier (Standard) starts at $99/year per user. Professional is $199/yr, Premium $499/yr, and Enterprise or Enterprise Plus tiers have customized pricing depending on the size your business and number of users. Expect to pay more than $500/yr at this tier.