draftsight-vs-solidworks

SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight are both extremely popular Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs. They both lead the category in ratings and reviews, both having over 140 each. 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.

In addition to being a CAD tool, SOLIDWORKS, also functions as simulation software. Simulation software can be used to evaluate, optimize, and compare product designs meant for real-world applications in a computer-generated environment. On TrustRadius, most of its users are from mid-sized construction companies. This is in contrast to DraftSight which represents mostly small businesses and/or engineering firms.

Features

SOLIDWORKS comes from Dassault Systemes, a French software company that specializes in design and Product Lifecycle Management software. SOLIDWORKS features several sub-products that cover a wide variety of specialties and capabilities. Whereas Draftsight focuses more on CAD specifically, SOLIDWORKS, as previously mentioned, supports simulation, product configurator, product data management, and technical communication. Its design capabilities support 2D and 3D design, CAM, electrical design, and visualization, with collaboration tools for team projects. 

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

Critiques of SOLIDWORKS share common themes with most CAD software in that it can be resource-intensive and slow performance. Additionally, it may be more expensive than competitor products. While it excels at electrical applications, it may also not be so suited for certain industries like aerospace and automotive. 

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 run into issues, they report that customer service with DraftSight leaves much to be desired and that online support is not useful for troubleshooting. 

Pricing

SOLIDWORKS buyers have 5 different pricing models from which to choose: Commercial, Academia, Research, Students, and Entrepreneurs & Startups. Buyers can directly purchase the Student edition for $99 as a 1-year license. Pricing for other tiers requires buyers to contact the SOLIDWORKS sales team. 

DraftSight’s pricing is available to analyze before contacting sales. 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 of your business and number of users. Expect to pay more than $500/yr at this tier.