Alternatives to LibreCAD
A 2D CAD program for DXF and DWG drawings, built from the free edition of QCAD. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
LibreCAD
A 2D CAD program for DXF and DWG drawings, built from the free edition of QCAD.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as LibreCAD.
QCAD
A 2D CAD program for technical drawings: floor plans, mechanical parts, schematics and diagrams, with DXF and DWG in and out.
QCAD is the upstream project LibreCAD was built from, with a similar 2D toolset, but DWG support and some tools sit in its paid Professional edition.
BricsCAD
Native-DWG CAD software with 2D drafting, 3D modeling, BIM, and mechanical variants.
BricsCAD adds native DWG handling, 3D modeling and BIM on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is closed source and needs a paid license after a 30-day trial.
DraftSight
A commercial 2D CAD desktop application for drafting and editing DWG drawings, from Dassault Systèmes.
DraftSight is a paid, closed-source Windows DWG editor from Dassault Systèmes, handling 2D drafting and 3D DWG files.
AutoCAD
Autodesk's 2D drafting and 3D CAD application, available on the desktop and in the browser.
AutoCAD uses native DWG, adds 3D modelling and a web version, but has expensive licensing and requires an Autodesk account.
ZWCAD
Commercial 2D drafting and 3D CAD software with native DWG compatibility, offered as an AutoCAD alternative.
ZWCAD is closed-source Windows CAD with native DWG, 2D and 3D work, and a perpetual licence at a high upfront cost.
TurboCAD
Commercial 2D and 3D CAD software for drafting and mechanical and architectural design on Windows and Mac.
TurboCAD is paid 2D and 3D CAD for Windows and Mac, sold in several editions, with no free edition.
Also worth comparing
These listings name LibreCAD as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Sweet Home 3D
Interior design software for drawing a floor plan, arranging furniture on it, and walking through the result in 3D.
LibreCAD is a free, open-source 2D CAD program for DXF and DWG floor plans, dropping Sweet Home 3D's 3D walkthroughs and furniture catalog entirely.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
FreeCAD
A parametric 3D modeller for real objects: design by sketching constrained 2D shapes, then change the parameters later.
KiCad
A full electronics design suite: draw the schematic, lay out the board, view it in 3D, send it to a fab.
SolveSpace
A tiny parametric 2D and 3D CAD program built around a constraint solver, for designing real parts.
Drawboard PDF
A pen-friendly PDF markup app with live-synced annotations across desktop, mobile and web.
