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About Alibre Design
Alibre Design is a parametric 3D CAD program for mechanical part and assembly design, positioned as an affordable option for businesses. The Expert edition adds premium features, and version 29.1 introduced a weldments module for building structural assemblies.
Alibre also sells add-ons for CAM (mill and turn), FEA, motion and export, plus a separate hobby line. A free trial is available for download, and release notes and documentation are published on the site.
Strengths
- Parametric part and assembly modeling
- Weldments module for structural assemblies in the Expert edition
- Optional CAM, FEA and motion add-ons
- Free trial available
Limitations
- Paid software; advanced features require higher editions or add-ons
- Smaller user community than the largest CAD suites
Details
- Pricing
- PaidPaid licences with a free trial; add-ons are sold separately.
- License
- Proprietary
- Developer
- Alibre
- Platforms
- Windows
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Best suited for
- Small businesses and engineers who need mechanical CAD at a lower cost
- Categories
- 3D and CAD
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Alibre Design
Compare allSoftware that can replace Alibre Design for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
SolidWorks
Industry-standard parametric CAD software for 3D design and product development.
SolidWorks is industry-standard parametric CAD with broad training resources and plugins, still Windows only, but its commercial licensing costs more for individuals and small studios.
Autodesk Fusion 360
Cloud-connected parametric CAD, CAM, and CAE platform with a free personal tier.
Autodesk Fusion 360 adds macOS support and combines CAD, CAM and simulation in one subscription with a free personal tier, but full functionality effectively requires an internet connection.
Autodesk Inventor
Parametric 3D CAD software for mechanical design, simulation and engineering documentation.
Autodesk Inventor offers parametric mechanical modelling with simulation and documentation tools on Windows, but it is subscription only with no free tier.
Solid Edge
Mainstream parametric CAD software with a free Community edition.
Solid Edge is Siemens parametric CAD on Windows with a free Community edition for students and hobbyists, while the full feature set requires paid commercial tiers.
Onshape
Fully browser-based parametric CAD platform with real-time collaboration.
Onshape moves parametric CAD into the browser with real-time collaboration and version history, but needs a stable internet connection and its free tier makes projects public.
FreeCAD
A parametric 3D modeller for real objects: design by sketching constrained 2D shapes, then change the parameters later.
FreeCAD is free, open-source parametric CAD for Windows, macOS and Linux with workbenches for FEM and CAM, though polish varies and large assemblies can be slow.
IronCAD
Commercial 3D and 2D mechanical CAD software with drag-and-drop design and hybrid modelling.
IronCAD is commercial Windows mechanical CAD with drag-and-drop catalog design and hybrid direct and feature-based modelling, sold through sales and resellers across several tiers.
VariCAD
A 3D and 2D CAD program for mechanical engineering design on Windows and Linux.
VariCAD is paid mechanical 3D and 2D CAD that also runs on Linux, with sheet metal unbending, interference checks and BOM tools all in one license.
Alibre Design as an alternative
Listings that name Alibre Design as an alternative.
DesignSpark Mechanical
A direct-modelling 3D CAD program with push-pull tools, aimed at engineers and makers without deep CAD experience.
Alibre Design is paid Windows parametric CAD for parts and assemblies with optional CAM, FEA and motion add-ons, aimed at small businesses wanting lower-cost mechanical CAD.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Alibre Atom3D
Design mechanical parts and assemblies with a desktop CAD application.
KeyShot
Commercial real-time 3D rendering software for producing product visuals from CAD data.
Elmer FEM
Open-source multiphysics simulation software based on the finite element method.
Mayo
An open-source 3D CAD viewer and converter for STEP, IGES, STL and other formats.
