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AutoCAD vs QCAD: catalog facts
AutoCAD	QCAD
Best for: Professionals who draft and exchange DWG drawings	Best for: Drawing accurate 2D plans and technical drawings without a subscription
Paid Commercial software sold by Autodesk, with a trial available.	Free + paid options QCAD Community Edition is free and open source under GPLv3. The commercial Professional edition adds DWG support and… Full pricing details for QCAD QCAD Community Edition is free and open source under GPLv3. The commercial Professional edition adds DWG support and further tools for a one-off fee.
Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Native DWG format used widely across industries Desktop and web versions share drawings All 3 strengths for AutoCAD Native DWG format used widely across industries Desktop and web versions share drawings Covers both 2D drafting and 3D modeling	Over forty construction and twenty modification tools with layers and blocks DXF input and output, printing to scale and across multiple pages All 4 strengths for QCAD Over forty construction and twenty modification tools with layers and blocks DXF input and output, printing to scale and across multiple pages Thirty-five CAD fonts plus TrueType, metric and imperial units An interface people consistently describe as easy to pick up without CAD experience
Expensive commercial licensing Requires an Autodesk account	2D only; there is no 3D modelling at all DWG support and some tools are in the paid Professional edition All 4 limitations for QCAD 2D only; there is no 3D modelling at all DWG support and some tools are in the paid Professional edition Not aimed at parametric or constraint-driven design Community and Professional builds differing in features can be confusing at first
Downloadable app, Web application	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
Account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for AutoCAD autodesk.com/products/autocad/overview Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for QCAD qcad.org Catalog checked September 21, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.