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Autodesk Inventor vs Onshape: catalog facts
Autodesk Inventor	Onshape
Best for: Mechanical engineers and product designers doing professional 3D CAD work	Best for: Fully browser-based parametric CAD platform with real-time collaboration
Paid Sold as a subscription from Autodesk or an Autodesk partner.	Free + paid options Free tier available; paid plans add private documents and more storage.
Windows	Web
Parametric modelling for mechanical parts and assemblies Includes simulation and documentation tools All 3 strengths for Autodesk Inventor Parametric modelling for mechanical parts and assemblies Includes simulation and documentation tools Actively maintained with yearly releases	No desktop install needed since the entire CAD environment runs in the browser Real-time collaboration and built-in version history simplify team design work
Subscription only, no free tier Closed-source commercial software	Requires a stable internet connection since there is no offline desktop mode Free tier makes projects publicly viewable, which is not suitable for private work
Downloadable app	Web application
Not open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Autodesk Inventor autodesk.com/products/inventor/overview Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Onshape onshape.com Catalog checked September 22, 2026

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