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QCADDraftSight

Best for: Drawing accurate 2D plans and technical drawings without a subscription

Best for: Drafters and engineers maintaining DWG drawings on a smaller budget

Free + paid options

QCAD Community Edition is free and open source under GPLv3. The commercial Professional edition adds DWG support and…

Full pricing details

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.

 Paid

Paid software with a free trial.

Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
  • 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
  • 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
  • Full DWG file support
  • Interface familiar to users of other CAD programs
All 3 strengths
  • Full DWG file support
  • Interface familiar to users of other CAD programs
  • Handles both 2D drafting and 3D DWG files
  • 2D only; there is no 3D modelling at all
  • DWG support and some tools are in the paid Professional edition
All 4 limitations
  • 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
  • Paid after the trial
  • Focused mainly on 2D drafting
All 3 limitations
  • Paid after the trial
  • Focused mainly on 2D drafting
  • Closed source
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Not open source
License: GPL-3.0 License not stated
No account needed Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available Not stated if it works offline
Sources

Catalog checked September 21, 2026
Sources

Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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