Best Virtual Steel Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from 3D CAD software ranked against Virtual Steel on the same published basis.
- 1Virtual Steel vs Onshape
- 2Virtual Steel vs SOLIDWORKS
- 3Virtual Steel vs Creo
- 4Virtual Steel vs Rhino 3D
- 5Virtual Steel vs Solid Edge
- 6Virtual Steel vs Shapr3D
- 7Virtual Steel vs AVEVA E3D Design
- 8Virtual Steel vs OwlCAD
- 9Virtual Steel vs Zoo Design Studio
- 10Virtual Steel vs CATIA
- 11Virtual Steel vs FreeCAD
- 12Virtual Steel vs Siemens NX
- 13Virtual Steel vs Autodesk Inventor
- 14Virtual Steel vs Hexagon VISI
- 15Virtual Steel vs Ansys SpaceClaim
- 16Virtual Steel vs T-FLEX CAD
- 17Virtual Steel vs nTop
- 18Virtual Steel vs build123d
- 19Virtual Steel vs Autodesk Alias
- 20Virtual Steel vs BricsCAD Mechanical
Virtual Steel alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onshape | 9.1 | Free plan | $125/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 2 | SOLIDWORKS | 8.7 | No | $4/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Creo | 8.6 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 4 | Rhino 3D | 8.6 | Free plan | $95/mo | Windows, Mac |
| 5 | Solid Edge | 8.5 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web, Windows |
| 6 | Shapr3D | 8.4 | Free plan | $24.92/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 7 | AVEVA E3D Design | 8.3 | No | — | API, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 8 | OwlCAD | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Zoo Design Studio | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 10 | CATIA | 8.1 | No | $544.75/mo | Web, Windows |
| 11 | FreeCAD | 8.1 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Siemens NX | 8.0 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 13 | Autodesk Inventor | 8.0 | No | — | Windows |
| 14 | Hexagon VISI | 7.9 | No | — | Windows |
| 15 | Ansys SpaceClaim | 7.7 | No | — | Windows |
| 16 | T-FLEX CAD | 7.7 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 17 | nTop | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 18 | build123d | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 19 | Autodesk Alias | 7.5 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | BricsCAD Mechanical | 7.5 | No | €83.17/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
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Questions about Virtual Steel alternatives
What is the best alternative to Virtual Steel?
Onshape, number 1 in 3D CAD software with a score of 9.1 out of 10. The others here: SOLIDWORKS, Creo, Rhino 3D and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Virtual Steel?
Onshape is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 7 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.