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Ares Commander

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
€225 per user per year
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Construction
  2. Real estate and property management
  3. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry

What is Ares Commander

Ares Commander is a desktop CAD application for creating and editing 2D drawings and 3D CAD content, with a focus on DWG-based workflows. It targets architects, engineers, and designers who need drafting, documentation, and interoperability with common CAD file formats. The product emphasizes compatibility with DWG/DXF, familiar command-based drafting, and optional integration with the broader ARES ecosystem for multi-device access.

pros

Strong DWG-centric workflow

Ares Commander is designed around DWG as a primary working format and supports common CAD exchange formats such as DXF. This reduces friction when collaborating with teams that standardize on DWG deliverables. It also helps organizations that need to maintain large libraries of legacy 2D drawings.

Familiar CAD command model

The product provides a command-line driven drafting experience and conventional CAD concepts (layers, blocks, external references, layouts). This can shorten onboarding time for users coming from established general-purpose CAD tools. It supports typical documentation tasks such as plotting/printing and annotation workflows used in engineering and architecture.

Cross-platform desktop availability

Ares Commander is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, which is less common among mainstream commercial CAD offerings. This can simplify standardization in mixed-OS environments and support Linux-based engineering desktops. It also enables consistent DWG editing across different operating systems without changing tools.

cons

Not a full parametric modeler

While it supports 3D CAD content, Ares Commander is primarily positioned for drafting and DWG-based design rather than feature-based parametric mechanical modeling. Teams needing advanced part/assembly constraints, simulation, and manufacturing toolchains may require additional specialized software. This can limit its suitability as the sole platform for complex mechanical engineering workflows.

Vertical workflows require add-ons

The category list includes specialized domains (e.g., bathroom, furniture, garment, boat, pipeline mapping), but Ares Commander is a general-purpose CAD tool rather than a dedicated vertical solution. Industry-specific libraries, automation, and rules-based design often depend on third-party extensions or separate applications. Organizations may need extra configuration and content management to match purpose-built vertical products.

Ecosystem depth varies by need

Compared with the largest CAD platforms, the breadth of native integrations, certified partner tools, and enterprise-grade lifecycle management options may be narrower depending on the workflow. Some teams may find fewer out-of-the-box connectors for downstream processes (e.g., advanced CAM, PLM, or specialized rendering). This can increase reliance on file-based handoffs and internal standards.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Annual Plan (ARES Trinity subscription) From €225 per year (excl. sales tax) — regional pricing on official site; some official pages show ARES Commander with Trinity from €375/year. Includes ARES Commander (desktop), ARES Kudo (cloud) and ARES Touch (mobile); updates and e-mail support during the subscription term; eligible for the free 30-day trial. Regional pricing variance shown on Graebert site.
Three-Years Plan Price not listed on Graebert public pages (contact sales) 3-year term license that includes updates and e-mail support for 3 years; official site documents the plan but does not show a global list price.
Perpetual License (one-time) Price not listed on Graebert public pages (contact sales) Perpetual desktop license includes 1 year of updates and e-mail support; ARES Kudo and ARES Touch included for one year as part of the subscription.
Flex / Network (floating) License Price not listed on Graebert public pages (contact sales) Network floating licenses (minimum quantity required for some variants); Graebert documents that Flex/network options exist and describes the model (e.g., Flex can be added as an option to perpetual licenses).

Seller details

Graebert GmbH
Berlin, Germany
1977
Private
https://www.graebert.com/
https://x.com/graebert
https://www.linkedin.com/company/graebert/

Tools by Graebert GmbH

Ares Commander

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