QCAD
CAD viewers
General-purpose CAD software
CAD software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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€42.00 one-time
Free TrialFree version
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- Real estate and property management
- Construction
- Energy and utilities
What is QCAD
QCAD is a 2D computer-aided design (CAD) application focused on drafting and technical drawing. It is used by individuals and small teams to create, edit, and print drawings, commonly in DXF format, for mechanical, architectural, and schematic documentation. The product is positioned as a lightweight 2D drafting tool rather than a full 3D modeling or simulation environment. It is available in community (open-source) and professional editions, with the professional edition adding additional features and file format support.
Strong 2D drafting focus
QCAD provides a complete set of tools for 2D drafting, including layers, blocks, dimensioning, hatching, and snapping. This makes it suitable for producing technical drawings and documentation without the overhead of 3D-centric CAD suites. For teams that primarily exchange 2D drawings, it can cover common drafting workflows end-to-end.
DXF-centric interoperability
QCAD uses DXF as a primary working format, which supports exchange with many CAD tools and downstream processes. This is practical for organizations that standardize on 2D deliverables and need predictable import/export behavior. The professional edition also adds additional import/export capabilities beyond the community edition.
Cross-platform desktop availability
QCAD is available for major desktop operating systems, supporting mixed-OS environments. It runs as a local application, which can fit organizations with offline requirements or strict data residency policies. Its relatively small footprint can be advantageous for basic drafting stations and training environments.
Limited to 2D CAD
QCAD is primarily a 2D drafting tool and does not target parametric 3D modeling, assemblies, or integrated simulation workflows. Organizations needing 3D design, CAM, or advanced product development features typically require additional software. This can increase toolchain complexity when projects move beyond 2D documentation.
DWG workflow constraints
QCAD’s core format is DXF, and DWG handling is not the primary workflow. In environments where DWG is the dominant standard, users may need conversions and additional validation steps to ensure fidelity. This can introduce friction compared with tools designed around native DWG-centric collaboration.
Fewer enterprise collaboration features
QCAD is mainly a desktop drafting application and does not emphasize cloud-native collaboration, centralized model management, or enterprise governance features. Capabilities such as real-time multi-user editing, integrated review workflows, and advanced access controls may require external systems. This can be a limitation for larger distributed engineering teams.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| QCAD Community Edition | Free | Open-source (GPLv3). Reduced feature set compared to Professional. Available for download or compile from source. |
| QCAD Professional (Single-user perpetual) | €42.00 (one-time) | Single-user perpetual license; Windows/macOS/Linux; One year of updates included; optional USB flash drive delivery; updates renewable with 30% discount. |
| QCAD Professional Site License | €367.00 (one-time) | Site license (number of seats per site as per vendor); one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD Professional Educational Site License | €367.00 (one-time) | Educational site license; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD Professional Server License | €486.00 (one-time) | Server license; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD Professional Scalable Server License | €1,476.00 (one-time) | Scalable server license for larger deployments; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD/CAM (Single-user perpetual) | €110.00 (one-time) | QCAD Professional plus CAM module (G-code/toolpath generation); Windows/macOS/Linux; One year of updates included; updates renewable with 30% discount. |
| QCAD/CAM Site License | €978.00 (one-time) | Site license for QCAD/CAM; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD/CAM Educational Site License | €978.00 (one-time) | Educational site license for QCAD/CAM; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
| QCAD/CAM Server License | €1,325.00 (one-time) | Server license for QCAD/CAM; one year of updates included; perpetual license. |
Seller details
RibbonSoft GmbH
Switzerland (exact city unspecified)
1999
Private
https://www.qcad.org/
https://x.com/qcad_org
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ribbonsoft/
