# Alibre Design Reviews **Vendor:** Alibre **Category:** [Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mechanical-computer-aided-design-mcad) **Average Rating:** 4.8/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 13 ## About Alibre Design Alibre Design is an engineering CAD software provides tools for engineers to project and manufacture anything they want. ## Alibre Design Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users love the **ease of use** in Alibre Design, finding it simple and intuitive for basic tasks. (1 reviews) - Users value the **intuitive interface** of Alibre Design, making basic tasks simpler and easier to accomplish. (1 reviews) - Users enjoy the **intuitive use** of Alibre Design, appreciating its ease and simplicity for basic tasks. (1 reviews) - Users value the **simple and intuitive interface** of Alibre Design, making basic tasks effortless and efficient. (1 reviews) - Users find the **intuitive interface** of Alibre Design easy to use, simplifying basic tasks significantly. (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users are disappointed by the **missing STL file support** , which has yet to be implemented in Alibre Design. (1 reviews) - Users are disappointed to find that **STL file import** is not yet available in Alibre Design, awaiting future updates. (1 reviews) ## Alibre Design Reviews ### 1. The most affordable and intuitive 3D CAD software. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Humberto R. | Technical Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 14, 2026 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Ease of use, simpler and more intuitive interface, requiring fewer parameters for basic tasks. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** I was told I could open STL files, but that would be planned for a future version. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** All mechanical parts designs are made with ease. ### 2. A Long-Time Alibre User **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Automotive | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 02, 2024 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** I have been using Alibre Design for well over a decade now and it continues to be my main workhorse for all mechanical CAD designs. It has all the features and functionality that I need to use on a daily basis -- including file importing capability from my tube bending software and printed circuit board layout app. And it also does a very good job at creating export packages or CNC machining and 3D printing. And does all this at a very affordable price point. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** There is really nothing to dislike from my perspective. Perhaps with the exception when for a brief period Alibre Design was aquired by another company and was not cared for as before. But thankfully that era had passed for years now and once again the Alibre Design is well maintained and its feature-set is constantly updated / improved. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is used to create parts (solid and sheet metal) as well as assemblies for automotive and shop tooling projects. And it is also a key application in creating assemblies that are built up from internal (Alibre Design) and external (such as printed circuit boards and tube frame assemblies) files without which it would be nearly impossible to do the integration work for our custom product solutions. ### 3. Alibre Design is a Robust and Adaptable 3D CAD Program **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Richa S. | Tech Support head , Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 05, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** A built in data management system in Alibre Design makes it simple to organize and manage your designs.This includes functions like doument management,version control and revision tracking. An affordable CAD program that can be used for both personal and professional purposes. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** It is well known that Alibre Design is unstable and that it occasionally freezes or crashes. It can be challenging to locate assistance when you need it because the documentation for Alibre Design is not as extensive as that of some other CAD programs. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** Other programs,like CAM or CAE Software,can be interfaced with Alibre Design.Engineers and designers who need to automate their design process or integrate their designs with other systems may find this to be helpful. A BOM for a 3D model can be produced by Alibre Design. For Engineers and designers who need to keep track of a product's components or calculate the costbof manufacturing,this can be helpful. ### 4. makes designing effortless **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Daniel J. | Franqueado, Automotive, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 03, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Alibre Design is their support despite being a brand. With a team, I couldnt find any major flaws. The drawings isometric views are clear and accurate. It could offer features for engineers the 2D CAD functionality. Alibres future as it has the potential to improve modeling quality and establish itself. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** Some of the capabilities offered by Solidworks make it less suitable for complex projects. There have been some interruptions and inconveniences caused.Alibre Design addresses the issue of CAD software by offering an affordable alternative. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** It enables us to use CAD tools without spending much money. We can produce top-notch designs and Enhance our efficiency. ### 5. Parametric 3D CAD software **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mano N. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 04, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Its a computer program for making 3D shapes and flat drawings. It operates on a parametric CAD system, where model dimensions and features are interconnected.. When you change something, it quickly fixes everything else that depends on it. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** Alibre Design has a confusing user interface. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** It includes tools for creating and changing designs, sharing 3D models and 2D drawings, finding and fixing mistakes, and tailoring the software to specific requirements. These features help to save time and money while enhancing product quality. ### 6. Best valued CAD system, hands down! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Phil K. | Quality Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 21, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Alibre is so user-friendly, and intuitive. I taught a CAD class in the evenings for about 5 years. My students ranged in age from 10 years to 17 years, and all of them were able to make complex CAD files and assemblies by utilizing Alibre Design. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** Alibre Design is still a small market brand. They don't have a ton of employees. That said, this is a very small knock against them, because I wasn't able to find anything else bad about them. Even with few employees, I've ALWAYS gotten great support and assistance. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** Alibre Design helps us with reviewing customer designs and drawings. We don't do our own internal design, however we do use the software for designing fixtures, as well as in-process sketches and drawings. ### 7. Great Software for 3d modeling especially for 3d prints for professionals and hobbyists. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 24, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Once the basics are known the Software is very intuitive and allows great workflow. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** As with many pther CAD Softwares the set up of 3d printers from less known brands can take some time. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** Great to design and visualize stationary and moving objects for 3D prints and other services. ### 8. Alibre encapsulates integrity as a fully capable, software-stable CAD tool. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dwain S. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 24, 2023 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Alibre offers a lot of help in written and video tutorials. I am so grateful for the quick responses to questions and even reviews of designs that engineers will study if you are having trouble. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** Isometric views in drawings are not easily dimensioned. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** I utilize Alibre's Global Parameters and Equations spreadsheet tools to build designs with many different configurations, a huge time saver. ### 9. CAD for all **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Tamas F. | President, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 03, 2021 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Very good alternative to SolidWorks or other mainstream CAD. Really good parametric addition for Rhino CAD. Very affordable annual cost. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** It could have more features for mechanical engineers. The 2D CAD is a little shy on features and doesn't handle dxf and dwg files well. **Recommendations to others considering Alibre Design:** I can recommend it to any level of use, whether you are a hobby designer for a small project or a professional who needs parametric CAD software with many capabilities. For sure, it is not Solidworks or ProEng, but often time the question is do you need one when over half the tools you don't even use and comes with pretty high annual maintenance. Alibre gives an opportunity to pay for the software at the level you need, and it is very affordable for maintenance. Back in 2006, I need it a licensed CAD with many file choices to open, and since I'm on maintenance with little intruption due to 3ds, but soon as the original team took back the software, I renewed my license. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** The parametric aspect is beneficial. The sheet metal is surprisingly easy to use and worked very well in the past, but I'm not an expert in the sheet metal business to tell. ### 10. Easy to handle and configuration friendly. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Akshay M. | Sr BIM Coordinator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 24, 2021 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** When I was using the software in 2013-2016, our system configuration was not so high but still we can operate our model quite easily. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** While we assemble the model the study of Degrees of freedom of each component, I found difficult. **Recommendations to others considering Alibre Design:** I would like to recommend this software for all startup companies as well as existing companies who are looking for Budget friendly and Systems friendly solutions. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** Our model compatibility with existing or newly formed structures. It saves our R&D cost. ### 11. Great UI/UX **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Oil & Energy | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 28, 2021 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** What I like best is how easy it is to jump in a start designing. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** With the version we were able to afford, the package lacked some features. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** I was solving our test failure problem of expandable tubular technologies by apply Alibre's affordable 3D parametric modeling software. ### 12. I'm sure glad they broke free from 3D Systems Inc. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Benjamin J. | Director, Community Tools and Content, Computer Software, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 08, 2018 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** Alibre is exceptionally feature rich and capable for the money. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** It's less well known than Solidworks and Autodesk - I'm hoping that will change. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is probably the most easy to use and intuitive mechanical CAD / 3D modeling software I've ever used. It's paradigms are very similar to Solidworks, yet it's still easier to learn than Solidworks. For me, it was a lot easier and faster to become proficient than other mechanical CAD tools I've tried - including Solidworks, Fusion 360 and PTC Creo. Best of all it was a lot cheaper than them. In my day job, I do marketing for EDA software, but I needed MCAD for building part models and assemblies and nice renderings, and I personally paid for Alibre because it was by far the best value for money but also easiest to learn. I also got with it Keyshot so I can make excellent photorealistic renders which I need occaisionally. ### 13. A better CAD software at a Better Price **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Machinery | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 06, 2019 **What do you like best about Alibre Design?** This software had almost all the capabilities as its competitors SolidWorks and AutoCAD yet its light on our pockets. This applications Price is its biggest advantage. It's faster smoother and reliable. Its user interface is similar to SolidWorks so a person shifting from SolidWorks could easily get used to the system. Performance wise this software is capable of carrying out complex 3D modeling. The Software size is also a plus point. **What do you dislike about Alibre Design?** This application isn't that known all around. If you mention in an interview that you know Alibre well it won't help your case. Modeling Quality could improve a little bit **Recommendations to others considering Alibre Design:** This software is capable of doing everything your current 3D modeling software can at a far better price. **What problems is Alibre Design solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am using Alibre Design to make 3D models for my company. I realized I could save some money by switching from SolidWorks to Alibre Design. ## Alibre Design Discussions - [Is alibre Parametric?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-alibre-parametric) - 1 comment - [How much does Alibre Design cost?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-much-does-alibre-design-cost) - 1 comment - [View Alibre Design pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/alibre-design/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-13+16%3A34%3A24+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=180bc778-d14d-469c-a48d-e4cffd6f1406&secure%5Btoken%5D=bc622602c376508a4b11f75409408ac551c22b4a3c346fc0c2ded59ae92a197f&format=llm_user) ## Alibre Design Integrations - [KeyShot](https://www.g2.com/products/keyshot/reviews) ## Alibre Design Features **Design** - Drawing - Modeling - Visualize - Rendering **Tools - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)** - 3D/solid modeling Tools - Rendering Tools - Drawing Tools - Editing Tools - Text Editing Tools **Edit** - File Import - Push/Pull - Views - Grips **File Options - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)** - Export Files - Import Files - File Interoperability - Backwards compatibility - File size **Collaboration** - Annotate - Documentation - Data Extract **Customization - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)** - Custom Commands - Custom Scripts - Custom Menus - Custom Interface **Environment - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)** - Hardware support - Task-based interfaces - Manage Multiple Profiles - Command Clarity ## Top Alibre Design Alternatives - [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (628 reviews) - [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (507 reviews) - [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (423 reviews)