Onshape Reviews & Product Details

The flexibility and platform independence of the software

The inbuilt data and revision management, no more version control issues

Share and collaborate in real-time

Excellent customer support & service

Constantly developing feature set

A really quick tool, especially for simpler tasks

Easy to learn with excellent tutorials and feature examples

The assembly style with mate connectors is really powerful

Configurations feature is sensational

Really intuitive interface

Great platform for sharing with clients quickly and easily. They can follow along and review design ideas in real time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Speed can be slow at times

Occasionally features are missing or are counterintuitive/dont work as expected although if you notify your account rep, they normally are very receptive and look for ways to improve the product and remove the pain point as quickly as possible.

Limited integration with OEM downstream software, Machine CAM packages etc.

No ability to work offline, on plane, away from good internet etc. Being able to "check-out" a document package would be wonderful

No being able to apply mate connectors to multiple parts at the same time

Not being able to drive configurations and patterns with logic based equations. Eg. space holes around the PCD line, max hole spacing = x, min hole spacing = y. Spacing between holes to be calculated based on line length etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Browser based, so it is easily accessed from the office or at home. It also means that rendering is done in the cloud, drastically lowering the hardware requirements for your system.

Onshape is also easy to use with extensive self-paced courses and webinars. Coming from other CAD software it is therefore easy to get acquainted with the new workflow and possibilities.

It is continuously updated. Every 3 weeks Onshape is updated, so that you are always working with the latest version. Since OnShape is cloud based, all your documents are automatically updated to the latest versions, so no troubles with not being able to open outdated documents. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Models can still take quite some time to update, and since you're on your browser, its easy to get distracted.

We also experience quite some models unexpectedly breaking down, which seems to be an error in the underlying code. Although Support is easy to contact and has always solved the problem, it takes time to continue your work.

Lastly, when OnShape pushes a version update, models might get broken in the update. This means features might not link to the correct vertex and you would have to go through the feature tree to correct it. Not a huge problem, but takes time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The philosophy of being usefull and reducing the ammount of clicks is great. but even better is their support. If I get stuck or want a change, I can make a screenshot, annotate, and within a day I get advise on how to approach a problem or a workarround. And good ideas become an improvement request.

This way Onshape is on top of the practical details of how the tool is used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The document structure and version control can get messy. And big files might get slow. Especially on WiFi. But this is solved by structuring your work, or making a version and deleting all old files.

For my design practice the second method works best since I do not need to manage production versions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Onshape is the perfect tool for collaboration, there is no other CAD product that comes anywhere near it, you can discuss product design with clients in real-time as you change it and you are both looking at the same model. The other great thing is the support, you get to speak with real people and there help sort out issues and the response time is great even though I am in a different time zone. This is not what happens with my other CAD products. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is very hard to dislike anything about Onshape, with updates and improvements every three weeks there is always something positive happening. The only thing is I would like some of the requested improvements to happen sooner, but I get it that they need time to make sure the feature is good to go before releasing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I learned CAD with SolidWorks, and Onshape has been a smooth transition. I love how many tools are essentially the same, except available in a browser-based program. I've also really enjoyed the Part Studio, although it's taking me some getting used to. Versioning is really well integrated. I think the sharing features are also incredible, I can share a URL with my clients and they don't need any software other than their internet browser. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes I'll run into something that just hasn't yet been added to Onshape. These are usually quality of life features, like being able to label sketch dimensions (you can do this in SolidWorks) with helpful notes. However some things, like being able to view a grid to snap to in a drawing, seem more important (or maybe I just haven't figured out how to do it yet). I hope the development team continues to take the community's suggestion into account when doing further development. They seem to have done a great job so far. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the principal obstructions to solving engineering problems is the management of data. Change management is communicated through many teams. It is not enough to create a package and "throw it over the wall". Modern design is a collaborative and iterative approach as an organization, not separate teams. This emphasizes data management and communication. How can teams work together if only a small, specialized set of people can see CAD? Of course, there are methods for sharing neutral files, but the levels of abstraction bog down the process. Further, as engineers we often want to prototype ideas and see various options and configurations.

This is why Onshape shines. The data management is handled effortlessly in the background. When you need to check history, ever detail is there. When you want try ideas, you can branch and merge your designs. Onshape takes the hassle out of design, so you can do what you love: solve problems!

I want to give specific credit to the outstanding support team. Every request had been handled professionally within hours. Not every problem has an immediate solution, but the support team is redefining what is possible. Great work! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Onshape is still building important features like Where Used and specific Sharing controls for versions and revisions. Migrating existing design can be a challenge because you need to: (1) rebuild all mates, (2) enter all metadata, and (3) create drawings from scratch. I recommend creating new design or being prepared to invest resources to convert existing design. Once you get to Onshape, you won't be sorry.

I am confident that in time the feature set will increase and eventually supersede any other CAD software on the market. Why? Because it's a cloud database ~ Onshape is a cloud database that also does CAD. The design industry doesn't understand this distinction yet, but 5 to 10 years from now, they will. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love how easy it is to share my work with my team and track and version our mechanical engineering just like we do with our software. When first looking for a CAD solution, I was blown away by OnShape's ability to change one critical dimension from early in the design process and flow that change onto all the design work based on that dimension.

As a full time software engineer and part time mechanical engineer, I'm used to being able to undo very complicated workstreams without affecting the work done around it. OnShape's ability to rollback and track versions, commits, and features is invaluable to our workflow. And the fact that its all cloud based means I can share my designs not just with my team but with stakeholders, manufacturing, and others as necessary to get our products to market. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I do wish OnShape had better support for dimensions drawings. Especially when producing things like wiring diagrams or electrical hookup diagrams, when I don't need a full eCAD but just want to show a couple quick things to my manufacturers, its a little lacking. Also, support for slightly unusual fasteners, holes, threads, etc. is somewhat to be desired. I can usually work around this in my design but I have found myself occasionally modelling a fastener or some other industry standard part so I can use it in my workflow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like being able to share and work on components and assemblies while my colleagues around the world are also observing and collaborating (multiple users working in the same document at the same time) as well. Being able to share designs with permissions I can manage has allowed us to share concepts with multiple vendors and revoke permission from vendors not chosen.

The quick and frequent updates are also exciting and let me know this is a serious tool for professionals. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Certain features are missing that could be misunderstood as this software not being ready for professionals. However, updates every three weeks keep me hopeful they will be ready soon.

I wish this tool were available 20 years ago. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I'm also a devoted Solidworks user and given that Onshape was built by the original founders - it allowed them to step away from the inherent legacy support required by Solidworks and gave them an open book to start from scratch and build from what they learned along the way. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The obvious is if you have no internet connection or a slow internet connection you're screwed. There is a huge investment required for building web + desktop + mobile suites of products so it would be really nice to have the ability to download your document (part studios, drawings, assemblies, and anything else) into a tablet or mobile app (Onshape already has the mobile versions) that you can just carry around with you.

Secondly I wish they had better support for flat patterns (svg, dxf) for use on CNC machines. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

So far I am very happy with the fact that all files are handled through the cloud allowing for very minimal computing requirements. Also based on the file structure, it is a very interesting approach to no longer have to manage actual "files" in the traditional sense. This seamless integration of how the documents are managed will allow our company to scale up on the design side of our work very easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the main dislikes is coming from a more complete design platform of Solidworks, there are some key missing features such as a weldment/frame generator package. Currently any structural or piping runs need to be manually generated or done through the use of a custom script. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the collaboration features, ease of use, simplified command categories, portability (the ability for me to work from virtually any computer anywhere), sheet metal design features, and the use of cloud data management Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I wish there was a way to deselect multiple items through a mouse gesture. (maybe simultaneous left and right click...hint hint) When I am zoomed in to a part it is a slow process to deselect items. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I can log in to Onshape anywhere, I can share ongoing designs with colleagues and partners anywhere in the world, even walk them through my designs in real-time. When the COVID crisis started I could continue working without any hassle, from home. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The absence of a rendering module in the program. It does not have to be top class, but just basic functions that outperform making a screendump.

I hate it that I need to do rendering in another program or buy add-ons that. In my opinion, this should be included.

Also I keep missing the basic 3 planes in assemblies, it must be my Solid Works background, but I am still not completely confident in applying the correct mates. Why not include these planes? Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that i dont need a powerful computer to 3D model and that I have access to all my documents on any computer connected to the internet. i really love the sheet metal tools that onshape has and continued to develope. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

On very complex assemblies you start to see the limitations of cloud based cad. Documents become sluggish and load times are longer. Onshape support has been helpful in providing insights to improve our workflows. I also would like to recommend that native rendering and textures be added to onshape. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is very helpful for me to manage the product designing and offers me a convenient way of usage, I can operate it on my laptop and even in my mobile, by which it has become a piece of cake to assist my team. Further I feel more confident to develop new designs and shapes and easily I can manage the assemblies and drawings. Onshape provides me a secure and easy way to share the data with my team members. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

For this steep learning curve is required with it as it is a technical tool thus more training videos should be provided in this regard. Furthermore its installation and initiation was a bit tough for me may be it depended on the product knowledge. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Cloud based

Free for personal and education

public documents

Community forum

Improvement requests

Price point

Availability of feature scripts and the fact that they can be made public Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Assembly ease of use

2d drawing features are somewhat limited - copy sheets, colour lines or sketches, surface highlighting

Slow backlog addressing improvement requests Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Intuitive features and tools layout, multi-user enterprise collaborative functionality, cloud-based software increases accessibility to files. Copy workspace tool, I use it every day. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Drawings segment still needs some improvement, there are still a few quirks i'd like to see improved. Mainly concerning section views, break views, and aux views. They do not label or align properly. Detail views also are not fully supported with break views. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

OnShape has become one of the best CAD modeling software as it provides you with easy to understand user interface and also gather all like functions into a single tool that makes it easier for a user to deal with any complex geometry.

Another important point about OnShape is its color theme for different surfaces in the geometry. This helps users to understand and deal with geometry very easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the points I don't like about OnShape is its import option. I had one very complex file which couldn't get imported into OnShape while it did get imported into Creo. As a model CAD tool, we expect the import and export tools to be as flexible and powerful.

The second point is that we don't have an auto-correct option for any geometrical or modeling errors in the session. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

With SolidWorks I learned CAD and the transition to Onshape was smooth. I like how many tools, except in browser-based programs, are basically same for. I also really liked this same Part Studio, but it's a bit familiar to me. Very well integrated versioning. I believe that share capabilities are unbelievable as well I can express a URL to my customers and those who shouldn't need apps apart from their browser. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

For drawings of dimensions I would like OnShape to have better support. Especially when I make things like cable schemes or electric hookup schemes, so if I wouldn't need a packed eCAD, but only want to show my manufacturers several things quickly, it lacks a little. In addition it is somewhat desired to support unusual fasteners, trousers, threads etc. I can work on this usually in my design, but sometimes I have model an attachment or some other standard industry part so that I can make use of my workspace. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Their Learning Center and Help center can answer and show you how to do just about anything. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only downside to onshape is if you are having a bad internet service day on your end, then things run a little slow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Onshape offers a robust suite of solid/surface modeling tools with innovative workflows and a great value proposition. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only real downside is that I have to be connected to the internet to work on my CAD models. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

-No PLM

-No VARS

-Work on any device, including a Chromebook

-Real time collaboration

-Can share files in real time with view only options

-Simultaneous flat pattern in sheet metal

-Quick and easy mate connectors

-Powerful part and assembly configuration tools

-Cheaper than other professional CAD programs

Additionally, the team is very responsive to support tickets and feedback. There are updates every 3 weeks or so that add features, stability, and improvements. They have been playing around with speed increases that are impossible on traditional CAD programs and can leverage the use of multiple servers operating in parallel. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

-can slow down on big assemblies or with less than stellar internet connections

-limited surfacing tools

-drawing tools are still behind Solidworks Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.