# QCAD Reviews **Vendor:** QCAD.org **Category:** [General-Purpose CAD Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/general-purpose-cad) **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 13 ## About QCAD QCAD is an open-source 2D computer-aided design (CAD) application developed by RibbonSoft, designed for creating technical drawings such as architectural plans, mechanical parts, and schematics. It operates on Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, offering a user-friendly interface that caters to both beginners and experienced professionals. QCAD utilizes the DXF file format natively and provides support for DWG files through a commercial plugin, ensuring compatibility with other CAD systems. Key Features and Functionality: - Comprehensive Drawing Tools: Over 40 construction tools and 20 modification tools facilitate the creation and editing of various entities, including points, lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, splines, polylines, texts, dimensions, hatches, fills, and raster images. - Layer and Block Management: Supports layers and blocks (grouping) to organize complex drawings efficiently. - Extensive Font Support: Includes 35 CAD fonts and supports TrueType fonts for versatile text rendering. - Unit Flexibility: Accommodates various metric and imperial units, catering to diverse measurement standards. - File Compatibility: Offers DXF and DWG input and output capabilities, ensuring seamless interoperability with other CAD platforms. - Printing Capabilities: Enables printing to scale and on multiple pages, facilitating accurate physical representations of designs. - Selection and Snap Tools: Provides powerful entity selection tools and object snaps for precise drafting. - Measuring Instruments: Equipped with measuring tools to ensure accuracy in designs. - Part Library: Features a library with over 4,800 CAD parts to expedite the design process. - Scripting Interface: Offers a robust ECMAScript (JavaScript) interface for customization and automation. - Command Line Tools: Includes utilities like dwg2pdf, dwg2svg, and dwg2bmp for batch processing and format conversion. - CAM Integration: QCAD/CAM extension provides G-Code export and nesting capabilities for computer-aided manufacturing applications. Primary Value and User Solutions: QCAD's primary value lies in its accessibility and affordability as a 2D CAD solution. Its intuitive interface allows users without prior CAD experience to start drafting immediately, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, from architectural floor plans to mechanical part designs. The open-source nature of QCAD ensures continuous development and community support, while its cross-platform compatibility allows users to work seamlessly across different operating systems. By supporting industry-standard file formats like DXF and DWG, QCAD facilitates collaboration and interoperability with other CAD software, addressing the needs of professionals seeking a cost-effective and versatile drafting tool. ## QCAD Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users love QCAD's **ease of use** , enhanced by powerful features and excellent support for seamless design experiences. (2 reviews) - Users commend the **ease of use** in 3D modeling with QCAD, enhanced by resources and developer support. (1 reviews) - Users commend the **exceptional customer support** from QCAD, appreciating the extensive online resources and helpful materials. (1 reviews) - Users appreciate the **incredible features** of QCAD, enjoying ease of use and excellent support for their projects. (1 reviews) - Users highlight the **powerful performance** of QCAD, noting its ease of use and bug-free experience. (1 reviews) - Software Power (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users note a **steep learning curve** with QCAD, but find the powerful features worth the effort. (1 reviews) - Users note a **steep learning curve** , yet believe the powerful features make it worthwhile in the end. (1 reviews) ## QCAD Reviews ### 1. Amazingly powerful, cheap, Open Source, what's not to love? **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jake R. | Wildlife forest garden designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 01, 2024 **What do you like best about QCAD?** Some incredible features, more than enough for my CAD landscaping garden designs, plus a really useful book, and great support from developer, with lots ofmaterial online. Once you get used to the shortcuts, QCAD's ease of use is joy. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** There is a steep learning curve, but to be honest, there is for all CAD software. The features and power far outweigh the initial pain! **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I design wildlife forest gardens, and create a lot of planting plans for trees, shrubs, all the way down to herbaceous perennials. QCAD has plenty of power for what I do, and it's really reasonably priced, particularly considering the full-blown commercial alternatives. ### 2. QCAD is excellent and free! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** John C. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 20, 2025 **What do you like best about QCAD?** Easy to use and powerfull. So far it I haven't found any bugs. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** I feel like there is pressure put on new QCAD users to pay for QCAD when the free version works perfectly. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I ran a small business for 25 years and used Autocad. The free Version of QCAD works just as well for the 2D mechanical design work I do. ### 3. Re-designing made easier with simple 2D designs **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Pragya J. | Senior Analyst, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 27, 2023 **What do you like best about QCAD?** Technical drawings, which needs to show minute details can easily be created through QCAD. Further, since it's free for trial basis, it comes in really handy to use it first and then decide to switch on it or not! **What do you dislike about QCAD?** There is nothing to dislike, although QCAD 2 is also coming with more designs and features, which will prove to be more useful. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Our Client "Applied Materials" is into construction works and require work designs on day to day basis, which QCAD makes it really easy by removing manual work. ### 4. QCAD **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Juanra r. | profesor, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 03, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** It is not at all necessary to spend money on expensive licenses for private design software, as QCAD works very well for creating all kinds of two-dimensional designs. It is possible to achieve simple or very complex designs, all thanks to the intuitive tools it offers, which you can use to draw or design machine parts, everyday objects, buildings, chalets, rooms, etc. The design and printing options are very easy to use. Another highlight is that it is free and can be easily downloaded from the official project website, and it is also very versatile and powerful. It barely consumes machine resources. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** Sometimes it can be a bit unstable, but the biggest limitation is that you can model anything in three dimensions, and if you want to render, you have to use other software. Although it is very intuitive, the first time you face QCAD you will need some tutorial to guide you in your first steps, luckily it is easy to get one of them, either on video platforms or in text form. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** Highly recommended for use in classrooms, it is free and easy to use, and educationally very useful and powerful. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Qcad is a program that we use in the classrooms with technology students to create scaled views of objects. For the students, it is both fun and educational, helping them understand the construction plans of various pieces. Additionally, being free of licensing costs, it does not add an extra burden to the school material budget. ### 5. Simplifies Walk-Throughs **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bianca G. | Technical Writer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 22, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** QCAD has amazing graphics and produces vivid, highly detailed technical drawings. You can acquire dimensions, specific details, and measurements from the design or draft, without having to physically be in front of the structure or mechanism. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** It is not user-friendly. You have to go through some sort of training to be able to navigate through the designs/schematics. Also, QCAD does not directly highlight a location (if you are searching for something such as a labeled vessel or valve). Instead, it takes you to the vicinity of what you are looking for, and you have to navigate through the remainder of the design to find the specific marked item. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** QCAD has minimized field time for walk-throughs. Currently, we have increased our ability to produce project bids, estimates, and work on schematics three times faster because we have eliminated traveling time and physical walk-throughs. ### 6. QCAD **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rafał D. | Specjalista ds. Kontroli Jakosci, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 06, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** It's easy to use but powerfull. I use it for 2 things: 1) helping my dad with survey maps (converting different types of files) 2) drawing fast projects for my hobby **What do you dislike about QCAD?** Sometimes it's not easy to learn how to use some of the tools but it's probably my fault because I don't use CAD programs often. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** If you like a simple yet powerfull CAD software this is it. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use it sometimes to get some of the dimensions and angles when I designing some projects with a 3DPrinter ### 7. QCAD **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** ONA D. | Profesora, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 18, 2018 **What do you like best about QCAD?** Qcad is an excellent tool that helps you create designs and plans in two dimensions. We can obtain technical drawings of parts, house plans, and even diagrams, all from an interface that facilitates creations. There is a trial version available to test it for about a hundred hours. It is cross-platform (Linux, Windows, and Mac OS). But the best part is that if we use Linux, there is a GPL version of free software that is completely free. It offers multiple construction and modification tools, various modes for creating lines, circles, and arcs, solid fills and gradients, etc. You can work with layers at different levels, etc. In summary, its interface is simple but very complete and versatile. Additionally, we can export images in different formats such as JPEG, PNG, and even STL to put into a 3D printer and obtain the piece physically. It hardly consumes any RAM resources or disk space. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** One of the drawbacks is that the version of the program for the Windows operating system is paid. The learning curve to achieve good proficiency in handling the program is steep. It requires a lot of learning time. Other than that, I don't see any negative points since it solves the problem I need to resolve effectively. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** There are better alternatives when it comes to CAD tools, especially for professional use. But for use with underage students, it is one of the best alternatives. Additionally, there is a free version for Ubuntu. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I need to teach how to create pieces and draw their views, elevation, plan, and profile, as well as obtain rendered 3D models, and even an STL file compatible with the 3D printer to physically create the objects. With the students, we have worked with the free version of Ubuntu and have managed to get the students started in the experience of using CAD tools and creating plans with the views of different objects without any investment, and even printing them with the 3D printer. They love seeing how their projects come to fruition. ### 8. Best tool in 2D drawing **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Willy C. | Technical Operator, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 05, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** The 2D software makes it easy to design different plans such as mechanical parts,bilding diagrams among others.It is compatible with other CAD software. Drawing created with QCAD can be opened by other CAD software. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** The app is made for only 2D drawings. It doesn't give provision for complex drawings. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** I highly recommend since its easy to come up with 2D drawings. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is now simple to create mechanical parts with layers and polylines. ### 9. A great drafting software in competition with autocad **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Deepika V. | Assistant Professor, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 30, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** The software is very easy to use and has a good interface **What do you dislike about QCAD?** Sometimes the software hangs while drafting. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** It's a good option versus AutoCAD and zcad etc **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am an architect and have a lot of use for computer aided design in work ### 10. the best for project **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** vera b. | Ms, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 04, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** As is so straightforward and simple to set up it could be a friend in need for when such thing is required, can really work stuff from outside ordinary CAD utilization and desing more than my math or drawing classes and run somewhat further with it, got alternatives to work both in metric and royal framework that is truly refreshing as more often than not, fast CAD programs run just with metric **What do you dislike about QCAD?** it is created for 2D, and to have the capacity to alter it must be in dxf records **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** It's not the best available, yet is a great arrangement when there's a requirement for a quick and truly asset cordial CAD **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Quick answer for CAD prerequisite, simple plan in a hurry, low necessities and extremely productive utilization or assets ### 11. QCVAd **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Cesar L. | Soporte Técnico de Sistemas Microinformáticos y Redes, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 19, 2018 **What do you like best about QCAD?** qCAD is a tool for two-dimensional design (CAD), with a free software license and an interface very similar to proprietary alternatives. It is a great advantage that it does not require a large investment to be used, as it is free. We can create anything from simple designs for novice users, like small parts and their elevation, plan, and profile views, to the most complex designs for experts, such as house plans, buildings, and other structures. For this, we have an intuitive and powerful user interface. Available for all current operating systems from its website. It allows having several tabs open at the same time with different projects, greatly facilitating the simultaneous management of tasks. **What do you dislike about QCAD?** Sometimes it freezes when it has a heavy workload. It also has another disadvantage, which is that it doesn't allow you to render 3D objects. Learning to navigate all the nooks and crannies of the program's options requires a lot of time for study and learning. Other than that, I don't see any drawbacks. **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** It is a very useful tool for creating 2D designs precisely and based on simple handling, and it is also GPL. **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Qcad has allowed us to design the plans for some of the pieces we need to print with the 3D printer in plastic to protect some devices in our workshop. We have been able to make them to measure and it has turned out much cheaper than if we had ordered them. Since we couldn't order them or pay for a proprietary license for a commercial CAD program. ### 12. QCAD **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Carlos Alberto D. | Gerente de área, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 25, 2019 **What do you like best about QCAD?** can be found in Spanish, it has Menu bar, Toolbar, Drawing bar as lines, circles, dimensions, Status bar, has layers windows **What do you dislike about QCAD?** it is only developed for 2D, and to be able to edit it must be in dxf files **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** I advise the use of polylines, since the polyline will allow to optimize the laser tracing, in addition the polylines allow combining concatenated segments from nodes **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** create technical drawings, such as plans, also used in layers system. ### 13. A savior for projects **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Manuel A. | Traductor inglés-español, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 17, 2018 **What do you like best about QCAD?** As is so simple and easy to set up it could be a savior for when such thing is needed, can actually work stuff from outside normal CAD usage and desing more than my math or drawing classes and go a bit further with it, got options to work both in metric and imperial system that is really appreciated as most of the time, quick CAD programs go only with metric **What do you dislike about QCAD?** Unlike other CAD's i've tried so far, this one becomes way simplier than others. It could be quite annoying to deal with it if you have prior experience with other software **Recommendations to others considering QCAD:** It's not the best on the market, but is a really good solution when there's a need for a fast and really resource friendly CAD **What problems is QCAD solving and how is that benefiting you?** Fast solution to CAD requirement, easy design on the go, low requirements and really efficient usage or resources - [View QCAD pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/qcad/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-14+16%3A45%3A38+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=6ca295bd-3ca0-4b3f-a63d-63d0d1fac1cf&secure%5Btoken%5D=e8f324d9da2b196578298107f41459b6bf5b62d8626089949b6eaeabf1dbd769&format=llm_user) ## QCAD Features **Design** - Drawing - Modeling - Visualize - Rendering **File Options** - Import files - Export files - View 2D files - View 3D files - Batch convert files - File size **Edit** - File Import - Push/Pull - Views - Grips **Tools** - Dimensioning tools - Change units - 3D/solid modeling tools **Collaboration** - Annotate - Documentation - Data Extract **Design** - Drawing ## Top QCAD Alternatives - [DraftSight](https://www.g2.com/products/draftsight/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (207 reviews) - [FreeCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/freecad/reviews) - 4.1/5.0 (56 reviews) - [LibreCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/librecad/reviews) - 3.8/5.0 (25 reviews)