ooxl.
English
Add a listing

FreeCAD — CAD & Technical Drawing

FreeCAD project association

FreeCAD is a free, open-source parametric 3D modeler for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its official pages describe sketching constrained 2D shapes, building 3D objects from them, producing 2D drawings of the result and exporting to formats such as STEP, STL and DXF. The site says it is made primarily to design real-life objects.

Why it fits

CAD & Technical Drawing

Desktop

Go to freecad.org
Good to know (2)

Requires desktop installation.

Verify file formats, size limits and language support in the official plan.

Good to know
Good to knowDesktop
Free outputYes
No account neededYes
No watermark—
Works offline—
Batch processing—
Content language—

— Unverified conditions. Official documentation reviewed. The app itself has not been hands-on tested. Matches only documented content-language support, not interface language.

Sources and review date (5)
  • www.freecad.org/
  • www.freecad.org/features.php
  • www.freecad.org/downloads.php
  • github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD
  • github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/releases/tag/1.1.4
Founder feedback and correction

Founder feedback and correction

If you represent this product, send a source-backed correction or update to the editors. Publication follows editorial review.

Editorial selection guide

Last checked:

Who is it for?

  • You design real-world parts and want dimensions to stay editable in a model history. The site names product design, mechanical engineering and architecture as its uses.
  • You want a CAD program with no licensing fees. The site says there is no sign-up, no paywall and no restrictions, and the GitHub repository lists the LGPL-2.1 license.
  • You plan to 3D print or machine a part. The features page says models can be exported for 3D printing or CNC machining, and STL, STEP and DXF are among the listed formats.
  • You are a hobbyist, student or teacher learning CAD. The site names these groups among its intended users, along with programmers and experienced CAD users.
  • You exchange files with other CAD tools. STEP, IGES, DXF, DWG and other formats are listed for import and export.

Getting started

  • Open the downloads page and pick the build for your system: a Windows installer or portable 7z (Windows 10 or newer), a macOS disk image for Apple Silicon or Intel (macOS 12 or newer), or a Linux AppImage for x86_64 or aarch64. Version 1.1.4 is listed as the current stable release; the site says weekly development builds are not for production use.
  • Start a new document and sketch the base profile of your part in the Sketcher, then add geometric constraints and dimensions so the shape is driven by numeric values.
  • Use the sketch as the base of a solid in the dedicated Part Design workbench that the features page names. Because objects are parametric, you can later change a value in the model history and the model is recalculated.
  • When the model is ready, create 2D drawings or views of it for production, as the site describes, or export it in the format the next tool needs, for example STL for 3D printing or STEP for another CAD program. Open the exported file in the receiving program and check it.
  • Keep the project in FreeCAD's native FCStd format and watch for new releases. The 1.1.4 notes include two security fixes for maliciously crafted FCStd files.

Decision points

  • Choose FreeCAD when you need parametric 3D solids. If you only draw flat 2D drawings, compare LibreCAD, which describes itself as a 2D CAD application.
  • If you want artistic modeling, sculpting or animation rather than engineering parts, also look at Blender, whose official pages describe modeling, sculpting, animation and rendering.
  • Stay on the stable release for real projects. The downloads page says development builds are not suitable for production and can be slower, use more memory and be less stable.
  • Decide early which file formats you must exchange with others and test a sample file. The format list on the site does not say how complete each import or export is.
  • Think about trust before installing add-on workbenches. The privacy policy says add-ons are not checked for malicious content and the decision to trust them is yours.

Limits

  • The step-by-step workbench documentation, tutorials and FAQ live on wiki.freecad.org, which sat behind a bot check when this record was prepared and was not read, so the workflow here follows the main site's overview. The repository's module list and release notes name a TechDraw module, but the page that explains it was not read.
  • The pages state only minimum operating systems (Windows 10, macOS 12) and list 64-bit builds only. They give no hardware requirements for large models, so try your own files on your own computer.
  • DWG appears in the features page's format list, but the pages read here do not say how complete DWG exchange is or whether extra components are needed. Test with your own files.
  • According to the 1.1.4 notes, opening a maliciously crafted FCStd file can trigger two file-handling vulnerabilities, and all earlier versions are affected. Update, and be careful with files from unknown sources.
  • On Linux the downloads page offers AppImages for x86_64 and aarch64 as the stable builds and mentions Snap and Flatpak in connection with development channels. The GitHub README adds that on most Linux distributions FreeCAD can also be installed from the software center; the downloads page does not describe those distribution packages, so check which version they carry.

Frequently asked questions

Is FreeCAD free?

The official site describes FreeCAD as open source with no licensing fees, and says there is no sign-up, no paywall and no restrictions. The GitHub repository lists the LGPL-2.1 license. Donations and sponsorship are optional ways to support the project.

Does FreeCAD run on Mac, Windows and Linux?

Yes, the downloads page lists all three: a 64-bit Windows installer or portable 7z for Windows 10 or newer, disk images for Apple Silicon and Intel on macOS 12 Monterey or newer, and AppImages for x86_64 and aarch64 on Linux. No mobile version is described.

How do I make a 3D part in FreeCAD?

The site describes this flow: sketch a geometry-constrained 2D shape, use it as the base for a 3D object in a workbench such as Part Design, then go back into the model history and change parameters when you need to. Exact click-by-click steps are on the FreeCAD wiki, which could not be read for this record.

Which file formats can FreeCAD open and save?

The home page lists STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC and DAE, and the features page adds DWG, SHP, OFF, NASTRAN, VRML and OpenSCAD CSG, besides the native FCStd format. The pages do not say how complete each exchange is, so test a sample file.

What is the difference between FreeCAD and LibreCAD?

FreeCAD describes itself as a parametric 3D modeler (LGPL-2.1), while LibreCAD describes itself as a 2D CAD application (GPLv2). Both are free and open source and both run on Windows, macOS and Linux. If you need 3D solids, FreeCAD's description fits; if you only need flat 2D drawings, LibreCAD's does.

Does FreeCAD collect my data?

The privacy policy in the repository says the application does not collect, transmit, share or use personal data and contains no advertisements or trackers. It lists caveats: loading or saving remote files can share your IP address, add-on workbenches are not checked, and project files can contain metadata such as local folder paths. It also says macros are Python scripts that can do anything the user can do on the system, so run macros only from authors you trust.

Official sources (7)
www.freecad.org/www.freecad.org/features.phpwww.freecad.org/downloads.phpgithub.com/FreeCAD/FreeCADgithub.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/releases/tag/1.1.4github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/tree/main/src/Modgithub.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/blob/main/PRIVACY_POLICY.md

Related guides and comparisons

CAD & Technical Drawing: tools and apps