European CAD Software
CAD files hold product designs, building plans and manufacturing know-how, and the software that opens them is a long-term commitment. These European CAD tools cover 2D drafting, 3D modelling, BIM and CAD/CAM, and each is sold by a company based in the EU, the UK or Switzerland.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
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1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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3
Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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4
Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect the order tools appear in. It never buys a listing: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect the order in which tools appear; it never affects whether a tool is listed. Editorial policy
11 European CAD Platforms
BricsCAD
DWG-based 2D and 3D CAD from Ghent, with BIM and mechanical toolsets
ARES Commander
Family-owned Berlin CAD in DWG for Windows, macOS and Linux
Archicad
BIM design software for architects, from Budapest
Allplan
BIM platform for architecture, structural and civil engineering
progeCAD
AutoCAD-compatible 2D/3D CAD with a perpetual licence
TopSolid
Integrated CAD/CAM from France for machinery, tooling, sheet metal and wood
HiCAD
3D CAD and PDM from Dortmund for steel, metal and plant engineering
QCAD
Open-source 2D CAD with a low-cost Professional edition
Shapr3D
Direct 3D modelling for desktop and iPad, with a free plan
CADMATIC
Ship and industrial plant design software from Turku
cadwork
3D CAD/CAM for timber construction, from Hildesheim
How We Choose European CAD Software
- Native DWG support
- 2D and 3D modelling
- Perpetual or subscription licence
- BIM or CAD/CAM modules
- Vendor jurisdiction
Frequently Asked Questions
For general 2D and 3D drafting in DWG, BricsCAD (Belgium) and ARES Commander (Germany) are the closest fits, and both run on the same file format your suppliers already send. progeCAD (Switzerland) is the option if you want a perpetual licence with no annual fee. QCAD is a lower-cost choice for pure 2D work.
Archicad from Graphisoft in Hungary and Allplan from Munich are full BIM platforms for architects and engineers. BricsCAD offers a BIM toolset on top of its DWG platform, and cadwork covers timber construction specifically.
TopSolid in France combines CAD, CAM and PDM for machinery, tooling, sheet metal and wood. HiCAD from Dortmund targets steel, metal and plant engineering, and Shapr3D offers direct 3D modelling from a UK-registered company. BricsCAD has a Mechanical toolset for teams coming from DWG.
BricsCAD, ARES Commander, progeCAD and QCAD Professional all work with DWG files. Check the specific features you rely on, such as dynamic blocks or custom LISP routines, with the trial version first, since the vendors state support levels differently.
The Complete Guide to European CAD Software
DWG compatibility decides the migration effort
Most migration cost comes from existing drawings, not from the new software. BricsCAD, ARES Commander and progeCAD are built around DWG, and BricsCAD and ARES Commander both state support for LISP customisation or Dynamic Blocks on their pages.
QCAD adds DWG only in its Professional edition. Before moving a team, open a representative set of your own drawings in a trial and check blocks, fonts, layouts and plotting. Each of these vendors offers a free trial period, which is the cheapest way to find the gaps.
Choose by discipline, not by name
The category covers different jobs. Archicad and Allplan are BIM platforms for building design, TopSolid and HiCAD target manufacturing and engineering, CADMATIC serves shipbuilding and plant design, and cadwork serves timber construction. General drafting tools such as BricsCAD, ARES Commander, progeCAD and QCAD sit closest to AutoCAD. Matching the tool to your discipline avoids paying for modules you will not use.
Licensing models differ widely
Prices vary from the QCAD Professional single-user licence in the tens of euros to BIM subscriptions billed per user per month. ARES Commander and progeCAD offer perpetual licences, BricsCAD lists annual prices, and Allplan lists monthly per-user editions billed yearly. Several vendors, including TopSolid, HiCAD, CADMATIC and Graphisoft, do not publish prices on their pages, so budget for a quote.
Looking for a direct swap? See our comparison of European alternatives to AutoCAD.