People often search for a free Fusion 360 alternative, and SolidCraft's interface looks familiar to anyone who has used Fusion. The two are very different in age and scope, though. Fusion is a mature, commercial design-and-manufacturing suite. SolidCraft is a new, free, open-source CAD program that covers the modelling core. This page compares them without hype.
Side by side
| SolidCraft | Fusion 360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Open-source project (tangency-labs) | Autodesk |
| Licence | MIT or Apache-2.0, open source | Proprietary |
| Cost | Free | Subscription; Autodesk also offers a free personal-use licence with limits |
| Maturity | First release October 2026; "early but usable for simple parts" | Long-established, widely used professionally |
| Geometry kernel | truck (Rust), with SolidCraft's own fillets, shells and face edits | Autodesk's own commercial kernel |
| Offline / cloud | Runs locally; no account needed | Cloud-connected design and data management |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, plus a browser version | Windows and macOS desktop, plus web access to files |
| Workflow | One toolbar with workspace tabs, sketch, feature timeline | Workspaces with a timeline |
| File formats | STEP, IGES, 3MF, STL, OBJ, DXF; imports FreeCAD and Rhino | Many formats, including its own cloud-native format |
| AI agents | Built-in MCP server and CLI for agents | Not part of the core product |
| Sheet metal | Built in (flanges, hems, flat pattern, DXF) | Built in |
| CAM, simulation, drawings | Not yet; deferred in the roadmap | Included in the suite, with some features on paid tiers |
Check Autodesk's site for current pricing and licence terms, as they change.
Where SolidCraft is ahead
- Cost and openness. It is free and open source, and you can read the code, build it yourself and run it with no account. See the SolidCraft GitHub guide.
- Runs anywhere. Desktop apps for all three major systems and a browser build from the same code.
- Scriptable and AI-friendly. Every action is a command, so scripts, the CLI and the MCP server can drive the app. See SolidCraft MCP setup.
- Familiar workflow. The README says it uses familiar parametric CAD workflows, so a Fusion user can start quickly. The SolidCraft tutorial walks through a first part.
Where Fusion 360 is ahead
- Maturity and reliability. Years of production use, large models, and a huge library of tutorials and community answers.
- Manufacturing. CAM toolpaths and simulation sit in the same product. SolidCraft's roadmap defers both.
- 2D drawings. Fusion makes dimensioned drawings. SolidCraft has no drawing workspace yet.
- Ecosystem. Add-ins, cloud collaboration, version history and support from a company.
- Known limits in SolidCraft. Some advanced operations only work on simple geometry, and STEP assemblies come in flattened, according to its own docs.
SolidWorks, the other name people search alongside Fusion, is also commercial software. See SolidCraft vs SolidWorks.
Which should you choose?
| If you... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Make 3D-printable parts, brackets, enclosures or jigs and want free software | SolidCraft |
| Need toolpaths, simulation or production drawings | Fusion 360 |
| Run Linux, or want to work in a browser with no install | SolidCraft |
| Work inside a company that already uses Autodesk | Fusion 360 |
| Want an AI agent to build and measure parts | SolidCraft |
| Are unsure | Try both: export STEP from one and open it in the other |
A sensible approach is to model a simple part in SolidCraft and see if it covers your needs. If it does, you save a subscription. If you hit a wall such as drawings or CAM, move that job to a mature tool. For a comparison with another free option, read SolidCraft vs FreeCAD, and see SolidCraft STEP files for moving parts between programs.