Adobe XD vs. Autodesk Inventor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe XD
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
Adobe XD is a prototyping and UX/UI option for website and mobile application design, featuring a range of UI tools and and templates, a versatile artboard and contextual layer panels, and deep integration with Adobe's creative suite of products for fast import of objects from these applications.
$33.99
per month per license
Autodesk Inventor
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD software offers professional-grade 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. These blend parametric, direct, freeform, and rules-based design capabilities. Inventor includes integrated tools for sheet metal, frame design, tube and pipe, cable & harness, presentations, rendering, simulation, and machine design. It also features TrustedDWG® compatibility and Model-Based Definition capabilities for embedding manufacturing information directly in…
$305
per month per user
Pricing
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Editions & Modules
Individual
$9.99 ($119.88)
per month (annual, prepaid)
Students & Teachers - All Apps
$19.99 ($239.88)
per month, annual plan (for the year)
Business - Single App
$33.99
per month per license
Business - All Apps
$79.99
per month per license
Schools & Universities - Institution Wide
Contact Sales
Subscription - Monthly
$305
per month per user
Subscription - Yearly
$2440
per year per user
Subscription - 3 Years
$7320
3 years per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAlso available for limited use through tokens on a Flex plan.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Features
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Adobe XD
-
Ratings
Autodesk Inventor
6.8
Ratings
5% below category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Small Businesses
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Likelihood to Recommend
5.5
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.7
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Usability
5.5
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe XDAutodesk Inventor
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe XD is particularly useful and extremely easy to learn if you are a designer or a frequent user of the Adobe Creative Suite. Like all Adobe software, the tools, shortcuts, and interface are very similar to each other and allow for easy migration. Now, if you are not a frequent user of Adobe, it will probably cost a bit more to learn how to use the software, plus it is probably not going to be worth the price just for Adobe XD.
Read full review
Autodesk Inventor is well-suited for situations where you are creating 3D models of small, simple parts and assemblies. It is hands-down the fastest and most reliable way to get this done. When you are looking for a software that has many advanced features and controls to create an assembly of 20+ parts, you need to look for other software.
Read full review
Pros
  • Wireframing/high fidelity mockups. We're using it for both responsive websites and apps.
  • Prototyping. It just gets better with each update, especially with auto-automate.
  • Ridiculously small learning curve. In my opinion, everything seems to be just where I would expect it to be, especially being familiar with other Adobe products.
Read full review
  • You can make designs (CAD) and you can also manufacture them (CAM) and do not need an interface like Solidworks to recognize it in a CNC.
  • Inventor is very easy to use to create realistic, solid designs.
  • The software allows you to design and see where problems are in real-time.
Read full review
Cons
  • Doesn’t have image editing tools, so having to go back to Photoshop or Lightroom just to make a sight edit can be a pain.
  • Could add some text editing functionality. It feels silly that I have to draw a line under text when I should just be able to underline.
  • Would be nice to have some real-time collaboration functionality.
Read full review
  • Inventor demonstrates a lack of fluidity in the process of transferring data between programs.
  • Inventor shows some lack of sophistication that certain features that are readily available in other design software packages are limited in use in Inventor.
  • Inventor can often have difficulty in creating models that show true color, as in blacks can come out as dark grays in certain renders, even when the material and appearance settings are the same from part to part.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
We utilize many of the applications in the Adobe CC suite and our usage of this application came about simply because it was the one that was already paid for. Bearing that in mind we will definitely be renewing the software upon the expiration of the licensing. I am not sure if this is the solution we would go with were it not already included, we would have to evaluate all other options
Read full review
Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
Read full review
Usability
Adobe XD is basically on life-support now, there are much better software out there that do everything XD can do, and a few that you don't even have to pay a monthly subscription fee on. While Adobe XD is great as shortcuts that are used in other CC software works, and its integration with CC is great. But it still lacks compared to its closest competitor.
Read full review
It is quite user-friendly as long as you have the computing power to download and use it. However, this makes it quite inconvenient if you are trying to access files on different devices, as Inventor has to be loaded on all of those devices. While the program itself works just fine, it would be much better for my application if it, or a version, were web-based and allowed users to access and modify projects from anywhere.
Read full review
Support Rating
I have not had a need to connect with the Adobe XD support team as of yet, but from past experience when dealing with the other products, the support has been very very good, and I would have no reason to think that this product would be any different. There are a good number of training videos on the Adobe site for this product as well as on other social media sites so a quick search should let you find the answers in several different ways.
Read full review
I'm giving the overall support rating a 5 only because I rarely have to use it. Trying to find the answer on the help pages hardly ever helps me because any problem I have is usually too deep for what the help offers. Given the popularity of Autodesk, I have always been able to find an answer online after doing enough looking!
Read full review
In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Implementation was a snap
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe XD used to be able to stack great, but I would select Figma over Adobe XD any day. Much better features, better quality of life features and includes darkmode. Another great part of Figma is the fact you can strickly use it in a browser without having to install any apps, but if you do install the apps, it works great if not better.
Read full review
ANSYS is far more expensive and has a steeper learning curve. Autodesk has many flexible and scale-able licensing options that adapt to our institutional needs and IT infrastructure. Furthermore, it allows our students to have free educational software running in their own personal computers, allowing them to work at home and be more productive with it.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • The time it takes to design in Adobe XD is significantly faster. Saving time.
  • It boosts productivity, causing better ideas to be created.
  • It's easy to use and quick to learn. Not much of a learning curve so we can get to work pretty quickly.
Read full review
  • We are working toward full engineering integration with Autodesk Inventor. This will remove most of the human error in our current processes.
  • Production team is moving away from physical samples to using Autodesk Inventor models. This is a cost savings and helps us manage change better.
  • Autodesk Inventor iLogic is allowing us to automate some of our engineering. This is proving to make one job 20% faster to complete with fewer errors.
Read full review
ScreenShots