DraftSight Reviews & Insights

Score9.3 out of 10

1,341 Reviews and Ratings

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for DraftSight are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Pros

Cost-effectiveness: Many users have praised DraftSight for being an economical option compared to similar CAD software, making it a cost-effective choice for small businesses. Some reviewers have mentioned that the affordability of DraftSight played a significant role in their decision to choose it over other options.

Stability and performance: Users consistently mention that DraftSight is stable and reliable, with no crashes or technical issues. Several reviewers have specifically highlighted the software's stability, noting that they have not experienced any crashes while using it. This aspect has greatly contributed to the positive sentiment surrounding DraftSight.

Compatibility with AutoCAD: The ability of DraftSight to open both old and new DWG/DXF files has been highly appreciated by users. Many AutoCAD users feel that this feature makes the transition to DraftSight seamless and efficient. Additionally, several reviewers praise the inclusion of commonly used AutoCAD commands in DraftSight, which further enhances its compatibility with industry-standard drawing file types.

DraftSight Reviews

19 Reviews

Engineering

It was worth it when it was free. Is it still worth it now that it costs?

Rating: 1 out of 10

Incentivized

August 30, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We primarily use SOLIDWORKS, but there are lots of legacy files that are AutoCAD DWG's. We use AutoCAD so rarely that it wasn't worth it to buy it. Instead, we use the free version of DraftSight. I am not sure how many people in my company use DraftSight, though.

Pros

Open up old and new DWG/DXF's.
It has many of the most used AutoCAD Commands.
If you're an AutoCAD person then the Command line is great to have.

Cons

Activation is a bear. It doesn't always work and sometimes it sends the activation email to your spam.
It wants to activate over and over again. Why? I do not know...
DraftSight only works online, that I know of. It fails if my laptop is not hooked up (I use the free version).
It's a great clone but clones are not that good. Dassault Systemes should really remake this program work with Catia and SOLIDWORKS.
Buttons are arranged in a way to not fully copy AutoCAD but are just enough off that it's annoying when searching for what you need.
The free version is no longer available in 2019. But the program doesn't look to have changed with the paid version.
I will keep using the free version until Dassault Systemes kicks me off and we buy it because it's still cheaper than AutoCAD LT. Sad Day!

Likelihood to Recommend

If DraftSight were still free I would recommend it if you are like me and only use it rarely. If it's your day to day program then please get AutoCAD or LT!
I wish Pro or Premium came free with DraftSight if you owned SOLIDWORKS or Catia. Those programs cost a ton and everyone who works at a long-lasting company knows that there are tons of Legacy DWG's. There are not many options for minor edits to DWG files. I know you can export it to SOLIDWORKS, but it's more of a pain than it is useful. Sometimes you just need to edit some text or print a file and you're done. That's what I like about DraftSight!

Christopher Alan Lewis

Sr. CAD Designer in Engineering at Johns Manville (Design, 1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

View profile

Good 2D Drafting Capabilities

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

August 23, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use SOLIDWORKS as our main CAD platform. Draftsight is a valuable addition as it works seamlessly in the 2D world complimenting the 3D capabilities of our base cad software. Draftsight is a fully functional 2D cad program. Price point is a great for a software program with this much usability. I highly recommend Draftsight.

Pros

Dwg editing
Colored layers
Emulates Autocad

Cons

Text editing

Likelihood to Recommend

Draftsight is well suited for modeling 2D parts for water jet, wire edm, etc. Fast and efficient in the 2D arena. A more robust cad program is required for 3D modeling.

Michael Greene

Progressive Die Designer and Consultant in Engineering at MG Die Design, LLC (Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

View profile

Theory of a casual user!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

August 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Draftsight for basic tasks like to draw a light drawing or just for consultations.

Pros

It is very simple to understand and use.
The display can be easily customized.

Cons

For me, it is very well complete.

Likelihood to Recommend

Everything fills my needs! I have nothing to change in this software. It works just like I need it to.

Gino Lapointe

Project manager in Engineering at Beaulieu Canada (Textiles, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

Notes from an AutoCAD convert

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

July 17, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is used by an individual to open, view and edit .dwg files. We also use AutoCAD, and we find that the two products work well together.

Pros

Editing CAD drawings in .dwg format
Attaching reference files, such as PDF's, as background, and drawing over them
Printing in a variety of formats
Easy-to-use, intuitive interface

Cons

I use DraftSight at work and at home, on different computers. I find that somehow the editor settings are different, and I haven't been able to determine what settings I need to change. For example, on one machine, I am able to select multiple drawing objects by clicking on them. On the other machine, I have to use shift-click or else it just selects the last one.
Scaling drawings into standard hard-copy formats, such as A, B, C, D size paper, and inserting a border with title block, could be made easier.
I find myself resizing the dimension text, spacing, arrowhead size, etc. each time I start a new drawing so that the dimensions are appropriately sized for that drawing. I go into the drafting properties and individually edit each parameter. I'd like an easier way to do this.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is quite well suited for editing CAD drawings in .dwg format. Although there are some differences in the user interface, I find that I'm able to switch back and forth between the DraftSight and AutoCAD with ease.

George Keilman

CTO in Engineering at Sonic Concepts, Inc. (Medical Devices, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

The best way for my organization.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 26, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This software is used across the whole organization only as a viewer except in my department in which it is used by design for mechanical and electrical drawings. The only problem is people are afraid to use it because it is a new method in front of AutoCAD.

Pros

Fast
Friendly
Little memory
Versatility in any version of CAD drawings
Easy to use an learn
It is excellent

Cons

I have no found room for improvement.

Likelihood to Recommend

Probably it's connectivity with 3D drawings is its unique disadvantage compared with AutoCAD.

Ing. Hervin Colmenares, PMP®

Jefe de mantenimiento electromecánico in Engineering at tgestiona Perú (Facilities Services, 1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

View profile

DraftSight Converts Files for Cad Cam

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Creating and converting 2D into symbols for Solidworks Electrical and cad files for precreation of 3D Models. I use it extensively for creating cad files for cad Cam also. I Use it for cad /cam training and part creation for Mentoring Students for the First.org Robotics team.

Pros

Simple to use
Easy basic tools
Converting Fonts to Vectors
Good integration into SolidWorks

Cons

Being free makes it easy to obtain and install, when it becomes a paid for product, it will be difficult to obtain
CNC Gcode generation does not work well
More file formats for import and export

Likelihood to Recommend

It is great for 2D generation of Symbols, part fabrication for 2D CNC machines such as plasma, waterjet, and laser cutters. It works great for floor plans and diagrams. I could be better for making signs and labels if it dealt with graphic images and filling objects and text. It lacks 3D tools that are easy to use.

Phil Wahlquist

Senior Electronics Controls Specialist in Engineering at Reell Precision Manufacturing, Inc. (Industrial Automation, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

14 years of experience

View profile

DraftSight rocks!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I and my employees use DraftSight. It is able to save .dwg files in several AutoCAD versions, which if you are an older AutoCAD user, you cannot save to more current versions or have modern AutoCAD files read by older AutoCAD programs. It allows a very reasonable cost for very effective software, without AutoDesk getting all in my business.

Pros

Very dependable, stable
Patterns work very well
Many ways to copy and move, very quickly
Improvements in software over time

Cons

I do not think all of the functionality is covered in the Help menu
The terms used in the Help menu and options menu are overwhelming, some hyperlinked explanation would be helpful
The options menu is very difficult, finding a control of a particular aspect of the program is looking for a needle in a haystack, I have worked with this for ten years and still don't know the logic and hierarchy.
The text editors have been changed over the years and I still don't like the setup. Currently, when I edit, it blows up so I cannot see the entire stream of text.

Likelihood to Recommend

DraftSight is the best for 2D drafting. It's not bloated, but not deficient in any way.

Gerard Duhon

Owner in Engineering at Engineered Foundation Solutions (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

Great value and replacement for AutoCAD

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros: DraftSight is a welcome addition to the SolidWorks Premium package I use and a great replacement for AutoCAD subscription. Interface and command toolbars are intuitive and easy to use. You barely see the difference from the older version of AutoCAD 2012 LT we used in the past. Customer support was great so far.

Pros

2D drawings
Smooth conversion for AutoCAD file formats
Toolbars and command icons

Cons

Autosave stability
Large format drawings
Plot output quality for PDF files

Likelihood to Recommend

Great as AutoCAD replacement, smooth transition for AutoCAD users, intuitive commands and comparable or identical to AUTOCAD. Probably not so good for 3D modeling. Some stability issues were present for large size drawings and an autosave option for 2017 and 2018 versions. Printing quality as PDF output was sometimes a bit blurry.

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Design company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

DraftSight: Best Bank for the Buck!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Currently, DraftSight is being used in my company to produce plan sets for structural engineering. To be specific, engineering related to waterfront structures, custom home plans, light commercial applications, and renovations/additions to existing structures. The product is being used by an individual. We use DraftSight to do all the CAD work (usually site plans, structural plans, and sections/details for construction). Then, we use DraftSight to plot and publish the drawing set for delivery to our clients.

Pros

Very easy shortcut commands, and it's very intuitive. Also, shortcut commands are similar to AutoCAD, which is nice.
The batch print option is great. I haven't done very many batch prints, but I have printed 23 pages, and it is so convenient to push print one time and have the program print all the drawings I want them to.
DraftSight's customizability for each user. To be specific, I can set multiple user profiles for different styles of drafting, and just load each one when it is required. For example, structural detailing requires precise measurements and tolerances, vs civil engineering and site plans, which are usually dealing with tolerances of feet. So I can load each one depending on the project, and the dimensions will either be to the 1/16" or 1' depending on what we are doing. It's very nice.

Cons

The number one thing that needs to be fixed is all the crashing. This program is outstanding, especially for the price. But, almost on a daily basis, the program crashes. This especially happens when my computer goes to sleep and I go to wake it up...DraftSight will not respond, and I have to reload (sometimes causing loss of work).
The toolbars and commands in the ribbon are very "pixely," and it would be nice if those were a higher resolution. I searched for about 30 minutes to see if there was a setting to increase the resolution and never found a solution. I could be missing it. But a higher resolution would be nice.
It needs the ability to modify all text in a text box or annotation to a different font style. Even better if I could select multiple text boxes or annotations and convert them all to a new font style if required.
More customizable with the printing area. For example, when I set my page to print 22x34, there is a good inch on the left side and top that I am not allowed to draw in, due to printing areas. It would be nice to be able to drag those printable extents to where I want the page to print (I always print to PDF first then to a plotter).
It would be great in batch print to select which pages to print in monochrome. For example, I use the color cyan for "existing buildings" so when they print, they print a lighter shade when printed in black/white. So when I do a batch print, I need to go into each individual sheet I set up with a different color, and manually print each individual page for monochrome so it doesn't print the line layer color. It would be great if there was an option in the batch print to select monochrome, etc.

Likelihood to Recommend

I feel that DraftSight is an outstanding program, especially for a company of my scale (1-10 employees). I don't need AutoCad Civil 3D, and all of my plans are 2D, which DraftSight does great. The program is intuitive, has great features that include the toolbox for welds, fasteners, etc., and it's easy to download a .dwg file and import. However, there are 4 or 5 things that it would be nice to have in DraftSight, that would make the program nearly perfect for me. It's a really nice program, especially for the price. To summarize, things that it can improve on are: crashing from time to time, batch print to include options to print in monochrome, or just black/white, ribbon commands (or options) are very pixellated, and it would be nice if they were a higher resolution. The ability to change multiple text boxes/annotations to different fonts would also be helpful. Otherwise, you have to select each annotation, select the words in the annotation, select the font, and repeat for however many fonts need to be changed. Just a better/easier way to change fonts would be great.

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Civil Engineering company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

DraftSight review

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use DraftSight for 2D drafting on most of our projects in conjunction with Solidworks. We use it to design our plasma cutting machines and document services schematics etc. Draftsight give us access to all our legacy data. Thousands of drawings, from old design software, which we import in DXF and then manipulate as required. We often use Draftsight to assist with the basic layout of new projects, and then use Solidworks to create all the components and fine detail. We also recommend it to many of our customers for drawing 2D components to import into the CAM package for profile cutting. This software offers all the tools needed for us to design machinery and is relatively easy to use. We only have one issue that lets the system down. The file manager often fails to read the hard disc, and causes the software to crash. Other than this frustrating problem, it's all good.

Pros

Cost-effective.
Simple to use.

Cons

We only have one issue that lets the system down. The file manager often fails to read the hard disc, and causes the software to crash. Other than this frustrating problem, it's all good.

Likelihood to Recommend

DraftSight is great for schematics and all kinds of detail work, however, these days 3D drawings and renders are often required and not best suited to this software.

Albert Messina

design Engineer in Engineering at Farley Laserlab (Machinery, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

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DraftSight: Best Bank for the Buck!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

June 21, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros

Very easy shortcut commands, and it's very intuitive. Also, shortcut commands are similar to AutoCAD, which is nice.
The batch print option is great. I haven't done very many batch prints, but I have printed 23 pages, and it is so convenient to push print one time and have the program print all the drawings I want them to.
DraftSight's customizability for each user. To be specific, I can set multiple user profiles for different styles of drafting, and just load each one when it is required. For example, structural detailing requires precise measurements and tolerances, vs civil engineering and site plans, which are usually dealing with tolerances of feet. So I can load each one depending on the project, and the dimensions will either be to the 1/16" or 1' depending on what we are doing. It's very nice.

Cons

The number one thing that needs to be fixed is all the crashing. This program is outstanding, especially for the price. But, almost on a daily basis, the program crashes. This especially happens when my computer goes to sleep and I go to wake it up...DraftSight will not respond, and I have to reload (sometimes causing loss of work).
The toolbars and commands in the ribbon are very "pixely," and it would be nice if those were a higher resolution. I searched for about 30 minutes to see if there was a setting to increase the resolution and never found a solution. I could be missing it. But a higher resolution would be nice.
It needs the ability to modify all text in a text box or annotation to a different font style. Even better if I could select multiple text boxes or annotations and convert them all to a new font style if required.
More customizable with the printing area. For example, when I set my page to print 22x34, there is a good inch on the left side and top that I am not allowed to draw in, due to printing areas. It would be nice to be able to drag those printable extents to where I want the page to print (I always print to PDF first then to a plotter).
It would be great in batch print to select which pages to print in monochrome. For example, I use the color cyan for "existing buildings" so when they print, they print a lighter shade when printed in black/white. So when I do a batch print, I need to go into each individual sheet I set up with a different color, and manually print each individual page for monochrome so it doesn't print the line layer color. It would be great if there was an option in the batch print to select monochrome, etc.

Likelihood to Recommend

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Civil Engineering company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience