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

5 Reviews

Other

Export function really lets down this piece of software. PS. Libre CAD is free.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Incentivized

July 9, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

DraftSight is used as a low-cost alternative to AutoCAD to interpret AutoCAD files.

Pros

Low cost way to open DWGs
It opens DWGs
DWGs can be opened with the software

Cons

Cannot export files in a format that any other program can understand
Cannot open exported files in Cinema4D but I can open files created by AutoCAD
This is vital to my production pipeline

Likelihood to Recommend

Great for opening DWGs terrible at exporting them

Verified User

Consultant (Animation company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

8 years of experience

Works Perfect for Our Use

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

June 26, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It's a CAD program we use when we are not linked to our network. It easily opens other consultants drawings for us to view without going into a different program.

Pros

Conversion from other disciplines drawings.
Ease of use.
Compatibility with other programs.

Cons

Lags/slow.
Outdated, but familiar.
No smart objects.

Likelihood to Recommend

For our use case, it is great. It is too simple for us to use for our actual work, we use a BIM program for that.

Erin Callahan

Architectural Designer at HD (Architecture & Planning, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

Great product at great price for personal planning and design to build a new home

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 20, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This review site asks me to list my work information, but I did not use DraftSight for work. I used it personally to design the new home my wife and I were building. I had never used CAD software before, but the user interface (as far as I can tell) is designed to be identical (or close to it) to AutoCAD, so there were tons of resources on the web to help me learn. DraftSight is only for 2D work, but it is exactly the right tool for what we needed, and at an affordable price (unlike AutoCAD). It allowed me to share .dwg and .pdf with my general contractor and the lumberyard. It allowed us to build a house without needing to hire an architect. It's good software...I highly recommend it.

Pros

Drafting.
Architectural design.
Planning.

Cons

The documentation could be improved.

Likelihood to Recommend

Great for planning and designing our new home.

Verified User

Employee (Computer Software company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

2 years of experience

DraftSight Rising

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 19, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I am an educator at a college in Southern Nevada. I teach AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS. I like to introduce Draftsight to the students entering the job market. I also recommend Draftsight when visiting companies that are using an older version of AutoCAD.

Pros

DWG editor.
GUI is very similar.
Same commands.
3D capabilities.
Paramedics editing.

Cons

Dynamic Blocks.
External References.
More Architecture tools in the toolbox.

Likelihood to Recommend

Affordability: the cost of Draftsight is more affordable than using AutoCAD or any other DWG editor.
Compatibility: Draftsight is compatible with most CAD formats.

Bob Diaz

Professor at College of Southern Nevada (Higher Education, 501-1000 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

View profile

Great alternative to the big named DWG editors!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

January 29, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are an ArchiCAD based firm and decided to get Draftsight to enable users to load and edit AutoCAD files, without having to invest in their licenses. It's been a great success as it has similar commands. The interface is user-friendly and it's been deployed to all users across the office.

Pros

Loading autocad files
Editing of Autocad files
Conversion of autocad files

Cons

A few issues with support initially but seemed to have found it better recently
Same with installation, was hard but now have a GPO that installs it well (so not a real con I suppose)
A few people still moan that it "isn't autocad"

Likelihood to Recommend

Its fantastic for a practice that doesn't want the heavy costs of autocad (2D) or already have invested elsewhere, like graphisoft or Bentley solutions and need something to fall back on "just in case". The free version is fantastic, and then the paid version gives additional support and features if you require it.

Verified User

Manager (Architecture & Planning company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

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