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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

FreeCAD

A free parametric 3D modeller for designing real objects.

Visit FreeCAD4.6

  • Rating

    4.6 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Advanced

  • Works on

    macOS, Windows, Linux

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What is FreeCAD?

FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeller for designing real-life objects of any size. Because designs are driven by parameters, you can go back into the model history and change a dimension to update the whole part. It offers constrained 2D sketches, production drawings and a Python API, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.

Pros: what FreeCAD does well

  • Change a dimension and the design updates
  • Sketches, 3D parts and drawings in one app
  • Python scripting for automation

Cons: where it falls short

  • Steep learning curve
  • Interface is less polished than paid CAD tools

Who FreeCAD is for

Makers, engineers and students who want a free full CAD tool.

Who can skip it

People who only need a quick simple 3D shape.

FreeCAD alternatives

Not sold on FreeCAD? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Personal Productivity resources

LMMS

Focus: music production, daw and beats. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Rated 4.4 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.4Visit

Jellyfin

Focus: media server, streaming and self-hosted. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. A web app, not a desktop app. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Web AppFreeCross-Platform
4.7Visit

Atuin

Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

btop

Focus: system monitor, terminal and processes. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

fd

Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

Free alternatives to FreeCAD

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

mpv

Focus: video player, media and subtitles. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

MuseScore Studio

Focus: music notation, sheet music and composition. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

restic

Focus: backup, encryption and snapshots. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Rated 4.7 (FreeCAD: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

BorgBackup

Focus: backup, encryption and deduplication. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Same 4.6 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

Ditto

Focus: clipboard manager, snippets and windows. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Same 4.6 rating.

Desktop AppFreeWindows
4.6Visit

Etcher

Focus: usb, sd card and disk image. Shares open source and github with FreeCAD. Same 4.6 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
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