AutoCAD vs. Autodesk Fusion

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
AutoCAD
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
AutoCAD is a CAD product from Autodesk. It allows designers to work in 2D and 3D, and is available on Windows and Mac, but with extensive online collaboration tools.
$245
per month per user
Autodesk Fusion
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Fusion is a cloud-based 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool which integrates design, modeling, and simulation capabilities.
$70
per month per user
Pricing
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Editions & Modules
Monthly Subscription
$245
per month per user
Yearly Subscription
$1975
per year per user
3-Year Subscription
$5925
3 years per user
Fusion 360 - Paid Monthly
$70
per month per user
Fusion 360 - Paid Annually
$545
per year per user
Fusion 360 - 3 Years
$1635
3 years per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Considered Both Products
AutoCAD
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD is better for drafting construction documents than rhino. The ability to draft blue print drawings and update them to the specificity we need is a big leg up. Rhino allows me to see the model in 3d instantly where will AutoCAD I need to use a program such as sketchup to …
Chose AutoCAD
PTC Creo and SolidWorks have a separate module wherein we can create 2D drawings of the parts and assemblies modelled in them. But they generally created problem in creating circuit diagrams where in we need to manually sketch using different option. And when it comes to …
Chose AutoCAD
I use Revit far more than I use AutoCAD. AutoCAD is great for simple linework, but even then I will often create the lines in Revit and then export to AutoCAD for final touches and printing. AutoCAD is a bit easier for large-format prints, which is why I almost always end up …
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD is much more stable and comes with 3D capability as standard. Draftsight is less stable and requires the pro version for 3D capability, but it is also 1/4 the price of AutoCAD.
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD was chosen for its versatility, customisation and compatibility. AutoCAD is a highly versatile software used across various industries, including civil engineering. It's known for its precise drafting and drawing capabilities. It allows for extensive customization …
Chose AutoCAD
As we all know that AutoCAD is a basic Drafting software used to drawing all of 2D object so all above softwares mentioned as as used as 2nd one after developing the plan on AutoCAD. So I do prepare plans on AutoCAD and develops them on above software. So basically my first …
Chose AutoCAD
I have experience with AutoDesk Maya, and am familiar with their user interface with creating 3D objects. AutoCAD while from the same family, requires a steeper learning curve and more in-depth knowledge of the software.

Chose AutoCAD
for the developing of 2d drawings AutoCAD is more suitable than other software due to its very easy and understandable user interface. besides that, due to the orientation of the software to 2d drawings, the library of commands is better structured and organized, making the …
Chose AutoCAD
This is the most primitive application in the field of design and drafting hence it has the simplest workflow system. It is quite easy to comprehend the processes for any user hence they can access the mistakes easily. Man-to-machine interaction of this software is best among …
Chose AutoCAD
Automation in AutoCAD with Dynamo is going to be good. With Dynamo script we can make our AutoCAD more automatic and easy to use time-saving software. If we apply some good Dynamo script it will add a hanger in all models with a standard distance this is a type of example …
Chose AutoCAD
Better 2D designing than CATIA. Way cheaper than other CADs available in the market. 2D drafting is way better than CATIA. 2D dimensioning is better than CATIA. It is very easy to design pipeline layouts on AutoCAD than on another software. It saves time and the workflow …
Chose AutoCAD
Each program has its own pros and cons so, for example, I am using AutoCad for big scale projects especially if they are 2D drawings and need a high production rate along with high-resolution details. By that, we increased our business performance.
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD is improving day by day and update by update. Making their [features] smooth and more [efficient] with every update and it is very efficient in the things that it does. [The] functions that they provide are very useful and easy to use. [The] interface of AutoCAD is …
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD commands are effective, active and responsive to the engineer's commands, easy to customize the AutoCAD drafting features, and the final results produced have the best and productive quality.
Getting used to AutoCAD is also easy and friendly on manipulation, and even its …
Chose AutoCAD
Work involved in my organization is related to teaching 2D designs and layouts for students, so AutoCAD is a great option. However, when it comes to 3D modelling and a clean user experience, we prefer SketchUp as an alternate option.
Chose AutoCAD
All of the alternatives above work well if you are starting from scratch and are in the market for new software. Draftsight is no longer free. If you have any legacy AutoCAD drawings you are going to encounter problems as we did. Sometimes old files won't open or save …
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD is the industry benchmark and standard, it is easy to use and understand, the Graphic User Interface is fairly intuitive with icons that make sense, shortcut keys make drawing super fast, blocks prevent or at least limit costly mistakes.
The drawing exchange format (DXF) …
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD is still the top choice although the software subscription is more on the costly side. Time saved on every mouse stroke justifies the value of AutoCAD. After using AutoCAD for a while, other competitors' less expensive copycat versions feel very inefficient and not …
Chose AutoCAD
It's the best solution for a 2D drawing. Much easier to create 2D plans when you [don't] need to create 3D components. Stable and Functional. Easy to use and remember. All commands are located where they make the best sense. Various access [to] commands is awesome!!! You can …
Chose AutoCAD
AutoCAD has its own standards because this is originally designed for the quick 2d drawings.
Chose AutoCAD
For the HVAC engineering and design field, companies like RHVAC and Wrightsoft make competing products. I have not used these packages, but I have seen the designs they produce. These designs are not up to the quality, customizability, or standard that I am able to put out …
Chose AutoCAD
We chose AutoCAD because it was the professional software package, we had been using simpler and cheaper solutions but we found that our drawings were suffering because of it and that we had a lack of technical skill in CAD because of the ease of use of the more amateur …
Chose AutoCAD
We use SOLIDWORKS almost exclusively, mainly for 3D modeling and simulation efforts. We cannot use AutoCAD drawings for the engineering work we need to accomplish for our products without a 3D add in - the main benefit to AutoCAD over SOLIDWORKS is that SOLIDWORKS does not do …
Autodesk Fusion
Chose Autodesk Fusion
They are mainly related to CAD-type software, which is useful for modeling/design, although in a different area. In this case, Fusion is used because it is for mechanical-type models used in prototyping that are not related to some aspect of electronics, which differentiates it …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Solidworks wins hands down. I will be cancelling Fusion 360 as I have realised Fusion 360 is a budget package with no support.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk Inventor excels at daily core engineering tasks. When integrated with Vault management systems and part libraries, Autodesk Inventor is tough to beat when you need a mechanical design solution. When Inventor and Vault are setup properly it allows for a very efficient …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
AutoCAD software is more complex than Autodesk Fusion 360. In addition, I can find many training videos of the Autodesk Fusion 360 program.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
No we can’t compare these softwares from each other’s but yes this Autodesk Fusion [360] is a great tool for printing 3d models which gives you full control over elements
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Both [Autodesk] Fusion 360 and SolidWorks are far beyond any open source project or 2-D oriented software. Compared to SolidWorks, [Autodesk] Fusion 360 comes packaged with more functionality without needing to purchase additional add-ons for each function.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
There are quite a few 3D modeling tools out there, but few of them hit Fusion 360's sweet spot. Blender is powerful (and conveniently open source), but comes with a lifetime's worth of overkill if you're designing parts for printing rather than on-screen animation and graphics. …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Before Fusion 360 I was mostly using Open Source solutions like OpenSCAD and FreeCAD. They are great but it took a lot of time to master them and you are working slower than with Fusion 360. They are less stable as well. I'm going back to OpenSCAD only with very specific models …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the most modern and robust professional CAD program on the market. It has its quirks (as with any robust piece of software), but overall it provides a lot more functionality than the traditional CAD programs -- Solidworks, Creo, and Autodesk Inventor. If it …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the second-most powerful software of the three, SolidWorks being the best. Fusion 360 is an excellent step into making 3D CAD available to more people, but there are definitely still kinks they need to work out. The software gets sluggish and slow at times, but …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 has a complete set of design features come for free. It is a no-brainer solution for my industry.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 has a basic feel with not too many tools to learn basic design. It easy allows for the creation of small prototypes and is a great way to start learning how to design.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Sketchup is much more user-friendly than Google Sketch-up for anyone who has had experience with traditional solid modeling softwares like Solidworks or Autodesk Inventor. Google Sketchup feels almost backwards in workflow and seems much more geared to designers or people who …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion's tools are more intuitive, and it is more aimed at the novice, but also features tools that even the more professional software doesn't have. Make no mistake, Fusion 360 is just as, if not more powerful than most of the other packages that cost even 10x more. Fusion360 …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the best rendering application that combines professionalism and usability, all in a user-friendly design, easy to understand and learn to use. It has powerful tools that any user with or without experience can draw on.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 beats all of those programs because of its ease-of-use. You can really do whatever you want with this program without the need to spend hours and hours of modeling or overthinking your piece. It also has the pro that you can try it for free so you don't need to pay …
Features
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
AutoCAD
6.1
Ratings
15% below category average
Autodesk Fusion
7.0
Ratings
2% below category average
3D Modeling6.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
2D Drafting9.20 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization5.10 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Parametric Design4.80 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing5.70 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats8.30 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Assembly Design5.30 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis1.00 Ratings3.00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation7.80 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions8.20 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Likelihood to Recommend
7.4
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AutoCADAutodesk Fusion
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well suited for drafting in plan view. If you are looking for exact drafting that is the best for you to use. If you are looking to sketch and design, I would recommend you do not use AutoCAD first and instead use another app before transferring your work into AutoCAD.
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Most of my work with Fusion 360 has focused on its 3D modeling capabilities, and its liberal licensing policies for hobbyists has made it popular in that space. It focuses on a "mechanical engineering" approach to modeling rather than artistic, organic sculpting. While it's less rigid than its big brother AutoCAD, making the most of it will require thinking about the structure of your model rather than simply its appearance. That emphasis means it's fantastic for producing mechanical parts, and it can simulate how multiple separate parts will interlock and work with each other in 3D printed devices. This makes using it to design hinges and other moving mechanisms orders of magnitudes simpler; it also preserves an ongoing, editable history of the part being modeled. Realizing you need to tweak the tolerances on a part halfway through the design is fairly easy; you can go back any number of steps in the model's creation and modify the parameters used on a specific part, changing a hole's width or a groove's depth without altering any other parts of the model. The downside of this CAD-like power is that it's much less capable of "sculpting" organic models. Tools like ZBrush, Rhino, and even Blender are a better choice there.
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Pros
  • The tools are easy to use and the learning curve is fairly minimal to be able to create blueprints.
  • The 3D application is very fun to use and it is nice to be able to see your product instead of having to imagine what it will look like.
  • The speed and accuracy in which students can create plans is a huge bonus. Students can plan their industrial art projects out and use their own set of plans to build them.
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  • Fusion 360 is incredible at enabling me to quickly and efficiently capture the ideas that I have in my head and output them as 3D models without having to do any intense drawings. I use this all the time to model small, less important parts of our products during the prototyping phase.
  • The software is really good at helping even the least experienced designers get acclimated to the software extremely quickly. Having a quick-access help manual and easy to navigate functions made the software feel almost second-nature the first time I used it.
  • Fusion 360 has the functionality to save all of your files online, so you can draw something out on one computer and move to another one that has the software and pick up right where you left off. I use this function all the time when I am when I work at a computer that is not mine.
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Cons
  • User Interface Customisation: AutoCAD's user interface could benefit from more robust customisation options. Allowing users to rearrange toolbars, menus, and panels according to their specific workflows and preferences would enhance productivity.
  • Enhanced 3D Modeling Tools: While AutoCAD is capable of 3D modeling, it's not as intuitive or feature-rich as dedicated 3D modeling software. Streamlining the process and adding more advanced modeling tools would be a welcome improvement.
  • Enhanced Collaboration and Version Control: AutoCAD could improve its collaboration tools, such as real-time editing and version tracking, to facilitate smoother teamwork, especially in multi-disciplinary projects.
  • Intelligent Object Libraries: AutoCAD could benefit from an expanded and more intelligent library of standard objects and components. This would save time for designers who often have to create custom components from scratch.
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  • Even though it has a very good cloud software, Fusion 360 gets very laggy when using slow internet connections.
  • Fusion 360 uses a vast amount of your device's memory. It is recommended to select the RAM value as high as possible on your device.
  • Fusion 360's sculpting and retopology features are behind the competing software on the market.
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Likelihood to Renew
Because rarely we [would] rather wait for a whole year to update, sometimes the new updates don't bring many new features and we are still ok with the current version. Also the change of interface is always something that takes time for every partner in the company to get comfortable with. So those are the main reasons we may want to keep the same version.
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It does everything I need for great value.
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Usability
The use case of AutoCAD as a CAD software is highly relevant today as it focuses or targets to tasks types which involve creating 2D drawings of a number of types like electrical drawings, hydraulic drawings, layout diagrams, floor plans, etc. thereby addressing a large number of industries like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and in most case Architectural Engineering as well
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Because the tool is very useful and easy to access, it provides very basic and useful tools to start in the modeling part despite being basic processing aspects. It is also very easy to get a free, temporary, or student license, which makes it a very good CAD tool.
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
Sometimes I like using it on Saturday nights. Unfortunately, they usually do their updates at this time and it isn't available to use.
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Performance
No answers on this topic
It can freeze sometimes while doing heavy tasks.
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Support Rating
AutoCAD has the issue of crashing or slowing down the design procedure once a heavy design that includes several disciplines or multiple families/blocks is involved. Customer services gets the feedback from the crash reports but this issue seems like it has never been addressed in the software updates past several years.
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Support is conducted via internet Q&A boards; newcomers to 3D modeling may find that articulating their questions in the language of CAD software is the tricky part — once they find the right technical term for what they're trying to accomplish, answers come quickly. Autodesk also provides a large library of educational tutorial videos that make the initial process of learning Fusion 360's interface much easier.
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Implementation Rating
the implementation was realy easy , to set up our workstation we pay for the licenses we are about to use , there was a little bit of delay to get the payment processed to receive the serial but after that the install runs without any problem , so you can fell secure there will be not issue with the implementation.
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No. It is basic and straightforward.
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Alternatives Considered
AutoCAD is the industry best and is well integrated with regular updates and fixes if required. Being very developer friendly and having a huge community of enthusiasts behind takes it miles ahead of the competition. Some might get an edge over price but due to this being an High performance software it is miles ahead.
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No we can’t compare these softwares from each other’s but yes this Autodesk Fusion [360] is a great tool for printing 3d models which gives you full control over elements
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
It offers so much already, and the reason being is that it showed promise early on.
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Return on Investment
  • AutoCAD is cost effective when you get the Autodesk suite, so it makes sense to have it for many of our workflows.
  • AutoCAD is like a hammer. It's simple and is very good at certain things. No matter how advanced tools get, you will not soon get rid of hammers.
  • AutoCAD is really useful when models do not line up correctly in Revit.
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  • Fusion 360 has had a positive impact on our ROI. Specifically, being able to cut down on iterations by presenting 3-Dimensional designs to stakeholders earlier on in the process.
  • Fusion 360 also has had a positive impact on our ROI in terms of manufacturing. Although not all manufacturers have in-house personnel trained in Fusion360 specifically, we have found that it is so easy to pick up if one is experienced in another CAD program. Its ease of use and ability to share files with others has saved a ton of time and money.
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ScreenShots