Autodesk Inventor vs. InVision

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
InVision
Score 5.8 out of 10
N/A
InVision is a collaborative design and prototyping platform with features such as freehand drafting mode and interactive mockups, collaboration, idea management, user testing, and integration with Slack and other collaboration tools. According to the vendor, 1 million designers are using the free version.
$0
Pricing
Autodesk InventorInVision
Editions & Modules
Subscription - Monthly
$305
per month per user
Subscription - Yearly
$2440
per year per user
Subscription - 3 Years
$7320
3 years per user
Free
$0
Pro
$7.75
per user/per month
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk InventorInVision
Free Trial
YesNo
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
Autodesk InventorInVision
Considered Both Products
Autodesk Inventor
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Fusion works very similarly to Inventor as it is from the same company. SolidWorks is also fairly similar, with only small features/functions and user interface differences. Onshape functions similarly to Inventor, but is web-based, so it requires no download to use. It is …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Very similar products. In my opinion, Autodesk Inventor is better at sheet metal and that is why we are not using SolidWorks. It has been a while since we have used SolidWorks so beyond that the comparison is difficult.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
I have no current experience with Solidworks
Chose Autodesk Inventor
I used to work on Solidworks CAD modeling software. but now, I am working with Autodesk Inventor. Inventor in budget software for new start-up companies. and Inventor provide a product bundle in one. So, you will get the other beneficial software also. and we can also design …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk seems more detailed and easier to use when it comes to the 3D side and the compatibility is easier to convert when needed.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
We chose Inventor because the team had some historic experience with older versions of AutoCAD. Our market services primarily building engineers, so to export directly to a REVIT file was critical.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
I definitely prefer SOLIDWORKS to Inventor. For part modeling, SOLIDWORKS is second to none. Because Inventor is part of the Autodesk suite, if you are wrapped up in AutoCAD information and data, it's possible that Inventor may be the part modeling tool you would naturally use. …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
In my opinion, Autodesk Inventor is easier to set up and use. It also has iLogic that has added many more design options over what I have been able to accomplish in SOLIDWORKS.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Solidworks: Better with surfaces and weld
Catia: Works well with complex assemblies with 1000+ components
Chose Autodesk Inventor
When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
As previously mentioned in an earlier question, Autodesk Inventor has found the happy middle ground for my 3D CAD needs. Autodesk is easy to pick up but complex enough to allow for all our CAD needs to be filled. I personally didn't select Autodesk Inventor (it was what the …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Some of the features are more intuitive in Inventor. For example, there is an auto mid-plane function in Inventor that doesn't exist in Solidworks. Also, the mouse controls are easier to use in Inventor. It is easier to spin and rotate the part in Inventor, this action is a …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk inventor has a free trial, and CATIA doesn’t.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Inventor and SolidWorks compare nicely with it coming down to user preference. Both are great modeling tools, with Autodesk providing more flexibility through its subscription add-ons. Although AutoCAD exists in a different environment it is still used for design although less …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
We selected Inventor since we were deeply invested in AutoCAD for previous 2D designs and this was smoother integration with existing design practices.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
AutoCAD is difficult to use and adapt to while Inventor is easier to use. AutoCAD works based on designing and discovering new items while Inventor targets users who want to test something in motion.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Inventor is more intuitive and directional when it comes to the creation of parts and assemblies. The commands are also simpler and easier to understand than Solidworks. Inventor also has the support and presence in the market that allows for it to be utilized for different …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Audesk Inventor is better than Solidworks in all ways, better than OnShape in important ways, but not as good on collaboration tools, and more professional than Fusion 360.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
I've listed Solidworks, SDRC Ideas and Pro/Engineer as alternative and comparable applications. SDRC Ideas is an extinct product, and Pro/E is available as it's descendent, PTC CREO, I think. Of the two alternatives, Solidworks is easier for me to use and I can do more with it, …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Inventor is a more detailed modeling software then Revit or Fabrication. AutoCAD of course has been around for many years and will continue to have a place because it seems to be the base for all of the modeling software using .dwg file types. Inventor has the ability using the …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
I believe Autodesk Inventor is the easiest 3D modeling software to use, but it might not be the most cost effective though. The best thing about Inventor is the learning curve. It makes bringing new people up to speed much easier.

I do believe that Solidworks has better …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
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 …
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Inventor is a very similar design platform as SolidWorks. I have used both over the last 19 years. Functionality is very similar. In my own experiences, SolidWorks has proven to be easier for new users to learn but Inventor has improved in that area over the last few years.
Chose Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor has the same underlying features as both SolidWorks and Fusion 360. Being made by the same company, Autodesk Inventor and Fusion 360 are pretty much the same product, except Fusion 360 is an online version. SolidWorks is much more advanced than the other …
InVision
Chose InVision
we use different 'similar' applications for different usecases.
Chose InVision
figma is better for creating designs, invision is easier to use and more light weight when it comes to sharing designs
Chose InVision
I have only used InVision as a tool for designing mockups. I wouldn't be able to draw a fair comparison to other tools since I have more experience with InVision.
Chose InVision
FigJam has more shapes, more importable reactions, and for me it's less likely to lag. It's also way easier to connect arrows to sticky notes in FigJam and overall rough designs look cleaner than in InVision.
Chose InVision
[InVision] provides the ability to iterate really quickly, in fact, it is so intuitive that can be applied on live wireframe designing, while the ideas are being scratched and stormed from the team in a single discovery session, as well as allowing and giving access to the …
Chose InVision
We went with InVision because we were already bought into that ecosystem. We have since decided to move to Figma, as we were not receiving the features we needed from InVision and the associated tools (Whimsical, Sketch, Abstract, and Zeplin). The ROI of Figma allows us to free …
Chose InVision
InVision can be a powerful tool when paired with Sketch and other platforms like Freehand. However, Figma is currently the industry leader in terms of functionality and usability for collaborative UI design and prototyping. Invision's sharing and prototyping features are its …
Chose InVision
Main difference is InVision's easy to use prototyping capability. When it is compared to Marvel and Axure RP, while it has less capabilities on tools it is more robust than both. I believe Figma is just a new and upgraded version of InVision where you could do everything online …
Chose InVision
InVision is a bit limited overall compared to other programs like Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator and XD. At the time we selected InVision they were one of the leaders and introduced a lot of new features that were beneficial. However now we've moved back to many of the Adobe …
Chose InVision
I choose InVision over sketch, however figma is leading because of the cloud feature collaboration and open source plugins
Chose InVision
We only tested out using Adobe XD for similar uses and found it to be more challenging to fit within our processes. It didn't have as robust a set of capabilities as InVision and wasn't as easy to use enterprise wide. I recall also having issues with working with Sketch.
Chose InVision
InVision was the best tool for our team. It has the features that best fit our process but is also flexible enough for make it work in various situations where visuals are a core component. We've been using InVision for over 5 years and we're not likely to move to another …
Chose InVision
InVision's design is much more polished and seamless due to its apps on mobile and web. They are very easy to learn and gather feedback compared to Sketch or Principle. Although these features are quickly coming to the other apps, InVision has an upper hand at the moment with …
Chose InVision
Zeplin seems to support everything that InVision does (including Inspect mode) plus reusable styles. That alone significantly speeds up development.
Chose InVision
Zeplin also allows to share design spec and collect feedback, but the ability to have prototype changes the game. Also, other products like Craft plugin is cherry on the cake.
Chose InVision
Compared to other tools, InVision is a very solid tool with a great reputation and prototyping functionalities to back it up. InVision was the first prototyping tool we purchased, and it’s served us really well. However, more and more design tools are now also providing …
Chose InVision
Faster and easy to make sure all the necessary controls are readily available, ability to show a click event.
Chose InVision
Balsamiq is a better tool for interactive prototyping and dynamic transition. InVision is definitely better for handling various designs, separated by projects and shared with different access levels across multiple organizations.
Chose InVision
Other design tools have been creating their own prototyping functionality, which has made InVision less valuable over time. It is much more convenient to use the same tool for both design and prototyping, because it removes the unnecessary steps of exporting, importing, and …
Chose InVision
InVision works seamlessly and easily when sharing and requesting comments from others. Other products I've used like Balsamiq and Dropbox (earlier versions) provided online displays of work, but no easy way to collect feedback or quickly update. InVision provides enterprise …
Chose InVision
InVision is a great tool to use and well worth the price. However, if you're looking for some variety, UXPin and Figma are worth looking into too. While UXPin may be a tad simplistic in the design ability, Figma is a great competitor to InVision. Both tools are worth looking …
Chose InVision
I actually haven't used anything that's similar to InVision, so can't compare. I'm not even sure there is anything out there that can actually compare to InVision. It's an ideal tool for any designer that wants to improve client/team feedback. I highly recommend it and look …
Chose InVision
As the industry leader, XD and Figma have had some catching up to do. I think now InVision will have to innovate to hold these products off. Several are doing what made InVision famous, and in some instances do it even better. There is an insane amount of competition and …
Chose InVision
Truthfully, while we have looked at others, InVision has the name recognition in the web design community and a tight integration with Sketch which is what was important to us. We have not seriously considered others, but may in the future as our needs change. This is our first …
Features
Autodesk InventorInVision
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk Inventor
6.8
Ratings
5% below category average
InVision
-
Ratings
3D Modeling8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
2D Drafting6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization6.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Parametric Design7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Assembly Design6.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis5.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation6.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk InventorInVision
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk InventorInVision
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(0 ratings)
8.8
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk InventorInVision
Likelihood to Recommend
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
InVision is well suited for design reviews and immersing yourself in the experience of an app-to-be. As a Product Manager, it's difficult to take abstract concepts, user pain points, and business needs, and produce a vision for an app without a visual aid to communicate a vision. InVIsion offers PMs, designers, and developers the opportunity to sketch a vision, communicate about it with inline commenting, and shareable with other stakeholders.
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Pros
  • 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.
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  • Very easy to export Sketch files (where prototypes are actually created) into Invision and preserve the interactivity.
  • Additional interactivity can be added in InVision. Like scrolling with locked footer.
  • Clients, designer and developers can collaborate - leave notes and respond to notes made by others.
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Cons
  • 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
  • Designs can be very slow to load on mobile devices, particularly when they include many screens.
  • There isn’t an offline version of the full app, which feels less-than-ideal for many of our teammates who live in areas with more spotty internet.
  • There are limited functionalities to portray animations and transitions. This hasn’t been a huge issue, but it makes the app feel a little out of date, considering the range of such functionalities in other apps.
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Likelihood to Renew
Inventor continues to meet our enterprise needs. I don't see a need to change unless we change our business model significantly.
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it does what we bought it for, so would buy again :)
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Usability
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.
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The interface is well designed, but I had a hard time figuring out how the various pieces of software integrate together.
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Support Rating
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!
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I didn't need to contact InVision support, as I've never needed it. They have an intuitive UI, and most of the questions are answered in their help portal or in tutorials online. Since many people use it, there a great resources available on for example YouTube. No problems so far with InVision.
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In-Person Training
I got the training during college, so mostly i learned on my own
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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
[InVision] provides the ability to iterate really quickly, in fact, it is so intuitive that can be applied on live wireframe designing, while the ideas are being scratched and stormed from the team in a single discovery session, as well as allowing and giving access to the whole organization to the final outcome
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • 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.
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  • For the price it is well worth it. It improves collaboration and efficiency which can be easily attributed to cost savings or improved margins.
  • It also adds an element of professionalism and sophistication to the process and presentation of the work, which in turns aids in brand favorability.
Read full review
ScreenShots

InVision Screenshots

Screenshot of Take designs from ideas to development in one unified platformScreenshot of Collaborate in real time on an endless digital whiteboard. Start fast with a blank canvas or pre-built templates.Screenshot of Create rich, interactive prototypes. Import from Sketch, then gather feedback from any device.Screenshot of Involve your developers early and often. Collect input and provide detailed specs to keep builds on track.