Onshape vs. Solid Edge

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Onshape is a cloud-native product development platform with integrated CAD, data management and analytics. Onshape aims to accelerate time to market and improve innovation by: 1) Access: Unlike file-based CAD which is on-premise only, Onshape enables remote access for designers and engineers from anywhere, and on any internet-connected device -including tablets and smart phones. 2) Collaboration: Onshape aims to eliminate the version control problems and blocking of file-based…
$1,500
per year per user
Solid Edge
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Solid Edge is a software solutions for product development — 3D design, simulation, manufacturing, data management, and cloud collaboration. Solid Edge aims to combine the speed and simplicity of direct modeling with the flexibility and control of parametric design.
$110
per month
Pricing
OnshapeSolid Edge
Editions & Modules
Standard
1,500
per year per user
Professional
2,500
per year per user
Enterprise
Contact sales team
per year per user
Design and Drafting XaaS
$110.00
per month
Foundation XaaS
$267.00
per month
Classic XaaS
$335.00
per month
Premium XaaS
$481.00
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
OnshapeSolid Edge
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNo dedicated hardware is required. Works on all web-connected devices including tablet, Chromebook, iPhone, Android.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
OnshapeSolid Edge
Considered Both Products
Onshape
Chose Onshape
Better: Similar user interface and control scheme. Much better multi-body modeling. Real-time flattened sheet metal views. Faster to create robust models due to features like mate connectors and allowing fillets to work on multiple bodies. Doesn't need an expensive …
Chose Onshape
We chose Onshape for its ease of use and ultimately its mobility. Our mobile team wanted to be able to do work anywhere with a solid internet connection, instead of having to rely on bulky and tethered desktop machines or high powered laptops. All of Autodesk's products, while …
Chose Onshape
Onshape does not have complete feature parity with SOLIDWORKS. But neither does SOLIDWORKS have all the features Onshape has. The reasons we went with Onshape was the ability to collaborate and the lack of need for file management. There is also no need for an initial purchase. …
Chose Onshape
Onshape is quickly becoming the CAD software I recommend over any other. SolidWorks and Inventor are feature rich and leaders in the industry, however, Onshape is beginning to match them with constant updates and is already as feature rich as the two mentioned.
Chose Onshape
For us, we made the permanent switch from SOLIDWORKS to Onshape. SOLIDWORKS is a great product that we used for many years, but the file management and the transfer of large files were often hampering our progress. Onshape is just a little more agile for us!
Chose Onshape
Onshape is better than Solidworks for online / collaboration. Solidworks is better for the feature set and integration with other tools.
Rhino3D is better at surfacing and workflow with my optical design programs.
I have not used Fusion360 except for evaluating in general so I …
Chose Onshape
I have used Solidworks for over four years, and the vault system is time intensive for control of design history, and revision management. I have used Pro-E for over four years, and this has the capability but is not user-friendly. Not needing high-end computers is another …
Chose Onshape
OnShape was lower cost, with a reasonably comparable set of tools to Inventor and SolidWorks. The cost and ease of assimilation (ability to change mouse and keyboard shortcuts to Solidworks or Inventor controls) made the choice easier.
Chose Onshape
When we started the business we knew we wanted to use Macs for our day to day computer as we do a lot of programming both robot software as well as mobile apps and embedded firmware. This choice limited the number of selections we could look at as companies such as Solidworks …
Chose Onshape
We chose Onshape for a couple of reasons - the first is pricing. We were looking for a light-weight program that packs a heavyweight punch. The ability to access from any computer (Mac or PC) from anywhere is ultimately what sealed the deal for us. For our needs, there wasn't …
Chose Onshape
OnShape is a solid type design tool. Besides that, it provides working on the cloud environment.
Chose Onshape
OnShape is based in the cloud, which comes with all the benefits one would expect vs. desktop based software.

The two main things that lead me to select OnShape were cost and ease of adding new users/working as a team.
Chose Onshape
I've kind of already touched on this, but here's another take:

Onshape vs. Solidworks - Onshape is much cheaper, more usable, and does certain things much much better. It also removes many pain points I feel with Solidworks (SW). However, SW has decades of development and …
Chose Onshape
Onshape is in a different league than sketchup and is multiple times more powerful
Chose Onshape
Ease of use, the fact that it's in the cloud (so fast and always accessible) and intuitive design without clutter. TinkerCAD is only for beginners, Blender is for design and art, fusion 360 is cluttered and confusing, and SolidWorks is pretty close to onshape but its cost and …
Chose Onshape
Onshape wins out by far when it comes to the cloud and syncing aspect. I've had a lot of issues with SW epdm or trying to use Dropbox, or email, and anything that isn't stupidly easy to use is going to get used incorrectly. Onshape developed all of that right in, and it works …
Chose Onshape
I've used Solidworks for Cad and it is very heavy/intense software. Onshape is lightweight and easy to use. Solidworks has more add-ons like simulation and stress analysis which Onshape doesn't.
Chose Onshape
We also use Fusion 360 which is more appropriate for certain projects. We were all SolidWorks users, and we still use it from time to time as well.
Chose Onshape
The main reason that I selected Onshape over Solidworks is that it is significantly cheaper. Additionally, with the cloud-based updates, they are able to add functionality more quickly through updates, so in the long term I think their functionality will outpace that of …
Chose Onshape
Very easy to pick up coming from a SolidWorks background. Clearly it doesn't have quite as much high end functionality, but for basic needs it's just as good.
Chose Onshape
Onshape is a good competitor against other CAD systems. Solidworks and Solidedge still have more features than Onshape, but the gap is shrinking every 3 weeks. There are still some drawing features that have kept my supervisor from switching completely to Onshape himself, but …
Solid Edge
Chose Solid Edge
Solid Edge was excellent at sheetmetal and fabrication design as well as having a good Teamcenter integration
Chose Solid Edge
Better usage, especially when using NX as CAM software as well.
Chose Solid Edge
FreeCAD is often better than Solid Edge 2021 when converting files, but I hope this changes with 2023 NX is overall more powerful, but that is to be expected (and you cant add it above because it is too short for whatever reason).
Chose Solid Edge
First, we were using Autocad in our industry then we switched it to Solid edge. Autocad isn't well suited for 3D drawing and it takes very much time to make 3D in Autocad. In Solid Edge, you can create 3D drawings and convert them into 2D instantly without much effort. You can …
Chose Solid Edge
What makes Solid Edge better than any other of the previously mentioned software is the Synchronous technology feature. This is the ability to integrate 2D and 3D sketching. Without planning ahead you can start modeling from a simple sketch. This makes this software a better …
Chose Solid Edge
Solid Edge is an old technology of design. It is a pioneer of designing features.
Chose Solid Edge
SOLIDWORKS has a really intuitive interface for a traditional CAD package. It is easy to use, easy to learn and is perfectly suited for any user. Solid Edge lacks this ease of use.

Autodesk Inventor is great for personal use as well as in small businesses. It is easy to learn, …
Chose Solid Edge
I have used several programs to model but the one that I liked the most is Solid Edge. With this program you can do anything you need, you can also make assemblies very easily and make plans. Something that it does not have in comparison to others are the commands, if it had …
Chose Solid Edge
It's actually simple Solid Works wins the popularity contest, AutoCad has so many years of user base
Solid Edge wins the functionality portion of any comparison ($ to performance) to any product. eventually, companies realize this after the barrage of marketing. As the owner of …
Chose Solid Edge
I would say it is on par with DraftSight, and better and worse than TurboCAD in performance.
Chose Solid Edge
Solid Edge and SolidWorks can be very similar in the resulting output of parts, assemblies, and drawings.
The difference lies in what goes into getting those results. SolidWorks is held back by slower editing as the parts gain more and more features, and becomes dangerous when …
Chose Solid Edge
I've used both SOLIDWORKS and Solid Edge. I prefer Solid Edge over SOLIDWORKS due to the ease of use. They are pretty similar, but the performance is the same as long as you have a good workstation. The price is less since Siemens owns the Parasolid kernel. It may just be a …
Chose Solid Edge
Synchronous technology stands above the rest by a large margin. Having the ability to perform direct or parametric modeling in the same application is a huge benefit.
Best Alternatives
OnshapeSolid Edge
Small Businesses
ARCHICAD
ARCHICAD
Score 8.6 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
DraftSight
DraftSight
Score 9.3 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
OnshapeSolid Edge
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
5.3
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
OnshapeSolid Edge
Likelihood to Recommend
Onshape shall be used by organizations where cost is a major factor as the license is relatively competitive than the competition. Where Onshape , excels the most is the ability to be operational on any device with internet connection and webbrowser. Onshape doesn't require your hardware to be beefed with Graphic cards (if added better). Where onshape can be better. If they are able to include simulation packages bundled like SOLIDWORKS.
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For simple steel construction, it is great. When you want to do other stuff like electrical wiring, factory planning, etc. it's not great, and the solution you can buy does not fit our needs so we need to develop our own.
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Pros
  • Cloud-based infrastructure and collaboration is a primary benefit.
  • The available documentation is extremely thorough.
  • The ability to integrate with other software for simulation, renderings, etc. is fantastic.
  • Not having to save and being able to clearly see versions and change history is excellent.
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  • Allows designers to work as they choose and not have to acclimate their work for the product's requirements. This results in productive use of Edge, thus an ROI for the company.
  • Manage large (high count of components) assemblies very well. Users spend little to no time trying to overcome speed issue with respect to assemblies.
  • Synchronous Design! This highly productive design process is unique to Edge and very addictive
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Cons
  • I'm a Pro-user but I would like to have the possibility to have a pay-as-use option in some form. Now it is all or nothing (the public sharing of models - and model rights!) is not an option for many not-for-profit projects.
  • On-site hosting might help to sell the cloud concept to the more paranoid management.
  • Basic CAM generation would be awesome
  • Nonparametric modeling in some form or making it easier to use assemblies for those use cases where you want to model some parts and just play around moving things when you are exploring different configurations.
  • Doing Industrial Design type sketching and experimenting is not really a strong point on Onshape
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  • Being used to 2-key and 3-key commands from the keyboard, it would be nice if this was more robust in Solid Edge. The capability of programming keystroke commands exists in Solid Edge, but it would be more user friendly in that regard.
  • Editing hatches can be a challenge.
  • I'm not a fan of the ribbon bar, but that seems to be a feature across software platforms in Windows.
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Likelihood to Renew
Familiarity and ability to work from any location. Also easy to cooperate with potential customers, existing customers, systems users, and fabricating shops. Most of the standard designs are now in On Shape and I would like to continue using it. It is easier to run versions to clarify imrovements to the previous designs
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No answers on this topic
Usability
Onshape is great software and I have no trouble recommending it to CAD users and companies that need to do design work
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As mentioned previously, Siemens Solid Edge is not the most user-friendly of products at all. It requires intense training to make sure that the basics are understood, and after that, there are numerous other training interventions needed to be able to perform expert-level CAD functions. The GUI is not intuitive, as many other packages are, and the features built-in are not well defined. The process to use many of these features is counter-intuitive and requires a mind-shift.
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Support Rating
Been fairly standard experience with support team. Issues have always been addressed, but is understandably focused on business side applications which typically has different issues than education applications. I have very few IT issues with the design side of the software, my issues are more often with the control of users and access
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I have been involved with support and training of Solid Edge for 24 years. Given that I based my business model on support, and have been successful for all these years, I know excellent support. Siemens support for Solid Edge, "GTAC", is the definition of support for a product in every aspect.
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Online Training
I might be biased by coming from using three different CAD softwares in the past, so I already understood many modeling concepts, but the training OS offers is really good. Videos are clear, they explain operations in good detail and besides that OS has a really good help system that explains even more how every tool works.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Onshape is revolutionary. Its advantage is that it can be used without having to download it. You are free to work wherever you want. This means that even if you take a vacation or attend a family event, your work will not be interrupted. You can still bring your work and complete it quickly.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I have used SOLIDWORKS for over four years, and the vault system is time intensive for control of design history, and revision management. I have used Pro-E for over four years, and this has the capability but is not user-friendly. Not needing high-end computers is another great reason to choose Onshape
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SOLIDWORKS has a really intuitive interface for a traditional CAD package. It is easy to use, easy to learn and is perfectly suited for any user. Solid Edge lacks this ease of use. Autodesk Inventor is great for personal use as well as in small businesses. It is easy to learn, produces great models quickly and is very reasonably priced. My personal favourite, Onshape has redefined what CAD is meant to be, as well as the way in which it is meant to be used. It is highly functional, intuitive, and changes the way in which CAD is perceived by the user. It is much more interactive than traditional CAD packages.
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Return on Investment
  • Poindexter By Design provides on demand mechanical engineering services and Onshape is directly responsible for a large portion of our customer base because of how easy it is to share and collaborate design projects. In most cases, we are literally up and running on new projects within an hour directly due to Onshape.
  • It is inevitable that a project will go through some level of scope creep. Poindexter By Design had a project with a 4-week deadline. Initially, we scheduled two engineers on the project but when the project's scope creep set in and the original deadline didn't change, we were very quickly and easily able to bring on a 3rd Poindexter By Design engineer on the project to handle the scope creep and still meet the deadline. Onshape gives our company the ability to very quickly increase our capacity on design projects with little to no effort and to us, this is priceless.
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  • We have purchased a server version of solid edge so for one license 6 people can operate it at a time which is economically all viable.
  • We have integrated it with PLM Teamcenter so we can share drawings and other files across other factories.
  • Solid edge is less famous than Solid Works so sometimes you have to convert it into step files.
  • It is very productive and easy to lean application for everyone.
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ScreenShots