A free Onshape alternative where your files stay on your computer

Why look beyond Onshape

Onshape proved that serious CAD can run in a browser. Its free plan, though, is meant for hobby use, requires an account, and makes documents public. Commercial use needs a paid plan. If you want private designs, commercial use and no sign-up, Trevolyx is worth a look.

How they differ

Check Onshape's site for its current plans. Not in v1 yet: simulation (FEA), 3D Sketch, Markup and MBD auto dimensioning. FEA is planned next.

Moving designs over

1. In Onshape, right-click a Part Studio or Assembly tab and Export as STEP.
2. In Trevolyx, click Open and choose the STEP file.
3. Add features on top, or rebuild key parts parametrically using the original as a reference.

When Onshape is the better fit

If your team edits the same model at the same time from different places, Onshape's cloud collaboration is hard to beat. Trevolyx is a single-user tool that keeps files local, which suits students, freelancers and small shops who care about privacy and cost.

How the two approaches differ

Onshape is a cloud CAD: the geometry is computed on its servers and your documents live in its cloud. That makes real-time collaboration easy, but it also means you need an account and a steady internet connection, and on the free plan your documents are public. Trevolyx computes geometry on your own computer and saves files where you choose. There is no account, and nothing you design is visible to anyone else.

Neither approach is wrong. If you need several people editing the same model at the same time, a cloud tool fits. If you work alone, care about privacy, have patchy internet or simply want files you own, a local browser CAD fits better.

Moving models between them

Both programs read and write STEP. Export a STEP from one and import it into the other to carry geometry across. Feature history does not transfer between any two CAD programs, so plan to keep editing in whichever tool you made the model in, and use STEP as the hand-off.

Who should choose Trevolyx

Students who do not want their coursework public, freelancers handling client designs under NDA, small shops that need sheet metal flat patterns and weldment cut lists, and anyone who prefers a SolidWorks-style layout. It is free for commercial use, with one small ad on the start screen and none while you model.

Slow connections

Once Trevolyx has loaded in your browser, modelling happens on your machine, so a slow or dropping connection does not freeze the model or lose edits. That suits students on mobile data and engineers visiting factories with weak signal. Save to your own disk with Ctrl+S and your files are there next time.

Cloud CAD has real advantages for teams, such as built-in version history and sharing links. If you need those with Trevolyx, keep your files in a shared drive or a git repository and use STEP for exchanges with partners.

What Trevolyx covers

Trevolyx is a parametric modeller with sketches, solid and surface features, sheet metal with flat pattern DXF export, weldments with a CSV cut list, assemblies with mates and exploded views, and drawings with section and detail views, balloons and a bill of materials. Equations, design tables and configurations handle families of parts.

It also has an Evaluate tab with measure, mass and section properties, interference detection, clearance verification, draft and thickness analysis, and curvature and zebra stripe display.

Honest gaps

Trevolyx has no real-time multi-user editing, no version control built into a cloud, no app store and no simulation (FEA), 3D Sketch, Markup or MBD in v1. Onshape includes cloud collaboration and version history in its product. If those matter more than private local files, Onshape is the better fit. Check Onshape's own plan pages for current terms.

Feature by feature: Trevolyx and Onshape Free

Onshape facts come from the Onshape Free plan page and the pricing page linked under Sources. Plans change, so check those pages before deciding.

Migrating from Onshape to Trevolyx

1. In Onshape, open the document, right-click the Part Studio or Assembly tab and choose Export.
2. Pick STEP as the format and download the file. For an assembly you plan to re-mate, also export each part as its own STEP file.
3. In Trevolyx, click Open and choose the STEP file. It opens as exact geometry you can measure and build on.
4. Check the import with Measure and Mass Properties on the Evaluate tab, then add features or rebuild critical parts parametrically.
5. Make drawings in Trevolyx and save them as PDF or DXF. Keep the original Onshape document as an archive, because feature history and PDM history do not transfer through STEP.
6. To send work back to Onshape users, export STEP from Trevolyx and import it in Onshape.

When not to switch from Onshape

Stay with Onshape if several people edit the same model at the same time, or if your team depends on its built-in PDM and change tracking. Stay if you design on an iPad or phone, since Trevolyx is a desktop browser tool. Stay if your work relies on features that Trevolyx does not have in v1, such as simulation (FEA), 3D Sketch, Markup or MBD.

Trevolyx is the better fit when designs must stay private without a paid plan, when the work is commercial, or when you want files on your own disk with no account. If you are on a paid Onshape plan and your team is happy, there is little reason to move.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• FreeCAD alternative
• SolidWorks alternative
• Trevolyx guides and features
• Open Trevolyx

Sources

Competitor details checked on their official pages on 5 November 2026. Plans change; please confirm there.

• Onshape Free plan (onshape.com)
• Onshape plans and pricing (onshape.com)