Top CAD Software Companies and Their Best-Selling Products

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drives product development across engineering, architecture, construction, and manufacturing. This guide summarizes the top CAD vendors, their flagship products, why those products lead their markets, who uses them, and the strengths that make them best-sellers.

Autodesk — AutoCAD • Revit • Fusion 360

Flagship products: AutoCAD (2D/3D drafting), Revit (BIM for architecture & MEP), and Fusion 360 (cloud-native CAD/CAM/CAE).

Why it sells: long market history, broad industry adoption, and a wide portfolio across AEC, manufacturing, and media.
Best for: architects, civil engineers, mechanical designers, and makers who need integrated design-to-manufacture workflows.
Key strengths: extensive file compatibility, strong BIM ecosystem, and cloud collaboration via Autodesk cloud services.
Business model: subscription licensing with product and industry bundles for teams and enterprise use.

Dassault Systèmes — SOLIDWORKS • CATIA

Flagship products: SOLIDWORKS (mechanical design for SMBs) and CATIA (high-end systems and aerospace/automotive design).

Why it sells: SOLIDWORKS delivers an approachable yet powerful 3D CAD experience for product engineering; CATIA targets complex, multi-discipline product development.
Best for: product designers, mechanical engineering teams, OEMs in automotive and aerospace, and companies needing PLM integration.
Key strengths: user productivity, strong parametric modeling, large partner ecosystem, and deep PLM/simulation integrations across the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
Business model: seat licenses and subscription options; enterprise PLM on 3DEXPERIENCE for larger deployments.

PTC — Creo • Onshape

Flagship products: Creo (parametric and direct hybrid CAD for engineering) and Onshape (cloud-native collaborative CAD).

Why it sells: Creo is trusted for robust mechanical engineering at scale; Onshape appeals to distributed teams requiring cloud collaboration and embedded PDM.
Best for: manufacturing firms, engineering teams focused on complex assemblies, and companies moving to cloud workflows.
Key strengths: advanced modeling, integrated simulation/analysis, and cloud-first collaboration (Onshape).
Business model: subscription licensing with tiers for professional and enterprise use; cloud subscriptions for Onshape.

Siemens Digital Industries — NX • Solid Edge

Flagship products: SX (high-end NX for advanced engineering) and Solid Edge (mid-market mechanical CAD with synchronous technology).

Why it sells: NX serves large OEMs with complex engineering needs; Solid Edge provides a flexible, modern toolset for SMBs.
Best for: automotive and aerospace OEMs (NX) and mid-sized manufacturers seeking fast concept-to-production workflows (Solid Edge).
Key strengths: powerful parametric and synchronous modeling, digital twin and PLM interoperability, and strong CAE/CAM toolchains.
Business model: modular licensing and enterprise agreements tied to Teamcenter PLM for wider deployments.

Bentley Systems — MicroStation • OpenBuildings

Flagship products: MicroStation for infrastructure CAD and OpenBuildings for building design and BIM workflows.

Why it sells: deep focus on infrastructure, strong support for DGN workflows, and enterprise features for project teams and asset owners.
Best for: civil engineers, infrastructure designers, and firms working on large public works, transit, and utilities projects.
Key strengths: scalable project collaboration, GIS interoperability, and asset lifecycle management.

Trimble — SketchUp

Flagship product: SketchUp — a fast, intuitive 3D modelling tool widely used in architecture, interior design and concept visualization.

Why it sells: extremely approachable learning curve, huge model library (3D Warehouse), and strong visualization/export workflows.
Best for: architects, interior designers, landscape designers, and consultants who need quick 3D mockups and client-ready visuals.
Key strengths: ease of use, ecosystem of plugins and extensions, and web/mobile viewers for client presentations.

Hexagon / Bricsys — BricsCAD • MSC (Hexagon)

Flagship products: BricsCAD (DWG-native CAD with BIM & mechanical toolsets) and Hexagon’s domain tools such as MSC for CAE and metrology solutions.

Why it sells: BricsCAD offers a cost-effective DWG alternative with modern toolsets; Hexagon’s portfolio integrates measurement, simulation and CAD workflows.
Best for: firms seeking DWG compatibility without the higher subscription costs and users requiring integrated measurement-to-design toolchains.
Key strengths: DWG compatibility, modular toolsets (BIM, Mechanical, Sheet Metal), and strong CAE/metrology integrations via Hexagon divisions.

How to Choose the Right CAD Product

Match tool to workflow: AEC teams should prioritise BIM-capable platforms (Revit, OpenBuildings), while product engineering needs parametric CAD (Creo, SolidWorks, NX).
Evaluate collaboration needs: cloud CAD (Onshape, Fusion 360) excels for distributed teams; traditional desktop CAD may suit secure on-premise workflows.
Consider total cost of ownership: seat licenses, subscription tiers, maintenance, training, and integrations with PLM/CAE all affect long-term cost.
Assess ecosystem and talent pool: choose tools that your local hiring market supports to simplify recruitment and training.