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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)

    Score5.7 out of 10
    N/AGrabCAD Workbench was a CAD collaboration solution that helps designers to manage files and engage partners in the design process. Since August 2022 it has been discontinued.N/A

    SOLIDWORKS

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ADassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

    $1,295

    per year

    Pricing
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Solidworks Annual Subscription
    1,295
    per year
    Solidworks Standard
    3,996
    per standalone license
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    Chose GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    SOLIDWORKS PDM is great because it is connected with your windows explorer, so you can guarantee that you will get the most recent version of the file. You need to remember to regularly update your files when using GrabCAD. SOLIDWORKS PDM has a more useful interface, where you …
    Incentivized
    Dassault Systemes
    Chose SOLIDWORKS
    SOLIDWORKS is actually used by major corporations to design and create products for wide release, whereas Autodesk Inventor is usually only seen as an instructional tool to teach students the basics of 3d modeling so that they can adapt to more complex software with less effort …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Would buy again
    32 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    30 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    24 Answers
    Features
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued) and SOLIDWORKS
    Feature
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    SOLIDWORKS
    8.8
    3 Ratings
    16% above category average
    3D Modeling00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    2D Drafting00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings7.93 Ratings
    Parametric Design00 Ratings7.62 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    Assembly Design00 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings6.22 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings9.42 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.4
    (4 ratings)
    9.7
    (58 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.2
    (16 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)SOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    GrabCad Workbench is well suited for group projects, where all my team members can view the designs at the same time, and by integrating it with CAD software like SolidWorks, all my team members can see the live changes in the projects based on the recommendations received. I can also do conversations with my team, which are project-specific, thus reducing time in email and video conferences. For assemblies, I can generate a Bill of materials with a single click. However, there are some drawbacks like every member needs to have an account in order to sync files with everyone, and the platform requires good internet connectivity otherwise file uploading will be time-consuming.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    As a mechanical engineer, it is one of the best tools to just start modeling and engineering with. The UI tools are intuitive and engineering analysis such Mold Analysis, FEA, are great! Other 3D CAD modeling tools have a longer learning curve to master. All in all, if you're not planning to design an entire airplane with large assembly files, then Solidworks is your tool!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • GrabCAD is the source of truth for the files being used
    • GrabCAD is free
    • Easy to use and get started
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • The collaborative work environment is a cool and useful feature where groups of people can work on the same model at the same time, and SOLIDWORKS ensures that you don't overwrite each other's work.
    • The ease and amount of customization options are very useful for creating a personalized and intuitive user interface, whether SOLIDWORKS is your native CAD package or not.
    • It is very easy to quickly edit a model you have already created. The software allows sketch and feature editing without having to take the time to actually enter the sketch/feature environment.
    • The use of configurations and configurations-specific dimensions in the same sketch is very useful for creating different forms of the same part
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • The software is not intuitive.
    • You must have an account to share files.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • Save DWG 2D files in inches or metric easily, defaults to metric and has to be manually converted to inches
    • When using the sketch feature, the ability to disable ALL references. If I don't know the exact shape and I want to draw/adapt my design, it harshly interprets the references which have no value to me. The easiest exact is to think about when you have a Microsoft Word document that has a lot of formatting, photos, tabs, etc. If you accidentally hit the "enter" key, you can explode the formatting and everything goes crazy. SW does this to me, I just want to "doodle" my sketches, edit/delete/etc and not be bound by arbitrary references.
    • For the sketch feature, ability to use a DraftSight plugin of some sort. I'm super fast in DS, if I could draw using the commands in SW then I would probably never open DS again and convert to SW full time. Currently, I only use SW as a way to convert 3D files so I can build everything in DraftSight.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Dassault Systemes
    We have absolutely no reasons to not keep with SolidWorks for the foreseeable future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Dassault Systemes
    I have been using SOLIDWORKS for around 12 years as of writing this review, so have learned where most things are and how they work. When first starting out it was quite daunting, but the interface is well laid out with like functions near each other which made finding new functions relatively easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    Never needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    We have an unusual arrangement. We don’t pay for support, but we’re partnered with a VAR for second-tier support.
    I work with other users if I have questions but when we’ve had to ask the VAR, they always have answers. It appears that all of the VARs have access to a support platform from DS SOLIDWORKS that helps them answer most questions.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    It’s the bottom of the barrel.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    Onshape is a direct competitor. It has great entry level pricing and it is easy to access with no installation required. Being a web based app there is sometime some lag being based in NZ. Management also have concerns over where the data is stored on the cloud. With SW we can control where it is stored
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • GrabCad Workbench is the best in terms of integration with other CAD software like SolidWorks where live changes can be made to a product.
    • GrabCad Workbench has a common parts library, which allows us to use repetitive parts without redesigning them again and again. Hence saving a lot of time.
    • I can do all the conversations in the file itself, reducing time in email and other modes.
    • It automatically generates BOM for my assembly files.
    • It tracks versions, all the files are updated automatically for all members once a new version is created.
    • It would be good if it can be updated to read drawing and sketch files.
    • The team needs to improve the stability of the platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • Creation of small 3D pieces to generate cash flow.
    • Not being able to create 3D sculptures with this tool, and not being able to fulfill the client's requirements.
    • To be able to sell high visual quality simulations for companies that hire the service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots