Autodesk Fusion vs. Onshape

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk Fusion
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Fusion is a cloud-based 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool which integrates design, modeling, and simulation capabilities.
$70
per month per user
Onshape
Score 6.4 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
Pricing
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Editions & Modules
Fusion 360 - Paid Monthly
$70
per month per user
Fusion 360 - Paid Annually
$545
per year per user
Fusion 360 - 3 Years
$1635
3 years per user
Standard
1,500
per year per user
Professional
2,500
per year per user
Enterprise
Contact sales team
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
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
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Considered Both Products
Autodesk Fusion
Chose Autodesk Fusion
They are mainly related to CAD-type software, which is useful for modeling/design, although in a different area. In this case, Fusion is used because it is for mechanical-type models used in prototyping that are not related to some aspect of electronics, which differentiates it …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Solidworks wins hands down. I will be cancelling Fusion 360 as I have realised Fusion 360 is a budget package with no support.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk Inventor excels at daily core engineering tasks. When integrated with Vault management systems and part libraries, Autodesk Inventor is tough to beat when you need a mechanical design solution. When Inventor and Vault are setup properly it allows for a very efficient …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
AutoCAD software is more complex than Autodesk Fusion 360. In addition, I can find many training videos of the Autodesk Fusion 360 program.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
No we can’t compare these softwares from each other’s but yes this Autodesk Fusion [360] is a great tool for printing 3d models which gives you full control over elements
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Both [Autodesk] Fusion 360 and SolidWorks are far beyond any open source project or 2-D oriented software. Compared to SolidWorks, [Autodesk] Fusion 360 comes packaged with more functionality without needing to purchase additional add-ons for each function.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
There are quite a few 3D modeling tools out there, but few of them hit Fusion 360's sweet spot. Blender is powerful (and conveniently open source), but comes with a lifetime's worth of overkill if you're designing parts for printing rather than on-screen animation and graphics. …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Before Fusion 360 I was mostly using Open Source solutions like OpenSCAD and FreeCAD. They are great but it took a lot of time to master them and you are working slower than with Fusion 360. They are less stable as well. I'm going back to OpenSCAD only with very specific models …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the most modern and robust professional CAD program on the market. It has its quirks (as with any robust piece of software), but overall it provides a lot more functionality than the traditional CAD programs -- Solidworks, Creo, and Autodesk Inventor. If it …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the second-most powerful software of the three, SolidWorks being the best. Fusion 360 is an excellent step into making 3D CAD available to more people, but there are definitely still kinks they need to work out. The software gets sluggish and slow at times, but …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 has a complete set of design features come for free. It is a no-brainer solution for my industry.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 has a basic feel with not too many tools to learn basic design. It easy allows for the creation of small prototypes and is a great way to start learning how to design.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Sketchup is much more user-friendly than Google Sketch-up for anyone who has had experience with traditional solid modeling softwares like Solidworks or Autodesk Inventor. Google Sketchup feels almost backwards in workflow and seems much more geared to designers or people who …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion's tools are more intuitive, and it is more aimed at the novice, but also features tools that even the more professional software doesn't have. Make no mistake, Fusion 360 is just as, if not more powerful than most of the other packages that cost even 10x more. Fusion360 …
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 is the best rendering application that combines professionalism and usability, all in a user-friendly design, easy to understand and learn to use. It has powerful tools that any user with or without experience can draw on.
Chose Autodesk Fusion
Fusion 360 beats all of those programs because of its ease-of-use. You can really do whatever you want with this program without the need to spend hours and hours of modeling or overthinking your piece. It also has the pro that you can try it for free so you don't need to pay …
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 …
Features
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk Fusion
7.6
Ratings
3% above category average
Onshape
-
Ratings
3D Modeling9.80 Ratings00 Ratings
2D Drafting7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Parametric Design5.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats9.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Assembly Design5.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis4.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 6.4 out of 10
ARCHICAD
ARCHICAD
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 6.4 out of 10
DraftSight
DraftSight
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.4 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.5
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.9
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk FusionOnshape
Likelihood to Recommend
Most of my work with Fusion 360 has focused on its 3D modeling capabilities, and its liberal licensing policies for hobbyists has made it popular in that space. It focuses on a "mechanical engineering" approach to modeling rather than artistic, organic sculpting. While it's less rigid than its big brother AutoCAD, making the most of it will require thinking about the structure of your model rather than simply its appearance. That emphasis means it's fantastic for producing mechanical parts, and it can simulate how multiple separate parts will interlock and work with each other in 3D printed devices. This makes using it to design hinges and other moving mechanisms orders of magnitudes simpler; it also preserves an ongoing, editable history of the part being modeled. Realizing you need to tweak the tolerances on a part halfway through the design is fairly easy; you can go back any number of steps in the model's creation and modify the parameters used on a specific part, changing a hole's width or a groove's depth without altering any other parts of the model. The downside of this CAD-like power is that it's much less capable of "sculpting" organic models. Tools like ZBrush, Rhino, and even Blender are a better choice there.
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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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Pros
  • Fusion 360 is incredible at enabling me to quickly and efficiently capture the ideas that I have in my head and output them as 3D models without having to do any intense drawings. I use this all the time to model small, less important parts of our products during the prototyping phase.
  • The software is really good at helping even the least experienced designers get acclimated to the software extremely quickly. Having a quick-access help manual and easy to navigate functions made the software feel almost second-nature the first time I used it.
  • Fusion 360 has the functionality to save all of your files online, so you can draw something out on one computer and move to another one that has the software and pick up right where you left off. I use this function all the time when I am when I work at a computer that is not mine.
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  • 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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Cons
  • Even though it has a very good cloud software, Fusion 360 gets very laggy when using slow internet connections.
  • Fusion 360 uses a vast amount of your device's memory. It is recommended to select the RAM value as high as possible on your device.
  • Fusion 360's sculpting and retopology features are behind the competing software on the market.
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  • 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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Likelihood to Renew
It does everything I need for great value.
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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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Usability
Because the tool is very useful and easy to access, it provides very basic and useful tools to start in the modeling part despite being basic processing aspects. It is also very easy to get a free, temporary, or student license, which makes it a very good CAD tool.
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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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Reliability and Availability
Sometimes I like using it on Saturday nights. Unfortunately, they usually do their updates at this time and it isn't available to use.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
It can freeze sometimes while doing heavy tasks.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Support is conducted via internet Q&A boards; newcomers to 3D modeling may find that articulating their questions in the language of CAD software is the tricky part — once they find the right technical term for what they're trying to accomplish, answers come quickly. Autodesk also provides a large library of educational tutorial videos that make the initial process of learning Fusion 360's interface much easier.
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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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Online Training
No answers on this topic
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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Implementation Rating
No. It is basic and straightforward.
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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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Alternatives Considered
No we can’t compare these softwares from each other’s but yes this Autodesk Fusion [360] is a great tool for printing 3d models which gives you full control over elements
Read full review
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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Scalability
It offers so much already, and the reason being is that it showed promise early on.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Fusion 360 has had a positive impact on our ROI. Specifically, being able to cut down on iterations by presenting 3-Dimensional designs to stakeholders earlier on in the process.
  • Fusion 360 also has had a positive impact on our ROI in terms of manufacturing. Although not all manufacturers have in-house personnel trained in Fusion360 specifically, we have found that it is so easy to pick up if one is experienced in another CAD program. Its ease of use and ability to share files with others has saved a ton of time and money.
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  • 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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ScreenShots