Autodesk Fusion 360 vs. SketchUp

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk Fusion 360
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Fusion 360 is a cloud-based 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool which integrates design, modeling, and simulation capabilities.
$70
per month
SketchUp
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.
$119
per year
Pricing
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
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
Free
$0.00
per year
For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)
$0
For Students
$55.00
per year
For Educators
$55.00
per year
Studio for Students / Educators (Desktop version)
$55
per year
Shop
$119.00
per year
Pro
$299.00
per year
Professional
$299.00
per year
Studio (Windows only)
$699
per year
Studio
$1199.00
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
Considered Both Products
Autodesk Fusion 360
Chose Autodesk Fusion 360
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 360
Fusion 360 has a complete set of design features come for free. It is a no-brainer solution for my industry.
Chose Autodesk Fusion 360
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 360
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 …
Chose Autodesk Fusion 360
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.
SketchUp
Chose SketchUp
Fusion 360 and Onshape are much more suitable for 3D printing. These tools were not available at the beginning, but SketchUp was. SketchUp's 3D repositories, 3Dwarehouse was bigger than the Thingiverse.com. I used to get 3D files from 3Dwarehouse for my 3D printers on those …
Chose SketchUp
It is a super friendly and very easy to use software that saves many hours of learning about how to use professional 3D rendering and design programs. There's a lot of information about it because it's from Google and it has excellent technical support. It is excellent to …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
Small Businesses
Rhino
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Score 9.1 out of 10
Autodesk Maya
Autodesk Maya
Score 7.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Rhino
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
Likelihood to Recommend
6.1
(15 ratings)
7.8
(46 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.9
(2 ratings)
8.5
(14 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk Fusion 360SketchUp
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
This software has been so easy to use from day one! I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Being an SME, it is offered on an annual basis free of charge. My network of engineers are amazed I am able to accomplish what I have using this software when the companies they come from are paying thousands for licensing. I also would like to note that Autodesk offer an incredible specialization to really round out your skills via Coursera.
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Trimble
Real estate is not really the most likely use for Sketchup, since it has so many choices and possibilities. But, it is an innovative way to differentiate yourself from the competition. The program is very well-suited to the myopic seller or buyer who can't visualize future changes and their effect on value.
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Pros
Autodesk
  • The first PRO of Fusion 360 that always comes to mind is how versatile it is. Fusion 360 is the first CAD/CAM software that also includes other key features that CAD programs of this size don't have.
  • Fusion 360 has a generous licensing structure that gives those just starting out a place to start with a professional level CAD program. As a result, this has helped build up a huge community and user base around Fusion 360.
  • Fusion 360 is updated on a monthly basis. This has proven to be a huge advantage over Solidworks (something else I use) which is only updated once a year. The nice thing about monthly updates, other than regular bug fixes, is that the team can adapt quickly and no one is taken by storm with a big overhaul of the UI or features at the beginning of the year.
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Trimble
  • Quickly exploring solutions in 3D: We get a lot of "what if" and "what would that look like" questions. While hand-sketching and hand-drafting can be fairly quick, SketchUp allows me to quickly create 3D and 2D views of a detail or solution, change dimensions and materials in a flash, and show a client or installer the plan in minutes.
  • Creating professional design documents in LayOut: Projects of any scale need good documentation. Using a combination of SketchUp and LayOut, I can create a Design Intent Set, plans for permitting, a set for mechanical trades to mark-up, etc. Having clear, appropriately-scaled drawings with dimensions or notations is a must, and we don't always have the time or budget to get an architect involved!
  • Using live files to guide discussions: Not all clients are "visual" people, so opening their model and orbiting around their space in real time has been extremely helpful. Clients and trades enjoy the perspective views so much that we often include them in the full-sized drawing sets to give a good "overall" view of the project intent. For complex or tight spaces, sometimes un-rendered plans and elevations just aren't enough!
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Cons
Autodesk
  • Fusion 360 is a very simple program, so once you begin to draw more complex 3D models, the software gets sluggish and loses its fluidity.
  • It would be really nice if Fusion 360 could output a model as a SolidWorks file so I can begin to draw something out in Fusion 360 and then pick it up in SolidWorks when I need to do some more advanced functions.
  • Because Fusion 360 is a simpler program, there are a few functions such as 3D sketches that are not intuitive like all the rest of the functions are.
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Trimble
  • Ability to import Revit files and libraries.
  • Ability to export true curved vector linework. There are some workarounds, needs to be refined.
  • Create an OPEN MAPS connection. Since the split from Google, the source for high-quality aerials is limited.
  • Ability to dock all menus to the master window on a Mac
  • Ability to develop dockable menu trays on a Mac
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Likelihood to Renew
Autodesk
It does everything I need for great value.
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Trimble
We typically wait a few years in between renewing, as even older versions are powerful tools for modeling, and we make sure the amount of feature changes are worth the re-investment.
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Usability
Autodesk
Overall it is just a great piece of software for doing most 3D work. It has everything I need plus more at a great price.
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Autodesk
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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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Performance
Autodesk
It can freeze sometimes while doing heavy tasks.
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Autodesk
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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Trimble
Sketchup is so intuitive; I can't recall ever looking for official support. However, there are many user forums online that can answer more questions. The usefulness of the online forums is, however, tempered by the fact that there have been many versions of the software under different ownership and support regimes, and thus finding the right information for the right version of the software can be a challenge.
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Implementation Rating
Autodesk
No. It is basic and straightforward.
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
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 design workflow. I think it would be difficult to achieve the same amount of workflow efficiency with Autodesk Fusion 360, that said, Autodesk Fusion 360 offers a very good toolset at a much lower cost. I can maintain a yearly subscription of Autodesk Fusion 360 and get about 85% of the functionality that is available via the Inventor design suite for the cost of about 2 months of an Inventor subscription. I then also get access to manufacturing plugins with Autodesk Fusion 360 but lose a lot in the drawing environment. Inventor beats Autodesk Fusion 360 hands down when it comes to documentation.
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Trimble
It's great to give the customer an overview of how a project will look, but it will never replace the information that a blueprint or engineering drawing can convey. SketchUp is great for the casual user or someone who is just getting started in design work. Other high powered software, such as Solidworks or Inventor is more suited for 3D modeling on a regular basis
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Scalability
Autodesk
It offers so much already, and the reason being is that it showed promise early on.
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • It gives me totally positive impacts. Its zero cost eliminates the need to search for other software to use.
  • Fusion 360's Autodesk cloud solution enables me to use 3d files generated via other Autodesk design software that are widely used by my customers.
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Trimble
  • SketchUp has definitely had a positive impact on the customer experience with our company. The model can be generated to give the owner a good idea of the final product before actually committing the resources to complete the project.
  • Having simple models created before the work gets started in the field means that issues with elevations or odd angles can be ironed out beforehand and solved with the design team. This has greatly reduced the rework on our more complex self-perform concrete structures!
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