DraftSight
DraftSight is a 2D CAD software product line owned by Dassault Systèmes, offering professional DWG drafting, 3D modeling, and cloud collaboration. It serves architects, engineers, manufacturers, and designers as a cost-effective alternative to AutoCAD across global enterprise and SMB markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWaltham, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DraftSight does
DraftSight is a 2D and 3D CAD software product line owned by Dassault Systèmes SE, the publicly traded French parent of SOLIDWORKS and CATIA. Founded around 2010–2011 and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, DraftSight provides a desktop drafting application with native support for all DWG/DXF/DGN file versions, advanced drafting tools (layers, hatching, snapping, splines), automation features (batch printing, automatic dimensioning, dynamic blocks, sheet set management), AutoLISP scripting, and API extensibility. The portfolio is tiered: DraftSight Professional ($299/yr) for individuals and small teams, Premium ($599/yr) adding 3D modeling, STEP import, BIM module (.ifc, .rvt, .rva), Sheet Set Manager, and DGN export, and Enterprise/Enterprise Plus tiers offering concurrent network licensing shared with the SOLIDWORKS license manager. A cloud variant on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and a Collaborative Designer add-on extend the product into browser-based remote access and team workflows.
The business model blends annual subscriptions (Professional, Premium, Enterprise) with optional perpetual licensing, distributed through direct online e-commerce, a self-serve 30-day free trial, enterprise field sales with demo/quote flows, and a global reseller network of SOLIDWORKS-certified partners who handle multi-server deployments and technical support. Pricing is positioned at up to 70% below AutoCAD ($2,030/yr) — the company's core value proposition — making it a cost-displacement alternative rather than a feature-led challenger. Customers span architecture/engineering/construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, industrial services, facilities management, landscape design, and education/hobbyists, with named enterprise users including Knapheide Manufacturing, Sealed Air, ERIKS, Dumaco, and Superheat. As a product line within Dassault Systèmes' broader engineering software portfolio, DraftSight is not independently funded and does not publicly disclose revenue; its strategic role is to defend and extend the parent's CAD installed base against Autodesk by offering a low-cost, DWG-compatible 2D entry point that shares licensing, data formats, and platform infrastructure with SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, and the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud.
DraftSight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DraftSight
- Legal name
- Dassault Systèmes SE
- Website
- https://draftsight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- DraftSight is a 2D CAD software product line owned by Dassault Systèmes, offering professional DWG drafting, 3D modeling, and cloud collaboration. It serves architects, engineers, manufacturers, and designers as a cost-effective alternative to AutoCAD across global enterprise and SMB markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where DraftSight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waltham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
DraftSight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Subscriptions: Annual subscription model for DraftSight Professional, Premium, and Enterprise tiers. Includes flexible licensing options with named-user, network, and perpetual licensing.
- Perpetual Licenses: One-time purchase option for long-term use without recurring subscription costs. Network licensing available for enterprise deployments.
- Enterprise Network Licensing: Network license deployment allowing multiple users to share licenses across organization, optimized for large teams and rotating staff.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | DraftSight Professional - Core 2D CAD for individuals and small teams |
| Subscription | Annual | DraftSight Premium - Advanced 2D CAD with 3D capabilities |
| Subscription | Annual | DraftSight Network - Enterprise concurrent usage licensing |
| Subscription | Annual | DraftSight Enterprise Plus - Network license with premium features |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | 30-day Free Trial |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
DraftSight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DraftSight sells professional 2D CAD desktop software for creating, editing, viewing, and sharing DWG, DXF, and DGN files, with options for 3D modeling, BIM integration, and cloud collaboration. The portfolio includes tiered editions (Professional, Premium, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus) sold via annual subscriptions, perpetual licenses, or network licensing. It is offered by Dassault Systèmes and integrates natively with SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, and the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform.
Product overview
DraftSight is a 2D CAD software product line from Dassault Systèmes (parent company of SOLIDWORKS and CATIA) offering a tiered portfolio of desktop and cloud-based solutions. The portfolio includes DraftSight Professional (core 2D drafting with API/Autolisp), DraftSight Premium (adds 3D modeling, BIM, Custom Blocks, Sheet Set Manager), and DraftSight Enterprise/Enterprise Plus (network licensing for large teams). DraftSight products integrate natively with SOLIDWORKS and CATIA, and cloud versions connect to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for collaboration. Additional offerings include DraftSight Mechanical for mechanical design and Collaborative Designer for cloud access. The software is priced at $299/year for Professional and $599/year for Premium (with 15% anniversary discount active), offering up to 70% cost savings compared to competitors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DraftSight Professional: Professional 2D CAD software with essential drafting tools, automation features like LISP routines and Dynamic Blocks.
- DraftSight Premium
- DraftSight Enterprise
- DraftSight Enterprise Plus
- DraftSight Mechanical
- 3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight
- Collaborative Designer for DraftSight
Products and services
- DraftSight Professional Entry-level 2D CAD software offering drafting, editing, viewing, and sharing of DWG, DXF, and DGN files with automation features including AutoLISP routines, Dynamic Blocks, and API access. Targeted at individual professionals and small teams needing professional-grade 2D drafting tools.
- DraftSight Premium Advanced 2D and 3D CAD software combining professional drafting with 3D modeling capabilities. Includes Custom Blocks, Sheet Set Manager, STEP Import, DGN Export, BIM Module, and API support. Targeted at architects, engineers, manufacturers, and designers requiring both 2D and 3D capabilities.
- DraftSight Enterprise Network license-based 2D CAD software for large organizations requiring concurrent usage across multiple users or sites. Includes easy deployment wizard, full technical support from SOLIDWORKS-certified partners, and all DraftSight Professional features. Targeted at enterprise customers with multi-site deployments and shared license pools.
- DraftSight Enterprise Plus Enhanced enterprise tier offering all Enterprise features plus Custom Blocks and Sheet Set Manager for advanced project organization and productivity. Targeted at large organizations needing both network licensing and premium drafting features.
- DraftSight on 3DEXPERIENCE Platform Cloud-connected version of DraftSight Professional and Premium enabling secure remote access, real-time collaboration, and integration with the broader 3DEXPERIENCE platform ecosystem. Targeted at distributed teams and organizations requiring browser-based access to design data and additional design, simulation, and manufacturing tools.
- Collaborative Designer for DraftSight Cloud connectivity add-on for DraftSight enabling remote access to design data and additional design, simulation, manufacturing, and management tools from any browser. Targeted at DraftSight users requiring browser-based collaboration and hybrid work environments.
- DraftSight Mechanical Advanced tools package for 2D mechanical design offered as part of DraftSight's comprehensive CAD solution portfolio. Targeted at mechanical engineers and product designers requiring specialized 2D mechanical design capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 70% cost savings compared to AutoCAD ($2,030/year vs $599/year for Premium)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DraftSight
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DraftSight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature9 records
DraftSight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Dassault Systèmes (Parent Company)coreDraftSight is a trusted 2D CAD software product from Dassault Systèmes, creators of industry-leading SOLIDWORKS and CATIA. DraftSight is part of the comprehensive portfolio of engineering solutions under the Dassault Systèmes umbrella.
- SOLIDWORKScoreDraftSight integrates with SOLIDWORKS for data continuity, shared licensing pools, and standardized design formats. Existing SOLIDWORKS customers can add DraftSight licenses to existing network license pools. Seamless interoperability between DraftSight 2D and SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD.
- CATIAcoreDraftSight is built by the creators of CATIA and offers full compatibility with industry-standard file formats. DraftSight Premium integrates smoothly with Dassault Systèmes design tools including CATIA.
- 3DEXPERIENCE PlatformcoreDraftSight connects to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for cloud-based product development environment. Enables secure remote access to design data, collaboration tools, and additional design, simulation, manufacturing, and management tools accessible from any browser.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DraftSight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BricsCAD: Bricsys's BricsCAD is a DWG-native 2D/3D CAD product with tiered pricing, network licensing, and AI-assisted features — the closest functional peer to DraftSight in both target customer and value proposition.
- TurboCAD: IMSI Design's TurboCAD offers 2D drafting and 3D modeling at consumer-friendly pricing, overlapping with DraftSight Professional in serving individual professionals, education, and SMB buyers.
- nanoCAD: Nanosoft's nanoCAD is an affordable DWG-native 2D/3D CAD product aimed at the same AutoCAD-displacement niche as DraftSight, including a free entry-level tier that competes at the bottom of the market.
- ZWCAD: ZWSOFT's ZWCAD is a DWG-compatible 2D CAD alternative positioned on affordability, with particularly strong adoption in Asia. Direct overlap with DraftSight in serving cost-sensitive AutoCAD replacements.
Emerging players
- FreeCAD: Open-source parametric 3D modeler with 2D drafting capabilities. Relevant where DraftSight Premium's 3D features overlap with free tools, particularly in education and individual professional segments.
- Onshape: PTC's cloud-native CAD platform with strong collaboration features. Comparable to DraftSight on 3DEXPERIENCE in the cloud/collaboration dimension, though focused on 3D mechanical design rather than 2D drafting.
- LibreCAD: Open-source 2D CAD application. Relevant as a free alternative at the hobbyist/education end of DraftSight's funnel and as a pricing benchmark for the lower-tier Professional offering.
Broad incumbents
- AutoCAD: Autodesk's flagship 2D/3D CAD product and the dominant incumbent DraftSight directly competes against. Same DWG-native category, similar target buyer (architects, engineers, manufacturers), but priced significantly higher and bundled with Autodesk's much broader AEC/manufacturing portfolio.
- Fusion 360: Autodesk's cloud-based 2D/3D CAD/CAM/CAE platform. Overlaps with DraftSight Premium's 2D+3D positioning and with 3DEXPERIENCE-connected CAD, but sits inside Autodesk's broader subscription portfolio.
- Solid Edge 2D Drafting: Siemens's CAD portfolio includes 2D drafting capabilities alongside its 3D mechanical design focus. Relevant as a broad-incumbent competitor, particularly for manufacturers evaluating DraftSight against integrated Siemens toolchains.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DraftSight social profiles
Digital presenceDraftSight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DraftSight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
DraftSight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DraftSight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DraftSight
What does DraftSight do?
DraftSight sells professional 2D CAD desktop software for creating, editing, viewing, and sharing DWG, DXF, and DGN files, with options for 3D modeling, BIM integration, and cloud collaboration. The portfolio includes tiered editions (Professional, Premium, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus) sold via annual subscriptions, perpetual licenses, or network licensing. It is offered by Dassault Systèmes and integrates natively with SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, and the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform.
Is DraftSight a public or private company?
DraftSight is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was DraftSight founded?
DraftSight was founded in 2011. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is DraftSight based?
DraftSight is headquartered in Waltham, United States, in the North America region.
How does DraftSight make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Software Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are perpetual Licenses and enterprise Network Licensing.
Who are DraftSight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BricsCAD, TurboCAD, nanoCAD and ZWCAD. Emerging players are FreeCAD, Onshape and LibreCAD. Broad incumbents are AutoCAD, Fusion 360 and Solid Edge 2D Drafting.
Does DraftSight have an API?
Yes. DraftSight includes API support for customization and workflow automation. The Professional and Premium versions include Autolisp support and API access for customizing DraftSight to user workflows. This enables developers and advanced users to extend DraftSight functionality through custom scripts and automation routines.