Free Onshape Alternative, Private by Default

Tired of Onshape’s free plan making every design public? OwlCAD is free parametric CAD in your browser, private by default. No install, no account to start.

Free browser CAD — and your designs stay private.

OwlCAD is browser-based parametric CAD with editable history, fillets, exact dimensions, and print-aware export. The full editor is free, and unlike Onshape’s free plan your projects are private by default, not public.

Free to use · Private by default · No install

The free CAD that doesn’t make you go public

Everything you need to design for 3D printing in the browser, without putting your work in a public library to use it for free.

Private by default

Your projects are private the moment you make them, autosave to the cloud, and keep a version history you can roll back. Onshape’s free plan makes every document public, so anyone can find and copy it.

Editable parametric history

Re-open a past sketch, boolean, or dimension and the model rebuilds downstream. A real history timeline you can scrub and retro-edit.

Exact dimensions & constraints

Type lengths and angles as you sketch, add coincident / parallel / distance constraints, and measure the model itself: hole radius and diameter, true arc length, face area, and the smallest gap between two parts.

Print-aware, out of the box

True millimetres, printer profiles for Ender 3, Prusa, and Bambu Lab, auto-orient, scale-to-fit, watertight checks, hollowing, and mesh repair before your slicer.

Bring your models with you

Import STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB, STEP, SVG and DXF, with units detected on the way in. Export a file from Onshape and keep building here.

Optional AI generation

Describe a part and get an editable starting point: a parametric model or a sculpted mesh. Included with OwlCAD Pro.

Your AI agent can drive it

OwlCAD runs a hosted MCP server, so Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor can build a part on your account — authoring a real parametric tree, running it through the CAD kernel, rendering it to check its own work, and handing back a print-ready file plus a project you can open and edit. Part of Pro, and it spends no AI credits.

Try it — no account needed to start

Open the editor in your browser and keep your designs your own.

Frequently asked questions

Is OwlCAD a free alternative to Onshape?

Yes. OwlCAD is a free, browser-based parametric CAD with editable history, fillets, exact dimensions, and print-aware export. The full editor is free to use, with an optional Pro plan that adds AI generation.

Are my designs private on the free plan?

Yes. OwlCAD projects are private by default and autosave to the cloud with version history; you publish a read-only share link only when you choose to. Onshape’s free plan, by contrast, requires your documents to be public.

Does OwlCAD run entirely in the browser?

Yes. Nothing to install, on any modern browser. Geometry is evaluated locally in a Web Worker, and you can start modeling without an account.

Can I bring my existing models over?

Import STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB, STEP, SVG and DXF, with units detected on the way in. Export a STEP or mesh from Onshape and keep working in OwlCAD.

OwlCAD · Features · Pricing · Gallery · For schools · AI agents · MCP server · STL editor · STL viewer · 3MF editor · 3MF viewer · OBJ editor · DXF editor · STEP viewer · OBJ viewer · GLB viewer · AI 3D generator · Text to CAD · Model customizer · Customizers gallery · Compare all · vs TinkerCAD · vs Onshape · vs Fusion 360 · vs FreeCAD · vs SelfCAD · vs OpenSCAD · All resources · Getting started · Video tutorials · Help center · Buy me a coffee ☕ · Contact · Changelog · Open editor · Credits · Privacy · Terms