A side-by-side table of OwlCAD against TinkerCAD, Onshape, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, SelfCAD and OpenSCAD: browser, free tier, parametric history, privacy and export.
OwlCAD is free, browser-based parametric CAD for 3D printing — with editable history, fillets, and print-aware export, and your projects are private by default. Here is how it lines up against the tools makers compare it with.
Runs in browser (no install): OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD yes, Onshape (free) yes, Fusion 360 yes (Autodesk account), FreeCAD no (desktop app), SelfCAD yes, OpenSCAD no (desktop app). Free tier: OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD yes, Onshape (free) yes, Fusion 360 yes (non-commercial), FreeCAD yes (open source), SelfCAD yes, OpenSCAD yes (open source). Parametric editable history: OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) yes, Fusion 360 yes, FreeCAD yes, SelfCAD no (mesh modeller), OpenSCAD yes (script). Fillets / chamfers: OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) yes, Fusion 360 yes, FreeCAD yes, SelfCAD yes, OpenSCAD varies. Private by default: OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) no (documents public), Fusion 360 varies, FreeCAD varies, SelfCAD yes, OpenSCAD yes (local files). STL / 3MF / STEP export: OwlCAD yes, TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) yes, Fusion 360 yes, FreeCAD yes, SelfCAD varies (STL, PLY, DAE), OpenSCAD varies (STL, 3MF). AI generation: OwlCAD yes (Pro), TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) varies, Fusion 360 varies, FreeCAD varies, SelfCAD yes (Pro), OpenSCAD varies. AI agent access (MCP): OwlCAD yes (Pro), TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) varies, Fusion 360 varies, FreeCAD varies, SelfCAD varies, OpenSCAD varies. Open source: OwlCAD no, TinkerCAD varies, Onshape (free) varies, Fusion 360 varies, FreeCAD yes, SelfCAD varies, OpenSCAD yes.
A check means yes, a cross means no, and a dash (“—”) means it varies by plan or version, or isn’t the tool’s focus. Competitor entries reflect only well-documented facts: Onshape’s free plan requires documents to be public, Fusion 360 runs on the desktop and in the browser, both needing an Autodesk account, and its free tier is a non-commercial personal-use licence, FreeCAD is open-source desktop software, SelfCAD’s own FAQ describes it as a mesh modeller exporting STL, PLY, DAE and SVG, and OpenSCAD is a script-driven desktop program under the GPL. AI generation is part of OwlCAD Pro.
Browser CAD is 3D modelling that runs in a tab: the modelling kernel is compiled to WebAssembly and executes on your own machine, so there is nothing to install and nothing to license. The tools differ more than the category suggests, and four things decide which one fits.
No download, no admin rights, no licence server — which is the whole reason it works on a school Chromebook, a locked-down work laptop, or a borrowed machine. The same tool behaves the same on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, because the browser is the runtime.
Direct and mesh editors move geometry: you push vertices and what you pushed is what you have. Parametric CAD records the operations instead, so a dimension stays editable and changing it rebuilds the model. That distinction only matters later — the first time a part has to fit something and the bracket needs to be 2 mm wider.
For printing you want print-ready STL or 3MF that a slicer accepts without repair. If the work has to leave the tool — into a colleague’s CAD, or a machine shop — you want STEP, which carries an editable solid rather than a shell of triangles. A tool that only exports its own project format keeps your work where it was made.
Honestly: the browser is not the constraint people expect, but it is a constraint. Modelling runs on your machine’s memory and GPU, so very large imported meshes are the practical ceiling long before parametric solids are. Heavy simulation and large multi-part assemblies still belong on the desktop. For designing a printable part, the ceiling is far above what most prints need.
Open OwlCAD in your browser and see the difference for yourself.
It depends on how far you need to go. OwlCAD and TinkerCAD run entirely in the browser with nothing to install; Onshape also runs in the browser, but its free plan makes your documents public; Fusion runs both on the desktop and in the browser, and FreeCAD is desktop-only. OwlCAD sits between TinkerCAD’s beginner simplicity and full desktop CAD: free, browser-based, parametric with editable history and fillets, private by default, and print-aware.
TinkerCAD is a beginner-friendly cloud tool for basic block modeling. OwlCAD is also browser-based and free, but adds an editable parametric history, real edge fillets and chamfers, exact dimensions and STEP export: the parametric CAD tools you reach for once you outgrow block modeling, still with nothing to install.
Both run in the browser and are parametric, but Onshape’s free plan requires your documents to be public. OwlCAD projects are private by default and only become shareable through a read-only link when you choose. OwlCAD is focused on designing parts for 3D printing rather than large professional assemblies.
No. OwlCAD runs in any modern browser with nothing to download and no account needed to start. Fusion needs an Autodesk account whichever way you run it, and its free tier is a non-commercial personal-use licence; FreeCAD is open-source desktop software you install per operating system.
No. FreeCAD is open-source desktop software; OwlCAD is a free hosted web app, not open source. If a fully open-source, offline tool is a hard requirement, FreeCAD is the better fit; if you want zero-install, print-aware, private-by-default modeling in the browser, OwlCAD is built for that.
Yes. Describe a part in plain text and OwlCAD can return an editable parametric model or a sculpted mesh. AI generation is part of the paid Pro plan (free accounts get zero AI credits and can still model, import, and export by hand).