# SketchUp Alternatives 2026: 11 Paid, Free & Open-Source

Source: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/sketchup/
Prices checked: 2026-11-13 (Zekai Price Ledger)

The best SketchUp alternatives in 2026 are Rhino 3D (best overall, $995 one-time), Tinkercad (best free plan: Free web app) and FreeCAD (best open source, LGPL-2.1). SketchUp itself starts at $33.25/mo billed yearly. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 13 Nov 2026; 8 more are compared below, including 4 with a free plan and 4 open source.

| Tool | Type | Starting price | Free plan limit | Licence | Best for | Price checked | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SketchUp (the tool being replaced) | — | $33.25/mo billed yearly | SketchUp Free: web only, non-commercial, 10 GB Trimble Connect | — | — | 2026-11-13 | [pricing](https://sketchup.trimble.com/en/plans-and-pricing) |
| Rhino 3D | Paid | $995 one-time | No free plan | — | Precise professional modeling with a one-time licence | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://www.rhino3d.com) [pricing](https://www.rhino3d.com/buy/) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/rhino-3d/) |
| Shapr3D | Free plan + paid | $24.92/mo billed yearly | 2 projects, basic-resolution STL and 3MF export, generative renders limited | — | Apple Pencil CAD on iPad, Mac and Windows | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://www.shapr3d.com) [pricing](https://www.shapr3d.com/pricing) |
| Planner 5D | Free plan + paid | $59.99/yr | Unlimited projects; no renders listed on the free plan | — | Home and interior planning with renders | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://planner5d.com) [pricing](https://planner5d.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/planner-5d/) |
| Spline | Free plan + paid | $12/mo billed yearly | Limited personal files, watermarked web exports, no AI credits | — | Interactive 3D scenes for websites | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://spline.design) [pricing](https://spline.design/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/spline/) |
| Autodesk Fusion | Free | Free plan; paid price not published | Personal use only: revenue under $1,000, limited CAM, drawings and file types | — | Mechanical parts CAD with a free hobby plan | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview) [pricing](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal) |
| Tinkercad | Free | Free plan; paid price not published | Free app for 3D design, electronics and coding | — | Free beginner 3D modeling in a browser | 2026-11-13 | [site](https://www.tinkercad.com) [pricing](https://www.tinkercad.com/) |
| FreeCAD | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | LGPL-2.1 | Parametric, constraint-based 3D modeling |  | [site](https://www.freecad.org) [code](https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/freecad/) |
| Blender | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 (some files under compatible licences) | Mesh modeling with rendering and animation included |  | [site](https://www.blender.org) [code](https://github.com/blender/blender) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/blender/) |
| SolveSpace | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 | Small constraint-based mechanical CAD |  | [site](https://solvespace.com) [code](https://github.com/solvespace/solvespace) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/solvespace/) |
| OpenSCAD | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-2.0 (with CGAL linking exception) | Code-driven parametric solid models |  | [site](https://openscad.org) [code](https://github.com/openscad/openscad) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/openscad/) |
| Bonsai | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0-or-later | Native IFC building models in Blender |  | [site](https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell) [code](https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/bonsai/) |

## How each alternative compares with SketchUp

- **Rhino 3D** (Paid, $995 one-time, checked 2026-11-13): Sold as a $995 perpetual licence for Windows and Mac with support and service releases included, against SketchUp Pro's $33.25 a month billed yearly subscription. Switch if you prefer a one-time licence over a yearly subscription for professional 3D modeling. Stay with SketchUp if you want a lower yearly cost with LayOut drawings and ready components from the 3D Warehouse.
- **Shapr3D** (Free plan + paid, $24.92/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-13): Runs on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows and visionOS; the free Basic plan is limited to 2 projects and basic-resolution STL and 3MF export, with no team projects or technical drawings. Switch if you design parts with an Apple Pencil on iPad and need clean STL or 3MF output. Stay with SketchUp if you model buildings and interiors and need drawing sheets for documentation.
- **Planner 5D** (Free plan + paid, $59.99/yr, checked 2026-11-13): Premium lists unlimited HD renders and Professional unlimited 4K renders for home and interior plans; the free plan allows unlimited projects but lists no renders. Switch if you plan rooms and furniture layouts for a home and want rendered images for about $5 a month. Stay with SketchUp if you model custom geometry, construction details or large sites.
- **Spline** (Free plan + paid, $12/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-13): Browser 3D design for interactive web scenes; the free plan has no AI credits and watermarks web exports, while Hobby adds 2,000 AI credits a month for 3D, texture and image generation. Switch if you build interactive 3D scenes for websites and want AI texture and 3D generation credits. Stay with SketchUp if you produce architectural models, drawings or site plans for clients.
- **Autodesk Fusion** (Free, Free plan; paid price not published): Its personal-use plan is free for non-commercial projects with annual revenue under $1,000 and limits CAM, electronics, 2D drawings and import-export file types; the free use lasts 1 year. Switch if you design mechanical parts for hobby projects and want CAM and electronics in one app. Stay with SketchUp if you model architecture and need LayOut documentation or 3D Warehouse content.
- **Tinkercad** (Free, Free plan; paid price not published): Autodesk's Tinkercad describes itself as a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics and coding, with no usage limits or paid tiers mentioned on its homepage. Switch if you teach or learn 3D basics and want a free tool that needs no licence. Stay with SketchUp if you need professional modeling with push-pull editing and documentation sheets.
- **FreeCAD** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Parametric solid modeler built on sketches and constraints with editable history, rather than push-pull; the project publishes weekly development builds and a 26.3 release candidate. Switch if you design parts or buildings with exact dimensions and editable parametric history at no cost. Stay with SketchUp if you sketch massing and interiors fast with push-pull and rely on 3D Warehouse and LayOut.
- **Blender** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Mesh modeler with rendering, animation and compositing built in, whereas SketchUp's pricing page lists rendered animations and 360-degree panoramas only on Studio at $71.58 a month billed yearly. Switch if you want free modeling plus photoreal rendering and animation in one application. Stay with SketchUp if you want push-pull modeling of buildings with LayOut drawing sheets.
- **SolveSpace** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Parametric 2D/3D CAD with dimension constraints and a command-line interface; the Emscripten web build is experimental with many known critical bugs. Switch if you draw mechanical parts with dimension constraints and want a small, fast CAD tool. Stay with SketchUp if you model buildings, furniture and sites using push-pull and component libraries.
- **OpenSCAD** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Models are scripts built with constructive solid geometry and extrusion rather than drawn with a mouse; it reads DXF outlines and exports STL and OFF. Switch if you want code-driven, repeatable parametric models for 3D printing or repeated parts. Stay with SketchUp if you design interactively with a mouse and need drawing sheets for clients.
- **Bonsai** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Authors native IFC building models in Blender with 2D drawings, schedules, 4D scheduling and cost plans; its GitHub releases are daily alpha builds marked unstable. Switch if you do BIM authoring in open IFC and can accept alpha software. Stay with SketchUp if you want a polished SketchUp-style tool with LayOut documentation and vendor support.

## Open-source options in detail

- **FreeCAD** (https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD): Licence: LGPL-2.1; Commercial use: Yes (LGPL-2.1); you may use it for paid work.; Runs on: Windows, macOS or Linux desktop; AppImage on Linux, no GPU minimum stated.; Setup: easy: Unpack the bundle or run the AppImage; no installer account.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 35,420 (2026-11-13)
- **Blender** (https://github.com/blender/blender): Licence: GPL-3.0 (some files under compatible licences); Commercial use: Yes (GPL-3.0); share source only if you distribute a modified Blender.; Runs on: Windows, macOS or Linux desktop; GPU advised for rendering, minimums not in README.; Setup: easy: Installers and archives from blender.org; no account needed.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 21,953 (2026-11-13)
- **SolveSpace** (https://github.com/solvespace/solvespace): Licence: GPL-3.0; Commercial use: Yes (GPL-3.0 or later); share source if you distribute a modified build.; Runs on: Windows, macOS or Linux (GTK or Qt); the web build is experimental.; Setup: easy: Release packages, Flatpak or Snap; nightly zips for Windows and macOS.; Last commit: 2026-11-12; Last release: 2026-10-21; GitHub stars: 4,250 (2026-11-13)
- **OpenSCAD** (https://github.com/openscad/openscad): Licence: GPL-2.0 (with CGAL linking exception); Commercial use: Yes (GPL-2.0); share source if you distribute a modified build.; Runs on: Windows, macOS or Linux desktop; WebAssembly builds exist.; Setup: easy: Prebuilt installer, DMG or AppImage; models are written as scripts.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 10,641 (2026-11-13)
- **Bonsai** (https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell): Licence: GPL-3.0-or-later; Commercial use: Yes (GPL-3.0-or-later add-on); share source if you redistribute.; Runs on: Needs Blender on Windows, macOS or Linux; no separate hardware list.; Setup: moderate: Install Blender, then add Bonsai from Blender's Get Extensions tab.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; GitHub stars: 2,953 (2026-11-13)

## Questions

### What is the best alternative to SketchUp in 2026?
Rhino 3D is the best overall SketchUp alternative on this page ($995 one-time). For no cost, Tinkercad has a free plan (Free app for 3D design, electronics and coding). To self-host, FreeCAD is open source (LGPL-2.1).

### Is there a free version of SketchUp?
Yes. SketchUp has a free plan: SketchUp Free: web only, non-commercial, 10 GB Trimble Connect. Paid plans start at $33.25/mo billed yearly, checked on 13 Nov 2026.

### Is there a 100% free alternative to SketchUp?
Yes. FreeCAD, Blender, SolveSpace, OpenSCAD, Bonsai are open source and free to self-host. Shapr3D, Planner 5D, Spline, Autodesk Fusion, Tinkercad have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

### What is cheaper than SketchUp?
Planner 5D starts at $59.99/yr, against $33.25/mo billed yearly for SketchUp, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 13 Nov 2026.

### How much do SketchUp alternatives cost for a team of 5?
If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 13 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Planner 5D $25/mo, Spline $60/mo, Shapr3D $124.60/mo, against SketchUp $166.25/mo for SketchUp. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

### Which is better, Rhino 3D or SketchUp?
Sold as a $995 perpetual licence for Windows and Mac with support and service releases included, against SketchUp Pro's $33.25 a month billed yearly subscription. Choose Rhino 3D if you prefer a one-time licence over a yearly subscription for professional 3D modeling. Stay with SketchUp if you want a lower yearly cost with LayOut drawings and ready components from the 3D Warehouse.

### Why are people leaving SketchUp?
The documented reasons are: SketchUp Free is not for commercial use, free users get no SketchUp support, and Trimble Credits and some 3D Warehouse features need a paid subscription; Trimble Connect gives free users 10 GB (21 Aug 2026); SketchUp for Web does not require a subscription, but some features are unavailable to non-subscribers, and subscribers get unlimited Trimble Connect storage and SketchUp for iPad (9 Oct 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

### Is there an open-source alternative to SketchUp?
Yes. FreeCAD and SolveSpace are open-source CAD tools, OpenSCAD builds models from scripts, Blender is a full 3D suite, and Bonsai adds IFC building models to Blender.

## Related on Zekai

- [AI for Construction & Civil Engineering Excellence](https://zekaiwork.com/professions/ai-construction-engineering-tools/)

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