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CAD · head to head

ANSYS Fluent vs BricsCAD

ANSYS Fluent logo

ANSYS Fluent

CAD

Computational fluid dynamics solver for turbulence, combustion and multiphase flow

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BricsCAD logo

BricsCAD

CAD

DWG-based CAD platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ANSYS Fluent solver seats and HPC packs are licensed separately, and the packs scale by core count, so the cost of running a large case in parallel can exceed the base licence several times over and is the line item that surprises first-time buyers.; BricsCAD the Lite edition has no 3D modelling, surveying or point cloud support
  • They diverge on capability: ANSYS Fluent covers Turbulence model library, BricsCAD covers DWG native.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ANSYS Fluent and BricsCAD actually diverge.

Attributes where ANSYS Fluent and BricsCAD differ
AttributeANSYS FluentBricsCAD
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelquoteone-time
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWindows, MacOS, Linux
FoundedUnknown2002

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CAD).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ANSYS Fluent

  • Turbulence model library
  • Combustion and reacting flow
  • Multiphase flow
  • Meshing
  • HPC parallel solving
  • Fluent aero and native GPU solver
  • Ansys Workbench integration
  • User-defined functions

Only in BricsCAD

  • DWG native
  • 2D drafting
  • 3D modeling
  • BIM
  • Sheet metal
  • Mechanical
  • LISP support
  • AutoCAD compatible

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ANSYS Fluent

  • Certifying an aerospace component where the customer specification names a validated commercial CFD solvernot BricsCAD
  • Predicting thermal performance of a data centre or electronics enclosure before committing to a mechanical designnot BricsCAD
  • Combustion analysis for a gas turbine or industrial burner where detailed chemistry models are requirednot BricsCAD
  • A consultancy that must hand a client an auditable analysis in a tool the client's own engineers can reopennot BricsCAD

BricsCAD

  • 2D drafting as a DWG native alternative to AutoCADnot ANSYS Fluent
  • 3D mechanical design and assembly modellingnot ANSYS Fluent
  • BIM modelling and construction documentationnot ANSYS Fluent

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ANSYS Fluent

  • Solver seats and HPC packs are licensed separately, and the packs scale by core count, so the cost of running a large case in parallel can exceed the base licence several times over and is the line item that surprises first-time buyers.
  • Ansys does not publish any pricing, and quotes vary widely by region, industry and negotiating position, so a smaller firm has no way to know whether it is being charged fairly relative to a large account.
  • Synopsys completed its acquisition of Ansys in July 2025 and started shipping combined capabilities in 2026; packaging, bundling and account teams are changing, and buyers on multi-year agreements should expect renewal terms to be renegotiated on a different basis.
  • Getting trustworthy results demands genuine CFD expertise in meshing, turbulence model selection and convergence assessment, so the licence is useless without a specialist, and the specialist is harder to hire than the software is to buy.
  • Licences are typically served from a network licence manager, which means concurrent-use contention inside a busy simulation group; engineers queue for solver tokens, and organisations end up buying spare seats purely to avoid the queue.

BricsCAD

  • The Lite edition has no 3D modelling, surveying or point cloud support
  • Lite is sold as a network licence only with a 5 seat minimum
  • Mechanical excludes BIM tools and BIM excludes mechanical and surveying tools, so cross discipline work needs Ultimate at 1,176 euro
  • Importing 3D geometry and PMI from other CAD systems requires the Communicator add on at 294 euro per year
  • Network licences require the customer to run their own licence server
  • Maintenance is included for the first year only and renewal is a separate annual charge on perpetual licences
  • Listed prices exclude local taxes
  • Bricsys now trades as Octave and the product site has moved to bricscad.octave.com

Pricing, plan by plan

ANSYS Fluent

On request
  • Ansys Fluent$undefined/year
    • Annual lease or paid-up perpetual licence
    • Solver seats licensed separately from HPC parallel packs
    • HPC packs priced by core count and scale multiplicatively

BricsCAD

$29/month
  • Lite$550/month
    • 2D drafting
  • Pro$875/month
    • 2D + 3D
  • Ultimate$1575/month
    • All features

Which should you pick?

Choose ANSYS Fluent if

  • You need turbulence model library.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want combustion and reacting flow.
ANSYS Fluent review

Choose BricsCAD if

  • You need dwg native.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want 2d drafting.
BricsCAD review

Questions people ask

Is ANSYS Fluent or BricsCAD better?
Neither clearly leads. ANSYS Fluent starts at On request and BricsCAD at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ANSYS Fluent or BricsCAD?
ANSYS Fluent starts at On request and BricsCAD at $29/month.
Does ANSYS Fluent or BricsCAD run on more platforms?
ANSYS Fluent runs on Windows, Linux. BricsCAD runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
What is ANSYS Fluent best used for?
ANSYS Fluent is most often used for certifying an aerospace component where the customer specification names a validated commercial cfd solver, predicting thermal performance of a data centre or electronics enclosure before committing to a mechanical design, combustion analysis for a gas turbine or industrial burner where detailed chemistry models are required, a consultancy that must hand a client an auditable analysis in a tool the client's own engineers can reopen. Of those, certifying an aerospace component where the customer specification names a validated commercial cfd solver and predicting thermal performance of a data centre or electronics enclosure before committing to a mechanical design are not what BricsCAD is typically brought in for.
What can ANSYS Fluent do that BricsCAD cannot?
ANSYS Fluent covers Turbulence model library, Combustion and reacting flow, Multiphase flow, Meshing. BricsCAD covers DWG native, 2D drafting, 3D modeling, BIM.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ANSYS Fluent: How much does Fluent cost?

Ansys does not publish pricing. Expect an annual lease per solver seat plus separately licensed HPC packs for parallel cores, with the total for a serious capability running into six figures a year.

BricsCAD: Does BricsCAD offer a trial?

Yes, BricsCAD offers a 30-day trial to 'Start designing in BricsCAD today'.

Source
ANSYS Fluent: Is Fluent still an Ansys product?

Yes, but Ansys is now part of Synopsys following the acquisition that completed in July 2025, and the two portfolios are being combined.

BricsCAD: Is BricsCAD free for any users?

Yes, BricsCAD is available at no cost for students and schools.

Source
ANSYS Fluent: Can OpenFOAM do the same job?

Numerically it can cover a lot of the same physics at no licence cost, but it lacks the meshing workflow, support and the validation pedigree that certification and customer specifications often require.

BricsCAD: What product tiers does BricsCAD offer?

BricsCAD offers five tiers: Lite (essential 2D CAD), Pro (professional 2D & 3D CAD), Mechanical (2D & 3D mechanical CAD), BIM (2D & 3D building modeling), and Ultimate (integrated 2D & 3D for multiple disciplines). Specific pricing for each tier is not disclosed on the website.

Source
ANSYS Fluent: Is there a free version?

There is a student edition with cell count limits, suitable for learning but not for production work.

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