Softwr

CAD · head to head

CATIA vs Zoo

CATIA logo

CATIA

CAD

World's leading solution for product design

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoo logo

Zoo

CAD

Cloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CATIA no public pricing available on vendor website; Zoo the geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • They diverge on capability: CATIA covers Surface modeling, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CATIA and Zoo actually diverge.

Attributes where CATIA and Zoo differ
AttributeCATIAZoo
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux (some)Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API
Founded1981Unknown

Identical on both: 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 CATIA

  • Surface modeling
  • Class A surfacing
  • Systems engineering
  • Simulation
  • Composites design
  • Electrical design
  • Knowledge-based engineering
  • ENOVIA PLM

Only in Zoo

  • KCL scripting
  • Design Studio
  • Design API
  • Zookeeper agent
  • Format conversion
  • Open source client

What people use each for

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

CATIA

  • 3D product designnot Zoo
  • Simulation and analysisnot Zoo
  • System design and developmentnot Zoo
  • Manufacturing engineeringnot Zoo
  • Advanced modelingnot Zoo

Zoo

  • A hardware startup that wants part models reviewed in pull requests alongside firmwarenot CATIA
  • A software team generating thousands of parametric part variants programmatically rather than by handnot CATIA
  • A SaaS product that needs to render and convert customer CAD files without licensing a geometry kernelnot CATIA
  • An engineer who models occasional brackets and enclosures and does not want a four figure annual seatnot CATIA

Where each one falls short

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

CATIA

  • No public pricing available on vendor website
  • Requires direct contact with sales for quotes
  • Enterprise-grade CAD software likely requires substantial investment

Zoo

  • The geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • STEP and SLDPRT import are still labelled experimental, which means the most common way of receiving a supplier or customer model is the least reliable path into the tool.
  • Drawing production, GD&T and tolerance annotation are far behind SolidWorks, Creo and NX, so most users still need a second package to release a manufacturing drawing.
  • Zookeeper is billed in reasoning minutes rather than per seat, so a team cannot forecast next month's bill from headcount the way it can with conventional CAD subscriptions.
  • The open source label applies only to the Design Studio client; the kernel that does the modelling is closed and hosted, so forking the repository does not give you a product you can run yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

CATIA

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the CATIA review.

Zoo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design Studio access
    • About 20 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning per month
    • Around $10 of API calls included
  • Plus$20/month
    • Roughly 400 Zookeeper minutes per month
    • Pay as you go beyond the allowance
    • Design Studio and API access
  • Pro$99/month
    • Unlimited Zookeeper reasoning
    • Higher API allowance
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose CATIA if

  • You need surface modeling.
  • You work on Windows, Linux (some).
  • You also want class a surfacing.
CATIA review

Choose Zoo if

  • You need kcl scripting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
  • You also want design studio.
Zoo review

Questions people ask

Is CATIA or Zoo better?
Neither clearly leads. CATIA starts at On request and Zoo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CATIA or Zoo?
Zoo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CATIA and Free for Zoo.
Does CATIA or Zoo run on more platforms?
CATIA runs on Windows, Linux (some). Zoo runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
Can I use Zoo for free?
Yes. Zoo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CATIA starts at On request.
What is CATIA best used for?
CATIA is most often used for 3d product design, simulation and analysis, system design and development, manufacturing engineering. Of those, 3d product design and simulation and analysis are not what Zoo is typically brought in for.
What can CATIA do that Zoo cannot?
CATIA covers Surface modeling, Class A surfacing, Systems engineering, Simulation. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CATIA: How much does CATIA cost?

Pricing is not publicly displayed on CATIA's product page. Customers must contact Dassault Systèmes directly or visit user communities to obtain pricing information for CATIA licenses and subscriptions.

Source
Zoo: Is Zoo the same company as KittyCAD?

Yes. KittyCAD renamed itself Zoo; the GitHub organisation is still KittyCAD and the scripting language KCL keeps the old initials.

CATIA: Is there a free version of CATIA?

No free version or trial is mentioned on CATIA's product page. CATIA is described as a comprehensive commercial solution for product innovation, and no freemium option is referenced.

Source
Zoo: Can I use Zoo without an internet connection?

No. The geometry engine is a cloud service, so Design Studio needs a live connection to model anything.

Zoo: Is Design Studio free?

There is a genuine free tier with a small monthly allowance of AI reasoning and API calls. Paid plans start at $20 per month.

Zoo: Can I replace SolidWorks with Zoo?

Not for drawing release, large assemblies or GD&T. Teams typically use Zoo for programmatic part generation and keep an established package for production documentation.

Share

Related pages

More on CATIA

More on Zoo

Keep looking

Other head to heads