Softwr

CAD · head to head

DraftSight vs Zoo

DraftSight logo

DraftSight

CAD

Professional 2D CAD drafting

From
$29/month
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: DraftSight specific pricing amounts not disclosed on 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: DraftSight covers DWG/DXF support, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DraftSight and Zoo actually diverge.

Attributes where DraftSight and Zoo differ
AttributeDraftSightZoo
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWeb, 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 DraftSight

  • DWG/DXF support
  • 2D drafting
  • 3D modeling
  • Batch printing
  • PDF import
  • Layer management
  • SolidWorks
  • CATIA

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.

DraftSight

  • 2D drafting and annotation on DWG filesnot Zoo
  • Opening and editing DWG drawings without AutoCADnot Zoo
  • Architectural and engineering drawing productionnot Zoo
  • Working alongside SOLIDWORKS in a Dassault toolchainnot Zoo

Zoo

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

Where each one falls short

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

DraftSight

  • Specific pricing amounts not disclosed on website
  • Directs customers to contact sales or visit store for pricing
  • Three tiers available but feature differences not fully detailed

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

DraftSight

$29/month
  • Standard$99/month
    • 2D drafting
  • Professional$199/month
    • 2D + 3D
  • Premium$499/month
    • Advanced features

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 DraftSight if

  • You need dwg/dxf support.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want 2d drafting.
DraftSight 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 DraftSight or Zoo better?
Neither clearly leads. DraftSight starts at $29/month and Zoo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DraftSight or Zoo?
Zoo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for DraftSight and Free for Zoo.
Does DraftSight or Zoo run on more platforms?
DraftSight runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. 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. DraftSight starts at $29/month.
What is DraftSight best used for?
DraftSight is most often used for 2d drafting and annotation on dwg files, opening and editing dwg drawings without autocad, architectural and engineering drawing production, working alongside solidworks in a dassault toolchain. Of those, 2d drafting and annotation on dwg files and opening and editing dwg drawings without autocad are not what Zoo is typically brought in for.
What can DraftSight do that Zoo cannot?
DraftSight covers DWG/DXF support, 2D drafting, 3D modeling, Batch printing. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DraftSight: Is there a free trial for DraftSight?

Yes, DraftSight offers a 30-day full-featured trial available for download. The trial provides complete access to all 2D/3D tools and advanced features.

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.

DraftSight: What DraftSight tiers are available?

DraftSight offers three pricing tiers: Professional (core 2D CAD tools), Premium (adds advanced tools, STEP import, and BIM module), and Enterprise (for large organizations with multiple sites).

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.

DraftSight: What licensing options does DraftSight provide?

DraftSight offers Named-User Licensing for individuals and dedicated workstations, Network Licensing for shared access across users and locations, Perpetual Licensing for one-time purchase, and Cloud and Remote Access options.

Source
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 DraftSight

More on Zoo

Keep looking

Other head to heads