CAD · head to head
nTop vs Zoo
nTop
CAD
Implicit computational design for lattices, heat exchangers and topology-driven parts
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Zoo
CAD
Cloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Zoo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: nTop nTop is a specialist tool that sits alongside mainstream CAD rather than replacing it, so you pay for an extra seat and accept a handoff between two geometry systems.; 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: nTop covers Implicit modelling, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which nTop and Zoo actually diverge.
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 nTop
- Implicit modelling
- Lattice and cellular structures
- Field-driven design
- Integrated simulation
- Reusable workflows
- Topology optimisation
- CAD and AM interoperability
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.
nTop
- Designing a variable-density lattice bracket where mass must drop without losing stiffness in the loaded regionsnot Zoo
- Generating a heat exchanger with thousands of internal channels that a conventional CAD kernel cannot representnot Zoo
- Producing patient-specific implant geometry with porous surfaces at scale rather than one at a timenot Zoo
- Automating a family of parts as a reusable design workflow that reruns when the load case changesnot Zoo
Zoo
- A hardware startup that wants part models reviewed in pull requests alongside firmwarenot nTop
- A software team generating thousands of parametric part variants programmatically rather than by handnot nTop
- A SaaS product that needs to render and convert customer CAD files without licensing a geometry kernelnot nTop
- An engineer who models occasional brackets and enclosures and does not want a four figure annual seatnot nTop
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
nTop
- nTop is a specialist tool that sits alongside mainstream CAD rather than replacing it, so you pay for an extra seat and accept a handoff between two geometry systems.
- Implicit modelling requires a different way of thinking from feature-based CAD, and the retraining period is long enough that unused licences are a common and expensive outcome.
- No pricing is published and there is no free or hobbyist tier, so evaluation runs through a sales process and small teams cannot try it seriously without engaging.
- Subscription only, with no perpetual licence, means the geometry logic you built stops being editable the day you stop paying, which is a real risk for long-lifecycle aerospace and medical programmes.
- The output is most valuable when you have additive manufacturing capacity to make it; organisations without machines that can print the geometry end up designing parts nobody can produce.
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
nTop
On request- nTop$undefined/year
- Annual named or floating seat subscription
- No perpetual licence offered
- Capability tiers quoted by use case
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 nTop if
- You need implicit modelling.
- You work on Windows, Cloud.
- You also want lattice and cellular structures.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is nTop or Zoo better?
- Neither clearly leads. nTop 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, nTop or Zoo?
- Zoo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for nTop and Free for Zoo.
- Does nTop or Zoo run on more platforms?
- nTop runs on Windows, Cloud. 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. nTop starts at On request.
- What is nTop best used for?
- nTop is most often used for designing a variable-density lattice bracket where mass must drop without losing stiffness in the loaded regions, generating a heat exchanger with thousands of internal channels that a conventional cad kernel cannot represent, producing patient-specific implant geometry with porous surfaces at scale rather than one at a time, automating a family of parts as a reusable design workflow that reruns when the load case changes. Of those, designing a variable-density lattice bracket where mass must drop without losing stiffness in the loaded regions and generating a heat exchanger with thousands of internal channels that a conventional cad kernel cannot represent are not what Zoo is typically brought in for.
- What can nTop do that Zoo cannot?
- nTop covers Implicit modelling, Lattice and cellular structures, Field-driven design, Integrated simulation. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
nTop: Is nTop the same company as nTopology?
Yes. nTopology rebranded to nTop. The product is the same lineage.
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.
nTop: Does it replace SolidWorks or NX?
No. It is used alongside them. Mainstream CAD handles the conventional geometry and assembly; nTop handles the lattice, field-driven and complex internal structure work.
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.
nTop: Is there a free version?
No free commercial tier is published. Access runs through a demo and sales process, with academic programmes handled separately.
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.
nTop: Can I buy a perpetual licence?
No. It is sold as an annual subscription, so budget it as recurring cost across the life of the programme.
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.
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