OpenSCADvs
V-Ray
V-Ray: Professional 3D rendering software
OpenSCAD
The programmers solid 3D CAD modeler
As of 30 August 2026, OpenSCAD is free to use. OpenSCAD is a free software for creating solid 3D CAD objects using a scripting language, ideal for programmers and makers. Softwr lists it under CAD. OpenSCAD is made by OpenSCAD Community, launched in 2009, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.
Overview
What OpenSCAD does
OpenSCAD is a free software for creating solid 3D CAD objects using a scripting language, ideal for programmers and makers.
What people use it for
- Parametric 3D design for manufacturing and 3D printing
- Technical design with scripted control over geometry
- Procedural model generation
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about OpenSCAD.
- Script-based workflow, not interactive design interface
- Limited to constructive solid geometry and 2D extrusion modelling
- Not suitable for artistic 3D modelling or computer animation
- Complex build dependencies (Qt, CGAL, Boost)
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of OpenSCAD
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- OpenSCADvsEnscape
Enscape: Real-time rendering plugin
- OpenSCADvsFreeCAD
FreeCAD: Open-source parametric 3D CAD modeler
- OpenSCADvsKeyShot
KeyShot: Real-time 3D rendering and animation
Capabilities
Features
Script-based modeling
CSG operations
2D to 3D extrusion
Parameterization
STL export
Preview
3D printers
Integration with 3D printers
Slicers
Integration with Slicers
Open source
Open source security feature
Windows support
Available on Windows
MacOS support
Available on macOS
Linux support
Available on Linux
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What is the cost of OpenSCAD?
OpenSCAD is free software with no licensing fees, subscriptions, or costs of any kind. The software is available as open-source with no restrictions on commercial or non-commercial use.
SourceBehind it
Who makes OpenSCAD
- Company
- OpenSCAD Community
- Based in
- Open Source
Keep looking
Where to go from OpenSCAD
- OpenSCAD alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- OpenSCAD pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- OpenSCAD badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All CAD softwareThe full category
- Best CAD softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best CAD software for
Compare OpenSCAD with
- FreeCAD
- Ultimaker Cura
- Enscape
- V-Ray
- KeyShot
- PrusaSlicer
- Bambu Studio
- SolveSpace
- CloudCompare
- KiCad
- Zoo
- Mudbox
- Octane Render
- RealityScan
- Solid Edge
- Substance 3D Designer
- SolveSpace
- Tinkercad
Other CAD software
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Open source12 researched notesOpen source parametric CAD with a constraint solver in a few megabytes
Open source11 researched notesOpen source point cloud comparison and processing maintained largely by one person in their spare time
Open source12 researched notesFree open source schematic capture and PCB layout with no seat, board size or layer limits
Open source11 researched notesCloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API
Free, then $20/mo12 researched notesThe photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line
Free, then $1,250/yr12 researched notesOpen source parametric CAD with a constraint solver in a few megabytes
Open source11 researched notesFree browser-based 3D design, electronics, and coding tool by Autodesk
Free plan6 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for OpenSCAD, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on OpenSCAD
OpenSCAD alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
OpenSCAD pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare OpenSCAD
Put it head to head with anything we hold
OpenSCAD badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best CAD software alternatives
The photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line
Free below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
Survey drafting and COGO on an IntelliCAD engine, sold outright rather than by subscription
One-time purchaseOpen source point cloud comparison and processing maintained largely by one person in their spare time
Open source, no licence fee
Survey and civil design CAD sold as a perpetual licence with optional maintenance
One-time purchase
Photogrammetry engine formerly sold as ContextCapture, now inside Bentley's iTwin line
quote
Finite element simulation built around coupling physics, with add-on modules licensed separately
quoteFree slicer for Bambu Lab 3D printers, funded entirely by hardware sales
Open source, no licence fee
CAD and modelling platform for infrastructure design, and the file format the rest of Bentley runs on
Per user per year