CATIA

Dassault Systèmes' high-end CAD platform for aerospace, automotive and complex engineering.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About CATIA

CATIA is the CAD system behind many aircraft, cars and ships. It covers advanced part and assembly design, Class-A surfacing for automotive styling, composites, electrical and fluid systems, model-based systems engineering through CATIA Magic, and generative design, and it handles assemblies with enormous numbers of parts. Large manufacturers and their suppliers use it because it fits into Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform for product lifecycle management and collaboration across thousands of engineers. For individuals and small firms it is usually far too expensive and complex, and it is bought through Dassault and its partners rather than online with a published price. The long-running CATIA V5 desktop version remains widely used alongside the newer 3DEXPERIENCE releases. Dassault offers a free trial on request and academic and student licence programmes. CATIA runs on Windows, with 3DEXPERIENCE web apps.

Best for: Aerospace and automotive engineering organisations and their suppliers.

What works

Handles very large, complex assemblies
Class-A surfacing and systems engineering tools
Deep integration with 3DEXPERIENCE PLM

Why people leave

Very expensive, with no public pricing
Steep learning curve
Overkill outside large engineering organisations

Top CATIA alternatives

See all 4

1
SOLIDWORKS
Dassault's mainstream CAD, far cheaper and easier for mid-sized teams.
66.5
2So
Solid Edge
Siemens CAD with synchronous modeling for mid-market manufacturers.
62.6
3
Onshape
Cloud CAD with built-in PDM and no installs, priced per user per year.
57.2
4Au
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk's mechanical CAD for teams already using AutoCAD.
49.1

Why people left CATIA

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CATIA: common questions

Is CATIA free?

No, CATIA is a paid product.

Is CATIA open source?

No, CATIA is not open source.

What platforms does CATIA run on?

CATIA is available for Windows and Web.

What are the best alternatives to CATIA?

The highest-ranked CATIA alternatives right now are SOLIDWORKS, Solid Edge and Onshape. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 CATIA alternatives