# Inventor Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Inventor the right 3D CAD solution for you? Explore 277 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/reviews --- Inventor 4.5 (277) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/236745/Inventor/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Inventor Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 4.1 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews MU Marcos Alberto U ManagerComputer Software, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I like that it has a wide range of tools for computer aided design, plus it has simulation tools that allow you to test your designs before producing them, one of my favorite features is the ability to automatically create blueprints based on your three-dimensional design, automatically creating views from different angles.“ November 19, 2024 Ibrahim A Engineering InternMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “sometimes can be slower and require high processing computing power.“ August 30, 2024 KS Kuca S IT ExpertPackaging and Containers, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “This tool grant to the company the possibility to develop and manage evey kind of engeeniring product development, providing all the feautes needed and at the same time provide a huge flexibility for collaboration“ November 11, 2024 sm saravanakumar m Engineering managerAutomotive, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Cost its very expensive,So mutitiple licence will be issue.“ December 20, 2024 CA Cesar Josue A Universitary internMechanical or Industrial Engineering, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The parametric modeling is a feature that facilitates and speeds up the design process by allowing you to modify and iterate parameters without starting from scratch.“ April 11, 2023 VL Vitor L engAutomotive, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “CAM and CAE features are not available.“ August 24, 2023 Ayub K Systems EngineerConstruction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “We primarily use Autodesk Inventor for parametric modeling, and it is very powerful“ March 7, 2025 SP Stéphane P Project Manufacturing LeaderAutomotive, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “For me, it lacks some powerful calculation systems in simulation that put it slightly behind other competitors but are much more expensive in terms of licensing.“ August 12, 2022 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 277 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Ilich Rafael T. Visiting Lecturer Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Invent new things" June 13, 2024 4.0 Overall, the experience with the inventor is like you are really inventing new things Pros The great thing about the inventor is the ability to simulate the created model of the project Cons The one con is the price of the inventor its quite pricey, but of course you get what you paid for. Review Source JC John C. Entrepreneur Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Intuitive and powerful 3D CAD, yet it takes time to master the more powerful features" May 17, 2022 5.0 I created many solid models, assemblies and drawings. Compared to a previous high end system I used, it has been very robust and rarely crashes. Once you know it it is very intuitive. Pros Easy and powerful solid modeller that can create Assemblies with both Part and Assembly variations. Bill of Materials with tables can be generated directly in the Assembly drawing. A lot of functions are available under the right mouse button, which saves time not having to go through menus. Cons Once you get deeper into the software, the more powerful features can be somewhat difficult to learn. Support does not always understand your exact needs. Some of the lesser used powerful features do not get the same attention from their R&D. An example is that it took about 2 years for a feature to be corrected. Alternatives considered [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/)[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor It was bundled with AutoCAD which some users could use. Review Source RM Robert M. delineante Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "RUN AWAY FROM THIS SOFTWARE" July 2, 2024 1.0 The worst Cad software so far. Extremely overrated. I don't even understand the positive comments here. I assume most of them are people new to the game who didn't have a chance to try other software. Solidworks is not perfect, but it is infinitely better than Inventor. This software should be free and even then, it would still be a trash. Pros Nothing positive to mention if you have used other software before. Cons Continued crashes and bugs (I work with an HP workstation optimized for CAD with Xeon, 32gb, Graphics...). Non intuitive tools/Interface. The orbital movement system is trash. Poor restriction functions (specially the tangent one). You need to constantly update the assembly to see the results. Sometimes the preview of the restrictions are not shown for some misterious reason. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!!!! -DON'T HAVE AUTO-SAVE- Review Source CC Carlos C. Structural Engineering Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### " Basically the best software to design mechanical parts." October 13, 2021 5.0 In general I always use this software to design any part, running the stress simulation. Pros You can start form 0 and perform a very specialized analysis for any part. Very organized to go from a point, line, sketch, solid and assembly. Cons How the constraints can be easily affected and the whole model ruined. Very complex to repair this. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor The interoperability between programs. Switched from [CATIA](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/) Because the whole process in the company we do it with Autodesk Software. Review Source DR David R. Engineering Manager Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor - A helpful and useful tool " September 19, 2022 5.0 Excellent. I wouldn't change to another software vendor anytime soon. Pros It is professional and easy to use (once you get past the learning curve). It integrates well with other Autodesk software and is an industry standard for most. Cons It does have some bugs and crashes occasionally. It also is impossible to use without an internet connection. This seems a little unnecessary, but sometimes if you are working very remotely it simply isn't what you want. Alternatives considered [Creo](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/) Reason for choosing Inventor Autodesk's market share and the integration with our current Autodesk software. Review Source MF Mario F. 3D Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor is Decent " September 24, 2020 4.0 I feel 80% is enjoyable. I can build structures or components. It’s getting better every time, the other 20% is just basic frustration not being able to mirror components in assemblies and keep them linked, and not being able to copy mates on assemblies is just a big time waster. Pros I love the rendering and Frame generator! Frame Generator is freaking Awsome! Literally allows you to build a complex frame out of a sketch or a simple extrusion. The frame members can be trimmed and you can create your own profiles! Also ipart creation make things easy. Cons This is a real great software, but I must be honest at 2 Major weak points that are deal breakers for me and maybe others. There is no “copy with mates” like others softwares have. So if you insert 100 Identical components, it’s gonna take you forever to constrain them in your assembly. Also there is no assembly mirror that associative! You have to use pattern, if you can! These are basic standards in even older softwares! How can Inventor not have these Basic staples! Weak points for sure. Alternatives considered [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/178416/Fusion-360/)[SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor It has more abilities and complexity in its features, but not more than solid works. But solid works was much to expensive. Switched from [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/) Solid edge was to glitchy for me, and the assembly changes would just blow up when I changed parameters. Inventors constraints and parameter changing adaptivity was much stronger. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Amazing software for 3D Modeling and Drafting" July 27, 2022 5.0 Using inventor from last 4+years and it is best software for execute internanational level projects Pros Ease of using commands and Vault system helped to work on client server Cons Takes more memory when we use Vault system Reason for choosing Inventor Good in command use, various cad commands helped to execute projects quickly and effectively Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Design Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "3D Modeling Awesome" March 5, 2020 5.0 Inventor allows me to do my job, mechanical engineering, I use it daily to design, analyze and draw components we make. Pros Inventor is used in everything we do. We need to accurately model things in 3d and create the fabrication and shop drawings. Since it is an Autodesk product it integrates easily with our use of AutoCAD too, with easy output to 2D cad formats as well. Cons It can be challenging to learn at first but it is easy if you know another 3D modeling program. The one thing I think the competition does better is exploded views, I dislike the exploded view functionality. Alternatives considered [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Reason for choosing Inventor We use AutoCAD and it is one complete package sold together Review Source AD Andrew D. CAD Teacher Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very powerful for "Free" software." September 22, 2020 4.0 After students learn the basics of software they become very proficient users and have a head start in most college classes. Pros Very powerful program and most universities and companies in field have heard of. Cons Step by step tutorials could be better. Premade projects are difficult to introduce to beginner students. Having to send all part files with assembly makes sharing assemblies between teacher and students very difficult. Switched from [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) Education licenses were free while Solidworks was charging for student licenses. Review Source SM Samuel M. Research Assistant Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great platform for facilities planning and design" December 10, 2019 4.0 We utilized Inventor primarily for new facilities design project at the industry. Pros We utilized Inventor as part of a training program at Monterrey Tech. We found the features and visualization libraries of great value for the design of new manufacturing facilities. If simulation were added to it it would be second to none. Cons The platform is very memory demanding, so running the application on multiple computers caused it to crash or slow down. Alternatives considered [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Switched from [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Better library and supports Autodesk products. Review Source sM saravanakumar M. Engineering manager Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Engineering manager review Inventor for quick solution" December 20, 2024 5.0 Powerful parametric design tool, which and all using Autocad this software is easy to use and can easily integrate with other Autodesk products (used in previous organization) Pros Built-in simulation tools always help the end user to use it easily. Cons Cost its very expensive,So mutitiple licence will be issue. Review Source PP Piotr P. QA Automation Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Intuitive and powerful design" July 15, 2022 5.0 I was using Inventor for multiple years in my work and my private projects. It is an amazing tool, packed with an enormous number of features. Each of the functions is customizable and can be adjusted to the expectations of the company and designer. Inventor can make the work efficient, quick, and enjoyable. Each function has an extensive description with detailed instructions on how to use it. Also, the whole ecosystem of apps from Autodesk is cooperating smoothly end effortlessly, and Inventor is a great part of it. It is widely used, so if a user encounters any problem, somewhere on the internet there is a resolution for it - on the official Autodesk page or on one of the multiple forums. The software has a student version, which can be a great possibility to get familiarized with it if you are studying. However, there is one significant disadvantage of Inventor - the price in the subscription model is extremely high. it is unlikely that hobbyists can afford that much. Also, small bugs may happen, which is fully understandable in the software of that size. In conclusion, if you have the possibility to work with it, it is totally a must - there is nothing that good on the market. If not, there are some cheaper alternatives - not as good as this one, but still decent. Pros A huge number of features. The intuitiveness of use. Customizability. Detailed descriptions and use instructions of features. Vast community support. Integration between different Autodesk apps. Cons The price is high. Subscription sell-based model. Review Source NJ Neha J. jr.sales er. Machinery Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Inventor- The king of drawings" November 16, 2022 5.0 Inventor is quite smooth to work with. Its tools are easy to understand and rapid to use. Pros The Inventor is a very smooth and fast modeling software that helps you to make fast operations over short period of time. Cons nothing like least-liked. perfect software of design. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer R&D Engineering Co-OP Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very helpful tool to model components and help visualize real world assemblies." August 1, 2018 4.0 AutoDesk included a modelling and drawing software, as well as a simulation aspect. We use other softwares for other applications so this is the extent of my knowledge with autocad. Pros I have used this product for over 3 years now and couldn't be more satisfied with the product. My team and I use Inventor to model assemblies to be used in real life to help us visualize any potential flaws regarding manufacturing and assembly. The gear tool has allowed us to construct complex gear trains within minutes and simulating the motion has never been easier. To add to that, being able to visualize the motion of the gears through simulation has helped us fix several overlooked flaws in the design, including improper teeth meshing distance and collision with the frame. Cons My one complaint with AutoDesk is the pack and go feature. Once, I used it to export my assembly and various part files into a compressed zip file, checking all the correct boxes, and my zip folder was later corrupted. It has only happened once but it cost me a lot of time. It could have been a user error on my part but I have packed and gone since and it has worked fine every other time. Review Source BF Brandon F. Engineering Manager Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inventor...only 10 years behind" October 30, 2018 4.0 Pros I like that it's fairly quick to rebuild parts after changing a feature early on in the tree. I like the view cube in the upper right hand corner, very easy to reorient the view any way I want. The measure tool is very useful and easy to use. I really like how easy it is to start and orient a sketch, super simple and intuitive. The hole tool is nice and easy to use, good GUI. Cons I don't like: 1. I can't measure between the edges of sketched circles without putting points there to measure from. Why shouldn't I be able to measure the web thickness or specify that as my measurable value? If that's something that's a CTC on my print, then let me spec it, don't tell me it's not "good engineering". 2. Why can't I split/trim projected geometry? You make me import it as a line, so let me trim it like one. 3. When using a feature in a subsequent sketch, why does it make me import that line geometry into my current sketch? Just reference it. 4. If I add a constraint, why not tell me what conflicts and let me delete the conflicting constraint (a la Creo). It's great that you tell me it's overconstraining it, but tell me what the conflicts are. 5. Why do I have to edit a sketch/feature to edit a dimension? I've been able to double click a dimension and edit that dimension in SW and Creo for years. 6. Why do I have to go into the View tab to change the visual style? Make that a floating toolbar in the viewable area (a la Creo). 7. Why don't all circular features, i.e. circles, holes, etc., automatically have an axis that's accessible to later features? It's dumb that I have to insert them... Review Source DA Daniel A. Systems Engineer, Analyst, Machinist Defense & Space Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent capability, decent learning curve for existing CAD/CAM users" July 3, 2018 5.0 Being able to flexibly work on design projects for work, hobbies, and STEM Education and Outreach work is incredibly nice, and linking this capability to much more accessible maker tech really opens new doors for rapid prototyping. Pros Really powerful software, surprisingly resource efficient for use on laptops, and the de facto standard for many uses. With a dedicated CAD rig (or repurposed gaming PC), performance even when dealing with large and complex models is excellent. The design and portability is really quite good, and when coupled with access to CNC machinery and 3D printing capability makes the prototyping process incredibly quick. Currently experimenting with amateur photogrammetry for metrology and rapid design capability (converting clay models or plastic-printing pens), and the toolset is powerful enough to leverage those capabilities quite well. Easy enough to use that high school students can tap many of the advanced capabilities with even limited background. Cons For myself as an old school Autodesk user the added capability is impressive, although the UI updates feel a lot like contemporary changes that fixed things which weren't broken in the first place. The biggest headache I have right now is that the install is tedious to reroute, particularly when repurposing existing computers for STEM outreach projects, anything other than the default installation is hard, and often inconsistent. Interfacing with open source tools is actually quite good, but innate support for that is unsurprisingly limited. Still, a really minor complaint, as properly packaged for export files are handled really well with existing CAM workflow and automation in slicing tools for experienced additive manufacturers. Review Source Manuel Alberto M. Project Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A great but expensive tool" November 28, 2017 4.0 It's easier to create the piping system in Inventor than it is to create it in Solidworks. The rules-based routing tools allow to select the correct fittings and helps ensure that they comply with the industry standards. I can also import it to other files easily if I need it. Pros I use this to create elements for 3D models of marketing activations activations. This is a simple and user friendly 3D modeling tool. to add, once you learn this tool it the interface carries throughout other autodesk programs. Cons The price of it is a bit expensive. A single license can cost about 7,000. Regardless of cost, the Inventor doesn't have symmetry check. The symmetry would also the user to find whether the part is symmetric at all or the axis in which it is symmetric about. This would be helpful for users running FEA analysis and want to reduce the run down time. Review Source Wayne O. Sr. Cad Design Dairy Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Why I like Inventor" October 30, 2018 5.0 I work in for a process engineering company, so it helps to be able when building my Plant 3D drawings to be able to design the specialty equipment in Inventor to import into Plant to be able to visualize how it will actually look in the facilities we build. Pros The thing I like most about Inventor is the ease of use. I came from a SolidWorks background and was able to jump right in and start working with Inventor with very little instruction. The interface is easy to understand and there is plenty of help videos and white papers on the Autodesk website to help you out if you get stuck. Cons Inventor has crashed on me a couple of times, but that was remedied with a patch. Review Source SR Shane R. Project Manager Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software, unmatched design automation!" July 16, 2018 5.0 Model MASSIVE assemblies on not very powerful computers, design and process automation with iLogic. Pros If you have massive assemblies and love to automate processes, inventor is the ticket! This software runs well on computers that would barely be able to open SolidWorks. Huge assemblies (30,000 parts) open and are easily worked on. I can't imagine doing anything if this magnitude in any other software. I regularly use Solidworks, inventor and Pro-E (Creo), and inventor is my go to software for large machines. It's the best feature is iLogic which is a user-friendly programming interface to help you automate simple or complex tasks to save time and reduce errors. It is very similar to Visual Basic for applications, but you do not need to be a programmer to figure this out! Cons There is no global sheet scale in drawings and therefor no way to link a view scale to the title block in a drawing. It must be filled out manually. Review Source IW Ian W. Co-Founder Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Inventor Review" January 10, 2023 5.0 Inventor is one of the most important tools I used to design robots. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to finish projects in time. Pros I used Inventor to CAD robot designs. Inventor made assemblies super easy to learn as well as its intuitiveness allowed me to learn to use features without tutorials. With Inventor, I was able to run it on a average laptop without lag and could design parts easily. Another aspect I loved about Inventor was how easy it was to switch between different files as tabs were shown on the bottom of the screen. Cons There were times where certain features refused to work which made using Inventor quite frustrating. Furthermore, pulling parts from a library can be quite tedious if you have many different folders. Review Source MITCHELL P. Production Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "MOST ADAPTIVE CAD SOFTWARE" October 23, 2018 5.0 I have had a extremely positive experience with Inventor, I was originally a solidworks user, but now that I have switched it is difficult to go back! Pros The flexibility iLogic gains you in this software is an absolute must when working on bigger assemblies. Also, with a 2D background, adding on the 3rd dimension has a logical flow compared to other programs. Cons its not supported by many 3rd party solutions for processing structural steel out of the box Review Source Vitto Sebastian T. Student Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A great tool for mechanical design" September 3, 2021 4.0 i haven't had any problems with it. Pros It's intuitive, all the basic operations allows you to create a 3D model according to my needs. and export to other extension alllows me to share my design to other softwares. and the creation of planes automaticaly is a nice plus. Cons the fact that for some curve surfaces you have to play with the cuvature to avoid decrease the thickness. The lack of retrocompatibility Review Source Scott H. Director of Engineering Plastics Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Autodesk Part Modeling Software is Very Powerful!" November 2, 2018 4.0 We have been able to offer Revit files to some of our customers who ask for them. We also are able to show them what their product will look like after it is done. Pros I liked that this software works with all the other pieces of software you can use as tools in Autodesk's line of products. It is very easy to sketch and draw just about anything. You also have a lot of control over the parameters that dictate the shape, size and area of the part you are creating. I also like the ease with which it works with other software data. You can open just about any file from any other software company. Cons I didn't like how some features like decals don't transcend down from a part variation to an assembly. Also, in oder to make a part adjustable and controllable in size you have to design it from the beginning as an iPart, which means that when it is in an assembly, all the constraints will break when it becomes an iPart. Sometimes playing with geometry is tricky because of constraints, but also because you can't always tell if a chain is fully connected to be able to extrude. Review Source Rafael B. Jefe del departamento de Oceanografia Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Once you learn to use it, it is a powerful tool. " March 10, 2018 4.0 The biggest benefit that I brought to the company where I work, and what is related to my area of expertise was the general decrease in the time the products were obtained, especially if a person who already had some time using the program was hired. Pros Although I do not use the program directly, I have directed tests on my work site to compare software with each other. One of them was to design a piece using solid Works and Inventor on the other hand, since they wanted to introduce this software in the office and I was not convinced. Mandéa to make 3 different pieces, with 3 different pairs of people who used the 2 programs. The result was that those who used the Inventor always did it faster than those who used solid Works. That, in addition to Inventor being associated with Autodesk, made me decide to replace the use of Solid Work by Inventor. Cons Especially when you start using the program, you have to spend a lot of time to familiarize yourself with the available tools (because they are many and very varied), in addition to needing a powerful machine, especially if you want to do simulations. Review Source Kris M. Senior Designer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "3d Parametrics" February 20, 2019 5.0 I have used 3 or 4 other parametric design software packages and Inventor is by far the best experience. Also able to export and import from other softwares. Pros Parametric design and functionality is second to none! FEA analysis is very helpful. Cons A bit pricey, but inline with other comparable software! It has the ability to do more than most individuals are capable of learning! Review Source Similar Products Featured