desigma vs zCAD AI
desigma and zCAD AI are both design tools tools. desigma is aimed at creators and freelancers, while zCAD AI is aimed at freelancers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Free, open-source, offline interface design tool written in Rust
Text-to-CAD generator for editable parametric parts and assemblies
| Pricing | Open source | Freemium · $50 |
| Starting price | Not published | $49.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Creators, Freelancers, Developers | Freelancers, Small businesses, Creators |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux | web |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose desigma if
Designers and developers who want a free, offline, open-source design editor and are comfortable with alpha software.
- Completely free with a permissive open-source license
- Native Rust renderer stays fast on large files
- Files stay local and the app works offline
Look elsewhere if: Teams that rely on stable collaboration, plugins and support for daily client work (Figma, Penpot).
Choose zCAD AI if
Makers, hardware startups and engineers who want a quick editable CAD draft of a mechanical part from a written spec.
- Produces dimensioned CAD geometry rather than a mesh
- Free plan to try generation before paying
- AI and Online share one account, model data and credits
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need a full production CAD suite with PDM and CAM, or artistic 3D assets (Onshape, Autodesk Fusion, Spline).
desigma vs zCAD AI pricing
desigma
- Free$0MIT or Apache-2.0 licensed, no account, works offline
zCAD AI
- Free$0Monthly credits plus Beta gift; public models, non-commercial
- Plus$49.99/mo1,650 credits/mo, private models, commercial use, priority queue
- Pro$89.99/mo3,000 credits/mo, includes zCAD Online Standard rights
- BusinessCustomTeam plan priced through sales
desigma · Key features
- Frames, auto layout, components, variants and instance properties
- Variables with modes bound to fills, sizes and spacing
- Prototyping with Smart Animate, overlays and variable logic
- Keyframe motion timeline with GIF, WebM and PNG export
- Import of Figma .fig files, Figma REST JSON and Pencil files
- Dev mode code for CSS, Tailwind, React, SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose
Cons
- Early alpha, not yet ready for daily professional work
- Unsigned builds trigger warnings on macOS and Windows
- Collaboration, plugins and PDF export are beta or limited
zCAD AI · Key features
- Text or image prompts turned into editable B-rep parts
- Multi-part assemblies with standard and mechanical mates
- Controlled dimensions and geometric constraints you can edit
- Chat-based follow-up edits to a generated model
- One-click handoff to the zCAD Online parametric editor
- STEP export for use in other CAD tools
Cons
- Free models are public, non-commercial and may train the model
- Focused on mechanical parts, not organic or artistic shapes
- Tolerances, materials and fit checks are left to the user
desigma vs zCAD AI: FAQ
Do desigma and zCAD AI have a free plan?
Yes, both desigma and zCAD AI have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, desigma or zCAD AI?
zCAD AI lists small businesses as a core audience, while desigma is aimed more at creators and freelancers.