FreeCAD reached version 1.0 in 2024 after a 20-year journey. It's a mature, fully-free open-source CAD with a massive workbench ecosystem. Diaz Editor is €99 lifetime, building-focused, polished out of the box. Honest comparison: when each tool wins.
FreeCAD is genuinely free, open-source, fully commercial-usable, with the BIM workbench, Assembly4, and a thriving Python plugin ecosystem. Diaz Editor is €99 founding / €1,000 regular, building-focused, polished out of the box with PDF/BOM/library built-in. Trade-off: FreeCAD costs €0 but ~40 hours to configure and learn; Diaz Editor costs €99 and works in 30 minutes. For solo tradespeople with billable hours, €99 buys back roughly 40 hours of setup time.
| Feature | Diaz Editor | FreeCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €99 founding / €1,000 regular | €0 (always) |
| Time-to-first-PDF (estimated) | ~30 min | ~20-40 hours setup + learning |
| Building-focused workflow | ✓ purpose-built | ✓ via BIM workbench |
| 2D CAD (DXF) | ✓ built-in | ✓ via Draft workbench |
| PDF report export | ✓ built-in | ✓ via TechDraw workbench |
| Trade component library | 30+ items pre-loaded | — (BYO or community) |
| BIM / parametric architecture | — (direct modeling) | ✓ BIM workbench |
| Plugin / extension ecosystem | — (curated library) | Python workbenches |
| Open source | — (proprietary + MIT core) | LGPL2+ |
| Multi-language UI | EN/NL/ES tested | community-translated |
| Commercial support | 5-day email response | — (community forums) |
| Works offline | ✓ | ✓ |
Source: FreeCAD.org documentation + Diaz Editor v0.3 changelog. Updated May 2026.
FreeCAD wins. €0 forever, full source access, community-driven, mature in 2026. If you have time-flexibility and value open licensing, FreeCAD is hard to beat. We use it ourselves for projects where we want full source control.
Diaz Editor wins on time-to-value. €99 founding for a polished, building-focused workflow that works in 30 minutes. The 40 hours of FreeCAD setup are 40 hours not billed to clients. The math works out around €25/hour billable rate or higher.
FreeCAD is genuinely free if you have time to learn workbenches and configure workflow. Diaz Editor is €99 for tradespeople who'd rather pay once and have a polished tool that works out of the box. Time is the trade-off, not money.
Version 1.0 in late 2024 after 20+ years. By 2026 far more usable than its old reputation. BIM workbench + Assembly4 are workable. Learning curve still steeper than commercial CAD.
Yes architecturally — BIM workbench + add-ons replicate the workflow. Practically expect 20-40 hours of installation + configuration + learning. Diaz Editor delivers same workflow out of the box in 30 minutes.
Yes. DXF built in. PDF via TechDraw workbench with some setup. Diaz Editor's PDF report is built into core with no workbench configuration.
FreeCAD = LGPL2+, fully commercial-usable, modify freely, no royalties. Diaz Editor = Pascal core MIT + proprietary modules under EULA. FreeCAD wins on freedom; Diaz wins on time-to-value.
100 founding spots. Polished, building-focused, ready in 30 minutes. Save the 40-hour FreeCAD setup.
Claim founding spot — €99Eenmalig. Levenslang. 3 seats. Geen abonnement.
Gemaakt voor zelfstandigen + kleine teams (1-10 personen). Niet voor architecten of utility-scale engineering — daar zijn AutoCAD en Aurora beter in.
Reguliere prijs (na founding):
€1.000 €99 vandaag
100 plekken totaal. Stripe checkout. Direct download na betaling.