27 European CAD & Engineering vendors.
CAD & Engineering: Computer-aided design, 3D modelling and engineering simulation software. Below, every vendor in the knowledge base headquartered in the EU or the EEA, each checked by us for headquarters, owner, hosting and licence. Non-European vendors are listed at the bottom with a link to their European alternatives.
41 vendors in total: 27 European, 11 American, 3 other; 7 open source. Last checked: 5 October 2026.
Why this matters for digital sovereignty
CAD and engineering software often holds your most valuable intellectual property, such as designs and technical specifications, which cloud-based tools store outside your direct control. Check where design files are stored, who can access backups and whether local or offline storage is available.
European vendors
- BlenderSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source 3D creation suite for modeling, animation, rendering and compositing
Netherlands · open-source
- Bluestar PLMEU sovereign
Danish (Aalborg) PLM platform (PDM Technology); owned by UK investor Volpi Capital since 2025
Denmark
- BricsCADEU sovereign
Full-featured CAD platform compatible with DWG for 2D drafting, 3D modeling and BIM
Belgium · owner in Sweden
- CadworkSelf-hosted / open source
Swiss 3D CAD/CAM software (Cadwork informatik AG, Basel, founded 1988) for timber construction and wood engineering, market leader serving about 4,200 mostly SME customers with parametric modeling, Lexocad BIM integration and full fabrication-workflow automation.
Switzerland
- CATIA (Dassault Systemes)EU sovereign
Advanced multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE software for product design and engineering
France
- COMSOL MultiphysicsEU sovereign
Swedish simulation platform for multi-physics modeling and finite element analysis
Sweden
- CONTACT Software (CIM Database)EU sovereign
German (Bremen) PLM platform (CIM Database), independent software vendor
Germany
- ELITECAD (XEOMETRIC)Self-hosted / open source
Austrian professional 3D CAD software developed by XEOMETRIC GmbH (Linz), offering ELITECAD Architecture and ELITECAD Mechanics with BIM2COST/BIM2AVA cost-estimation modules for architecture and mechanical/plant engineering.
Austria
- ENOVIA (Dassault Systemes)EU sovereign
French (Velizy-Villacoublay) PLM/collaboration platform, part of Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE suite
France
- FreeCADSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source parametric 3D CAD modeler for product design and mechanical engineering
Germany · open-source
- Graebert ARESEU sovereign
German family-owned CAD software company headquartered in Berlin (founded 1977), developing the ARES Trinity of DWG-native CAD tools: ARES Commander (desktop), ARES Touch (mobile) and ARES Kudo (cloud), plus industry-specific verticals. Actively sold via subscription in 2026, with operations in 100+ countries.
Germany
- GRAITEC Advance CADEU sovereign
French 2D/3D CAD, structural-analysis and BIM software (Bièvres, founded 1986) for architecture and construction.
France
- Graphisoft ArchiCADSelf-hosted / open source
Hungarian BIM/CAD software house (Budapest, founded 1982) behind ArchiCAD, an industry-leading Building Information Modeling solution for architects with 2D/3D drafting, real-time collaboration and AI assistant features. Now majority-owned by Nemetschek SE (Munich, Germany).
Hungary · owner in Germany
- HiCADEU sovereign
German integrated 2D/3D CAD system (Dortmund) from ISD Software und Systeme for steel, sheet-metal and plant engineering.
Germany
- keytech PLMEU sovereign
German (Recklinghausen) PLM and DMS platform, independent software vendor since 1996
Germany
- KiCadSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source EDA suite for schematic capture and PCB layout, supported by CERN
France · open-source
- Leica GeosystemsEU sovereign
Swiss surveying and geospatial technology company (Heerbrugg, founded 1921) offering LISCAD (CAD for surveyors), Leica Infinity (geospatial office software) and Leica Captivate (field software) for land surveying and infrastructure engineering. Subsidiary of Hexagon AB (Sweden) since 2005.
Switzerland · owner in Sweden
- LibreCADSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source 2D CAD application for drafting and design
Germany · open-source
- OpenSCADSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source script-based 3D CAD modeler focused on creating solid models
Austria · open-source
- Salome-MecaSelf-hosted / open source
Open-source simulation platform for structural mechanics and thermal analysis by EDF
France · open-source
- Shapr3DEU sovereign
Hungarian cloud-native 3D CAD platform (Budapest, founded 2015), optimised for iPad, Mac and Windows with Apple Pencil.
Hungary
- Siemens NXEU sovereign
Integrated CAD/CAM/CAE solution for advanced product design and manufacturing
Germany
- Solid Edge (Siemens)EU sovereign
3D CAD, simulation and manufacturing software by Siemens Digital Industries
Germany
- SOLIDWORKS (Dassault Systemes)EU sovereign
3D CAD design software for mechanical engineering and product development
France
- Teamcenter (Siemens)EU sovereign
Product lifecycle management platform for engineering data and process management
Germany
- TebisEU sovereign
German CAD/CAM and MES software (Martinsried near Munich, founded 1984) for model, mold and production machining.
Germany
- VariCADEU sovereign
Czech parametric 2D/3D CAD package (Liberec) for mechanical engineering, continuously developed since 1988.
Czechia
Non-European vendors in this category
For each vendor, the page with European alternatives and the sovereignty profile.
- Non-EU vendorAlibre DesignUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorAutoCADUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorAutodesk FusionUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorAutodesk InventorUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorCreoUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendornanoCADRussia · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorOnshapeUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorOpenFOAMUnited Kingdom · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorPRO.FILE (Revalize)United States · 6 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorPTC WindchillUnited States · 6 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorRevitUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorSketchUpUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorVectorworksUnited States · 8 EU alternatives
- Non-EU vendorZWCADChina · 8 EU alternatives
Frequently asked questions
Which European CAD & Engineering vendors are there?
The knowledge base lists 27 European CAD & Engineering vendors, including Blender, Bluestar PLM, BricsCAD and Cadwork. Every record is checked for headquarters, ultimate owner, hosting locations and licence.
Are there open-source options for CAD & Engineering?
Yes. Open-source CAD & Engineering software from Europe includes Blender, FreeCAD, KiCad and LibreCAD; you can self-host it with the encryption keys under your own control.