SOLIDWORKS Design Standard is free for qualified students. Other free routes include an evaluation trial, approved startup and makerspace programs, and a viewer for opening files. A regular commercial design license is paid.
I'd choose by what the model is for before comparing prices. The license that covers a school assignment can exclude the same part when it's designed for an employer, and a low-cost Makers model has file restrictions that matter when somebody else needs to edit it.
Which free route fits your work?
| Your task | Route | What limits it |
|---|---|---|
| Learn as an enrolled student | Free Design Standard for Students, or school-provided access | Individual offer: one year, with another application while eligible; education use only. |
| Evaluate before buying | Free SOLIDWORKS Design trial | Temporary evaluation; follow the expiry and terms issued for your access. |
| Make personal projects through a makerspace | Free annual Makers offer | Membership confirmation, application review and listed countries; one year only. |
| Build a startup's own physical product | Startups Program | Application approval; first year free for qualifying companies. |
| Model hobby parts without those qualifications | SOLIDWORKS for Makers | Paid subscription with personal-use and file restrictions. |
| Open a supplied part, assembly or drawing | Free desktop eDrawings Viewer | Viewing and permitted review tools, rather than native CAD modeling. |
| Do client or other professional design work | Commercial license | The student and personal-use offers don't provide general business rights. |
Students: ask the school before signing up
Your school may already provide a fuller package. The student offers page says an institution license can include access on your own device at no extra cost. Ask the course administrator which edition, release and home-use entitlement the course supplies. If the school gives you Design Premium, the free-offer FAQ recommends using that instead of individual Standard.
Without school access, qualified students can get Design Standard for one year, then complete the form again while still eligible. It covers core modeling with parts and assemblies. Drawings, sheet metal and weldments are included too. Separate Simulation and CAM products aren't included; neither are Visualize or certification vouchers. Check the required assignment before choosing a package: a request for a simulation study or CAM program can require tools beyond this free offer.
The current sign-up form defines qualified students through secondary or post-secondary enrollment. Its terms allow ages 13 to 17 with adult involvement, while the linked agreement defines the customer as at least 18. An applicant under 18 should get that discrepancy resolved with SOLIDWORKS before relying on the offer.
Free student access is for learning. The student license agreement excludes commercial work, consulting, work-for-hire, corporate or government internships, and instruction; the form also excludes research applications. Any educational watermark applied to output must remain. For an internship, ask the employer about its seat or the separate SkillForce program for accepted interns.
Apply through the official student form and use the installation link, serial number and guide supplied for your entitlement. An installer on its own doesn't grant a license. Design Premium for Students and the separate browser product xDesign for Students are paid alternatives; the student page lists each at US$60 per year for a single user, excluding local taxes, with local pricing in the cart.
A trial is for evaluating a purchase
The SOLIDWORKS Design pricing FAQ offers a free trial. I'd start there for a purchase evaluation because it gives you an official access route before committing to a commercial seat. Follow the vendor's trial link and check the expiry, access requirements and file-use terms shown for your evaluation before starting.
Use a practice part without confidential project data for the first look. If the evaluation needs your own workstation, a longer period or company files, ask a reseller whether an evaluation with suitable access and data terms is available. Keep ongoing work on a license that covers its intended use after the evaluation ends.
Makers is a paid personal-use option
SOLIDWORKS for Makers covers personal projects, including parts you sell while annual revenue stays below US$2,000. Professional work needs a commercial or startup license. Its US list price is $48 per year or $15 per month before tax; the page also advertises a $24 annual promotion. Check the local cart and country availability before buying.
Choose the Windows desktop package for desktop SOLIDWORKS, or the separate browser-based xDesign package for a Mac, Chromebook or tablet. Native Makers files are digitally watermarked and open only with Makers licenses, not commercial or academic versions. This applies to SLDPRT and SLDASM files; it also applies to SLDDRW files. Neutral exports such as STEP can be shared. There is no upgrade path from Makers to a commercial license.
I'd settle the recipient's required file format before starting a Makers model. A STEP geometry export serves a different hand-off from a native model that the recipient expects to open and edit.
A makerspace can provide a free year
The makerspace program lets members and managers apply for a free annual license of either Makers package. You confirm membership of a valid makerspace, select the package and wait for the application review. The offer is valid for one year only and lists 25 eligible countries. Use that program's country list: it is separate from the broader availability list on the paid Makers page. The resulting license remains a Makers license, with its native-file restrictions.
Qualifying hardware startups can get the first year free
The Startups Program is intended for companies designing and building a physical product to sell. The published criteria are less than US$1 million in revenue and no more than five years in business. Current SOLIDWORKS customers, service providers, engineering or design firms, consultants and contract manufacturers are excluded. Funding and the business also affect the application review, as does the product.
Approved companies get the first year free, followed by 70% off year two and 50% off year three. A local reseller supplies access after approval. I'd apply before assuming a commercial seat is in the budget, but a freelance design service doesn't qualify just because it's new.
Use the free viewer when the file only needs reviewing
eDrawings Viewer is free on desktop and opens SOLIDWORKS parts, assemblies and drawings, plus eDrawings files and DXF/DWG. It gives a recipient a way to inspect supplied work without buying a CAD modeling seat. The iOS and Android apps are separate paid products.
Review permissions still matter. The Measure tool requires a measure-enabled file; other review tools can also depend on how the sender published it. If a needed tool is unavailable, ask the sender for a file with the appropriate permissions. The viewer doesn't replace editing the part's sketches, dimensions and features in CAD.
Paid work needs the right commercial entitlement
Client design and consulting work need a commercial license. A startup building its own physical product can apply for the separate program above. The commercial Design Standard offer starts at US$2,820 per year for one user, excluding local taxes; the cart supplies local pricing. Choose the package by the tools and file workflow the job requires.
Free access also doesn't remove the hardware requirement. Installed desktop SOLIDWORKS CAD needs a supported Windows setup; browser-based xDesign is a separate product. Before requesting a serial number, confirm the required release, operating system, intended use and file format with your school administrator or reseller.
