LibreCAD
Free 2D drafting program for plans and technical drawings, built around DXF.
Our verdict
LibreCAD does one job, which is 2D technical drawing, and it does it without asking for money. If your AutoCAD work was floor plans, site layouts, brackets and dimensioned drawings rather than 3D models, this is the nearest thing on Linux.
Its native format is DXF, the open format AutoCAD also writes. That matters more than it sounds. Save every drawing you care about out of AutoCAD as DXF while you still have Windows, because .dwg is a closed format and going back later is harder than doing it now.
Expect some relearning. Commands and shortcuts are not AutoCAD's, layers and blocks behave a little differently, and the drawing tools are thinner. For hobby plans, renovations and basic drafting work that is a fair trade for free.
What's good
- Laid out like a traditional 2D drafting program, so an AutoCAD user recognises the shape of it
- Small, quick to install, and free with no trial period or account
- Same program on Windows, Mac and Linux, so you can try it before you move
What to know first
- 2D only, with no 3D modelling at all
- Works in DXF, so .dwg drawings have to be converted before they open cleanly
- Development is slow and the interface shows its age
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-2.0)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), AppImage download, Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
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