BricsCAD vs AutoCAD: a good, cheaper alternative?

BricsCAD is a serious AutoCAD alternative: it reads and writes the .dwg format natively, uses a similar interface and command line, and costs far less because you buy a one-time perpetual licence instead of a mandatory subscription. For most drafters who mainly work in .dwg, BricsCAD is an excellent and much cheaper choice. There is one honest caveat: if your clients or industry specifically demand AutoCAD, AutoCAD remains the safer default. In this article I explain the difference fairly, based on daily work in both packages.

I drafted in AutoCAD for years and later moved part of my work to BricsCAD. Below I share what actually matters when you make this choice: compatibility, licence type, price, and the ecosystem around each program. No marketing talk, just the practical reality.

What is BricsCAD?

BricsCAD is a professional CAD program from the Belgian company Bricsys, now part of Hexagon. It is built around the same .dwg file format that AutoCAD uses, so your drawings, layers, blocks, and xrefs stay plain .dwg. The environment feels familiar. There is a command line, you type commands like LINE, TRIM, and HATCH, and many keyboard shortcuts behave the way you expect.

BricsCAD comes in several editions. Lite targets 2D drafting. Pro adds 3D modelling and LISP. BIM and Mechanical focus on building and machine design with dedicated tools. That structure closely mirrors how AutoCAD offers its base version and industry toolsets, except that with Bricsys you pay once instead of every month.

BricsCAD vs AutoCAD: the differences

The biggest difference is the licence model. AutoCAD has been subscription only for years. You pay per year, and if you stop paying you lose access to the program. BricsCAD also offers a perpetual licence: you pay once and the version you buy stays yours. Over a few years that difference adds up to hundreds or even thousands of euros per seat.

A second difference is the ecosystem. AutoCAD has been the industry standard for decades. There are thousands of plug-ins, courses, forums, and colleagues who already know the software. If a client asks for a specific AutoCAD file or a certified workflow, AutoCAD delivers that without friction. BricsCAD has a smaller but fast growing ecosystem, and many AutoCAD LISP routines and plug-ins run on it directly.

On features, the two packages sit closer together than many people assume. BricsCAD has some clever tools of its own, such as the Quad cursor and strong parametric and machine learning driven features. Still, I will be honest: the very newest AutoCAD features and the deepest integration with the rest of Autodesk, think Revit and Civil 3D, only come from Autodesk itself. If you work in a pure Autodesk chain, that carries weight.

Is BricsCAD compatible with .dwg and AutoCAD files?

Yes. This is exactly where BricsCAD shines. It opens and saves .dwg natively, with no intermediate step or conversion. Layouts, layers, dimension styles, blocks, and external references almost always come through correctly. In my experience you open an AutoCAD drawing in BricsCAD and simply see your work, formatting included.

Honesty matters here. With very complex files that use many dynamic blocks, specific Autodesk objects, or custom entities, a single detail can render slightly differently. For daily 2D and common 3D work I rarely run into this. If you plan to collaborate with a team, exchange a few real project files before you switch fully. That way you confirm your specific workflow runs smoothly.

Which should you choose?

Choose AutoCAD if your clients or industry explicitly require it, if you sit deep in the Autodesk chain, or if you depend on plug-ins that only exist for AutoCAD. It is the safe default, and that is worth money when third party compatibility is the deciding factor.

Choose BricsCAD if you mainly draft in .dwg yourself, if the recurring subscription cost bothers you, and if you want a package you own rather than rent. Freelancers, small firms, and companies with many seats save the most here. For that group BricsCAD is not a compromise but simply the smarter call.

Still on the fence? Look at your last twelve months. How many files came in that genuinely had to originate from AutoCAD, and how many did you create yourself? Then weigh three years of AutoCAD subscription against a single BricsCAD licence. For most drafters I talk to, that sum comes out clearly, and the low number at the bottom surprises them. If you want to play it safe, keep one AutoCAD seat for the exceptions and move the rest over.

Feature	BricsCAD	AutoCAD
.dwg compatibility	Native read and write	Native, own format
Licence type	One-time perpetual or subscription	Subscription only
Price	Considerably lower	High, recurring yearly
Ecosystem	Smaller, growing fast, most LISP works	Largest, industry standard
Interface	Similar, command line	The familiar reference
Best for	.dwg drafting, cost aware, ownership	Autodesk chain, client requirement

Where to buy cheaply and legally

At Licono you buy a genuine, legally resold BricsCAD licence for a fraction of the new price. You receive a valid licence code, so you work within the rules and without risk. If you still need AutoCAD because a client asks for it, I supply that too. That way you choose on substance rather than on whatever happens to be on offer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I open AutoCAD files in BricsCAD?

Yes. BricsCAD uses .dwg as its own format, so you open and save AutoCAD drawings directly, without conversion. For the vast majority of drafting work you notice no difference.

Do my LISP routines work in BricsCAD?

In most cases, yes. BricsCAD supports LISP and scripts, and many existing AutoCAD routines run without changes. Test complex or self written routines in advance to be sure.

Is the cheaper licence at Licono legal?

Yes. Licono sells genuine, legally resold licences with a valid code. You use the software fully within the rules, just at a much lower price than the regular retail cost.

In short: BricsCAD is a mature, .dwg compatible CAD package that you buy once and that costs far less than AutoCAD. For anyone who mainly drafts themselves it is a solid choice. If your industry demands AutoCAD, pick that. You buy both packages at Licono legally and sharply priced, so you can simply choose what fits your work best.