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I first came across Autodesk AutoCAD when I was at university studying for a degree in computer science. I was actually learning to use some of the best 3D modelling software, but that meant getting familiar with 2D drawing software as well.

Over the next two decades AutoCAD has proved to be an ever-present backdrop to many of my creative projects. Now at version 2026, AutoCAD is stronger than ever with productivity, speed, and AI tools at the forefront of the newest feature list.

If you’d like to explore other options, then check out our guide to the best CAD software. You’ll also want one of the best laptops for CAD and AutoCAD to make sure you have the required hardware.

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• AutoDesk AutoCAD at Amazon for £16.10

How I tested

Having used AutoCAD for over two decades, I fired up the latest version (2026) and proceeded to work my way through the list of new features as listed on the Autodesk website. This included new features as well as existing ones that have been improved upon. I made use of a number of different projects during my testing and was keen to see how the latest improvements would affect actual workflows. I also contacted customer support so that I could make informed comments on how Autodesk handles customer queries.

Key plans and pricing

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The days of owning AutoCAD software outright are long gone, and at $250/£252 per month, you’ll need a small mortgage to afford it. The best per-month price requires you to fix it for three years, although that’s quite the commitment for anyone apart from maybe the largest studios. The recent addition of a Flex plan lets you manage infrequent use without breaking the bank.

If you’re serious about your CAD work, then you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option. You could go for something like FreeCAD, but its feature set is significantly more limited.

Value score: 3/5

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Setup and getting started

• Familiar interface to existing AutoCAD users
• New users will need to take time to get up to speed

Speaking as one who is familiar with AutoCAD, getting started with the 2026 version was like spending time with an old familiar friend. All the menus and tools are almost identical in form and location to 2025, so there was no drawnout, lengthy process of trying to find my way around.

Regarding the new features, these were helpfully outlined and described on the Autodesk website with plenty of instructions through manuals and videos. Getting started with new features was therefore as simple as following the steps provided. I loaded up a drawing and had no problems finding my way around.

The same won’t be true for users who are completely new to AutoCAD. I remember back to when I was first learning the software and how much I had to lean on colleagues to help me understand workflows and features. There is a lot more online help available nowadays, which will help you get onboarded a lot quicker than I ever did.

Setup score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future)

Templates

• Sheet set templates for specific paper sizes
• Templates for architecture, civil engineering, and mechanical design

One of the best ways to streamline your workflow in AutoCAD is to take advantage of templates. There aren’t any new features in 2026 for this, but there are a range of existing Autodesk templates, that you can download and use right away. They’re also 100% editable for ultimate flexibility.

The templates that I have found the most helpful are called sheet sets, which provide specific paper sizes, metric and imperial, depending on whether you want to create drawings for A4, A3, or other sizes.

There are also a range of templates that provide typical settings for architecture, civil engineering, and mechanical design. This helps users get up and running quickly, no matter the type of project they’re embarking on.

Over time, I’ve found it helpful to create my own templates so that I have additional blocks and tools to hand.

Feature score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)

Features

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• Collaborative tools that make it easier to work in a team
• Significant speed improvements

A lot of the new and enhanced features of AutoCAD 2026 centre around collaboration. With an increasing number of CAD projects requiring multiple users to be working on the same files concurrently, it’s great to see Autodesk giving significant effort to these workflows.

One example is Activity Insights, which help users stay informed with detailed multi-user event logs. Enhanced in version 2026, AutoCAD now reports on over 35 activity types, including version history, file comparison tools, and new “What’s Changed” insights.

I found this feature to be most powerful and useful when working with Autodesk Docs, although you could use a different cloud storage provider, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and Dropbox. It’s super easy to track versions and see what has or hasn’t changed between what you’ve designed and what others in the team have done.

I also love the new ability to import and connect JPG, PNG and PDF markups from Autodesk Docs. This makes it noticeably easier to review and action feedback. The synced data appears in a trace layer and is updated whenever changes are made.

AutoCAD 2026 also sees some significant improvements to Smart Blocks (dynamic blocks). For those unfamiliar with this aspect of AutoCAD, Smart Blocks are a set of intelligent features that are designed to enhance block workflows. This is achieved through automated block placement, suggesting similar blocks for replacement, and converting objects into blocks. All of this is made possible through machine learning.

Enhanced ‘detect and convert’ as well as ‘search and convert’ features are still under development, so they will improve over time. My limited experience of these features has been very positive indeed. Not only are the tools incredibly intuitive and easy to use but also surprisingly reliable at detecting similar geometry within a drawing. This saves time and promotes content reuse and standardisation.

Additionally, AutoCAD 2026 is reportedly faster than any previous version. I wasn’t able to test this out, but Autodesk claims that users will experience up to 11x faster file opening and 4x faster startup times in AutoCAD 2026 vs AutoCAD 2025.

Feature score: 4/5

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User interface and experience

• A ribbon interface which might take some getting used to
• Shortcut keys rapidly speed up drawing commands

AutoCAD continues to use the ribbon interface that it introduced in 2009. Prior to this, there was a traditional classic menu system, and even though the ribbon and classic layouts continued side by side, the classic option was eventually phased out in AutoCAD 2015.

If you’re not familiar with this type of interface, then it’ll take you a while to get used to it. In essence, tools are categorised into tabs with similar features put together. Despite taking a bit of time to get used to it, I found that it improved navigation and sped up access to tools. Some of my colleagues have found it unnecessarily complex, but this has mostly been those who were used to the ‘old way’ of doing things.

Another way of working that might take some getting used to is the command line that lets you type in commands and operations. This way of working is much quicker than navigating through the ribbon, and many AutoCAD users choose to work this way. It continues to feature in AutoCAD 2026 and shows no signs of disappearing.

If you’d like to customise the AutoCAD interface, then there is a dedicated Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor. It’s not the most intuitive, but it does allow users to modify many of the user interface elements that are used to start a command in the program.

Performance score: 4/5

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(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Help and support

• Limited human support
• Online-based articles and forums

Unfortunately I’ve never experienced Autodesk as being particularly helpful. I don’t think this is because they’re seeking to be unhelpful, but rather it’s the result of being a global enterprise with millions of users. They simply can’t provide one-to-one support to the degree that many struggling users would like.

Autodesk attempts to overcome this by making you pay for support, which comes in three tiers: standard, premium, and enterprise. The standard option includes access to self-service options, the Autodesk Knowledge Network, and online support forums.

The premium version provides access to a dedicated specialist for support and assistance in resolving issues. For even more support, you’ll want enterprise cover, which offers a dedicated support team, remote desktop assistance, and premium support benefits.

I’ve never paid for support, which is probably why my experience is a little negative. That being said, I imagine most people won’t want to part with any cash, so I wanted to test out what help free users get access to.

To do this, I went onto the support page of the Autodesk website, and after clicking through a few options, wrote this:

“Hi, I’m experiencing semi-frequent crashes and lockups, and I can’t identify the cause. Could you please help me?”

This is a common problem being reported on forums, and I was keen to see if Autodesk could help. After submitting my question, I was quickly told that I wouldn’t be provided with technical support due to not having paid for support. Instead, I was pointed to the Autodesk forums and a series of articles which they hoped would solve my problem.

These ‘self-service’ articles are well laid out and provide clear steps to take when attempting to solve the problem. The challenge is in diagnosing the exact cause, and that’s where I think most people will come unstuck. With that in mind, if you or your business can afford premium or even enterprise support, then the help you get will be a lot more targeted.

Support score: 3/5

Who is it for?

• AutoCAD is for those working in architecture, civil engineering, and mechanical design fields

AutoCAD is for designers who need to create 2D plans. It does have 3D tools, but I’d recommend using something like 3ds Max or SolidWorks instead. If you’re a 3D visualiser, then you’ll want to learn at least the basics of AutoCAD. This will help you clean CAD plans up and optimise them before importing them into your chosen 3D package.

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(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if…

• You’re a serious CAD professional
• You’re need to collaborate with other AutoCAD users
• You prefer to use the industry standard

Don’t buy it if…

• You’re on a budget
• You work more on mechanical drawings
• You need easy-to-use 3D modelling tools

AutoDesk AutoCAD: Price Comparison

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