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Most buyers should pick Autodesk Fusion.
Choose Fusion for one cloud-based platform spanning CAD, simulation, CAM, PCB design and collaboration. Choose Inventor for mechanical design, simulation, production documentation and links to other CAD formats. The price difference is hard to judge: Fusion’s pricing page does not publish monthly or annual rates, while Inventor is listed at $320 monthly or $215.42 per month on annual billing, per user. Both offer free access for eligible students and educators.
01Side by side
| Autodesk Fusion | Autodesk Inventor | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Monthly and annual prices not published | $320/month; $215.42/month on annual billing |
| Free plan | Free access for eligible students and educators | Free access for eligible students and educators |
| Best for | CAD, CAM, PCB design and cloud collaboration | Mechanical design, simulation and production documentation |
| Core strength | CAD, engineering, manufacturing and PCB in one platform | Mechanical design tools and CAD interoperability |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Ease-of-use score: 6/10 |
| Integrations and data | Cloud storage, version control and design review | AnyCAD links STEP, CATIA, SolidWorks and PTC Creo |
| Team and seat terms | Seat terms and prices not published | One named user; up to three installs, one active |
| Support | Subscription includes success and support benefits | 8x5 assisted support; paid plan offers prioritized 24/7 support |
Autodesk Fusion Choose Autodesk Fusion if
- Choose Autodesk Fusion if you need CAD, CAM and PCB design together.
- Choose Autodesk Fusion if cloud collaboration and version control matter.
- Choose Autodesk Fusion if you want the higher ease-of-use score.
Autodesk Inventor Choose Autodesk Inventor if
- Choose Autodesk Inventor if mechanical design is your main workflow.
- Choose Autodesk Inventor if you need AnyCAD links to other formats.
- Choose Autodesk Inventor if you want published subscription prices and seat terms.
02Pricing compared
Inventor Professional is listed at $320 per user per month, or $215.42 per user per month when billed annually. The pricing page also lists a 30-day free trial. Its three-year subscription is $7,755.
Autodesk does not publish monthly or annual Fusion subscription prices in the published pricing information, so we can’t make a direct cost comparison. Fusion has a free plan, but its pricing terms and eligibility details are not stated here. Its Flex option uses prepaid daily tokens; the token price is not published in the published Fusion pricing details.
Both products offer free access for eligible students and educators. Inventor Flex is more specific: it costs $99 for 33 tokens or $300 for 100, and Inventor uses 8 tokens per 24 hours. Check the current terms before treating Flex as a low-cost substitute for a subscription.
03Features and depth
Fusion’s scope runs from design through fabrication. It combines parametric, direct, freeform, mesh and sheet metal modeling with assemblies and manufacturing drawings. Its manufacturing tools cover 2.5- to 5-axis milling, turning, mill-turn machining and machine simulation. It also includes preparation for FFF, SLA and powder bed metal printing, FEA, generative design, PCB design and cloud collaboration features such as version control and design reviews.
Inventor is centered on mechanical design and production documentation. Its toolsets cover sheet metal, structural frames, mold bases, tubing, piping and cable and harness runs. The published feature list also includes finite element stress analysis, dynamic simulation, Shape Generator, automated drawing views and bills of materials, plus 3D geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. AnyCAD links to STEP, CATIA, SolidWorks and PTC Creo files without translation, according to the product information.
Choose by workflow: Fusion spans CAD, CAM and PCB work in one platform; Inventor has a deeper stated focus on mechanical design and interoperability with other CAD formats.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The published materials don’t give comparable learning-time data, so we wouldn’t call either product easier based on features alone. Fusion covers several disciplines in one platform, including CAD, CAM, PCB design and collaboration. That breadth may suit teams trying to keep work in one environment, but it also means more tool areas to learn.
Inventor’s listed scope is more specifically mechanical: design, simulation, documentation and CAD interoperability. Its specialized toolsets and automation may fit established engineering workflows, but the feature list doesn’t establish how quickly a new user will learn them.
Before switching, map the work your team actually does. If CAM or PCB design is central, Fusion’s included scope matters. If mechanical documentation and links to other CAD formats lead, Inventor is the more directly aligned choice.
Questions people ask
How much does Inventor Professional cost?
Autodesk lists Inventor Professional at $320 per user per month, or $215.42 per user per month on annual billing. The pricing information also lists a 30-day free trial and a three-year subscription at $7,755. Confirm current pricing and terms with Autodesk before purchasing.
Is Fusion 360 still free for hobbyists?
The published pricing information says Fusion has a free plan, but it does not state whether hobbyists qualify or list the plan’s limits. It separately lists free, renewable access for eligible students and educators. Check Autodesk’s current eligibility rules rather than assuming the free option covers hobby use.
Which Autodesk program is best for 3D printing?
Fusion is the clearer match if you need print preparation: its listed additive manufacturing tools support FFF, SLA and powder bed metal printing. The published Inventor feature information does not specify 3D-printing preparation, so it isn’t enough to compare the products on that workflow.
Is Fusion owned by Autodesk?
Yes. The published product information identifies it as Autodesk Fusion and notes that it was formerly called Fusion 360. Autodesk also publishes the product and pricing information for Inventor, the other software in this comparison.