Comparison

viewshape vs Onshape 3D CAD

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

viewshape

A free 3D model viewer for iPhone and iPod touch, allowing you to access, download, and share 3D models. Supports various file formats and offers intuitive navigation with different rendering modes.

Highlights
  • 3D model viewing
  • Download models from web
  • Share models via email/Facebook
  • Support for OBJ, STL, VRML, PLY
  • Texture support
  • Multiple rendering modes
  • Intuitive navigation
Features
Read full description

Enjoy our stylish and free 3D viewer designed for iPhone and iPod touch. It lets you have all your 3D models on your mobile device available with a single click as well as download 3D models available on the Internet. You can surf a gallery of real scanned objects as well. You can save models you like in the gallery and share models with your friends, customers and colleagues via email or facebook. You may download models directly from the Web, upload them onto viewshape with iTunes or open them from other applications (such as Mail or Safari). A wide range of 3D file formats are supported. Key Features ========= - Easy and intuitive view navigation - OBJ, STL, VRML and PLY formats support - Support for textures - Many different modes of rendering including solid, wireframe and points - Download models from the web or open them from other applications (i.e. Mail.app) - Built-in gyroscope and accelerometer support - Full screen mode - Share links to models with friends In the Gallery you'll find several models that we have preinstalled for you. Please visit our website www.viewshape.com to get more. We are continuously updating our gallery for you! Enjoy your 3D, Viewshape Team

About

Onshape 3D CAD

This professional CAD platform enables real-time collaboration on product design from any device. It offers parametric modeling tools, secure cloud storage, and version control, streamlining the design process for teams and individuals. Supports students and educators with free access for non-commercial projects.

Highlights
  • Parametric modeling tools
  • Real-time team collaboration
  • Cloud-based data management
  • Cross-device access
  • Version control and history
  • Commenting and feedback tools
Read full description

Onshape is a full mechanical CAD platform designed for professional users and extended teams. Create, edit, collaborate, and comment in real time with others from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection (free sign-up required). With Onshape’s secure cloud workspace teams can work together from anywhere on any device without the hassles of file management, IT overhead, and license key distribution, helping engineers focus more on doing their best work. Parametric CAD: • Design parts together in Part Studios with a full suite of parametric modeling tools • Create mechanical Assemblies to capture complex motion Ease of Access: • Create, edit, and view from any computer or mobile device (internet connection required) • Begin a project from one device and seamlessly continue from another Collaboration: • Instantly share your CAD data with your teams and partners. Monitor, change, and revoke permissions at any time • Work together with other users and view changes in real-time as they are made • Use Follow mode to see exactly what your teammate sees and add suggestions using Onshape’s built-in commenting tools Data Management: • Maintain a single source of truth for your data, no more sending around or checking in and out of files • Never worry about losing your work, all of your changes are saved automatically • Explore multiple design ideas in parallel and create professional release and approval processes for your designs Onshape for iOS also features Apple Pencil support for more intuitive sketching, navigation, and precise selection. Onshape proudly supports students and educators free of charge and is available free for non-commercial projects in an open-source public work space. Since Onshape is updated every few weeks with dozens of new features and user-requested enhancements, keep an eye out for update notifications from the Apple App Store.

Screenshots

viewshape4 screens
Onshape 3D CAD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Onshape 3D CAD at 3.5 against viewshape's 2.7. Onshape 3D CAD also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (416 vs 3). viewshape's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 47%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Onshape 3D CAD holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Onshape 3D CAD has 416 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of viewshape's written reviews are positive against 47% of Onshape 3D CAD's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

viewshape ships an update every 4 months, Onshape 3D CAD every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
viewshape versus Onshape 3D CAD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterviewshapeOnshape 3D CAD
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (3 ratings)3.5 (416 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better47.3% of reviews
Number of ratings3416 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB77 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperArtec GroupPTC Inc.

Customer experience

viewshape

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative6.7%

Onshape 3D CAD

All ratings412 ratings
Positive61.7%
Neutral5.8%
Negative32.5%
Written reviews425 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral6.4%
Negative46.4%

Bugs and requests

viewshape

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Onshape 3D CAD

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Dimensions not visible/editable
  • Rotation/view controls unreliable
  • Unable to create account
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add keyboard shortcuts
  • Improve dimensioning tools
  • Allow private file storage
  • Optimize for iPad/Apple Pencil
  • Provide better documentation/tutorials

In-app purchases

None

viewshape

No in-app purchases

None

Onshape 3D CAD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is viewshape free?
viewshape is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Onshape 3D CAD free?
Onshape 3D CAD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, viewshape or Onshape 3D CAD?
Onshape 3D CAD is rated higher. viewshape averages 2.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Onshape 3D CAD averages 3.5 from 416 ratings.
Do viewshape or Onshape 3D CAD have ads?
Neither viewshape nor Onshape 3D CAD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, viewshape or Onshape 3D CAD?
viewshape ships an update every 4 months, and Onshape 3D CAD every 3 weeks. Most recently, viewshape was updated on October 29, 2026 and Onshape 3D CAD on October 28, 2026.

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