cicada as a free AutoCAD alternative: what it does and what it does not

The short answer#

cicada is not AutoCAD. It is a free 2D editor that runs in a browser tab, opens DWG and DXF, and saves DXF and SVG. If you need to look at a drawing someone sent you, measure it, change a few lines and pass it on, it may be all you need. If you draw all day in AutoCAD, it is not a replacement.

It suits you if#

• you receive DWG files and have no AutoCAD licence to open them
• you want to check a dimension or a distance without installing anything
• you draw simple 2D parts, brackets or plates for a laser cutter, a CNC router or a vinyl cutter, and need DXF or SVG out
• you work on a computer where you cannot install software, or on a Mac, a Chromebook or Linux
• you do not want your drawings on someone else's server

It does not suit you if#

• you need to save DWG. cicada saves DXF and SVG only.
• you work with layouts and viewports, external references, dynamic blocks or 3D solids

What cicada does#

Draw lines, polylines, rectangles, circles, arcs and text. Snap to end points, middles, centres and intersections. Move, rotate, mirror, trim, extend, offset and fillet. Add dimensions, measure distances and areas, and organise everything on layers you can hide and lock. Undo and redo go back and forth through every step, and a command line takes typed coordinates, such as @40,0, the way AutoCAD's does.

It opens DWG from AutoCAD 2.1 to AutoCAD 2018 and later, DXF of every version, ASCII or binary, and SVG. It saves DXF in the newest release, R2018 (AC1032), and SVG. The DWG viewer guide lists exactly what comes through from a DWG and what does not.

How it compares#

We checked other free ways to open a DWG on their own websites on 29 September 2026. Where a site did not answer our checks, the cell says so instead of guessing.