Shapr3D set the bar for touch-first CAD, but its subscription pricing puts it out of reach for hobbyists, students, and occasional users. The good news: the alternatives have matured. Here's what actually replaces it, depending on what "replaces" means to you.

On the iPad itself

  • OpenShape3D (free, open source) — the closest like-for-like: the same direct-modeling gestures (sketch on any face, push/pull with automatic booleans, drag-to-fillet), a real 2D constraint solver with driving dimensions, revolve/sweep/loft/helix, patterns, section views, and exports for printing (STL/3MF), AR (USDZ), and engines (GLB/OBJ). It runs the OpenCASCADE B-rep kernel natively on iPad and iPhone, so solids are exact — and the entire app is open source on GitHub. No account, no upload, no paywall.
  • Onshape (free tier) — professional parametric CAD in the browser or iPad app; the free plan requires your documents to be public, which is fine for hobby projects and a dealbreaker for client work.
  • Tinkercad — free and friendly, but a different class of tool; you'll outgrow it quickly for precision parts.

On the desktop (free or one-time purchase)

  • FreeCAD — open-source parametric CAD on the same OpenCASCADE kernel OpenShape3D uses. Enormously capable (Part Design, assemblies, TechDraw, CAM) with a steeper, occasionally quirky UI. The 1.x releases fixed the long-standing topological-naming pain.
  • Plasticity — a one-time-purchase direct modeler (Parasolid-class kernel) beloved by concept artists; not parametric, not mobile, but a joy for freeform hard-surface work.
  • Fusion 360 (personal license) — free for personal use with limitations; parametric and polished, cloud-tethered, license terms have tightened over the years.
  • Blender — free and legendary, but mesh-based: perfect for art, wrong representation for exact parts (see why).

What you give up, honestly

Shapr3D's paid tiers buy real things: parametric history on top of direct editing, 2D drawings with dimensions, photorealistic visualization, sync, and commercial support. If your work needs those today, the subscription may be worth it. If what you need is exact solid modeling with a great touch interface, the free options now cover it.

A sensible free stack

  1. Model on iPad: OpenShape3D for sketch-constrained direct modeling.
  2. Heavy parametrics on desktop: FreeCAD when you need feature trees or drawings.
  3. Print: export 3MF/STL to your slicer.

Total cost: zero, with no accounts and no files held hostage.