What is LibreCAD used for?

LibreCAD is a free, cross-platform 2D CAD program built with Qt that reads DXF and DWG files and writes DXF, DWG, PDF and SVG. It is a good fit for drafting 2D technical drawings and converting DXF files to PDF or SVG.

Is LibreCAD open source?

Yes. LibreCAD is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at LibreCAD/LibreCAD and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. LibreCAD is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host LibreCAD?

Yes. LibreCAD can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is LibreCAD an alternative to?

LibreCAD is an open-source alternative to AutoCAD, MicroStation, BricsCAD and ZWCAD. Other open-source alternatives to AutoCAD include FreeCAD.

Is LibreCAD actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to LibreCAD was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.2.1.5, published on 2 May 2026. The project has 6.4k stars on GitHub.

LibreCAD: open-source alternative to AutoCAD, MicroStation

About LibreCAD

LibreCAD is a 2D CAD drawing program derived from QCAD's community edition. It uses the Qt framework, so it runs on most operating systems, and the user interface is translated into more than 30 languages.

It can read DXF and DWG files and write DXF, DWG, PDF and SVG, and supports drawing primitives such as points, lines, circles, ellipses, parabolas, hyperbolas and splines. The interface is highly customizable. LibreCAD can also act as a DXF converter, turning a drawing into PDF, PNG or SVG from the command line. Release notes explain which Qt version each branch needs, and the macOS build is a universal app for Apple Silicon and Intel with ad-hoc signing, so the first launch needs a manual approval step.

The README says LibreCAD is free software distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2, while the repository metadata lists the licence as other. Stable releases, builds from the stable branch and builds from master are linked for download.

Key features

2D CAD drawing
Reads DXF and DWG files
Writes DXF, DWG, PDF and SVG
Lines, circles, ellipses and splines
Customizable interface with 30+ translations
DXF to PDF, PNG or SVG conversion

Good fit for

→Drafting 2D technical drawings
→Converting DXF files to PDF or SVG

Built with: C++
Tags: cad; 2d-cad; dxf; dwg; drawing; qt; cross-platform; cpp

LibreCAD: questions and answers

What is LibreCAD used for?: LibreCAD is a free, cross-platform 2D CAD program built with Qt that reads DXF and DWG files and writes DXF, DWG, PDF and SVG. It is a good fit for drafting 2D technical drawings and converting DXF files to PDF or SVG.
Is LibreCAD open source?: Yes. LibreCAD is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at LibreCAD/LibreCAD and is written mainly in C++.
Is LibreCAD free?: Yes. LibreCAD is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host LibreCAD?: Yes. LibreCAD can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is LibreCAD an alternative to?: LibreCAD is an open-source alternative to AutoCAD, MicroStation, BricsCAD and ZWCAD. Other open-source alternatives to AutoCAD include FreeCAD.
Is LibreCAD actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to LibreCAD was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.2.1.5, published on 2 May 2026. The project has 6.4k stars on GitHub.