An AutoCAD alternative in the browser — what IndoCAD has, and what it does not
People searching for an AutoCAD alternative deserve a straight answer, so here is IndoCAD's: it has what an AutoCAD user's hands already know — 200+ commands at a command line with their aliases and options, object snaps, grips, layers, named dimension and text styles, blocks with attributes, XREF, constraints, paper-space sheets with scaled viewports, tables, fields, annotative text and simple 3D solids — and it does not write DWG, run LISP or have dynamic blocks. It runs in the browser on a Free plan with nothing to install, and it is written for the Indian design office.
Autodesk, AutoCAD and Revit are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. CivilOS is not affiliated with Autodesk, and IndoCAD is not AutoCAD. The comparison below is meant to let you decide in a minute whether your work fits.
What you can do
| Feature | What it does | Export / status |
|---|---|---|
| Command line | 200+ commands with the familiar aliases and in-command options; AutoComplete and AutoCorrect as you type; F-keys and Ctrl shortcuts | Has |
| Object snaps, polar, grips | Endpoint, midpoint, intersection, centre, perpendicular, tangent, nearest; polar tracking, dynamic input, hot grips, selection cycling | Has |
| Layers, linetypes, lineweights | By layer or by object, layer states, filters and LAYWALK, paper-mm lineweights on the plot | Has |
| Dimensions and text | Named DIMSTYLEs, linear to jogged, associative dimensions, DIMBREAK; named text styles, annotative text, MLEADER, tables with formulas, fields | Has |
| Blocks and XREF | Blocks with attributes, REFEDIT, a 460-piece Indian library; XREF attach and reload | Has |
| Constraints | Geometric constraints, AUTOCONSTRAIN, dimensional constraints and a PARAMETERS manager | Has |
| Paper space and viewports | Several sheets with title blocks and scaled viewports, VIEWBASE, SECTION, DETAIL; tiled VPORTS | Has |
| 3D | Box, wedge, cylinder, cone, sphere, torus, extrude, revolve, sweep, union, subtract, slice, press-pull; 3D orbit and visual styles | Simple solids |
| DWG / DXF | Both read; DXF (AutoCAD 2000 format) written with tables, blocks and dimensions; PDF plots | Has (read) · DXF (write) |
| DWG writing | Not written; SAVEAS in AutoCAD turns the DXF into a DWG | Does not have |
| LISP, VBA, scripts, dynamic blocks | No scripting and no dynamic-block editor | Does not have |
| Sheet Set Manager, full ACIS modelling | Not provided | Does not have |
Where the two are the same
The drafting itself, and most of the document work around it. A line, a circle, an offset, a trim, an array, a fillet, a dimension, a hatch — typed at a command line with the same alias and the same options, picked with the same snaps and grips, on layers with the same properties. Blocks carry attributes and are edited in place; another drawing comes in as an XREF and reloads when it changes; shapes are held by constraints. Sheets carry viewports at stated scales, plot with a title block, and the lineweights come out in paper millimetres. The 460-block library is Indian: the doors, windows, sanitary fittings, kitchen units, furniture, electrical symbols and structural marks an Indian plan is drawn with.
Where they are not
The parts that make AutoCAD an office's automation and exchange system. LISP and scripts enforcing office standards; dynamic blocks; the Sheet Set Manager across a hundred-sheet set; saving back to DWG for a supply chain that standardised on it; the full solid and surface modeller. Those are real, they are what a large office pays for, and a browser tool does not do them. If your work depends on them, stay where you are.
What IndoCAD has that AutoCAD does not
The rest of the platform. The plan drafted here is the plan the take-off measures, the plan BIM Studio raises into 3D, the plan Interior Studio walks, and the geometry the IS-code BOQ is priced from on CPWD DSR 2023. There is nothing to install, nothing to renew, it runs on a tablet at site, and its menus read in 24 languages, Hindi included.
How to start
- Open IndoCAD from the sidebar; the command line is at the bottom of the sheet.
- Draft as you would — type the alias, pick with snaps and grips, manage layers from the panel.
- Open a DWG you were sent, in a tab of its own; measure it, mark it up, or continue it.
- Lay out the sheet — viewports at scale, title block — and plot it, or export DXF for the next office.
- Carry it on — take-off, 3D, BIM, bill — on the same project.
What CivilOS does not do
- No DWG writing. DWG is read; DXF (AutoCAD 2000 format), PDF and plotted sheets are written.
- No LISP, VBA or scripts, and no dynamic blocks.
- No Sheet Set Manager. Sheets live inside one drawing.
- Simple 3D solids only — no surface or mesh modelling, no rendering.
- A received DWG opens in model space; its own external references must be bound first.
- Not affiliated with Autodesk. AutoCAD is Autodesk's trademark; IndoCAD is CivilOS's own drafting module.
Where a browser tool fits
AutoCAD earns its licence on the large, long-running job: hundreds of sheets managed as a set, standards enforced by scripts, DWG as the exchange format the whole supply chain expects, and add-ins for every discipline. That work stays in AutoCAD.
The sheet going out this afternoon, the drawing received and measured, the class of forty machines, the site engineer's tablet, the fifteen-sheet project — that is where a free browser CAD that opens the DWG and drafts with the same hands is the better tool, and where IndoCAD is meant to be used.
Open IndoCAD free → type L and start drafting; open a DWG to see your drawingFrequently asked questions
Is IndoCAD a free AutoCAD alternative?
Yes, to start. Create a free account (no card) and the Free plan opens every module, including IndoCAD, with a monthly allowance; prints carry the CivilOS letterhead. Pro, Max and Enterprise Seats plans add more hours and generations and put your own letterhead on every print. The Training Corner, Knowledge Library and Feedback are free without limit.
What AutoCAD features does IndoCAD have?
More than the everyday drafting set: a command line with 200+ commands and the usual aliases, object snaps, polar tracking and grips, layers with linetypes and lineweights, named dimension and text styles, annotative text, tables, fields, multileaders, blocks with attributes and in-place editing, XREF, geometric and dimensional constraints, paper-space sheets with scaled viewports, simple 3D solids, DWG and DXF import, DXF export and plotting to scale with a title block. An AutoCAD user's hands work here.
What does it NOT have?
Writing DWG files, LISP, VBA and scripting, dynamic blocks, the Sheet Set Manager, and the full ACIS solid modeller with its surface and mesh tools. A drawing that depends on those belongs in AutoCAD. Autodesk and AutoCAD are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.; CivilOS is not affiliated with Autodesk.
Can it open my AutoCAD drawings?
Yes. DWG and DXF files open with their layers, colours, linetypes, hatches, text and blocks as the file specifies, including mirrored blocks and large drawings; the drawing's model space is what opens. External references inside a received DWG need binding first. IndoCAD writes DXF in the AutoCAD 2000 format, PDF and plotted sheets, not DWG — open the DXF in AutoCAD and SAVEAS gives a DWG of any year.
Does it have paper space and layouts?
Yes. A drawing can carry several sheets, each with a title block and viewports showing parts of the model at stated scales; VIEWBASE lays a plan, section and elevation out on one sheet at one scale, and DETAIL adds an enlarged view. Tiled viewports (VPORTS) split the model screen as well.
Is it like AutoCAD LT?
In scope it is close to LT — 2D drafting with layouts, XREF and annotative text — and it adds simple 3D solids and constraints, which LT lacks. It is a browser platform rather than a desktop program, with no licence and nothing to install, and the drawing carries straight into quantity take-off, 3D, BIM and an IS-code bill on the same platform.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
No installation: CivilOS opens in an ordinary browser on a laptop, tablet or phone and can be installed as an app from the sidebar. A free account is needed to open the engineering modules; it takes a minute and asks for no card.
Draft for checking. Every safety-critical output of CivilOS is a preparation document. Drawings, quantities, rates, programmes and inspections must be verified, and the result signed off, by a licensed professional before they are issued, tendered, built or paid against.