# SolveSpace 37 Hacker News commenters recommended SolveSpace and 12 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Free, fast, lightweight parametric CAD praised for simple sketching and quick learning; critics say it lacks features and its booleans often fail. ## Why people recommend it - Joyful and fun to use (6 comments): "I love solvespace, it is hard to describe but despite it's limitations and problems (and there are many) it feels joyous to use" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47594256)) "I especially love SolveSpace, it is beautiful software, well thought out, fast" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47979129)) "Solvespace is by far my favorite cad, it ls hard to explain exactly why" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46252243)) - Simple and quick to learn (5 comments): "It was SolveSpace that made it click, it's simple enough that you can see what any other package is trying to do." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693251)) "With SolveSpace I've been productive in like 2 hours after launching it the first time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47594189)) "SolveSpace is a pretty simple program, so you don't need to dig deep through the UI" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46806945)) - Fast sketching and keyboard use (4 comments): "pretty stable and reliable. Fast, compact, great sketching interface, good discoverable UI." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50075608)) "working in SolveSpace is extremely fast if you use keyboard shortcuts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47592102)) "Solvespace does great with a scroll-wheel mouse. Scroll = zoom." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48633234)) - Laser cutting and 3D printing parts (3 comments): "SolveSpace has remained an excellent lightweight option for designing parts for laser cutting" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47592763)) "Big fan of OpenSCAD[1] and solvespace[2] for making functional 3D prints." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47894373)) "a great, lightweight tool to design parts for laser cutting" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47587834)) ## What people warn about - Frequent boolean and kernel failures (3 comments): "bugs in the boolean code are IMHO the biggest blocker for kids" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48598485)) "Its good progress but still too easy to have a failed boolean." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50077730)) "using it quickly turns into randomly nudging points in hope to avoid kernel failures" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47231707)) - Obtuse, hard-to-learn user interface (4 comments): "it is the least fun UI I have ever encountered, I'm afraid (kind of obtuse on a trackpad too)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48600672)) "SolveSpace is a PITA in that regard. You also need to re-learn most terms that are common in other CAD software." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47500453)) "The Solvespace UI is a long, long way from being the sort of UI a contemporary kid has any kind of comfort with" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48599931)) - Limited features and modeling capability (7 comments): "development has really slowed, and it seems fundamentally incapable of some pretty rudimentary features" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47587868)) "Unfortunately aside from the better sketching the engine is not as capable as OpenCascade." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47588625)) "But let me know when it’s ready to tackle more than a "hello world" level design problem." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48768591)) - Awkward without a three-button mouse (2 comments): "Oh, I actually hate trying to use solvespace with anything other than a 3-button mouse." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48602224)) "I actually hate trying to use solvespace with anything other than a 3-button mouse" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48602409)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [FreeCAD](https://hackerapproved.com/p/freecad.md): 199 recommend - [OpenSCAD](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openscad.md): 173 recommend - [Onshape](https://hackerapproved.com/p/onshape.md): 65 recommend - [Autodesk Fusion 360](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fusion-360.md): 60 recommend - [SolidWorks](https://hackerapproved.com/p/solidworks.md): 36 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "SolveSpace", https://hackerapproved.com/p/solvespace/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).