Bentley View vs ABViewer

Bentley View8.7Visit ABViewer8.6Visit

Higher score Bentley View #4 in CAD Viewer Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Bentley View

vs

ABViewer #5 in CAD Viewer Software 8.6/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit ABViewer

• Bentley View fits best

  Free Windows users reviewing complex models

• ABViewer fits best

  Windows users needing editing and conversion depth

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Side by side

Feature	Bentley View 8.7/10 Visit ↗	ABViewer 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.6
Ranking	#4 in CAD Viewer Software	#5 in CAD Viewer Software
Best for	Free Windows users reviewing complex models	Windows users needing editing and conversion depth
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free	$77/user/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows	Windows, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Bentley View 3/5 · ABViewer 5/5
DWG support	✓	✓
Measurement tools	✓	✓
Markup and annotation	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Sharing and collaboration	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
DXF support	✓	✓
Specs
Platforms	Desktop	Desktop
Our review
Pros	Supports more than 50 formats, including DWG, DGN, and DXF Measures distances, areas, and volumes Clips, analyzes, searches, and prints 2D and 3D models	Supports DWG and DXF viewing, editing, conversion, and comparison Combines 2D/3D measurement, markups, section views, and printing Adds batch processing, G-code generation, and PDF-to-DWG conversion
Cons	Windows desktop support limits platform flexibility Focused on viewing and analysis rather than authoring Not suited to workflows centered on markup and collaboration	No free plan; access starts with a 30-day trial or paid license Linux use depends on running the Windows software with Wine Enterprise capabilities are separate from the Professional license tiers
Our verdict	Bentley View is a free desktop CAD viewer for infrastructure professionals, engineering firms, public-sector organizations, students, and educators. It is designed for opening, navigating, measuring, analyzing, and printing engineering… Read the review →	ABViewer is desktop CAD software for viewing, editing, measuring, converting, comparing, and printing drawings, 3D models, and raster images. It supports DWG, DXF, DWF, HPGL, IGES, STEP, PDF, and other vector and raster formats. Its… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Bentley View — where it wins

  • Supports more than 50 formats, including DWG, DGN, and DXF
  • Measures distances, areas, and volumes
  • Clips, analyzes, searches, and prints 2D and 3D models

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows desktop support limits platform flexibility
  • Focused on viewing and analysis rather than authoring
  • Not suited to workflows centered on markup and collaboration

• ABViewer — where it wins

  • Supports DWG and DXF viewing, editing, conversion, and comparison
  • Combines 2D/3D measurement, markups, section views, and printing
  • Adds batch processing, G-code generation, and PDF-to-DWG conversion

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; access starts with a 30-day trial or paid license
  • Linux use depends on running the Windows software with Wine
  • Enterprise capabilities are separate from the Professional license tiers

• Bentley View8.7/10 · Free plan

  A capable free Windows viewer for complex CAD review, measurement, analysis, and scaled printing.

  Visit Bentley ViewFull verdict →
• ABViewer8.6/10 · 30-day trial

  A paid desktop CAD tool with strong editing, conversion, measurement, and batch features.

  Visit ABViewerFull verdict →