zCAD AI: What It Does, Pricing and Who Should Skip It
zCAD AI generates B-rep (real solid CAD) parts and assemblies, including mates between parts, from a written brief and an optional reference image, instead of the static meshes most AI 3D tools make. You refine the result with follow-up prompts or by editing dimensions in zCAD Online, the company’s browser-based parametric CAD editor, which shares the same account and credits. Every AI plan exports all available formats, including STEP for other CAD tools (STEP keeps the solid geometry but generally not the feature history or assembly constraints). The team says it handles mechanical parts and assemblies, not figurines or organic sculpting. It is in beta and was #1 product of the day on Product Hunt on October 24, 2026. The company behind it is Zixel Technologies Pte. Ltd. of Singapore (per its terms).
At a glance
| Fact | zCAD AI |
|---|---|
| Category | AI design tools |
| Lowest listed price | Free: $0, 200 credits/month plus a one-time 600-credit beta gift, all export formats during beta, non-commercial, models public |
| Free tier or trial | Free plan with 200 credits a month plus a one-time 600-credit beta gift (per the pricing page; the homepage FAQ still showed older figures of 100 a month and 200). Non-commercial, and your models are public. |
| Pricing checked | 2026-10-25 |
| Owner | Independent company, not owned by this site’s owner |
| Our relationship | No affiliate relationship |
Who it’s for
Makers who 3D print practical parts, indie hardware designers and engineers who want a quick parametric starting point (brackets, enclosures, gears, mounting plates) they can still edit.
Who should skip it
Anyone making figurines or organic shapes, since it only does mechanical parts. Also skip the Free plan for anything confidential or commercial: free models are public in its model library, free generation data is used for training, and free use is non-commercial. The company also notes the output is engineering geometry, not manufacturing approval, so check fits and tolerances yourself.
Pricing (checked 2026-10-25)
- Free: $0, 200 credits/month plus a one-time 600-credit beta gift, all export formats during beta, non-commercial, models public
- Plus: $49.99/month, 1,650 credits/month, private models, commercial use of AI-generated versions
- Pro: $89.99/month (price from independent directories; the price didn’t display in our check of the pricing page), 3,000 credits/month, includes zCAD Online Standard
- Business: contact sales
- Credits are shared with zCAD Online; what one generation costs in credits: not stated. Beta end date and post-beta changes: not stated
Free tier or trial
Free plan with 200 credits a month plus a one-time 600-credit beta gift (per the pricing page; the homepage FAQ still showed older figures of 100 a month and 200). Non-commercial, and your models are public.
Notable complaints
- No independent user reviews found yet; Product Hunt comments are mostly questions and congratulations. The makers themselves say they’re still learning where it breaks and ask users to send failing prompts. Source
- Free-plan models are public by default, so anyone can find, view and copy them; the terms warn not to store confidential designs on the Free plan. Source
Alternatives in Design
- Adobe Express: Free plan
- Canva: Free: US$0
- Designs.ai: not stated: prices didn’t render in the page text we read on 2026-10-18
- Kittl: Free: personal use only
Sources
- zCAD AI official site (checked 2026-10-25)
- zCAD AI pricing page (checked 2026-10-25)
- zCAD AI on Product Hunt (checked 2026-10-25)
- zCAD terms of service (checked 2026-10-25)
- zCAD AI on Ordalin (pricing summary) (checked 2026-10-25)