As a student, you can get an AutoCAD license for free from Autodesk with one-year access.
So, you should avoid paying for any commercial license of AutoCAD if you only want it for learning AutoCAD.
In fact, buying an AutoCAD license only makes sense if you are making money off the software.
So, here in this article, I will show you some of the methods you can explore to get the free or at least a very inexpensive AutoCAD license.
Option 1: Free one-year license
If you are an active student enrolled in a "Brick-and-mortar" school, college, or university, then congratulations!
You can get a free AutoCAD license for a year without any issues.
Here are the steps to get the official 1-year AutoCAD student version.
Go to the Autodesk website and register for a student account.
Then share all the details asked on the form, like your educational institution name and the year when you will pass the current course.
Then attach a scanned copy of your student ID, transcript (marks sheet), or declaration by the college on their letterhead that you are an active student.
After this is done, wait for a while (from a few hours to 3 days), and then you will receive a confirmation from Autodesk mentioning you are approved (or not if something is missing in your form).
If you are not approved, then you may be asked to provide additional details, which you can share, and then your account should be approved.
Once approved, you can go to downloads page and get your student copy of AutoCAD or any other Autodesk software from that list.
Note: Educational software is made for noncommercial use only, so don’t do anything that can generate revenue for you using the student copy of AutoCAD.
Option 2: Getting a 15-day trial version
This option is open to everyone, and you can download and install the trial version on your PC irrespective of your account status (i.e, student account or normal account).
The only problem here is a limited duration, which might not be a good thing if you are planning to use the software for a longer duration.
For downloading the trial version, you need to create a free Autodesk account as well.
Option 3: Cheaper AutoCAD LT software
This is the most obvious choice if you aren’t a student but you want to learn AutoCAD and you can’t use both the options mentioned above.
The LT version contains almost all the important AutoCAD tools and commands, and if you don’t need AutoCAD 3D, then you can use the LT version.
In fact, almost all our AutoCAD courses are fully compatible with AutoCAD LT as well.
So, this is the second-best option for you.
Just in case you are wondering, here is the difference between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.
So, if you want the AutoCAD software with unlimited usage, then you should go with AutoCAD LT.
Also, whenever you want to learn any tool that is covered only in AutoCAD full software, then you can download the trial version for that.
There is also a monthly subscription option for full AutoCAD.
So, you can get a monthly subscription of full AutoCAD software for learning specific tools and then you can cancel the AutoCAD subscription when you are done.
Option 4: Flex tokens (not recommended)
This option is not recommended for a specific reason, which I have explained in this article.
But first, let’s understand what the token model is.
Essentially, you buy a certain number of tokens, and then every time you open the AutoCAD software, these tokens are consumed.
The tokens are consumed even when you keep your software open without doing anything.
After 24 hours, new tokens are consumed.
And this is the reason why it makes no sense to buy Flex tokens.
When learning AutoCAD, you are going to use several tools, and you might open and close the software frequently as well.
This will consume all the tokens in no time, making this option impractical for learners.
For commercial users who use AutoCAD every now and then, this option does make sense though.
Summary
So, that was the list of available AutoCAD software download options.
Unfortunately, anyone enrolled in an online learning program like the one at SourceCAD is not eligible for an education license.
Only someone enrolled in a physical "brick and mortar" educational institution is eligible for the AutoCAD license.
Let me know in the comments down below what you think about student options for AutoCAD.
Is it sufficient, or should Autodesk work towards offering a better option for students?
