There are several factors that you should consider when selecting the best CAD software package for your application. Two significant factors among these are cost and capability. How much does the software cost? Can it get the job done? We at Scan2CAD have been helping CAD users answer these crucial questions by providing comprehensive pricing articles on various CAD software packages.
In this article, we will be exploring Inventor Professional, a powerful 3D modeling software by Autodesk. We will go through all things Inventor pricing, including its features, capabilities, cost, purchasing options, and where to get the software.
Before we go into the main Inventor pricing, it is essential that we first learn about its capabilities and features, so that you know what exactly you are getting for your money.
Inventor, also known as Autodesk Inventor Professional, is a 3D mechanical modeling CAD software for professional product design and engineering. This software allows you to model highly complex 3D parts and assemblies, and also create detailed 2D working drawings. Inventor also enables you to simulate your model in order to analyze its behavior in real-life situations such as loading, force application, and motion. In addition to these, you can also visualize and render your model by creating animations, exploded views, and photorealistic views of it.
In summary, Inventor has features that are capable of doing the following; 3D mechanical design, tube and pipe design, sheet metal design, electrical systems design, simulation, visualization, documentation, data management, and collaboration.
Having gone through all these features and capabilities, it is evident that Inventor is very capable of getting the job done. We can now move on to other aspects of Inventor pricing.
3D modeling with Inventor (Source)
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How and where to get Inventor
Autodesk stopped the sales of perpetual licenses for all their software, including Inventor. Currently, all Autodesk packages are only available through subscription licenses. However, perpetual licenses for previous versions (Inventor 2015 and below) are still functional. There are two main avenues for purchasing Inventor. From the official Autodesk online store, and from an authorized reseller. Where you buy your product between these two is dependent on the type of license, and the subscription term you require.
There are two subscription license types for Inventor; Standalone (Single-user) license and Network (Multi-user) license. While Single-user licenses can be purchased from either the Autodesk online store or an official reseller, Multi-user licenses can only be purchased from authorized resellers, and for good reasons. Different users have varying requirements, such as the number of seats, for Multi-user licenses. Also, Multi-user licenses are relatively complicated to set up and have various possible configurations, depending on the customers’ preference. Because of these, Autodesk only offers Multi-user Inventor licenses through local authorized resellers. To procure this license, a customer has to discuss in-depth with the reseller about their industry, preferences, size of the business, and budget. Using this information, the reseller then provides a recommendation.
Subscription license options
As was stated earlier, there are two types of Inventor subscription licenses. These are Standalone (Single-user) license and Network (Multi-user) license. Both types of licenses are available for three possible subscription periods; one month, one year, and three years.
Before your license expires, you will receive periodic renewal reminders 90, 45, 30, and four days before the expiration date. If you purchase your license from the Autodesk store, it will be automatically renewed, and you’ll be billed unless you disable this option through your Autodesk Account.
Standalone (Single-user) license
With a standalone license, a single user can install and use Inventor in a maximum of three devices. These may be a portable PC, a home computer, and a work computer. This license is best for personal use as it cannot be shared with other users. It is also suitable for small organizations with a few employees. Multiple standalone licenses can be purchased and assigned to individual users. To maintain an active status, you need to connect to your standalone license to the internet every 30 days.
Network (Multi-user) license
With a network license, several users on a single virtual private network (VPN) or a local area network (LAN) can have joint access to a single Inventor multi-user license. Since this license can be installed on as many devices as required, it is excellent for large teams of users, especially companies with numerous employees. Note, however, that there is a limit on the number of users that can use the software at once. This limit depends on the number of seats that were purchased. If, for example, you subscribe for a multi-user license and purchase 20 seats, your organization has 40 devices and 25 employees. You can install Inventor on all 40 devices. However, only 20 employees will be able to use the software simultaneously.
The NLM (Network License Manager), installed on one or more servers, controls the designation of access to users on the same network. Whenever a user on the network launches Inventor, the application requests for access from the license server. If a seat is available, the NLM assigns access (one seat) to the requesting device. As soon as the user closes the application, the seat is returned to the NLM and becomes available for reassignment. Network licenses do not require an internet connection to activate or use.
Inventor pricing
office workstation
Having gone through the license options for Inventor, we shall now take a look at its cost. The table below only shows the prices for single-user licenses. The prices are in US dollars and were sourced from the Autodesk online store. For the reasons we discussed earlier, multi-user licenses don’t have fixed prices. You’ll have to contact your local reseller to get the price that is in line with your needs.
|
Subscription period |
Price for Single-user licenses |
|
One month |
$250 |
|
One year |
$1,985 ($165.42/month) |
|
Three years |
$5,360 ($148.89/month) |
Inventor discounts discounts
There are a number of freebies and discounts on Inventor. Some of these are as follows.
PD&M collection
You can also purchase Inventor together with several other software in a heavily discounted collection. This collection, known as the product design and manufacturing (PD&M) collection, includes Inventor, AutoCAD, Inventor Nastran, 3ds Max, Fusion 360, ReCap Pro, Inventor Tolerance analysis, Vault, HSMWorks, Inventor Nesting, Factory Design Utilities, Autodesk Rendering, Inventor CAM, Naviworks Manage, and Autodesk Drive. The table below shows the prices of single-user licenses for the PD&M collection.
|
Subscription period |
Price |
|
One month |
$325 |
|
One year |
$2,590 ($215.83/month) |
|
Three years |
$6,995 ($194.31/month) |
To say that the PD&M collection is a no-brainer is an understatement. To help put your savings on this collection into perspective, the table below contains the prices of single-user license annual subscriptions for each of the major products in the collection.
|
Product |
Price per year for a single-user license |
|
AutoCAD |
$1,610 |
|
3ds Max |
$1,545 |
|
Fusion 360 |
$495 |
|
ReCap Pro |
$310 |
|
Vault |
$665 |
|
Navisworks Manage |
$880 |
|
Total |
$4,840 |
The PD&M collection is sold for $2,590. The actual price is $4,840. This means that you get to save $2,250.
20% off on trade-ins
If you have a perpetual Inventor license and wish to switch to a subscription license, Autodesk offers the latest version of Inventor at 20% off.
Free trial
You can enjoy a 30-day free trial period for Inventor. During this period, you get the fully functional version of the software. After 30 days, users are expected to have decided whether or not they wish to subscribe to a license.
Are there alternatives to Inventor
Considering that we were only exploring Inventor pricing, you may wish to look at some of the following alternatives or check out our list of top 10 3D modeling CAD software.
