Helonic is an AI construction drawing analysis platform for teams researching software pricing during drawing review. AutoCAD cost in November 2026: $260 a month or $2,095 a year. Compare AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Web, the AEC Collection, Flex tokens, and the seven toolsets.
AutoCAD costs $2,095 per year, $260 per month, or $6,285 for a three-year term as of November 2026, and AutoCAD LT costs $540 per year or $70 per month. Both are subscription only. The right choice depends on whether you need 3D, automation, and the specialized toolsets, or just 2D drafting.
As of November 2026, Autodesk lists AutoCAD at $260 monthly, $2,095 annually, or $6,285 for three years. AutoCAD LT is $70 monthly, $540 annually, or $1,620 for three years. AutoCAD Web is $100 a year, the AEC Collection is $3,675 a year, and Flex use of AutoCAD costs 7 tokens (about $21) per day.
Full AutoCAD costs $2,095 a year on annual billing. Prices below come from Autodesk's AutoCAD vs AutoCAD LT comparison, the AutoCAD buy page, the Autodesk store (AutoCAD Web), the AEC Collection page, and the Flex page, all checked November 1, 2026.
| Option | Monthly | Annual | 3-year | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutoCAD | $260 | $2,095 | $6,285 (3 annual payments) | 2D and 3D, APIs, seven specialized toolsets, web and mobile |
| AutoCAD LT | $70 | $540 | $1,620 (3 annual payments) | 2D drafting and documentation, AutoLISP, web and mobile |
| AutoCAD Web | Offered | $100 | Offered | Browser and mobile 2D editing; included with AutoCAD and LT |
| AEC Collection | $460 | $3,675 | $11,030 (3 annual payments) | AutoCAD plus Revit, Civil 3D, Navisworks Manage, and more |
| AutoCAD on Flex | 7 tokens per day | Tokens at $3 each under 5,000 | Not applicable | About $21 per day the product is open |
| Education | Free | Free | Not applicable | Eligible students and educators, renewable each year |
AutoCAD LT is 2D only and costs about a quarter of full AutoCAD. Full AutoCAD adds 3D modeling, third-party add-ons, the full developer APIs, and seven industry toolsets.
LT now supports AutoLISP, so many small offices that once needed full AutoCAD for scripts no longer do. If your work is plans, sections, and details in 2D, LT at $540 a year covers it.
Full AutoCAD for Windows includes seven specialized toolsets at no extra cost. AutoCAD LT includes none of them.
AutoCAD Web at $100 a year is enough for viewing, markups, and light 2D edits in a browser or on a phone, and it's included with every AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT subscription. It suits a superintendent or PM who opens DWGs but rarely drafts.
It is not a production drafting tool for full sheet sets. Anyone producing drawings day to day should be on LT or AutoCAD.
The AEC Collection beats separate subscriptions once one person needs both AutoCAD and Revit. Bought separately they cost $5,100 a year, against $3,675 for the collection, which also adds Civil 3D, Navisworks Manage, and Forma Data Management. Our Revit cost guide covers the collection in more depth.
Flex is cheaper if you open full AutoCAD on fewer than about 100 days a year. AutoCAD uses 7 tokens per day at $3 per token, about $21 a day, and $2,095 divided by $21 is roughly 100 days.
A common pattern is AutoCAD LT plus Flex for the days a project needs a toolset or 3D. Autodesk says professionals tend to use about 250 tokens a year for that use, roughly $750, so LT plus Flex runs near $1,290 a year against $2,095 for full AutoCAD.
No. Autodesk's store states its software is only available by subscription, and Flex tokens are the only pay-as-you-go option. Students and educators can get free one-year educational access, renewable while eligible.
A subscription includes the current release plus the three previous versions, and installs on multiple computers for use on one at a time.
AutoCAD drawings go out as 2D PDF sheet sets for bid and permit, and errors in those sheets turn into RFIs and change orders. Helonic reviews the full PDF set in 15 to 30 minutes for coordination conflicts, code issues, and missing information, with no model required; its sheet index validation also catches sheets listed on the cover that never made it into the set.
Helonic doesn't draft, mark up, or replace AutoCAD. It checks the deliverable, as explained in AI drawing review without BIM. For other design-side tools, see the best AI tools for architects and our construction software pricing guide.
Manas is the co-founder and CTO of Helonic, where he leads engineering and AI research for construction drawing analysis. He works directly with structural, MEP, civil, and fire protection engineers to translate the way they review drawings into AI systems that flag the issues that actually matter in the field. Before Helonic, he built machine learning pipelines for technical document understanding and has spent the last several years interviewing licensed design engineers and discipline leads to ground product decisions in real practice rather than industry assumptions.
How this page was researched: Prices were checked on November 1, 2026 on Autodesk's AutoCAD vs AutoCAD LT comparison page, the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT product FAQs, the Autodesk online store for AutoCAD Web, the AEC Collection overview, and the Autodesk Flex page with its token table and LT plus Flex usage guidance. Toolset and licensing details come from the AutoCAD buy page FAQ. Break-even figures are our own arithmetic from those published prices.
Last reviewed by Manas Gandhi · November 1, 2026
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