Overview#
Fusion's free personal-use license covers hobby and learning work and is restricted in a handful of specific ways that matter once a project grows. This page separates what Autodesk's help documents from what it does not. It complements the Licenses and plans page in Getting Started and the Personal-use limits page in the Electronics section.
Warning: Autodesk's help does not publish a single personal-use versus paid comparison table. The documented differences are collected below; everything else that earlier drafts claimed (for example which workspaces are paid-only) is not confirmed in the help and has been moved to a clearly labelled section. Read Autodesk's current license comparison and terms of use, and check your own Autodesk Account, before depending on any item.
Where to find it#
- Purchase Manager. On the Application bar, click Extensions to open the Purchase Manager (Advanced Capabilities tab). If you use Fusion for personal use, the Application bar shows Upgrade, which opens the Purchase Manager on the Plans and Pricing tab. On a trial, the button is See Plans and Pricing.
- Supported file formats. Autodesk help > Designs > Designs overview > Supported file formats has a Personal Use column.
- Autodesk Account. Your actual entitlement and any assigned extensions.
- Autodesk's pricing and terms pages (outside the help mirror) for current prices and the licence text.
What is documented#
| Topic | Personal use | Paid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editable documents | Release notes refer to personal users reaching "the limit of 10 editable documents" and to a "personal use capacity flyout" | Not described as limited | Release notes |
| Design Reservation | Not available (also not available to teams with one member); no avatars or reservation badges | Available, enabled by a team Administrator | Designs help |
| Fusion web client | Not included with personal use or trial | Included with eligible access | Web client help |
| File formats | Only formats with a marked Personal Use cell; a blank cell means a commercial subscription is required. Commercial supports every listed format | All listed formats | Supported file formats |
| Monthly Flex tokens (beta) for Autodesk Assistant | 10 per month, equal to 1,200 AI assists (one token is 120 assists) | Commercial/Startup 20 (2,400 assists); Trial and Education 10 (1,200) | Monthly Flex tokens page |
| Upgrade path | Upgrade button in the Application bar | Plans: 1 Month, 1 Year or 3 Years term | Plans, advanced capabilities, and tokens |
The monthly Flex token page states that rollout starts September 30, 2026 and that the feature is beta, so the numbers may change. Monthly tokens included with a subscription are shared across the whole team.
Release notes also record fixes affecting personal users: the capacity flyout once always reported that limits had been reached, and personal users hit problems uploading packages when at the 10 editable document limit. These are bug fixes, not rule changes.
Extensions and advanced capabilities#
Advanced capabilities are extensions plus Fusion Manage. The help describes them as follows.
| Item | What the help says |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Extension | Advanced manufacturing for 3- to 5-axis CNC machining, nesting and fabrication, and metal-based additive manufacturing |
| Simulation Extension | Simulation and generative design technologies |
| Design Extension | Amplify product design capabilities |
| Fusion Manage | Separate product for lifecycle management; process and release management |
| Signal Integrity Extension | No longer available for new purchases or trial |
| Included offerings | Fusion for Manufacturing includes the Manufacturing Extension; Fusion for Design includes the Design Extension, Simulation Extension and Fusion Manage |
| Free trial | An extension trial lasts 14 days; during a Fusion trial all extensions are enabled for the length of the Fusion trial |
| Purchase | Daily access with Flex tokens (Design and Manufacturing extensions offer daily access after a trial), or monthly or yearly access by payment card, which auto-renews by default |
The help says which advanced capabilities you can trial or purchase depends on the type of Fusion access you have (for example paid subscription versus education). It does not list the options for personal use, so whether a personal-use account can buy a given extension is not confirmed. Flex tokens are described as virtual currency for cloud computational services, daily extension access and pay-as-you-go access.
Not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation#
Earlier drafts, and many forums, make the claims below. The help mirror does not state them, so treat each as unverified for your build.
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: the paid-only status of the Animation, Simulation and Generative Design workspaces on personal use; machining being restricted to 2- and 3-axis strategies; cloud rendering costing credits on personal use (cloud credits are documented separately in Cloud Credits); limits on team hubs or shared projects; public share links counting toward the document allowance; the date January 19, 2021 for the allowance; the length of the paid-product trial; Configurations, Sheet Metal, Mesh and Drawing availability on personal use; requirements to re-confirm eligibility at renewal.
Electronics board size, layer and sheet limits are covered on the Electronics personal-use page and should be read there.
Feature comparison by area#
| Area | Personal use status in the docs |
|---|---|
| Core modeling (sketch, solid, surface, form) | Not stated as restricted |
| Design Reservation | Not available |
| Web client | Not included |
| File import/export | Subset (see Supported file formats) |
| Autodesk Assistant monthly Flex tokens | 10 per month |
| Extensions | Per access type; personal-use options not listed |
| Commercial use | Personal use is for non-commercial use per Autodesk's terms (see licence text) |
Startup and education#
Autodesk's help mentions Fusion trial, education, startup (grouped with commercial in the token table) and personal access as distinct access types, and says extension options differ between a paid subscription and Fusion for education. Eligibility rules for startup and education are on Autodesk's pages, not in this help set.
Bring Your Own Subscription: a person without an active subscription who accepts a hub invitation starts a free 30-day trial (once, starting when they first access Fusion). A person who already has a subscription can use the hub regardless of who owns it, subject to the Authorized User terms.
How to decide#
- Is any of the work paid? Check Autodesk's terms for non-commercial restrictions; if in doubt, choose a paid or startup plan.
- Do you keep hitting the editable-document limit? Swapping documents may be fine; frequent interruptions suggest upgrading.
- Do you need Design Reservation, the web client, or a commercial-only file format? Those need a paid subscription.
- Do you need advanced machining, simulation, generative design or Manage? Look at the Manufacturing, Simulation and Design extensions and try the 14-day trial where offered.
- Do you collaborate with a team? Team features such as reservation require more than one member and a paid plan.
- Occasional need? Daily extension access with Flex tokens avoids a yearly commitment.
Tip (general guidance): Plan a trial project that exercises exactly the features you are unsure about.
Step by step: checking what your account really has#
- Sign in to the Autodesk Account and open Products and services; note your Fusion entitlement, term end and extensions.
- In Fusion, note which workspaces appear and check the Purchase Manager for options offered to you.
- Open the Supported file formats page and check the formats you rely on against the Personal Use column.
- Check the capacity flyout or Data Panel for how many editable documents you hold.
- Record your findings and the date; recheck after updates or renewal.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade (Application bar) | Opens Purchase Manager, Plans and Pricing | Shown for personal use |
| See Plans and Pricing | Same, on a trial | |
| Plan term | 1 Month, 1 Year or 3 Years | Purchase Manager |
| Extensions button | Opens Advanced Capabilities | |
| 14-Day Trial | Extension trial | No charge when it ends |
| Flex tokens | Cloud services, daily extension access | Flex Auto Access may be available; admin must enable |
| Add to Cart | Opens cart in your browser | Submit Order to finish |
Tips and pitfalls#
Warning: Do not assume a feature stays available. Confirm the entitlement before a deadline.
Tip (general guidance): Keep archive (.f3z) and STEP copies of important designs.
Warning: Flex Auto Access deducts tokens on days you open Fusion, even if you do not use extension features, where it is enabled.
Practice exercise#
- Write a table with three columns: feature you need, available on personal use (yes / no / not documented), source.
- Fill it using the Supported file formats page, the Purchase Manager and your Autodesk Account.
- Decide whether your plan is adequate for the next six months.
Expected result: a dated, sourced note saying which license you should hold and which features would force an upgrade.
Related#
- Licenses and plans (Getting Started)
- Sign-in, licensing, and sync problems (this section)
- Electronics personal-use limits (Electronics)
- Cloud solve and credits (Simulation and Generative Design)
- FAQ (this section)