The two versions have the same core CAD capabilities, but a few important differences.
Solid Edge 2025 is out today, and the latest version of the desktop CAD program packs plenty of new features and performance improvements, according to developer Siemens Digital Industries Software.
And debuting alongside Solid Edge 2025 is Solid Edge X, a new cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) version of the CAD application. It fits into Siemens’ growing portfolio of cloud-based engineering software that it calls Xcelerator-as-a-Service (XaaS).
So what’s the difference between Solid Edge 2025 and Solid Edge X, and what new features can Solid Edge users expect from each? To find out, Engineering.com spoke with Dan Staples, vice president of R&D at Siemens Digital Industries Software.
What’s the difference between Solid Edge X and Solid Edge 2025?
Like many of Siemens’ XaaS offerings (though not all), Solid Edge X is a cloud-based alternative to an existing desktop product—Solid Edge 2025. There are differences between the two products, but users of one should find the other largely familiar. “Core CAD is virtually identical,” Staples said.
Also identical is that both Solid Edge 2025 and Solid Edge X are accessed through desktop applications. Solid Edge X is not a browser-based app, nor is it a thin client that uses cloud computing resources—it’s a desktop program that “provides a simplified IT approach with centralized cloud license management, configuration and updates managed by [Siemens],” according to the Solid Edge website.
One of the big differentiators for Solid Edge X is that it comes with built-in data management based on Siemens’ popular Teamcenter PLM system. A derivative of Teamcenter called Teamcenter X Essentials is included with Solid Edge X, so users can get a running start on data management and won’t have to buy or configure any extra software to do so.
Another difference between the two versions of Solid Edge is that Solid Edge X has some extra AI functionality—most notably an AI-powered chatbot that aims to make it easier for users to find information and assistance from around the web.
“Sometimes it’s hard to know where to go to look to get a piece of information,” Staples said. “[The chatbot] will pull it all into a nice, concise, English bit of information for you.”
Staples says that AI is a big investment area for Siemens and that other AI features could be coming soon. He hinted that, like the AI chatbot, future AI features may remain exclusive to Solid Edge X.
Pricing and licensing of Solid Edge X and Solid Edge 2025
What about pricing and licensing?
Solid Edge X is SaaS software, so it’s a subscription by nature. It’s got named-user licensing and is available in three tiers: Standard, Advanced and Premium. Solid Edge 2025 is available either as a subscription, with both node-locked and floating licenses, or as a perpetual license with optional maintenance, and is also offered in tiers of increasing functionality.
Though pricing will vary by region, Staples said that Siemens aims to keep the prices comparable between the two versions of Solid Edge. At time of launch, in the U.S., here’s how the pricing compares:
| Price (per user per year in USD) | ||
| Tier name (X/2025) | Solid Edge X | Solid Edge 2025 (node-locked) |
| Standard/Foundation | $3,132.00 | $2,646.00 |
| Advanced/Classic | $3,921.51* | $3,313.00 |
| Premium/Premium | $4,956.00 | $4,186.97* |
Both versions of Solid Edge will support value-based licensing, an option that Siemens introduced with the Solid Edge 2023 release.
Value-based licensing lets users spend tokens to rent add-on software as needed. For example, a user with 25 tokens could use 10 of them to access generative design, 10 to access point cloud visualization and 5 to access simulation (these values are made up for the sake of example). If the user no longer needs generative design, they can trade it back for 10 tokens to use on another add-on product.
With the 2025 release, Solid Edge now has access to several new add-ons (see image above), and Staples says the options will continue to expand.
What’s new in Solid Edge 2025?
The latest update to Solid Edge brings a typical flurry of performance and productivity enhancements, a full rundown of which you can find in Siemens’ Solid Edge 2025 introductory video.
One of Staples’ favorite updates is the new quick pattern command, which allows users to create geometry patterns without creating extra sketches. Functionally, quick pattern takes a piece of Solid Edge’s Synchronous Technology and brings it to ordered modeling.
“We’re taking concepts that we built for Synchronous and moving those into the history-based environment as well,” Staples said. “So now history-based does this super-fast, easy UX for patterning.”
Longtime Solid Edge users may also appreciate the new bend and etch features in sheet metal design. The 2025 version supports bend deduction and bend allowance from linked gage tables, with options including the ability to specify the bend calculation method. With improvements to wrap sketch, Solid Edge 2025 also supports precise etching across bends.
Other noteworthy updates include improved assembly performance (assemblies managed by Teamcenter will open up to 50% faster), a new style picker (akin to a color picker) that will make it easier to create and apply face styles, and an updated user interface with enhanced context toolbars and more personalization options.
You can learn more about Solid Edge 2025 at Siemens.com.
Update (October 24, 2024): The section on pricing was updated to include newly available price data.
