PartLens Join Android testing

The best STEP viewer for Android in 2026 — honestly compared

Updated 28 July 2026 By the tool room at Saptasati Industries 9 min read

Quick answer

For most people, the best free STEP viewer on Android in 2026 is PartLens — it opens STEP/STP files entirely on the device (no upload, no login, no ads), and includes analytic feature measurement, part properties, clearance checks, live section views and revision compare at no cost. If you need SolidWorks ecosystem features, eDrawings is a good free viewer whose measurement tools cost extra; if you need many proprietary CAD formats and don't mind a subscription, Glovius is the established paid option.

We run a tool room that builds sheet-metal stamping dies and checking fixtures. Customers send us STEP files all day — over WhatsApp, over email, from every CAD system there is — and the person who needs to look at the part is usually standing next to a press, not sitting at a CAD seat. So we've installed and genuinely used every STEP viewer on the Play Store. This is the comparison we wished existed, including where our own app fits and where it doesn't.

Android STEP viewers at a glance

App Price Opens STEP offline Measurement Section views File privacy
PartLens (closed test) Free Yes — parses on device Free, snap + exact/approx tags Free, live 2D profile No CAD upload; update-manifest check only
eDrawings (Dassault) Free viewer; Pro is a paid in-app purchase Yes Pro only Pro only Local processing, app has network access
Glovius Subscription Yes, within plan limits Included in subscription Included in subscription Account-based; cloud features optional
Basic "STEP Viewer" apps Free with ads / one-time Usually Rare or crude Rare Varies — check permissions
CAD Assistant (Open Cascade) Removed from Google Play around May 2025 — no longer an option, despite what older lists say.

Feature status checked July 2026 from Play Store listings and hands-on use. Vendors change pricing and features — check the current listing before you rely on this table.

What actually matters in a STEP viewer (from the shop floor)

Ignore the feature checklists for a second. After years of opening customer files on phones, five things decide whether a STEP viewer is useful in practice:

The contenders, one by one

1. PartLens — best free STEP viewer for Android (our app, so read critically)

Free · offline by design · STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, STL, OBJ, PLY, GLB/glTF, DXF, .partlens · Google Play closed test

PartLens is the viewer we built because nothing else fit the shop floor. The STEP parser, NURBS evaluator, tessellator and renderer are written from scratch and run entirely on the phone — the app never uploads CAD; its only automatic network request checks a small public version file. It opens .step/.stp straight from WhatsApp or email, measures with magnetic snap to vertices, hole centers, edges and faces, cuts live sections with a 2D profile window, detects holes and slots analytically, and compares two revisions. Android v2.26 adds one-tap bore, boss, fillet, taper, chamfer, arc-length and face-area checks; part mass and quoting properties; and clear/touch/clash evidence between assembly parts. Every readout is tagged exact ✓ or approximate ≈ so you know what you're quoting.

Good
  • Free, no ads, no login, no seat count
  • CAD works offline — no CAD upload or telemetry
  • Feature measurement, part properties, clearance, sections and compare included
  • Handles 1M+ triangle production dies
Honest caveats
  • Android access currently requires the free Google Play closed-test opt-in
  • View and measure only; it never edits or re-exports CAD
  • Some imported mesh formats can only provide approximate measurements

2. eDrawings — best if you live in the SolidWorks ecosystem

Free viewer · eDrawings Pro via in-app purchase · STEP, STP, IGES, JT and SolidWorks formats

Dassault's eDrawings is a competent, stable viewer and the natural choice if your customers send native SolidWorks files alongside STEP. The catch for STEP work: measurement, cross-sections and markup sit behind the eDrawings Pro upgrade, so the free tier is view-and-rotate only. If you only occasionally need to check a dimension, that paywall is the difference between "free viewer" and "another line on the expense sheet".

Good
  • Mature, from a major CAD vendor
  • Opens SolidWorks parts/drawings natively
  • Free tier is genuinely useful for viewing
Caveats
  • Measure & section are paid (Pro)
  • Heavier assemblies can be sluggish

3. Glovius — best format breadth, on a subscription

Subscription · STEP plus CATIA, NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Inventor and more

Glovius is the professional multi-format viewer: if you're routinely handed native CATIA or NX files — not just STEP — it's the one app on this list that opens nearly everything, with measurement and section tools included. The trade-off is the recurring cost and an account-based workflow. For a team that only ever receives STEP/STP, a subscription is hard to justify when capable free options exist.

Good
  • Widest CAD format coverage on Android
  • Measurement and sections included
  • Actively maintained
Caveats
  • Subscription pricing
  • Overkill if you only open STEP files

4. Basic "STEP Viewer" apps — fine for a quick look

Free with ads or small one-time price · STEP AP203/AP214 viewing

The Play Store has several minimal STEP viewers that load a file, shade it and let you orbit. For "is this roughly the right part?" they're fine. They generally fall over on the details that matter professionally: units handling, big assemblies, measurement you can trust, and section views. Check the permissions and privacy policy before opening confidential customer files in ad-supported apps.

Why the old recommendation disappeared

For years the standard answer to "best free STEP viewer on Android" was Open Cascade's CAD Assistant. It was removed from Google Play around May 2025 and hasn't returned, which is why so many older listicles now point at a dead link. The category has been wide open since — that gap is exactly why we built PartLens.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free STEP viewer for Android?

PartLens — free, offline-capable, and it includes measurement, live sections and revision compare without a paid tier. eDrawings is a good free alternative for pure viewing, but its measurement tools are paid.

Can I open a STEP file on Android without uploading it anywhere?

Yes. PartLens parses STEP entirely on the device and does not upload the file. Its update check reads only a small public version manifest. If confidentiality matters, prefer viewers that clearly document local processing and network scope.

Which Android STEP viewer can measure parts?

PartLens (free, with snap and exact/approximate tagging), Glovius (subscription) and eDrawings Pro (in-app purchase). Basic free viewers usually can't measure reliably.

Is there a STEP viewer APK I should sideload?

We'd advise against sideloading CAD viewers from random APK sites — you'll be opening confidential customer geometry inside unverified software. PartLens is distributed through Google Play (closed testing today, wider release next), which keeps the install verifiable.

What about viewing STEP on an Android tablet?

Everything on this page applies to tablets. More screen genuinely helps for assemblies; PartLens's renderer scales its tessellation quality to the device's memory, so mid-range tablets stay smooth.

Try the viewer we built for the shop floor

Free, offline, honest measurement — PartLens is in Google Play closed testing now. Join and open your own STEP files on your phone this week.

Join Google Play testing See it in action