exocad vs 3Shape Dental System: Which CAD for Your Lab

exocad DentalCAD and 3Shape Dental System are the two lab CAD packages most technicians end up choosing between. The short answer: both design the same core restorations, both run on Windows, and both are sold through partners rather than directly. exocad is built around an open, scanner-agnostic architecture, a USB licence dongle and a choice of perpetual or Flex licence. 3Shape is strongest when the lab works with TRIOS clinics, and it now offers a cloud licence that removes the dongle. Neither is free, and neither publishes a single price.

This comparison is for labs deciding which system to demo first. It uses what both vendors publish about their current releases; speed and design quality you can only judge on your own cases.

Side by side

Open data and mixed scanner fleets

This is the question that decides most purchases. exocad describes DentalCAD as an open platform: it reads file formats from open scanners, 3D printers and milling machines, and its tooth and material libraries are open, so you can use materials from many manufacturers or generic blanks. DentalCAD can also combine intraoral and model scans, 3D face scans, jaw motion data, DICOM files and patient photos in one case. If your lab receives scans from clinics using several different intraoral scanners and mills on equipment from several vendors, that openness is the main argument for exocad.

3Shape also calls Dental System an open system that integrates with external solutions, and it states that TRIOS and third-party intraoral scans can be received directly in Dental Manager, the case management centre of the software. The difference is emphasis: 3Shape’s workflow is designed around its own ecosystem of TRIOS scanners, 3Shape lab scanners, the lab management software and the clinic-side 3Shape Unite platform. If most of your clients scan with TRIOS, that tight connection saves steps every day.

Everyday crown and bridge design

Both systems cover the full range of lab indications. 3Shape lists crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures, removable partial dentures, clear aligners, implant designs, temporaries and diagnostic wax-ups. exocad covers restorations and appliances in the DentalCAD core and extends it with add-on modules that are activated as needed.

Both have added AI to the routine work:

• 3Shape Dental System 2025 offers Automate, AI-powered design proposals for crowns, inlays and onlays; AI bite alignment that proposes an upper-to-lower jaw relation even when the scan has no bite; and AI-assisted tooth outlining for copy dentures. 3Shape notes that bite alignment does not work for some cases, such as quadrant scans and large edentulous areas.
• exocad DentalCAD offers AI services such as AI Design, TruSmile Photo and TruSmile Video, which are used with exocad Credits rather than being part of the base licence.

Either way, the designer still checks margins, contacts and occlusion. In the demo, run AI proposals on your own typical cases.

Licensing, updates and hardware

exocad lets you choose between a perpetual licence, with an optional upgrade contract that brings new versions, library downloads and access to the dentalshare exchange, and a Flex licence, where upgrades are included and add-on modules can be switched on as needed.

3Shape sells Dental System through its partners and offers an optional LabCare service plan with updates, support, hands-on training, and warranty and replacement service. Since Dental System 2024, its cloud licence ties licences to your 3Shape account, so you no longer have to keep track of a physical dongle.

Hardware matters before the demo. exocad is strict: Windows 11 is required, Windows 10 22H2 is supported only under Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates programme, Intel or AMD x64 processors only, no virtual machines including Parallels, and no Apple M-series Macs. 3Shape does not list hardware requirements on its Dental System product page, so ask your 3Shape partner for the current specification.

Working with clinics

The dentist on the other side needs to see and approve the design.

• With exocad, the lab can share designs through exocad webview, a free viewer that opens STL, OBJ, PLY and DentalCAD exports in a browser or in apps for Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. It views only; it does not design.
• With 3Shape, labs and clinics exchange scans, designs and orders through 3Shape Communicate, a free portal and mobile app. TRIOS clinics on Unite 24.1 and newer use Unite Cloud instead.

More options are in our hub of free dental CAD viewers.

Implant planning

exocad sells implant planning and surgical guide design separately as exoplan, which integrates with DentalCAD. exoplan is offered only with a Flex licence, and exocad describes it as certified as a medical device for selected countries only. 3Shape lists implant designs among Dental System indications and connects to more than 100 implant libraries. If guided surgery is part of your lab’s work, demo the planning and the restorative design together.

Where CEREC and inLab fit

People searching “exocad vs CEREC” or “exocad vs inLab” are usually comparing an open lab system with Dentsply Sirona’s own line:

• CEREC is Dentsply Sirona’s chairside system for the practice: scanning with Primescan, design in CEREC Software and milling with CEREC Primemill. The current CEREC SW 5.3 series connects to DS Core. exocad’s chairside counterpart is ChairsideCAD, not DentalCAD.
• inLab CAD SW is Dentsply Sirona’s lab software, built from a Basic module plus Implantology, Removables and Interface modules. The optional Interface module adds STL import of scan data and STL export of restorations for other machines. The newest version listed on the inLab downloads page is inLab CAD 22.5.

So inLab is the like-for-like rival to DentalCAD and Dental System, while CEREC competes with ChairsideCAD.

A fourth lab option you may meet is Dental Wings DWOS, an open CAD/CAM package from the Straumann Group. Its latest listed release is DWOS 2023.2.1, and its Products page now redirects visitors to Straumann’s digital solutions, so confirm with a distributor that it is still sold in your region.

Which one should you use

• Most of your clinics scan with TRIOS: start with 3Shape Dental System. Cases arrive directly in Dental Manager, and Communicate or Unite Cloud handles approvals.
• Your clients use many scanner brands, or you mill and print on mixed equipment: start with exocad DentalCAD and its open libraries.
• You want to avoid a hardware dongle: 3Shape’s cloud licence does that; exocad requires a USB dongle.
• You want to pay once and keep the version you have: exocad’s perpetual licence allows that, with an optional upgrade contract.
• You only need to look at designs: you do not need either system. Use exocad webview or 3Shape Communicate.
• You are a student: exocad sells discounted non-commercial student licences; see our guide to getting exocad DentalCAD legally.

In practice, book a demo with a reseller for each system and send them the same three or four of your real cases: a single crown, a bridge, an implant case and a denture. Compare the clicks each takes and how the exported files fit your mill or printer.

FAQ

Is exocad better than 3Shape?

Neither is better for every lab. exocad suits labs that need an open system for many scanners and machines; 3Shape suits labs working mainly with TRIOS clinics. Both cover the main lab indications.

What is the difference between exocad and CEREC?

CEREC is Dentsply Sirona’s chairside system for practices, combining Primescan, CEREC Software and Primemill. exocad DentalCAD is open lab software; exocad’s chairside product is ChairsideCAD.

exocad vs inLab: which is more open?

exocad is open by design. inLab CAD SW can import and export STL data through its optional Interface module, so both can work with third-party scanners and mills.

What is the difference between exocad and exoplan?

DentalCAD designs restorations. exoplan is exocad’s separate implant planning and surgical guide software, offered only with a Flex licence.

How much does exocad cost?

exocad does not publish a single price. The cost depends on the licence model, the modules and your region, and offers come from authorised resellers.

Does 3Shape Dental System still need a dongle?

Not necessarily. From Dental System 2024, 3Shape offers a cloud licence tied to your 3Shape account that removes the need for a physical dongle.

Last updated: 5 October 2026 · Dents-Soft editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.