Autodesk Vault is Autodesk’s product data management (PDM) software: a Windows client and an on-premises server that check CAD files in and out, keep every version and track which parts, assemblies and drawings reference each other. The current release is Vault 2027.1. Vault Professional costs $870 per user a year in the US, and Vault Basic comes free with Inventor Professional.
Checked 2 October 2026 against Autodesk’s US online store, the Vault 2027 features page and system requirements, Autodesk’s Flex rate sheet and support articles, the Vault 2027 and 2027.1 release posts, Microsoft’s SQL Server documentation and each competitor’s own product and pricing pages. Prices are US list prices before tax and reseller discounts.
| Question | Answer on 2 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Current version | Vault 2027, announced 26 March 2026; update 2027.1 released 4 August 2026 |
| Editions on sale | Vault Professional and Vault Office. Vault Basic is included with other Autodesk products. Vault Workgroup was retired in 2022. |
| Vault Professional price | $870 a year or $2,605 for three years, per user |
| Vault Office price | $215 a year or $650 for three years, per user |
| Pay by the day (Flex) | 3 tokens a day for Vault Professional, 1 for Vault Office, at $3 a token |
| Desktop client | Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise only |
| Server | Windows Server 2022 or 2025 with SQL Server 2022 (Express is installed by default) |
| Browser access | Thin Client in Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari (Vault Professional) |
| Cloud | The Vault server runs on premises or on your own cloud virtual machine; Vault PLM adds Fusion Manage, which is cloud PLM |
What is Autodesk Vault?
Autodesk Vault is a PDM system. It stores design files in a central vault, lets one person edit a file at a time through check-out and check-in, records a new version at every check-in and keeps the links between parts, assemblies and drawings intact when files are copied, renamed or moved. Add-ins put those commands inside Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D and other Autodesk applications, so designers rarely open Vault on its own.
Vault is a client and server system. The server, the Autodesk Data Management Server (ADMS), keeps file properties and relationships in a Microsoft SQL Server database and the files themselves in a file store on disk. Autodesk’s own sizing article puts it plainly:
The database does not store the files in Vault only meta data about the files.
Autodesk Support, How to estimate Vault database sizing and growth
That split decides how you size the server, and it is why the free SQL Server Express edition goes further than its 10 GB limit suggests (see Drawbacks).
Why Do We Use It?
Teams use Vault to stop the problems that come with keeping CAD files on a shared drive: two people overwriting the same assembly, nobody knowing which drawing revision was released, and broken references after someone renames a part. These are the jobs Vault does, with the edition that does each:
- Check-out and check-in, so only one person edits a file at a time while everyone else keeps read-only access (all editions).
- A new version at every check-in, recording who changed what and when, with every earlier version still available (all editions).
- Copy Design and file relationships, so a team can reuse an assembly and rename its parts without breaking the links (all editions).
- Release control: a design release process that publishes DXF and STEP files automatically, plus peer review and email notifications on lifecycle changes (Vault Professional).
- Items, bills of materials and engineering change orders (Vault Professional).
- Work across sites and outside the office, through replication between locations, the browser Thin Client and Vault Gateway remote access without a VPN (Vault Professional).
Autodesk’s product page quotes a customer on the time this saves. It is a vendor-published claim, not an independent measurement:
What used to take our engineers 3-5 days now takes as little as 20 minutes.
Ben Holmes, Digital Design Manager, NOV FGS, quoted on Autodesk’s Vault page
Different Versions of the Auto Desk Vault
Autodesk sells two Vault editions today, Vault Professional and Vault Office, and gives a third, Vault Basic, to customers of Inventor Professional and Autodesk’s industry collections. Vault PLM is a bundle of Vault Professional with Autodesk’s cloud PLM, and Vault Workgroup, the old middle edition, was retired in 2022. Autodesk’s Vault 2027 features page, system requirements and support articles split the CAD editions like this:
| Capability (Vault 2027) | Vault Basic | Vault Professional |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Included with Inventor Professional, 3ds Max and Autodesk’s AEC, Product Design & Manufacturing and Media & Entertainment collections | $870 a year per user, or Flex |
| CAD add-ins for Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit and other Autodesk tools | Yes | Yes |
| Check-in, check-out, version history and concurrent design | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Design, data reuse and search | Yes | Yes |
| Release process with automatic DXF and STEP publishing | No | Yes |
| Peer review and email notifications on lifecycle changes | No | Yes |
| Items, bills of materials and change orders | No | Yes |
| Job processor for background file processing | No | Yes |
| Multi-site replication | No | Yes |
| Thin Client in a web browser | No | Yes |
| Vault Gateway remote access without a VPN | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Vault Data APIs for ERP and PLM integration | No | Yes |
| Autodesk Assistant (AI, tech preview) | No | Yes |
| Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT | Not supported | Supported |
| Server operating system | Windows Server 2022 or 2025, or Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise | Windows Server 2022 or 2025 |
Vault Professional
Vault Professional is the full edition and the only one that manages items, bills of materials and change orders. It adds the release process, the job processor, replication between sites, the browser Thin Client, Vault Gateway, the mobile app and the Vault Data APIs that companies use to connect Vault to ERP. In Vault 2027 it also gained Autodesk Assistant, an AI assistant that answers how-to questions, runs searches written in plain English and can carry out tasks such as updating outdated drawings. Autodesk released it as a tech preview and says of that phase:
Autodesk provides no commitments or warranties during this phase.
Autodesk, What’s New in Autodesk Vault 2027, 26 March 2026
Screenshots of Autodesk Vault
Vault Office
Vault Office is a client licence for people who manage documents rather than CAD models. It adds Vault commands to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook and costs $215 a year. It does not work on its own: Autodesk confirms that Vault Office and Vault Professional clients connect to the same Vault Professional server, so a company needs Vault Professional before Vault Office is of any use.
Vault Basic
Vault Basic is the entry edition, and you cannot buy it on its own. Autodesk’s support article, updated 6 August 2026, lists Inventor Professional, 3ds Max, AutoCAD (including its specialized toolsets) and the Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Product Design & Manufacturing and Media & Entertainment collections as products that include it. The same article says AutoCAD standalone does not, so check your own entitlement in Autodesk Account before you plan on it.
Basic covers check-in, check-out, versions, Copy Design and search, but has no items, bills of materials, release process or browser access. It is the only edition whose server can run on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise instead of Windows Server, which suits a small team, and Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT have no Vault Basic add-in.
Vault PLM
Vault PLM bundles Vault Professional with Autodesk Fusion Manage (formerly Fusion 360 Manage), Autodesk’s cloud PLM, and links them with the Vault Connector, which synchronizes items, bills of materials and lifecycle states without third-party middleware. Fusion Manage covers what PDM does not: change requests and change orders that run across departments, new product introduction projects, supplier collaboration and quality processes. Vault 2027.1, released on 4 August 2026, lets users act on Fusion Manage change records from inside Vault.
Autodesk publishes no price for Vault PLM and asks buyers to request a demo. At list prices, Vault Professional ($870) and the self-serve Fusion Manage plan ($1,115) bought separately come to $1,985 per user a year. Fusion Manage Enterprise has no list price; Autodesk’s page says Contact sales.
Vault Workgroup (retired)
Vault Workgroup sat between Basic and Professional until Autodesk withdrew it. Its end-of-sale FAQ says:
Autodesk has ended the sale of subscriptions to Vault Workgroup.
Autodesk, Vault Workgroup Questions and Answers, updated 6 July 2023
New subscriptions ended on 6 July 2022, the last one-year renewal was sold on 6 July 2023, and Vault Workgroup 2023 is the last version. Autodesk’s upgrade path is Vault Professional, and there is no automatic migration between them.
Pricing
Vault Professional costs $870 per user a year, or $2,605 for a three-year term, on Autodesk’s US store (2 October 2026). Vault Office costs $215 a year or $650 for three years. Both can also be paid by the day through Autodesk Flex. Vault Basic has no price of its own, and Vault PLM has no published price.
| Product | 1 year | 3 years | Flex, per day used | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vault Professional | $870 | $2,605 | 3 tokens (about $9) | Named user; install on up to three devices |
| Vault Office | $215 | $650 | 1 token (about $3) | Needs a Vault Professional server |
| Vault Basic | Included | Included | No charge, but a token balance is required | With Inventor Professional, 3ds Max and the industry collections |
| Vault PLM | Not published | Not published | Not offered as a bundle | Request a demo from Autodesk |
| Fusion Manage (for reference) | $1,115 | Not recorded | 4 tokens (about $12), listed as Fusion Manage Professional | The cloud PLM half of Vault PLM |
How has the Vault price changed since 2023?
Our own screenshots of Autodesk’s store, kept below, give a dated comparison. Figures of $820 or $840 a year that still appear on software directories are not the current list price.
| Product and term | 2023 (our screenshot) | 2 October 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vault Professional, 1 year | $820 (October 2023) | $870 | +$50 (+6.1%) |
| Vault Professional, 3 years | $2,460 (October 2023) | $2,605 | +$145 (+5.9%) |
| Vault Office, 1 year | $205 (July 2023) | $215 | +$10 (+4.9%) |
| Vault Office, 3 years | $615 (July 2023) | $650 | +$35 (+5.7%) |
| Flex minimum purchase | $300 for 100 tokens | $99 for 33 tokens | Same $3 a token, smaller minimum |
| Flex rate for Vault Professional | 3 tokens a day | 3 tokens a day | Unchanged |
The three-year term is not a discount. At today’s prices three annual Vault Professional terms cost $2,610, only $5 more than the three-year price, and three annual Vault Office terms cost $645, $5 less than the three-year price. In 2023 the two came out exactly equal. What the longer term buys is a fixed price, and the annual Vault Professional price rose 6.1% between our 2023 capture and today.
When is Flex cheaper than a subscription?
Flex tokens cost $3 each at Autodesk’s suggested retail price, and Autodesk’s Flex rate sheet shows that Vault Professional uses 3 tokens for each day it is opened, so a day of use costs about $9. Against the $870 annual subscription, Flex is cheaper for anyone who opens Vault Professional on 96 days a year or fewer, which is fewer than two days a week. For Vault Office, at 1 token a day against $215 a year, the break-even is 71 days. Tokens expire 365 days after purchase and are sold in packs from $99 for 33 tokens, so Flex suits occasional users such as approvers in purchasing or quality, not daily CAD users.
What does the Vault price not include?
The subscription covers the software only. Three other costs decide the real budget:
- A server. Vault Professional needs Windows Server 2022 or 2025. Autodesk’s Vault 2027 requirements set a single-site minimum of 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended) and 100 GB of disk (200 GB recommended); full replication needs at least 16 GB of RAM and 300 GB of disk.
- Possibly a SQL Server licence. Vault installs the free SQL Server 2022 Express edition, which Microsoft limits to 10 GB per database. Moving to SQL Server Standard, which full replication requires, costs $3,945 per two-core pack at Microsoft’s list price (a four-core server needs two packs, $7,890), or $989 per server plus a $230 client access licence for every user or device accessing the server. Our SQL Server licensing guide explains when each model is cheaper.
- Setup help. Autodesk itself recommends working with an Autodesk Partner for a first implementation; partners price that work separately.
Autodesk Vault Benefits
Vault’s main benefit is control over design data without leaving the CAD application. Vault 2027 added three more: an AI assistant, closer links to Autodesk’s cloud tools and stronger security for regulated companies.
Standardize data and processes
Vault Professional enforces one release process for every file: lifecycle states, revision control, peer review before a state change and email notifications when a design needs someone’s attention. Vault 2027 lets users edit properties during Copy Design, including pasting values from Excel, and attaches Vault-generated PDFs to items automatically when an item is assigned or updated.
Work with data anywhere, anytime
Three routes reach the vault from outside the office, all in Vault Professional: the Thin Client in Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari; Vault Gateway, which gives remote access without a VPN; and the Vault mobile app. Vault 2027.1 rebuilt the Thin Client with Autodesk ID sign-in and the AI assistant and made it reachable through Vault Gateway. Desktop users still need Windows, so the browser is the only route for Mac users.
Optimize deployments and manage teams
Administrators can push one client configuration to every workstation, back up selected vault and library databases instead of everything, and archive finished projects. For regulated companies, Vault 2027 added support for FIPS 140-2 mode, encrypted communication with SQL Server and encryption of data at rest in the SQL Server databases. The CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog lists no Autodesk product as of catalog version 2026.10.02.
Being able to manage our items and files related to each item is extremely valuable.
Kipp Sakundiak, General Manager, Prairie Machine, parent company of Rokion, quoted on Autodesk’s Vault page
Drawbacks
Vault’s limits are mostly about where it runs and what it costs to run. These are the ones to plan for, each taken from Autodesk’s or Microsoft’s own documentation:
- Windows only on the desktop. The Vault 2027 client supports Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise and nothing else, so Mac users are limited to the browser Thin Client, a Vault Professional feature.
- You run the server. Vault is on-premises software: you supply Windows Server, SQL Server, backups and upgrades. It can run on a cloud virtual machine, but Autodesk does not certify that (quoted below).
- The 10 GB database ceiling. SQL Server Express allows 10 GB per database. Only metadata goes in the database, so the files themselves do not count: in Autodesk’s own examples, a vault with 5 GB of files (12,000 files) had a 622 MB database and one with 166 GB (171,000 files) had a 5.32 GB database. At the second vault’s ratio the ceiling arrives at roughly 320,000 files, but Autodesk warns the ratio varies too much to estimate, so watch the database size.
- SQL Server 2025 does not help yet. Microsoft raised the Express limit to 50 GB in SQL Server 2025, but the Vault 2027 system requirements list SQL Server 2022 only, and Autodesk’s SQL Server 2025 article defers to those requirements.
- Named users, not concurrent licences. A Vault subscription belongs to one named user, who can install it on up to three devices but sign in on one at a time. Some rivals, such as Synergis Adept, also sell concurrent licences.
- Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT need Vault Professional. Neither works with Vault Basic, and Workgroup is gone, so an LT team pays $870 a user a year.
- Built-in backup slows down on big vaults. Autodesk notes that backups of large file stores can be slow because files are validated, and points to third-party backup tools.
Autodesk does not test or certify any local or cloud-based virtual environment solutions but provides best-effort support.
Autodesk, System requirements for Autodesk Vault 2027 products
Other information
| Item | Vault 2027 |
|---|---|
| Deployment | On-premises server you run (Windows Server 2022 or 2025); cloud virtual machines work but are not certified by Autodesk |
| Desktop client | Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, 64-bit; 4 GB of RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended |
| Browser access | Thin Client (Vault Professional) in Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari |
| Database | Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Express (installed by default), Standard or Enterprise, with cumulative update 18 |
| Licence | Named user, installable on up to three devices |
Alternatives
The closest alternative depends on your CAD system. SOLIDWORKS shops compare Vault with SOLIDWORKS PDM; companies outgrowing PDM look at PTC Windchill or Siemens Teamcenter; teams that want no server look at Onshape; and multi-CAD engineering departments look at Synergis Adept. Prices were checked on each vendor’s own site on 2 October 2026.
| Product | Vendor | Best fit | Runs on | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autodesk Vault Professional | Autodesk | Inventor, AutoCAD and Revit teams | Your own Windows server | $870 per user a year |
| SOLIDWORKS PDM | Dassault Systèmes | SOLIDWORKS users. PDM Standard is for single-site teams; Professional adds browser access, BOMs and multi-CAD | The company’s own server | None; quoted by a reseller |
| PTC Windchill | PTC | Enterprise PLM across several CAD systems, notably Creo | On premises, PTC Cloud or Windchill+ SaaS | None on ptc.com |
| Siemens Teamcenter | Siemens | Enterprise PLM | On premises or Teamcenter X SaaS | Not on Siemens’ site (the Teamcenter X plans page asks for a quote), but AWS Marketplace lists Teamcenter X at $70,000 a year for a minimum of 20 users plus implementation (9 October 2026) |
| Onshape | PTC | Cloud-native CAD with built-in PDM, no server to run | Web browser | Standard $1,500, Professional $2,500 per user a year |
| Synergis Adept | Synergis Software | Engineering document control across AutoCAD, Inventor, SOLIDWORKS and MicroStation | On premises (Adept Cloud is a separate SaaS product) | Desktop licence $984 a year per named user, or $2,496 a year per concurrent user |
| Autodesk Fusion Manage | Autodesk | Cloud PLM for change, BOM and quality processes | Cloud | $1,115 per user a year |
Autodesk Vault vs PTC Windchill
Vault is PDM: it controls CAD files and, in the Professional edition, items and bills of materials for an engineering team. Windchill is enterprise PLM: PTC describes it as connecting product data across engineering, manufacturing and the supply chain, with multi-CAD support and a SaaS version, Windchill+. A company weighing the two is usually choosing between Vault PLM (Vault Professional plus Fusion Manage) and Windchill, and the deciding factors are the CAD system in use and how far beyond engineering the processes need to reach. Vault’s price is published; Windchill’s is not.
Our guides to PDM software and PLM software compare more options.
How do you install Autodesk Vault?
Install the server first, then the clients. Autodesk’s own sequence for a first installation is:
- Check the Vault 2027 system requirements and choose the edition. Plan a dedicated Windows server; Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise is allowed only for Vault Basic.
- Download Vault from Autodesk Account and install the Vault Server with the Quick Start (single-site) option, which applies recommended defaults, runs the prerequisite checks and installs SQL Server 2022 Express. Then install the SQL Server cumulative update Autodesk lists (CU18). Inventor Professional users setting up Vault Basic are told to take the Vault Server from the Inventor downloads.
- Open the Autodesk Data Management Server (ADMS) Console and create the first vault.
- Install the Vault Client on each workstation. This also installs the add-ins for Inventor, AutoCAD and other CAD applications.
- Create users, assign roles and set permissions.
- Test check-in, check-out and version history on a small project before moving everyone over.
Older guides start with the network license manager, which serves multi-user licences. A Vault subscription bought today is a named-user licence, signed in with an Autodesk ID.
FAQs
Is Vault included with Inventor?
Partly. Inventor Professional includes Vault Basic, and Autodesk tells Inventor users to install the Vault Server from the Inventor downloads in Autodesk Account. Vault Professional, which adds items, bills of materials, change orders and browser access, is a separate subscription at $870 a year. Inventor LT has no Vault Basic add-in and works only with Vault Professional.
How much does Autodesk Vault cost?
On Autodesk’s US store on 2 October 2026, Vault Professional costs $870 per user a year or $2,605 for three years, and Vault Office costs $215 a year or $650 for three years. Flex users pay 3 tokens a day for Vault Professional, about $9 at $3 a token. Vault Basic comes with Inventor Professional and Autodesk’s industry collections, and Vault PLM has no published price.
What is the difference between Vault Basic and Vault Professional?
Both store CAD files with check-in, check-out, version history, Copy Design and search. Only Vault Professional manages items, bills of materials and change orders, and only it has the release process with DXF and STEP publishing, the job processor, multi-site replication, the browser Thin Client, Vault Gateway, the mobile app, the Vault Data APIs and the Autodesk Assistant preview.
What is the difference between Autodesk Vault and Vault PLM?
Vault PLM is a bundle of Vault Professional, which manages CAD data on your own server, and Autodesk Fusion Manage, a cloud PLM system for change requests, change orders, BOM processes, quality and new product introduction. The Vault Connector synchronizes items, BOMs and lifecycle states between the two. Autodesk does not publish a price for the bundle.
Does Autodesk Vault run on a Mac or in the cloud?
The Vault 2027 desktop client runs only on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, and the server on Windows Server 2022 or 2025. Mac users can reach Vault Professional through the browser Thin Client, which supports Safari. You run the Vault server yourself, on premises or on a cloud virtual machine, which Autodesk supports only on a best-effort basis; the cloud part of Vault PLM is Fusion Manage.
How do you set up Autodesk Vault?
Install the Vault Server first from Autodesk Account with the Quick Start single-site option, which also installs SQL Server 2022 Express, then apply the SQL Server cumulative update Autodesk lists. Create a vault in the ADMS Console, install the Vault Client and its CAD add-ins on each workstation, add users and permissions, and test check-in and check-out before rollout.
How we checked this page
On 2 October 2026 we read Autodesk’s US online store for Vault and Fusion Manage in a full browser, selecting each edition and term to record its price; the Vault product, Vault PLM and Vault 2027 features pages; the Flex buying page and Flex rate sheet; Autodesk support articles on the Vault 2027 system requirements, Vault Basic entitlement, Inventor LT, Vault Office, SQL Server Express limits, database sizing and SQL Server 2025; the Vault Workgroup end-of-sale FAQ; Autodesk’s Vault 2027 and 2027.1 release posts; Microsoft’s SQL Server 2022 and 2025 edition limits and price list; the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.02); and the product and pricing pages for SOLIDWORKS PDM, PTC Windchill, Onshape, Siemens Teamcenter X and Synergis Adept. The 2023 prices come from the screenshots on this page. All prices are US list prices before tax, discounts and partner services, and we did not request quotes.
Conclusion
Vault is the natural PDM choice for a team that designs in Inventor, AutoCAD or Revit, because its add-ins sit inside those tools. Start with Vault Basic if you already own Inventor Professional or a collection and only need file control. Move to Vault Professional, at $870 a user a year, when you need items, bills of materials, change orders, browser access or more than one site. Add Vault Office at $215 for people who only handle documents, and use Flex for anyone who opens Vault on fewer than 96 days a year. Budget for the server and, once the database nears 10 GB or you need replication, a SQL Server Standard licence. If your processes reach beyond engineering, price Vault PLM against PTC Windchill and Siemens Teamcenter; for SOLIDWORKS-based teams, see our review of SOLIDWORKS PDM.
References
- Autodesk: Vault overview and FAQ, Buy Vault, Vault 2027 features and Understanding the Autodesk Vault subscription, 20 August 2026
- Autodesk: Vault PLM and Fusion Manage plans and pricing
- Autodesk Flex and Flex rate sheet
- Autodesk: System requirements for Vault 2027 products
- Products that include Vault Basic, Does Inventor Professional include Vault Basic?, Vault and Inventor LT or AutoCAD LT and Vault Office and Vault Professional servers
- Maximum Vault database size on SQL Express, Vault database sizing and growth, Maximum data in Vault and SQL Server 2025 and Vault Server
- Autodesk Vault Workgroup end-of-sale FAQ, updated 6 July 2023
- What’s New in Autodesk Vault 2027 and Autodesk Vault 2027.1 What’s New
- Microsoft: SQL Server 2022 editions, SQL Server 2025 editions and SQL Server pricing
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- SOLIDWORKS PDM, PTC Windchill, Onshape pricing, Teamcenter X plans and pricing and Synergis Adept pricing
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