Finding the right software in specialized industries is surprisingly difficult. Take the CAD and BIM space: designers, architects, and engineering managers are facing sky-high annual subscriptions for standard drafting suites. Many want to look for 1:1 alternatives, but they are met with fragmented, outdated comparison forums, or directories cluttered with paid ads.
To address this, we built CADGuide.tools — a free, interactive, data-driven directory designed to match professionals with the right CAD software based on their operating system, budget types, dynamic block capabilities, and AutoLISP APIs.
As developers, our biggest constraint was hosting costs and server maintenance. We wanted this site to load instantly, handle thousands of pages, and remain $0/month to run.
Here is the tech stack and architecture choices we made to achieve a zero-server-load platform.
The Tech Stack
