Net-Inspect alternative: a free, browser-based balloon & FAI tool
Net-Inspect is a well-established quality platform. Many aerospace primes and their supply chains run first article inspection, supplier audits and non-conformance tracking through it, often because a customer mandated it. If your OEM requires Net-Inspect submissions, you will keep using it — that is non-negotiable. But a large share of people searching for a Net-Inspect alternative are not the mandated supplier. They are a job-shop, an MSME quality engineer, or a sub-tier vendor who needs to balloon a drawing and build an AS9102 report without an enterprise contract, a desktop install, or a procurement cycle. This is an honest look at when an alternative makes sense — and where CadNexa fits.
What Net-Inspect does well
Credit where it is due. Net-Inspect (and peers like High QA, InspectionXpert, Discus and 1factory) offer mature first article inspection software, supplier quality management, audit workflows and a shared customer-supplier portal. For a prime coordinating hundreds of suppliers against AS9102, that network effect — everyone submitting into one system — is the whole point. If your customer lives in Net-Inspect and expects your FAIR there, stay in it.
Why engineers look for a Net-Inspect alternative
- Enterprise, quote-only pricing. Net-Inspect is sold by subscription quoted per organization. For a small shop ballooning a handful of FAIs a month, that rarely pencils out against the value.
- You are not mandated to it. If no customer requires Net-Inspect, you are paying network-platform pricing for what is, day to day, a ballooning and AS9102 export job.
- Onboarding and access. Portal accounts, supplier invitations and training add friction when you simply need to mark up a drawing this afternoon.
- Occasional use. If first article inspection is not your daily workload, an always-on enterprise seat is budget sitting idle.
What to look for in any alternative
Whatever you choose, insist on three things: genuine auto-detection of dimensions, tolerances and GD&T feature control frames (not manual circling); clean export to AS9102 Forms 1, 2 and 3, PPAP and CSV; and data that flows into the report without re-typing. In my 14 years running plants, manual transcription between a drawing and a spreadsheet was the single biggest source of FAI rejections — one transposed ±0.05 mm tolerance fails the submission and costs a week. The right tool removes the keystrokes, not just the paper.
How CadNexa compares to Net-Inspect
| Net-Inspect (enterprise FAI/SQM platform) | CadNexa | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web platform + supplier portal accounts | Browser — open a tab, nothing to set up |
| Auto-ballooning | Yes | Yes — Smart Detect + Box+Balloon OCR |
| GD&T / tolerance capture | Yes | Yes, read from the PDF drawing |
| FAI export | AS9102 / PPAP, customer templates | AS9102 Forms 1/2/3, PPAP, CSV |
| Supplier-network workflow | Yes — its core strength | No network; secure RFQ link sharing instead |
| Pricing | Enterprise subscription, by quote | Free tier; ₹399/mo+ (approx. USD) |
| Best for | Mandated primes & their supply chains | Job-shops, MSMEs, sub-tiers, occasional FAIs |
CadNexa's auto-ballooning places numbered balloons on detected dimensions and tolerances in under a minute, reads the values with OCR, and exports straight to your inspection report. See how it scales in how CadNexa detects 100+ dimensions in under a minute, compare the field in the full balloon drawing software comparison, or read the sibling High QA alternative and InspectionXpert alternative guides.
Try a free, no-install balloon tool
Upload a PDF, auto-detect every characteristic, export your FAI report. No download, no credit card.
Open CadNexa Free →Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Net-Inspect?
Yes. CadNexa offers a free tier for browser-based auto-ballooning and AS9102 FAI report generation; paid plans start at ₹399/month. Net-Inspect is an enterprise platform quoted per organization with no public free tier.
How much does Net-Inspect cost?
Net-Inspect does not publish a price; it is sold as an enterprise subscription quoted to the organization, which places it in the enterprise bracket. CadNexa's pricing is public and starts free.
Can a CadNexa report be submitted into Net-Inspect?
CadNexa exports standard AS9102 Forms 1/2/3, PPAP and CSV. You can use those as your inspection record and re-key or attach them where a customer's Net-Inspect submission requires it. CadNexa does not connect to the Net-Inspect portal directly.
Does CadNexa auto-balloon like Net-Inspect?
Yes. Smart Detect and Box+Balloon OCR auto-detect dimensions, tolerances and GD&T feature control frames from a PDF drawing, then let you review before exporting.
Who should stay on Net-Inspect?
Suppliers whose customer mandates Net-Inspect submissions, and quality teams that rely on its supplier-network and audit workflows. Choose by whether the network is a requirement or just overhead for your volume.