Revit Alternatives for BIM on Mac, Windows and Linux

Autodesk Revit is alive and current. Revit 2027 is the release on Autodesk's product page, subscribers can still install the three versions before it, and the page lists it from $251 a month. That rate is for a one-year or three-year term, which Autodesk says saves 33% over the monthly price. A pricing breakdown from Render a House puts monthly billing near $380 a month and a one-year term near $3,005 a year. Autodesk's own FAQ on the product page confirms what most Mac users already know: Revit runs on Microsoft Windows.

People who look for a replacement usually want one of three things. A lower bill per seat, a BIM tool that runs on a Mac without a Windows virtual machine, or a workflow built on open IFC files instead of RVT. The eight picks below cover architects, structural engineers and detailers. MEP engineers have fewer choices, and we say where each tool stands on building services. Every price comes from the vendor's own page, read on November 6, 2026.

Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

Archicad

Graphisoft has sold Archicad to Mac architects for decades, and for a Revit user that history matters more than any feature list. Archicad 30 supports macOS 15, macOS 26 and macOS 27 on Apple Silicon and Intel, according to the system requirements page. On a PC it needs Windows 11.

The modelling logic will feel familiar. Walls, slabs, zones and openings are model elements, and plans, sections and schedules are views of one model, much like Revit. The main gap is engineering. Revit puts architecture, structure and MEP in one product, while Archicad is an architect's tool, so structural and services consultants usually join through IFC. Archicad Studio also costs less than Revit, on annual and monthly billing alike. Check the pricing below for your edition.

Best for: Architecture practices that work on Macs and want BIM without a Windows machine.

Pricing:

• Archicad Studio: $345 per month on monthly billing, or $2,414 per seat for a year paid upfront, plus tax
• Archicad Collaborate: $406 per month, or $2,840 per year
• Archicad Max: $800 per month, or $5,700 per year
• Graphisoft says prices are for information and depend on the billing country

Watch out for:

• A Graphisoft community thread reports that Archicad 30 is the last version sold with perpetual licences and that new AI tools are subscription only. Check the terms with your local distributor.
• Long-time users in the same thread say recent releases added little to core modelling and drawing tools for the higher price.

Official site: Archicad. Our listing: Archicad.

Allplan

Allplan, from Germany's Nemetschek group, is the pick for offices where the same people draw the building and reinforce it. The Allplan Professional page lists wall, slab, roof and facade modelling next to bar, mesh and BAMTEC reinforcement, steel connection design, road modelling and an AutoConverter that hands analytical models to structural analysis software. Revit can do rebar, but Allplan treats it as core work rather than an add-on.

Since the 2025 release, Professional replaces the old Engineering configuration, and the shop now points to Allplan 2027 system requirements. Prices are public, which is rare in this group: the US shop shows each edition and term, so you can compare with Revit before you call anyone. Cloud collaboration runs through Bimplus Pro and ALLPLAN Share, both included in Professional.

Best for: Structural engineering and multi-discipline offices that detail concrete and steel in the same model as the architecture.

Pricing:

• Allplan Professional: $299 per user per month on a 12-month or 36-month term, which is $3,588 a year excluding VAT
• Allplan Professional on a 1-month term: $449 per user per month
• Basic from $140, Concept from $241 and Ultimate from $404 in the edition comparison
• Free trial of all editions for evaluation and non-commercial use

Watch out for:

• The Allplan 2026 system requirements list Windows 11 and Windows Server only and refer Mac users to separate installation requirements, so it is not a native Mac app.
• Short terms cost much more. One month of Professional is $449 per user, half as much again as the $299 monthly rate on a 12-month term.

Official site: Allplan.

BricsCAD BIM

BricsCAD BIM is a DWG CAD program with BIM tools on top, so teams that grew up in AutoCAD keep their file format and most of their commands. It is now sold under Octave, and bricsys.com redirects to the Octave store. The help site's V27 requirements cover Windows 11, macOS 13 Ventura or later, and Ubuntu 24.04 or later, which no other paid pick here matches.

The V27.1.05 release notes show where the work is going. IFC import now tolerates minor syntax errors and can place files by geo coordinates, Navisworks NWD, NWC and NWF files open directly, and a PROPIMPORT command pulls properties in bulk from Excel or CSV. For a Revit office that receives IFC and Navisworks files from others, those are practical fixes rather than headline features.

Best for: Small architecture and engineering teams that live in DWG and want BIM at the lowest clearly listed annual price.

Pricing:

• BricsCAD BIM: €1,060 per seat per year, maintenance included, excluding local taxes
• BricsCAD Ultimate (Pro, BIM and Mechanical): €1,176 per year
• BricsCAD Pro: €710 per year
• The store also offers perpetual and three-year terms but does not show their prices

Watch out for:

• The release notes are written for the Windows build, the Parasolid translator is Windows only, and Parasolid import on Mac is marked experimental. Test your exact files on a Mac before buying.
• On Linux, the requirements page says 3D hardware acceleration does not work on Intel graphics or on laptops with dual graphics adapters.

Official site: BricsCAD BIM.

Vectorworks Architect

Vectorworks suits the architect who finds Revit too rigid for early design. You can draw in 2D first and add BIM data later, which Revit does not encourage. The English release of Vectorworks 2027 was announced on September 18, 2026 with GPU acceleration through Vulkan and Metal, an AI Visualizer, and import of Revit families. That last point helps anyone who has years of RVT content to bring along.

The same family covers site design and entertainment design through the Landmark and Spotlight products, so mixed practices can keep one licence family. If you are comparing it against other tools, our Vectorworks alternatives page lists the options its own users consider.

Best for: Mac-based practices that sketch in 2D, want BIM later in the job, and need to reuse Revit families.

Pricing:

• No public price on the Vectorworks offer page; you buy through a country store or a distributor
• New perpetual licences ended on 1 January 2023, so new seats are subscriptions

Watch out for:

• Without a published price you cannot compare it with Revit until a distributor sends a quote, and quotes differ by country.
• Localised versions of the 2027 release roll out through the first quarter of 2027, according to PBC Today, so non-English offices may wait for the new features.

Official site: Vectorworks Architect. Our listing: Vectorworks Architect.

Tekla Structures

Structural engineers and steel or precast detailers leave Revit for Tekla when the model has to reach the shop floor. Trimble's 2026 plan guide says the Diamond plan produces production drawings and exports to steel CNC, MIS, rebar and precast systems. Revit's structural tools stop well short of fabrication-ready output.

The plans split by job. Diamond holds the full detailing set, Graphite covers modelling, general arrangement drawings and analysis interfaces, and Carbon is for viewing, reports and printing drawings. That lets a firm buy a few full seats for detailers and cheaper ones for checkers and site staff.

Best for: Steel, concrete and precast detailers who need fabrication drawings and CNC files from the model.

Pricing:

• No public price. The Trimble subscription page sends you to local sales for a quote
• Plans: Diamond, Graphite and Carbon
• Free trial available

Watch out for:

• The 2026 hardware page supports only 64-bit Windows 11 and says Windows ARM is not supported, which rules out Apple Silicon Macs running ARM Windows.
• The trial disables drawing printing and export, plus CNC, MIS, rebar and precast exports, so you cannot test a full deliverable before you pay.

Official site: Tekla Structures.

Edificius

ACCA Software, an Italian vendor, packs more into Edificius than its price suggests. The product page lists parametric architecture, interiors, gardens and terrain, MEP systems modelling, historic building tools, point clouds, scheduling and automatic bills of quantities. That MEP and cost estimating sit in the same program is unusual at this level, and it is the closest thing here to Revit's mix of disciplines.

Edificius is buildingSMART certified for IFC, imports Revit and SketchUp files, and comes with Edificius CAD, a free 2D and 3D DWG tool. The 30-day trial is described as having no limitations, which makes it easy to run a real project through it before deciding.

Best for: Small practices and surveyors who want design, MEP and quantity take-off in one Windows program.

Pricing:

• From €799 on the Edificius page; ACCA does not publish the billing term, so ask it for a quote
• Edificius CAD included free
• 30-day free trial

Watch out for:

• The system requirements list 64-bit Windows only. On a Mac it runs inside a Windows virtual machine such as Parallels, VirtualBox is not supported, and real-time rendering does not work correctly when virtualised.
• It has a far smaller user base and consultant network than Revit, so expect to exchange IFC rather than native files with partners.

Official site: Edificius. Our listing: Edificius.

Bonsai

For readers who searched for an open IFC workflow, Bonsai is the direct answer. The add-on, formerly BlenderBIM, makes IFC the working file rather than an export. Its project site says every edit reads and writes IFC through IfcOpenShell, and calls the software free and libre forever. Revit, by contrast, keeps the model in RVT and translates to IFC on export.

You install it from Blender's Get Extensions tab, and the installation docs note that Blender runs on Linux, Mac and Windows. The free Bonsai Viewer opens IFC files for clients and consultants. Blender's renderer and animation tools sit in the same window as the model, so presentation work needs no second program.

Best for: IFC-first architects and BIM coordinators who are comfortable in Blender.

Pricing:

• Free and open source (Bonsai and Blender)
• Bonsai Viewer is free; Bonsai Web is listed as coming soon

Watch out for:

• The current documentation covers version 0.9.0, so the project has not reached a 1.0 release.
• Blender's interface is nothing like Revit's ribbon. Budget time to learn Blender before Bonsai itself.

Official site: Bonsai. Our listing: Bonsai.

FreeCAD

FreeCAD is a general parametric modeller that also does architecture. The download page offers version 1.1.4 for Windows 10 and later, macOS 12 and later on Apple Silicon and Intel, and Linux AppImages. It costs nothing for commercial work and needs no licence server.

Architects use its BIM workbench for walls, structural members and windows, with IFC export for consultants. Engineers get more out of it than most free tools, since the same install has FEM analysis and assembly workbenches. Version 1.1 arrived on March 25, 2026 with transparent previews and drag handles for fillets and chamfers.

Best for: Students, freelancers and engineers who need a free desktop modeller on any operating system.

Pricing:

• Free and open source, including commercial use
• No paid tier

Watch out for:

• OSArch's FreeCAD 1.1 write-up says the release has "not a single BIM-specific feature", so the architecture tools improve slower than the core.
• Support comes from the forum and wiki, not a vendor help desk, which matters on a deadline.

Official site: FreeCAD. Our listing: FreeCAD.

How to choose

When to stay with Revit

Stay on Revit if your clients, contractors or consultants require RVT deliverables, or if MEP is a large share of your work. None of the paid picks puts architecture, structure and building services in one model the way Revit does, and the AEC Collection bundles Revit with more than 11 other Autodesk products at up to 80% less than separate annual licences. If you stay, take a one-year or three-year term, which Autodesk says saves 33% over monthly billing.

Frequently asked questions