Structural Analysis

Professional finite element analysis software with member, plate, shell, and solid elements; linear and nonlinear analysis; and modular add-ons for concrete, steel, timber, and glass design.

A professional-grade FEA package with transparent perpetual pricing and a 90-day trial -- steep upfront but you own it, and the modular add-on system means paying only for the code checks you need.

Cloud-based structural analysis and design platform covering 3D FEA, member design, connection design, and foundation design -- no installation required.

Best solo entry point for cloud FEA -- transparent pricing, no installation, and 24/7 engineering support make it uniquely accessible for a firm of one.

3D finite element structural analysis and design for steel, concrete, timber, and aluminum with 90+ international design codes, used on buildings, bridges, and industrial facilities.

The broadest international code coverage and a 40-year track record, but at $3,995+/year with no free trial and an enterprise-oriented feature set, it is overkill and overpriced for most solo structural engineering practices.

Subscription-based 3D finite element analysis software for buildings and industrial structures, covering steel, concrete, wood, masonry, aluminum, and cold-formed steel design.

The most transparently priced desktop FEA package with a 10-day free trial -- solid for a solo engineer who needs full 3D structural analysis beyond what cloud calc tools offer.

Standards-aligned structural calculation platform with 200+ inspectable, code-referenced calculators for beam, column, frame, shear wall, retaining wall, and wind/seismic design.

The most solo-friendly structural calc tool -- inspectable code-referenced outputs, concurrent-user licensing, and transparent per-month pricing make permit documentation fast and audit-ready.

General-purpose finite element analysis software from CSI, covering buildings, bridges, industrial structures, and non-building applications with advanced nonlinear and dynamic analysis.

Industry-standard general-purpose FEA with 45+ years of solver development -- powerful for complex or non-building structures, but opaque pricing and no self-serve purchase path make it friction-heavy for a solo firm.

Structural calculation automation tool that generates compliant, auditable calculation sheets for beam, column, connection, and foundation design across multiple international codes.

The best dedicated calc-sheet automation tool for routine structural design -- audit-ready output and multi-code coverage, but pricing is quote-only and Trimble lock-in is real.