Archicad
A full desktop BIM authoring platform from Graphisoft built specifically for architects to model buildings and produce coordinated drawings and documentation.
Made by Graphisoft, subsidiary; owned by Nemetschek Group (NEM, $7.4B)
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4.2 /5 composite score
C4 5/5 reflects broad open-format coverage across IFC, DWG, DXF, DGN, BCF, SKP, STL, FBX, and PDF, C2 3/5 reflects the Archicad API plus C++ and Python scripting, and firm-size fit is solo to small-team.
Worth it
Rubric Scorecard
| Criterion | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Value for the price | 5/5 | Subscription |
| Agent Friendliness | 3/5 | API: https://archicadapi.graphisoft.com/ |
| Ease of adoption | 4/5 | -- |
| Portability & lock-in | 5/5 | 13 file formats Source → |
| Interoperability | 4/5 | 5 integrations |
Pricing
ModelSubscription
How we verified this: we checked Archicad against its live site and an independent source — g2.com. Nothing on this page is listed from memory. See how we grade. Verified 2026-06-30.
Evidence
File formats
| Format | Direction | Support |
|---|---|---|
| IFC | both | unknown |
| IFC 2x3 | both | unknown -- buildingSMART-certified import/export, but vendor states no fidelity/subset caveat. |
| IFC 4 | both | unknown |
| ifcZIP | both | unknown |
| ifcXML | both | unknown |
| DWG | both | partial -- Version-capped translator (e.g. up to AutoCAD 2017 in AC21 docs; raised in later Archicad releases). |
| DXF | both | partial -- Same version-capped translator as DWG. |
| DGN | both | partial -- Import: MicroStation v7/v8 only. Export: v7 only, 2D views only, 64-layer limit, symbol hatches and linetypes not exported. |
| BCF | both | unknown |
| SKP | both | unknown |
| STL | both | partial -- Vendor: does not store scale/units (1m = 1 STL unit convention), geometry-only (no color), no error checking. |
| FBX | both | unknown |
| both | unknown |
Integrations
Revit (via IFC) SketchUp Google Earth structural analysis tools MEP tools
Sources
Alternatives in BIM Authoring
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4.6/5
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Open-source "AECOsystem" of JavaScript/TypeScript engine libraries (web-ifc, @thatopen/components, @thatopen/fragments, @thatopen/ui) for building browser-based, native-IFC BIM applications -- a WASM-speed IFC parser, a compact binary "Fragments" format for fast loading of huge models, and Three.js-based UI building blocks (viewers, clipping planes, measurement, DXF export) -- plus an emerging hosted "That Open Platform" (private beta) and a paid custom-BIM-app development service.
4.0/5
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