cove.tool

quote-based / contact sales Engineer & Analyze

Cloud-based building-performance analysis platform that automates energy modeling, daylight/glare analysis, embodied carbon, cost estimating, and LEED/code-compliance documentation for early-stage building design. Formerly "cove.tool," the parent company rebranded to "cove" (cove.inc) in January 2025 and now also offers an internal-only AI engine (Vitras.ai) as part of its own architecture practice, but the original cove.tool SaaS product remains live and independently purchasable.

Hidden Pricing
3.6 /5 composite score
A documented REST API and native Revit/Rhino-Grasshopper/SketchUp plugins plus open gbXML interchange make it a strong early-design energy/daylight/carbon analysis layer, but pricing is quote-only across every source checked.
Solid

Rubric Scorecard

How we grade →

Criterion Score Evidence
Value for the price 2/5 quote-based / contact sales
Agent Friendliness 4/5 API: REST API v2 (released Feb 2022) at developers.covetool.com -- resource-based HTTP endpoints for project CRUD, geometry upload, running daylight/energy analyses, and retrieving results Source →
Ease of adoption 4/5 web-saas, moderate learning curve Source →
Portability & lock-in 4/5 1 file formats, export: api
Interoperability 4/5 6 integrations, small (Revit, Rhino/Grasshopper, SketchUp plugins) apps Source →
Visit cove.tool →

How we verified this: we checked cove.tool against its live site and an independent source — g2.com. Nothing on this page is listed from memory. See how we grade. Verified 2026-07-04.

Evidence

File formats

FormatDirectionSupport
GBXML both full -- Native import/export path for geometry and energy-model interchange, per gbxml.org's supporting-software list.

Integrations

Autodesk Revit (native) Rhino / Grasshopper (native) SketchUp (native) IES VE (api-only) DesignBuilder (api-only) NREL OpenStudio (api-only)

Adoption

Deploymentweb-saas
Self-serve signupyes
Implementation requiredoptional
Training requiredtutorials
Learning curvemoderate

Data export

Export mechanismapi
Export scopeper-file

Ecosystem

Plugin marketplaceyes
App countsmall (Revit, Rhino/Grasshopper, SketchUp plugins)

Alternatives in Energy Analysis

Free, open-source EnergyPlus front-end from NREL with a SketchUp plugin, a Measures library for parametric analysis, and Radiance daylighting support.
4.4/5
SaaS whole-life-carbon data platform used by architecture and engineering firms to run rapid embodied, operational, refrigerant, and landscape carbon (LCA) assessments from concept through construction, benchmark portfolios, source low-carbon products via EPDs, and auto-generate AIA 2030 DDx compliance reports. Grew out of EHDD's in-house carbon tool (EPIC) and is separately licensed to power Autodesk Forma's Embodied Carbon Analysis feature.
4.4/5
Free open-source Grasshopper plugins for climate analysis, energy modeling, daylighting, CFD, and urban simulation, with a commercial cloud layer via Pollination.
4.0/5
Free, DOE-funded whole-building energy simulation engine with sub-hourly HVAC, lighting, and water modeling -- the engine under most commercial tools on this list.
4.0/5

Compare all Energy Analysis tools →

Subscribe to Building Probable

Independent AEC + AI reviews & research, including Energy Analysis coverage -- the companion newsletter to buildingtech.pro.

Subscribe to Building Probable →