OpenSite Designer

Subscription Design the Building

Comprehensive site design software for rapid modeling from conceptual through detailed design phases. Integrates BIM workflows with site engineering capabilities including earthwork optimization, drainage design, and automated construction cost estimation. MicroStation-based desktop application.

Made by Bentley Systems, public (BSY, $10.1B)

Also in Companies

2.8 /5 composite score

C1 3/5 reflects published $3,168 per-seat pricing and a trial, C2 3/5 reflects the MicroStation SDK with no documented web API, and the file surface is DGN-native with partial DWG and IFC export.

Situational

Rubric Scorecard

How we grade →

Criterion	Score	Evidence
Value for the price	3/5	Subscription, from $3168 Source →
Agent Friendliness	3/5	API: MicroStation SDK (MDL/.NET) for desktop plugins; no documented web/cloud API
Ease of adoption	2/5	desktop-install, moderate learning curve
Portability & lock-in	3/5	4 file formats
Interoperability	3/5	5 integrations

Pricing

ModelSubscription

Entry price$3168

Free tierno

Trialyes

Billing unitper-seat

Visit OpenSite Designer →

How we verified this: we checked OpenSite Designer against its live site and an independent source — bentley.com. Nothing on this page is listed from memory. See how we grade. Verified 2026-07-14.

Evidence

File formats

Format	Direction	Support
DGN	native	full -- MicroStation V8 format
DWG	both	partial
IFC	export	full -- Added in 2025 release; improves Revit interoperability
point-cloud	import	unknown

Integrations

MicroStation OpenRoads Designer OpenBridge Designer LumenRT ArcGIS

Adoption

Deploymentdesktop-install

Self-serve signupyes

Implementation requiredoptional

Learning curvemoderate

Sources

Pricing Changelog

Also covers

OpenSite Designer also appears in these sub-categories:

Landscape & Site

The landscape placement is grading, drainage, planting-layout, and point-cloud-supported site design inside the same DGN-native desktop workflow; C2 3/5 reflects SDK scripting without a documented cloud API.

Development Feasibility & Pro Forma

The development-feasibility placement is earthwork optimization, drainage, and construction takeoff inside the site model; C5 3/5 reflects MicroStation, OpenRoads Designer, OpenBridge Designer, LumenRT, and ArcGIS integrations, and C3 2/5 marks moderate adoption friction on this rubric.

Alternatives in Civil & Infrastructure

Quadri (Novapoint)

Cloud-based civil infrastructure BIM collaboration platform enabling real-time teamwork on road, railway, tunnel, bridge, water/sewer design. Quadri provides central model storage; Novapoint provides design tools.

3.6/5

Carlson Civil Suite

AutoCAD/IntelliCAD-based desktop civil design suite (Carlson Civil, Survey, Hydrology, GIS) for grading, roads, lots, and hydrology. Sold as a perpetual license (Civil Suite bundle around $4,450) with optional annual maintenance and a subscription option. Scriptable via AutoLISP and .NET through its AutoCAD/IntelliCAD engine; reads/writes DWG, DGN, and LandXML.

3.6/5

Autodesk Civil 3D

AutoCAD-based civil engineering design and documentation platform for grading/surfaces, road and rail corridor modeling, pipe network hydraulics, and survey -- the civil-engineering flagship that turns conceptual InfraWorks models into construction-ready plan/profile sheets and quantity takeoffs.

3.4/5

Allplan Civil (Bridge)

Parametric BIM platform for advanced infrastructure design to build workflows -- extends Allplan Ultimate with integrated bridge structural analysis (AASHTO LRFD and Eurocode with national annexes), code-based reinforcement design and checking, parametric road/alignment modeling, 4D construction sequencing, and prestressing tendon modeling; supports all relevant file interfaces (IFC, BCF, LandXML, DWG, DGN, RVT, 3DM) plus Python API and Visual Scripting for automated workflows; part of the Nemetschek Group, with transparent published subscription pricing on the Allplan e-store.