CAD and BIM software for Australian design offices
Six tools most architects, building designers, engineers and drafters choose between. You get the price of one seat in AUD with GST like for like, what each runs on, and which kind of office each suits. Only Autodesk pays us a commission, and the table says so on every column.
Which one fits your business
Your clients or lead consultant want Revit modelsRevit
If the job is delivered as RVT, Revit is the only way to work in that format natively. $4,802 a seat per year inc GST. Windows only: on a Mac it needs Parallels.
An architecture studio on MacArchicad or Vectorworks
Both run natively on a Mac and do IFC. Vectorworks Architect is $2,904 a year inc GST; Archicad Studio is $3,960 inc GST, with a 30-day trial.
Or see Vectorworks. No commission on either.
Mostly 2D drawings in DWGAutoCAD or BricsCAD
AutoCAD is $3,344 a year inc GST and includes AutoCAD for Mac. BricsCAD also uses DWG as its own format, from $611 (Lite) or $1,234 (Pro) a year, and sells perpetual licences.
Or try BricsCAD free for 30 days (no commission).
How we make money: Revit and AutoCAD buttons are affiliate links: Autodesk pays us 9% of a new subscription, at no cost to you. Archicad, Vectorworks, BricsCAD and SketchUp pay us nothing and get plain links. The guide above is built from published prices and vendor-stated facts, never from commission. Disclosure.
The six tools compared
One seat, entry plan, AUD with GST added where the vendor quotes ex GST. Every price and every confirmed fact has a source link to the vendor's own page, so you can check us. A "?" means we couldn't confirm it yet (how we test).
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | RvRevitAutodesk · BIMTry free | AcArchicadGraphisoft · BIMVisit site | VwVectorworks ArchitectVectorworks · BIM + 2DVisit site | AAutoCADAutodesk · 2D + 3D CADTry free | BcBricsCADOctave (Bricsys) · 2D + 3D CAD, BIM optionVisit site | SuSketchUp ProTrimble · 3D modellingVisit site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user | ||||||
| Per yearAUD inc GST unless marked | $4,802/yr1 user, 1-year term source | $3,960/yrStudio, 1 seat, 1-year term source | $2,904/yrArchitect, billed annually source | $3,344/yr1 user, 1-year term source | $611/yrLite, 1 licence, 1 year source | US$399/yr≈ A$628Pro, billed annually source |
| Billed monthly instead | $605/mo | $550/mo | $323.40/mo | $418/mo | – | – |
| Prices include GST? | No, GST added | No, GST added | Yes, inc GST | No, GST added | No, GST added | USD only, tax added |
| Other plans (per year) | Revit LT $891 Also in the AEC Collection (Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D and more) | Collaborate $4,631 Max $8,690 | Design Suite also sold (adds landscape and entertainment tools) | Includes the industry toolsets (Architecture, MEP, Electrical and more) | Pro $1,234 BIM $1,863 Mechanical $1,791 | Go US$129 Studio US$859 |
| Fit | ||||||
| Runs on | Windows 11 only source | Windows and Mac source | Windows 11 and macOS 15/26 source | Windows, Mac and web source | Windows, Mac and Linux source | Windows, Mac, web and iPad source |
| Native on Mac | No. Autodesk lists Parallels Desktop (a Windows virtual machine) for Mac source | Yes, native on Apple silicon source | Yes source | Yes, AutoCAD for Mac is included in the subscription source | Yes, macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon native source | Yes source |
| IFC (open BIM) import/export | Yes, import and export (IFC4, IFC2x3) source | Yes (IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4.3) source | Yes, import and export source | Not in core AutoCAD; the Architecture and MEP toolsets export IFC source | BIM and Ultimate editions only source | Imports and exports IFC source |
| Opens and saves DWG | Links and exports DWG (its own file is RVT) source | Opens and saves DWG/DXF source | Imports and exports DWG/DXF source | Yes, DWG is its own format source | Yes, DWG is its own format (all editions) source | Imports and exports DWG source |
| Free trial | Yes, length not stated on the AU page source | 30 days, no card source | Offered, length not stated source | Yes, length not stated on the AU page source | 30 days source | 7 days, no card source |
| Buy outright (perpetual licence) | Not confirmed yet | Not confirmed yet | Not confirmed yet | Not confirmed yet | Yes, perpetual licences sold alongside yearly source | Not confirmed yet |
| Honesty | ||||||
| Do we earn from this link? | Yes: 9% of a new subscription (not renewals), via Commission Factory | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission | Yes: 9% of a new subscription (not renewals), via Commission Factory | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission |
| Try Revit free | Visit Graphisoft | Visit Vectorworks | Try AutoCAD free | Visit Octave (Bricsys) | Visit Trimble | |
What a team pays per year
Seats add up fast. Here's the list price for a small office, before any discount you might negotiate.
| Per year | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | 10 seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revit1 user, 1-year term | $4,802 | $14,405 | $24,008 | $48,015 |
| ArchicadStudio, 1 seat, 1-year term | $3,960 | $11,880 | $19,800 | $39,600 |
| Vectorworks ArchitectArchitect, billed annually | $2,904 | $8,712 | $14,520 | $29,040 |
| AutoCAD1 user, 1-year term | $3,344 | $10,032 | $16,720 | $33,440 |
| BricsCADLite, 1 licence, 1 year | $611 | $1,832 | $3,053 | $6,105 |
| SketchUp ProPro, billed annually | US$399≈ A$628 | US$1,197≈ A$1,885 | US$1,995≈ A$3,142 | US$3,990≈ A$6,284 |
List price × seats, before any volume or reseller discount (none are published). AUD prices include GST. Foreign-currency prices are shown as listed, with ≈ an AUD estimate at the RBA rate of 20 Oct 2026 plus GST. * GST not stated.
Choose by who you swap files with
Price matters less than file exchange. Work out what the people you work with send and expect back:
- RVT (Revit models): common when a head consultant or client runs Revit and wants your model to drop straight into theirs. RVT is Revit’s own format; other tools convert to or from it, so ask your client how well a converted file works for them.
- IFC (open BIM): the vendor-neutral model format. Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks and SketchUp import and export it; BricsCAD does in its BIM and Ultimate editions; core AutoCAD doesn't, but its Architecture and MEP toolsets do.
- DWG (2D drawings): still how most drawings move between offices, builders and councils. All six open DWG; AutoCAD and BricsCAD use it as their own format.
If two tools both fit, ask for a sample file from your most demanding client or consultant and open it in each trial. That one test answers more than any review.
The design-office trial checklist
- Open a real consultant DWGCheck layers, lineweights, xrefs, text and dimensions come through, then save it back and open it in the other party's software if you can.
- Round-trip an IFCExport a small model to IFC and open it in a free IFC viewer. Are walls still walls, and do your property sets survive?
- Build your title block and print a setSet up your sheet border, revision table and sheet numbering, then print a 10-sheet set to PDF. Time it.
- Draw one small job end to endOne floor plan, a section and two elevations. That's the honest measure of how fast your team will be.
- Check the licence rulesNamed user or shared? Can a seat move between staff? What happens to your files if you stop paying?
- Check your hardwareCompare your PCs or Macs against the vendor's system requirements before you buy, not after.
Design offices ask
Does Revit run on a Mac?
Not natively. Autodesk's Revit system requirements list Windows 11; for Mac they list Parallels Desktop, which runs Windows in a virtual machine. Archicad, Vectorworks, BricsCAD, SketchUp and AutoCAD (AutoCAD for Mac is included in the subscription) all run on a Mac.
How much does a Revit licence cost in Australia?
Autodesk lists Revit at A$4,365 a year for one user on a 1-year term, excluding GST: $4,802 a year including GST. Month to month it's $605 a month including GST, so paying yearly costs about a third less.
What is a cheaper alternative to AutoCAD?
Of the tools we priced, BricsCAD uses DWG as its own file format and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. BricsCAD Lite is $611 a year and Pro $1,234 a year including GST, against $3,344 for AutoCAD. BricsCAD also sells perpetual licences. Test your own drawings in the 30-day trial before you switch.
Why is SketchUp in US dollars?
Trimble's pricing page showed US-dollar prices when we checked, so we show the price exactly as listed. Under it is an estimate in Australian dollars, A$628 a year, converted at the Reserve Bank rate of 20 Oct 2026 with GST added so it compares with the AUD prices. Your bank's rate and card fees decide the real figure.