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Structural Engineering Software Market Research (March 2026)

1. Major Structural Analysis Software

CSI Products (SAP2000, ETABS, SAFE)

  • Vendor: Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI)
  • Model: Perpetual + annual maintenance, or annual lease. Cloud Sign-in Licenses available.
  • SAP2000: ~$2,000-$15,600 perpetual (varies by tier) + $350-$2,730/yr maintenance
  • ETABS: ~$5,000-$15,600 perpetual + $875-$2,730/yr maintenance
  • Discount: 25% off additional licenses after first
  • Academic: Free lab licenses available (requires faculty request + dean letter)
  • Note: CSI does not publish pricing publicly; requires sales inquiry
  • Sources: CSI Sales, TrustRadius

Robot Structural Analysis (Autodesk)

  • Vendor: Autodesk (bundled in AEC Collection only)
  • AEC Collection: ~$3,675/year (includes Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Robot, etc.)
  • Flex option: Pay-as-you-go for infrequent users
  • Free trial: 30 days
  • Sources: Autodesk AEC Collection, Robot Overview

RISA

  • Vendor: RISA (Nemetschek Group)
  • RISA-3D: ~$2,070/year (1st license, as of Sept 2024)
  • Suite includes: RISA-3D, RISAFloor, RISAFoundation, RISAConnection, ADAPT-Builder
  • Model: Annual subscription
  • Sources: RISA Blog - How Much Does RISA-3D Cost, Capterra

STAAD Pro (Bentley)

  • Vendor: Bentley Systems
  • STAAD.Pro Practitioner: $3,210/year (Virtuosity subscription)
  • STAAD.Pro Advanced: $4,411/year
  • Perpetual: ~$15,000 one-time + annual SELECT maintenance
  • Note: Virtuosity subscription includes training, expert services, mentoring
  • Sources: Bentley Virtuosity STAAD, CivilGuruKul

RFEM 6 / RSTAB 9 (Dlubal)

  • Vendor: Dlubal Software GmbH
  • RFEM 6 Base Program: EUR 4,750 (perpetual purchase)
  • Monthly Rental: from EUR 697.50/month
  • Service Contract: EUR 800/year (Basic or Pro)
  • Key Add-on Prices (perpetual):
    • Concrete Design: EUR 2,950
    • Steel Design: EUR 2,950
    • Timber Design: EUR 2,150
    • Steel Joints: EUR 2,650
    • Modal Analysis: EUR 1,350
    • Response Spectrum: EUR 1,550
    • Geotechnical Analysis: EUR 1,650
    • Building Model: EUR 1,950
  • Full suite (base + major add-ons): Can easily reach EUR 15,000-25,000+
  • Discount: 30% off subsequent licenses; 25% network fee per module
  • Sources: Dlubal Webshop, Dlubal Licensing FAQ

Tekla Structures (Trimble)

  • Vendor: Trimble
  • Model: Subscription only (no new perpetual licenses)
  • Entry-level (Tekla Structures Primary): ~$3,500-$5,500/year
  • Full license: ~$6,000-$10,000/user/year
  • Enterprise (100+ users): from $15,000/year for 100-user license
  • Note: Pricing varies by edition (Engineering, Detailing, Production) and region
  • Sources: ITQlick, SaaSWorthy

Prokon

  • Vendor: Prokon Software Consultants
  • PROKON 5.3 Complete: EUR 5,500/year (excl. VAT)
  • Model: Hot-desk flexibility, modular
  • Individual modules: Pricing available via store.prokon.com
  • Sources: Prokon Store, GetProkon

2. Niche Structural Tools

Connection Design

IDEA StatiCa

  • Annual Subscription: $1,990 - $5,250/year (single floating seat, depending on product mix)
  • Perpetual License: $3,990 - $10,450
  • Products: Steel (Enhanced/Expert), Concrete, Prestressing, Complete
  • Max users per standard license: 7
  • Enterprise: Unlimited users
  • Maintenance: Included in subscription; purchased separately for perpetual
  • Sources: IDEA StatiCa Pricing, IDEA StatiCa UK Pricing

Descon (Descon Plus)

  • Flex Plans (month-to-month):
    • Basic: $60/month per seat
    • Standard: $70/month per seat
    • Next: $80/month per seat
  • Annual Maintenance Plans (AMP):
    • Basic: $1,800 first year, then $600/year
    • Standard: $3,600 first year, then $1,200/year
    • Next: $4,800 first year, then $1,800/year
  • Additional users sharing a seat: $30-$90/year
  • Sources: Descon Pricing

Concrete Design

RCDC / STAAD Advanced Concrete Design (Bentley)

  • Note: RCDC has been renamed to STAAD Advanced Concrete Design
  • Pricing: Part of Bentley's Structural WorkSuite or standalone subscription
  • Estimated: Similar to STAAD Pro pricing range (~$3,000-$4,500/year)
  • Sources: Bentley STAAD Advanced Concrete

Prokon Concrete Modules

  • Part of PROKON 5.3 Complete (EUR 5,500/year) or available as individual modules
  • Sources: Prokon Store

Foundation Design

GEO5 (Fine Software)

  • Foundation Package: EUR 2,200/year (subscription)
  • Individual retaining wall modules: EUR 300-600/year (Professional to Enterprise)
  • Packages offer discounts: 35-44% off individual module pricing
  • Cloud licensing since GEO5 2025
  • Price list effective: November 1, 2025
  • Sources: GEO5 Price List, GEO5 Foundation Package

DeepFND (Deep Excavation)

  • Pricing: Not publicly listed; contact vendor
  • Standards: AASHTO, FHWA, IBC, Eurocode 7
  • Sources: DeepFND

Retaining Wall Design

SRWall 5 (CMHA)

  • $325/year; bulk pricing at $275/year for 10+ copies
  • Sources: CMHA SRWall

ASDIP RETAIN

  • Modules priced at ~$395-$425 each (concrete design, retaining wall, foundation)
  • Full ASDIP SUITE includes Steel, Foundation, Concrete, Retain, and Wood modules
  • Sources: ASDIP

RetainX

  • Free web-based retaining wall design tool
  • Sources: RetainX

RSWall (Rocscience)

  • Pricing not publicly listed; contact Rocscience
  • Sources: RSWall

3. Engineering Calculation Platforms

Tekla Tedds (Trimble)

  • Annual subscription: ~GBP 2,000/year (single user)
  • Advanced bundles: Up to GBP 5,000+/year (multi-user)
  • Forum data point: ~$4,000 license + $1,000/yr maintenance, or ~$200/month rental
  • Model: Annual subscription, renewed yearly
  • Sources: Tekla Tedds, Eng-Tips Discussion

SkyCiv

  • Starting from: $69/month
  • Professional: $179/month or $1,250/year
  • Enterprise: ~$5,000/year
  • Business Account: Up to 20 team members, 3 simultaneous users standard
  • Student accounts: Deeply discounted
  • Model: 100% cloud-based, monthly or annual subscription
  • Sources: SkyCiv Pricing, Capterra

ClearCalcs (Calcs.com)

  • USD Pricing (annual billing):
    • Basic: $79/month or $790/year
    • Pro: $119/month or $1,190/year (recommended)
    • Ultimate: $149/month or $1,490/year
  • EUR Pricing (annual billing):
    • Analysis only: EUR 290/year
    • Basic: EUR 450/year
    • Pro: EUR 690/year
    • Ultimate: EUR 1,250/year
  • Annual savings: ~15% vs monthly
  • All plans: Unlimited projects and calculations
  • Sources: ClearCalcs USD Pricing, ClearCalcs Pricing

PTC MathCad Prime

  • Locked License (individual): $818/year
  • Floating License: $2,400/year
  • Floating License 5-Pack: $10,800/year ($2,160/user)
  • Academic/Professor Edition: $449.95/year
  • Student Edition: Available at reduced cost via PTC Store
  • Model: Annual subscription with support/maintenance included
  • Sources: PTC Store, Novedge

SCIA Engineer

  • Model: Monthly and annual subscription in EUR only
  • Editions: Concept, Professional, Ultimate
  • Webshop: Currently offline (as of March 2026); contact sales for pricing
  • Estimated range: Custom pricing based on selected modules
  • Sources: SCIA Webshop, SCIA Engineer Editions

4. Educational / University Platforms

Free or Very Low Cost for Education

Vendor Educational Offering
Bentley Systems 50+ apps free for students/educators (STAAD, RAM, etc.)
Autodesk Free educational licenses (Robot, Revit, AutoCAD, etc.)
StruSoft Full-featured FEM-Design, Dimension, PRE-Stress, WIN-Statik, Jigi - free for students
CSI (SAP2000/ETABS) Free academic lab licenses (requires faculty request + dean letter)
SkyCiv Deeply discounted student accounts; classroom licensing
Dlubal (RFEM) Free student versions available
RISA University licensing available (contact sales)

Key Observations

  • Most major vendors offer free or heavily discounted educational licenses
  • Verification of academic status is standard
  • Licenses are restricted to non-commercial educational use
  • Bentley and Autodesk are the most generous (fully free with no special paperwork)
  • CSI requires a more formal process (dean letter)

5. Browser-Based / Cloud Structural Engineering Tools

Fully Browser-Based Platforms

Tool Pricing Notes
SkyCiv $69-$179/month; $1,250-$5,000/year 100% cloud, mobile app, API, live chat support
ClearCalcs $79-$149/month; $790-$1,490/year Cloud-based, multi-standard (US, EU, AU, NZ, CA)
WeStatiX Not publicly listed Italian startup, cloud FEA, seed-funded ($3.23M)
Simright Simulator Free tier available Import CAD, browser-based FEA
RetainX Free Retaining wall design only
Onshape Simulation Part of Onshape subscription Cloud-native FEA for mechanical design

Key Trends in Cloud/Browser-Based Tools

  • Significantly cheaper than desktop-based incumbents (10-50x cheaper per seat)
  • Lower barrier to entry for small firms and freelancers
  • Growing adoption but still niche compared to desktop tools
  • SkyCiv and ClearCalcs are the clear market leaders in browser-based structural engineering
  • Multi-standard support is a differentiator (ClearCalcs covers 5 standards)
  • API access becoming common (SkyCiv, ClearCalcs Ultimate)
  • No installation or IT overhead -- reduces total cost of ownership

6. Structural Engineering Firm Size & Revenue Statistics

United States -- Engineering Services (NAICS 541330)

  • Total firms (US): ~38,516 active companies
  • Total employment: ~1,098,479 people
  • Average employees per firm: ~28.5

Firm Size Distribution

  • Most structural engineering firms: Small, privately owned, 1-30 employees
  • 83-94% of A/E firms: Fewer than 20 employees
  • Firms above 200 employees: ~6% of firms, but ~33% of industry employment
  • Many structural engineers hold ownership positions as partners

Revenue Benchmarks

  • Small firm monthly revenue: $50,000 - $200,000 (i.e., $600K - $2.4M/year)
  • Median A&E firm revenue (sold firms, 2025): Growing 16% since 2021
  • Median discretionary earnings (2025): $451,450
  • Profit margins (top quartile): 22%+; healthy projects: 15-20%
  • Utilization rate (average A&E firm): 81% of staff time billed
  • Revenue multiplier (valuation): 1.5x - 2.8x revenue

Largest Firms (for context)

  • WSP USA: $8.8B revenue
  • Industry total (US engineering services): ~$360.6B (2026 estimate)

ACEC Member Firms

  • ACEC represents ~5,500 firms with 640,000+ professionals
  • Average ~116 employees per ACEC member firm (skewed by large firms)

Summary Pricing Comparison Table

Annual Cost Per Seat (Approximate, USD)

Software Annual Cost (1st seat) Model
ETABS $5,000-$15,600 perpetual + $875-$2,730/yr Perpetual + maintenance or lease
SAP2000 $2,000-$15,600 perpetual + $350-$2,730/yr Perpetual + maintenance or lease
Autodesk AEC Collection (incl. Robot) ~$3,675/yr Subscription only
RISA-3D ~$2,070/yr Subscription
STAAD.Pro $3,210/yr (Practitioner) Subscription
STAAD.Pro Advanced $4,411/yr Subscription
RFEM 6 (base only) EUR 4,750 perpetual or ~EUR 8,370/yr rental Perpetual or rental
Tekla Structures $3,500-$10,000/yr Subscription only
Prokon Complete EUR 5,500/yr Subscription
IDEA StatiCa $1,990-$5,250/yr Subscription or perpetual
Descon $720-$960/yr (Flex) or $600-$1,800/yr (AMP renewal) Subscription
GEO5 Foundation Pkg EUR 2,200/yr Subscription
Tekla Tedds ~GBP 2,000-5,000/yr Subscription
SkyCiv Professional $1,250/yr Cloud subscription
ClearCalcs Pro $1,190/yr Cloud subscription
MathCad Prime $818/yr (locked) Subscription
ASDIP modules $395-$425 each Per module

Research conducted March 2026. Prices are approximate and may vary by region, volume, and negotiation. Many vendors provide custom quotes rather than publishing fixed prices.