Chief Architect vs Revit vs Revizto

Introduction

Myriad industries across the world have undergone drastic change as a byproduct of technological progress, and the AEC industry is no different. The introduction of CAD software has revolutionized most of the processes in this industry, making everything easier, more precise, more convenient, and so on.

In this particular context, you may often hear the term “architecture software” – it describes a variety of solutions and tools that can aid in the creation of construction projects in some way. This particular term is also often referred to as an “umbrella term”, since it encompasses an incredible variety of tools, from full-fledged CAD software to an application that calculates how the sun will shine on a building in the future.

Unfortunately, this software category also has plenty of issues – from the high level of competition between different tools to the fact that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to distinguishing BIM and CAD solutions from each other. While we cannot do anything to solve the first issue – the second one can be at least mitigated to a certain degree by explaining both terms properly.

Computer-aided design (CAD) software is used to either create or modify project models in 2D or 3D with an extremely high amount of detail. Coined in the 1960s, CAD as a term is much older than BIM. The main purpose of CAD software is project visualization, and most of its features are geared towards this one purpose – which is why a lot of CAD software is much more feature-rich and versatile when it comes to model creation than any BIM software.

Building information modeling (BIM) software, on the other hand, is used to create and modify sophisticated detail-heavy 3D models. The definition may at first seem very similar to CAD (which is why the confusion is so rampant to this day), but these two categories of software operate on completely different levels. CAD solutions work with all kinds of geometric shapes, while BIM software works with “objects” – models of specific elements that represent a specific part of the future building, be it a door, a window, a wall, etc.

Each “object” within BIM software is filled with a variety of data about that specific object – its height, width, length, weight, material, shape, and so on. This allows for much more accurate predictions and analyzes to be performed as early as the design development phase of construction, reducing the number of reworks when it comes to the actual construction process.

The main purpose of BIM is to improve the overall results of a construction project, streamlining collaboration between departments and stakeholders. It is not uncommon for BIM software to have some CAD features, but they are usually rather basic and nowhere near as extensive as those found in most CAD software.

There are plenty of other possible differences between BIM and CAD software. There can even be differences in features and capabilities between different software solutions within the same category. With the current state of the AEC software industry, it can be quite difficult to find a solution for a very specific set of use cases, since there are so many options to choose from.

To this end, we have compared several AEC software solutions, showcasing their features, pros and cons. That should make it a lot easier for potential customers to see what each solution can do in the context of other, similar software. In this particular example, our goal is to compare Chief Architect vs Revit vs Revizto.

Chief Architect

Chief Architect is a professional software suite for Building Information Modeling, drafting, design, and more. Most of its functions are geared towards light commercial and residential design. The solution was primarily designed for 2D drawing, but its 3D rendering capabilities are also decent.

Chief Architect often partners with manufacturers of different objects and appliances (doors, windows, flooring, cabinets, etc.) in order to compile precise and extensive data about every single object that can later be used by any customer at any time. The overall toolset of the solution is quite extensive, and most of the features are easy to work with – a massive advantage, considering how many architectural software solutions have a reputation for having a high entry barrier.

Chief Architect Main Features

• An extensive library of educational videos that help soften the steep learning curve of the software.
• A vast library of 3D objects to use for modeling or furnishing.
• A strong focus on residential/light commercial design with extensive CAD capabilities.

Chief Architect Technical Details

• Chief Architect works with both Windows and Mac devices.
• Chief Architect has a simple model viewer app for both Android and iOS devices.

Chief Architect Price

• Chief Architect Premier is Chief Architect’s main product; it can be purchased for $199 per month, with savings of 16% when purchasing an annual subscription.
• Customers who already have an active Chief Architect Premier subscription can save up to 35% on additional licenses, reducing the price per license to $1,295 per year (with no monthly payment option).
• Users of legacy versions of Chief Architect can also take advantage of a 50% discount for the first year of subscription, reducing the price to $995.

Chief Architect Customer Ratings

• Capterra – 4.4/5 stars based on 66 customer reviews.
• G2 – 4.6/5 stars based on 18 customer reviews.

Chief Architect Benefits

• Chief Architect’s rendering quality may not be the most advanced on the market, but it still produces exceptionally detailed renderings in a relatively short time span.
• A variety of features to choose from, ensuring that plenty of different use cases are covered by this solution.
• Chief Architect has multiple architectural styles it can work in, giving architects and other customers plenty of options with which to work.

Chief Architect Shortcomings

• Troubleshooting issues and bugs on your own is very difficult mostly because of how little information there is about the solution on the internet.
• Most of the solution’s features are relatively easy to use, but there are a few exceptions here and there – for example, creating attic spaces and lowering/raising floors can be rather problematic.

Revit

Revit is a BIM solution at its core – one of many solutions developed by the well-known technological giant Autodesk. Revit aims to improve the performance of construction projects of all types, creating better and more energy-efficient structures with less waste and fewer reworks. Revit can work with architectural design, structural engineering, MEP systems, and so on.

As a dedicated BIM solution, Revit works with information-rich project models that act as a centralized information source for all project participants. This, in turn, greatly improves the overall decision-making process, streamlines collaboration, improves building quality, and so on. BIM models made with Revit are always consistent, up-to-date, and work effectively as a single source of “truth” about the current project status – which drastically reduces the number of miscommunications and reworks, among other pros.

Revit Main Features

• Extremely high level of precision and accuracy for models and objects, creating a superb representation of what the project is going to look like in the future.
• A centralized project model that is always consistent and up-to-date, creating countless collaboration opportunities for all project participants at any given moment.
• Impressive project management feature set with plenty of modification capabilities – including schedules, plans, sheets, etc.

Revit Technical Details

• Autodesk Revit works with two of the most recent Windows versions – Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Autodesk Revit does not have a dedicated mobile version of the software.

Revit Pricing

• Autodesk Revit offers two different pricing models – subscription-based and Autodesk Flex.
• The Autodesk Revit subscription can be purchased in three different packs:
  • $350 for one month
  • $2,805 for one year
  • $8,415 for three years
• Autodesk Flex is a pay-as-you-go pricing model that uses tokens to provide access to some of Autodesk’s features, including Autodesk Revit. Autodesk Revit’s price in tokens is 10 tokens per day, and there are several different token packages that a user can purchase on the Autodesk website:
  • $300 for 300 tokens
  • $1,500 for 1500 tokens
  • A custom token amount

Revit Customer Ratings

• Capterra – 4.6/5 points rating based on 384 customer reviews.
• TrustRadius – 8.7/10 points rating based on 189 customer reviews.
• G2 – 4.5/5 points rating based on 795 customer reviews.

Revit Benefits

• A remarkable array of unique features, as well as the ability to enhance basic functionality via a range of add-ons.
• Exceptional precision in animations and renders – Revit stands out as an outstanding visualization tool, faithfully representing projects extremely close to real-world accuracy.
• Revit also works seamlessly with other Autodesk products, as they are created by the same company – this includes AutoCAD, Navisworks, and many other solutions.

Revit Shortcomings

• Revit is a very powerful solution – but it is also very complex software involving a steep learning curve. It takes a long time to learn all of its capabilities and functions.
• Geared primarily towards large companies, Revit’s pricing model may be far too expensive for the majority of SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses).
• An inherent challenge shared by many standalone BIM/CAD software solutions lies in their system requirements, and Revit is no exception – the intricate complex nature of BIM models necessitates robust hardware specifications for optimal performance.

Revizto

Revizto is also a BIM solution that places a strong emphasis on simplifying collaboration between project participants. It is an extensive data management solution that works as a centralized data source for all stakeholders, reducing the number of reworks down the line, streamlining communication, eliminating conflicts among team members, and so on. Revizto’s emphasis on Virtual Reality hardware in the design review process makes it extremely easy to perform design reviews, detect clashes, track issues, and perform a variety of other tasks.

Revizto is a solution that is laser-focused on issue tracking and clash detection as a means of streamlining collaboration. It can be integrated with many other architectural solutions, rendering it valuable for engineers, contractors, architects, etc. Revizto also supports multiple different data formats, making it easy to collaborate with other companies running different BIM/CAD software.

Revizto Main Features

• Enhancing communication with project owners at every stage by ensuring continuous access to vital project information, thus keeping owners informed about the project’s current status.
• Streamlined collaboration, easier clash/issue management and enforceable accountability all contribute to the overarching goal of improving project management efficiency.
• Comprehensive automation features, encompassing automated reporting, model delivery, version control, and real-time project status monitoring, resulting in higher efficiency across the board.

Revizto Technical Details

• Revizto works with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
• Revizto offers its users three mobile apps – an older Android tablet app, a new Android smartphone app, and a dedicated iPad app.

Revizto Price

• There is no official pricing information available on the official Revizto website, with the only possible option being a demo request.

Revizto Customer Ratings

• Capterra – 4.3/5 points rating based on 31 customer reviews.
• G2 – 4.2/5 points rating based on 21 customer reviews

Revizto Benefits

• Fast and accurate 3D rendering capable of creating impressively accurate environments in record time.
• An incredibly convenient cloud-based issue tracking feature that boosts overall project performance and streamlines collaboration between stakeholders.
• Effective assignment of clashes and issues to specific individuals not only enforces accountability but also helps with efficient workload distribution, improving overall performance.

Revizto Shortcomings

• Revizto does have plenty of integrations with third-party BIM/CAD software, but some of these integrations are fairly basic with limited capabilities.
• The solution may experience a degree of slowdown when processing complex and highly detailed project files.
• Given Revizto’s primary focus on 3D visualization and virtual reality, it’s not surprising that its 2D interface is not the most user-friendly.

Chief Architect vs. Revit vs. Revizto

Now that we have looked at the features of these three solutions, it is time to compare them to see which works best for specific use cases.

Why Chief Architect?

Chief Architect is an architecture solution primarily focused on commercial and residential design. It offers both a full-fledged professional architecture solution, and a solution that is more suitable for smaller businesses or individual designers/decorators to furnish and design home interiors/exteriors. It is relatively user-friendly, which is a big pro of this solution, but it is not the most feature-rich software in the industry.

Why Revit?

Autodesk Revit is a sophisticated Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution, boasting an extensive array of features for a diverse range of applications. Its extensive capabilities streamline collaboration, generate data-rich models, enhance teamwork, mitigate conflicts and misunderstandings, and enhance overall project efficiency. While the solution in question may look quite expensive at first, the overall feature set, coupled with its numerous integrations and add-on options, justifies its price tag for industry professionals.

Why Revizto?

Revizto serves as a highly effective BIM solution, tailored for a very specific objective – enhancing collaboration and teamwork through the streamlining and automation of issue tracking and clash detection processes. However, Revizto’s capabilities also extend beyond this core function. It also provides a unique feature in the industry – virtual walkthroughs using VR hardware. This flexibility and abundance of features make it a seamless fit for its intended role with little to no shortcomings.

Use cases for each solution

Chief Architect is architecture software, and as its name suggests, is primarily focused on remodeling and design rather than full-fledged structure modeling. It is also the only solution that has two versions – a professional version (Premier) and an individual designer version (Home Design). Both solutions have their own use cases, be it interior or exterior design, interior decoration, or even basic modeling – since Chief Architect does have a certain degree of CAD capabilities. It is also relatively user-friendly, which is a major advantage in the architecture software market, since most CAD solutions have a high entry barrier.

Revit is a solution created and distributed by one of the most popular software providers in the industry. It is extremely sophisticated presenting a wide range of features that cater to proficient users. Not only does Revit offer an extensive core functionality, but it also boasts expandability through an add-on system, with the possibility of integration with other Autodesk products like AutoCAD, Navisworks, and more. Revit is one of the most comprehensive solutions in this market, making it the optimal choice for companies seeking a fully-fledged BIM solution with a wide range of capabilities.

In comparison, Revizto has a rather narrow scope of capabilities – but that does not mean that it is not useful or versatile. On the contrary, it is a great data management solution with the addition of BIM features such as clash detection and issue tracking. Revizto can be a valuable asset for virtually any company operating within the architecture industry. This solution facilitates enhanced teamwork and collaboration among project stakeholders by presenting a centralized data model that consolidates all project information into a single repository.

Once again, it is not easy to find a solution tailored for a very specific use case, and finding the one that meets all of your needs is downright impossible. This means that the priority for potential customers should be to identify the key features they need from architecture software. Here is a good example – if a company is looking for software to manage clash detection or issue tracking, Revizto would be the optimal choice, offering extensive issue tracking capabilities while enhancing collaborative efforts and improving overall project efficiency.