Home / Compare / C.Scale vs EC3
C.Scale vs EC3
Two embodied-carbon tools that are free to start, built for different jobs: C.Scale is a whole life carbon modelling platform for building design; EC3 is a nonprofit's EPD database and embodied-carbon calculator for comparing materials. Not like-for-like. Vendor-published facts only, desk research, not tested; no winner.
In short: C.Scale (Whole life carbon & early LCA; free option; paid prices not listed) vs EC3 (Building Transparency) (Embodied carbon & EPD database; free option; paid prices not listed). Facts last checked Oct 15, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.
Side by side
| Sheet row | C.Scale | EC3 (Building Transparency) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Whole life carbon & early LCA | Embodied carbon & EPD database |
| AI role (our label) | Not AI-first | Not AI-first |
| What it does | Whole life carbon and embodied-carbon modeling platform for building design: early assessments from six basic inputs before BIM, detailed assembly and EPD-based modeling, portfolio benchmarking, low-carbon product search, and reporting exports (including to AIA 2030 DDx). Also offers Tally 2.0 for real-time LCA inside Autodesk Revit and a Whole Life Carbon API. Vendor says it is used by 300+ design and engineering firms and cites assessments on 800M+ SF GFA (vendor claims). FAQ says a preliminary assessment takes less than 30 minutes and a more detailed one a few hours. About page vision statement mentions "AI-enabled decisions"; product pages we read do not describe AI features, so we tag it Not AI-first. | Building Transparency, a nonprofit, provides EC3 (Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator), described as a free and open-access embodied-carbon accounting tool and EPD database for finding and comparing materials, planning project embodied carbon, declaring products, and auditing digital EPDs. The EC3 program page cites 50,000+ valid EPDs hosted and users in 84 countries (vendor figures). Also lists tallyLCA, an EC3 API, Open Data for Climate, and EC3 2.0 in development. Integration notes on that page include One Click LCA, Procore, and others. No AI features described on the pages we read. |
| Who it's for | Architects, engineers, and building product manufacturers; also used in university coursework (vendor statement). | Designers, specifiers, contractors, and owners working on embodied carbon. |
| Pricing (as publicly stated) | Free for individuals and firms to model unlimited projects for embodied and operational emissions; vendor says you pay when ready for detailed assessments or compliance reporting. EDU accounts always free. No dollar prices on the pages we read. (Checked Oct 15, 2026.) | EC3 tool access is described as free and open-access. Building Transparency also lists an "API Access & Pricing" page (our Oct 15 fetch of that page was blocked by the site's Cloudflare challenge, so we do not restate any API prices). Nonprofit accepts donations. (Checked Oct 15, 2026.) |
| Test status | Not tested. No scores. | Not tested. No scores. |
| Vendor links | ||
| Sources |
Facts last checked: Oct 15, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.
Where the vendor descriptions differ
- Not like-for-like: C.Scale models whole-building carbon (early assessments from six basic inputs before BIM, then detailed assembly and EPD-based modelling). EC3 is for finding and comparing materials by EPD, planning project embodied carbon, declaring products and auditing digital EPDs.
- Organization: C.Scale is a company product. EC3 is provided by Building Transparency, a nonprofit that accepts donations.
- Design tools: C.Scale offers Tally 2.0 for real-time LCA inside Autodesk Revit and a Whole Life Carbon API. Building Transparency lists tallyLCA, an EC3 API and Open Data for Climate alongside EC3.
- Scale (vendor figures, not verified): C.Scale says it is used by 300+ design and engineering firms. The EC3 program page cites 50,000+ valid EPDs hosted and users in 84 countries.
- AI: neither describes AI features on the product pages we read (C.Scale's About page vision mentions AI-enabled decisions); both are tagged Not AI-first.
- Pricing (as recorded Oct 15, 2026): C.Scale is free to model unlimited projects, with payment for detailed assessments or compliance reporting; EDU accounts free. EC3 tool access is described as free and open-access; Building Transparency has a separate API Access & Pricing page we could not fetch. No dollar prices recorded for either.
Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.
What we can't tell you yet
Which tool is better for your work. That needs testing on the same package with a verified answer key. Planned measures for this comparison:
- Whether a project's material quantities give consistent results when assessed in C.Scale and checked against EC3 baselines
- Outside Means & Methods Lab's current benchmark scope.
See the methodology and leaderboard status.
Related
- Category hub: Sustainability, embodied carbon & LCA tools
- Compare: One Click LCA vs EC3
- Compare: C.Scale vs One Click LCA
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