Solibri vs BIMcollab
Two model checking and clash detection platforms built around open BIM, one sold as desktop licenses and one as a per-user cloud hub. Solibri (a Nemetschek company) sells tiered desktop rule-based checking from €99 to €2,772 per license per year, with an AI-powered Assistant in Beta on Premium; BIMcollab pairs the Zoom model checker with a cloud issue and document hub priced per user per month. Vendor pages read Oct 18, 2026; desk research, not tested, no winner.
In short: Solibri (BIM model checking & clash detection; vendor publishes prices) vs BIMcollab (BIM coordination, issue management & model checking; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 18, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.
Side by side
| Sheet row | Solibri | BIMcollab |
|---|---|---|
| Category | BIM model checking & clash detection | BIM coordination, issue management & model checking |
| AI role (our label) | AI features added to established product | Not AI-first |
| What it does | Rule-based BIM model checking, clash detection and coordination issue management from Solibri, a Nemetschek company. Read Oct 18, 2026: Solibri says it applies structured rule-based validation so geometry, data and classification are verified before execution, and that its clash detection is rule-based rather than only geometry intersection: teams choose which disciplines and elements to compare, set clearance zones and tolerances, exclude acceptable intersections, group clashes by system, location or responsibility, and rerun checks automatically on new model versions. Tiers: Starter (IFC federation and visual inspection), Essential (IFC and native Revit federation, predefined rules, clash detection workflows, BCF issue management and CDE integrations), Advanced (custom rules, clash matrix control, IDS data validation, QTO/ITO, Autorun automation, WebChecker), Premium (point cloud checking, company extensions, Superrun automation and an AI-powered Assistant) and Security+ (fully offline, air-gapped deployment with no telemetry). The AI-powered Assistant is listed as Beta and Premium-only, in desktop release 26.6.0: it answers natural-language questions about rule setup, queries the open model and current results, and helps work through issues; Solibri says it only gets access to the open model and session with explicit permission and does not access external data or browse the internet. | Open-standards BIM coordination platform with cloud issue management, a streaming IFC WebViewer and the BIMcollab Zoom model checker. Read Oct 18, 2026: it is built on buildingSMART's IFC, BCF and IDS standards; Zoom federates discipline models, checks object properties against project requirements including IDS, and runs clash detection; its Smart Issues link each issue to the clashes and objects it represents, check whether linked clashes are solved in a new model version without rerunning the rules, can be updated and closed in one command, and recognize clashes already reported even when other coordinators run their own clash rules, which the vendor says prevents duplicate reports on large teams. The cloud hub adds BCF issue management with plug-ins for BIM tools, ISO 19650 document statuses, customizable approval workflows, Autodesk Forge and Trimble Connect viewer integrations and SSO on higher plans; the vendor says data is hosted in the Netherlands. The pages we read describe automation and 'intelligent' issue tracking but do not describe AI features. |
| Who it's for | BIM managers, VDC leads and checking teams at architects, engineers, contractors, infrastructure owners and public authorities (vendor wording). | BIM managers, BIM coordinators and project managers at AECO firms working in open BIM (vendor wording). |
| Pricing (as publicly stated) | Vendor-listed starting prices (Our Offering page, read Oct 18, 2026), per license per year: Starter from €99, Essential from €1,428, Advanced from €2,109 (1,750 complimentary tokens), Premium from €2,772 (17,500 complimentary tokens, bought through an expert); Security+ through sales. The page also offers USD and GBP. Prepaid token packages for outcome-based automation features, available with Advanced or Premium and valid 12 months, charged only for successful runs: 5,000 tokens $250, 10,000 $450, 25,000 $750. Confirm current terms with the vendor. | Vendor-listed pricing (BIMcollab plans page, read Oct 18, 2026), per user per month: Basic €12.50 billed annually or €19 monthly, Advanced €18.75 annually or €29 monthly, Enterprise €25 annually or €39 monthly (Enterprise through sales). Basic is limited to 10 GB storage per user. BIMcollab Zoom licenses are priced on a separate tab we did not record; a free Zoom trial is offered. Confirm current terms with the vendor. |
| Test status | Not tested. No scores. | Not tested. No scores. |
| Vendor links | ||
| Sources |
Facts last checked: Oct 18, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.
Where the vendor descriptions differ
- Approach (vendor wording): Solibri describes structured rule-based validation of geometry, data and classification, with clash detection driven by model checking rules rather than only geometry intersection. BIMcollab describes itself as an open platform built on buildingSMART's IFC, BCF and IDS standards that centralizes requirements, model coordination, issue management, information takeoffs and progress in the cloud, with BIMcollab Zoom doing the model checking.
- Clash workflow: Solibri lets you define which disciplines and elements to compare, clearance zones and tolerances, acceptable intersections to exclude and grouping by system, location or responsibility, and rerun checks on new model versions; clash matrix control starts at Advanced. BIMcollab's Smart Issues link each issue to its clashes and objects, check whether those clashes are solved in a new model version without rerunning rules, close in one command, and recognize clashes already reported even when other coordinators run different rules.
- Data checking: both list IDS. Solibri lists structured data validation and IDS workflows from Advanced, quantity and information takeoff, and point cloud checking in Premium. BIMcollab lets you define and share IDS requirements in the cloud and check models in Zoom, plus Smart Properties that restructure or add data without modifying the original models and Smart Views that color components by property.
- Deployment: Solibri is a desktop product with WebChecker and automation runs (Autorun on Advanced, Superrun on Premium) and a Security+ tier that runs fully offline and air-gapped with no telemetry. BIMcollab is a cloud hub with a streaming IFC WebViewer, BCF plug-ins for BIM tools, ISO 19650 document statuses and approval workflows; it says data is hosted in the Netherlands.
- How each describes AI: Solibri lists an AI-powered Assistant in Beta, Premium only, in desktop release 26.6.0, that answers natural-language questions about rules, queries the open model and results and helps work issues, reaching the session only with explicit permission. The BIMcollab pages we read describe automation and 'intelligent' issue tracking but no AI features, so it is tagged Not AI-first.
- Pricing: Solibri lists starting prices per license per year (Starter €99, Essential €1,428, Advanced €2,109, Premium €2,772; Security+ through sales) plus prepaid automation tokens for Advanced and Premium. BIMcollab lists Basic €12.50, Advanced €18.75 and Enterprise €25 per user per month billed annually (€19, €29, €39 monthly), with Zoom licenses priced separately. Not like-for-like: one is per license per year, the other per user per month for the hub. Not used here: customer savings figures and user counts on both sites.
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:
- Clash detection speed and false-positive rates on the same federated model
- What a BIMcollab Zoom license costs on top of a hub plan, and which Solibri tier a contractor needs for clash matrices
- How Smart Issues and Solibri issue tracking behave when an element is remodeled rather than moved
See the methodology and leaderboard status.
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