AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) vs OpenPlant Modeler

AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design)9.4Visit OpenPlant Modeler8.6Visit

Higher score AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) #1 in Plant Design Management Systems Software 9.4/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit AVEVA

vs

OpenPlant Modeler #4 in Plant Design Management Systems Software 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Bentley

• AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) fits best

  Enterprise multidisciplinary plant engineering

• OpenPlant Modeler fits best

  Bentley users needing parametric plant modeling

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Side by side

Feature	AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) 9.4/10 Visit ↗	OpenPlant Modeler 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Plant Design Management Systems Software	#4 in Plant Design Management Systems Software
Best for	Enterprise multidisciplinary plant engineering	Bentley users needing parametric plant modeling
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	$5,839/yr
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop	Desktop, Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows	Windows
Support	Email, Live chat, Docs	Live chat, Community, Docs
Integrations	10 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) 5/5 · OpenPlant Modeler 0/5
3D model coordination	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
P&ID authoring	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Isometric drawings	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Clash detection	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Document control	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment	Hybrid	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Centralizes 1D, 2D and 3D project data across disciplines Combines E3D design, P&ID authoring and clash identification Controls deliverable approvals, mark-ups, versions and changes	Models equipment, piping, HVAC, cable tray, and structural steel. Supports clash detection, point-cloud integration, and material reporting. Connects with PlantSight, iTwin, ProjectWise, and other Bentley tools.
Cons	Requires a sales conversation to determine pricing E3D Design is no longer sold as a standalone product Its broad project scope may exceed narrower design needs	The displayed annual price is $5,839 per license. Runs on Windows rather than across multiple desktop platforms. Its workflow is centered on plant engineering, not general-purpose CAD.
Our verdict	For process-heavy capital projects, AVEVA Unified Engineering brings multidisciplinary design and project information into a shared environment. It centralizes 1D, 2D and 3D data, with AVEVA E3D Design for 3D plant design and intelligent… Read the review →	OpenPlant Modeler is Bentley Systems’ Windows software for creating 3D plant designs. It is aimed at engineering firms, owner-operators, and project teams working on process, mining, water, wastewater, and power facilities. Parametric… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design) — where it wins

  • Centralizes 1D, 2D and 3D project data across disciplines
  • Combines E3D design, P&ID authoring and clash identification
  • Controls deliverable approvals, mark-ups, versions and changes

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a sales conversation to determine pricing
  • E3D Design is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • Its broad project scope may exceed narrower design needs

• OpenPlant Modeler — where it wins

  • Models equipment, piping, HVAC, cable tray, and structural steel.
  • Supports clash detection, point-cloud integration, and material reporting.
  • Connects with PlantSight, iTwin, ProjectWise, and other Bentley tools.

  Where it doesn't

  • The displayed annual price is $5,839 per license.
  • Runs on Windows rather than across multiple desktop platforms.
  • Its workflow is centered on plant engineering, not general-purpose CAD.

• AVEVA Unified Engineering (including E3D Design)9.4/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad plant engineering environment for coordinating design data, deliverables and teams.

  Visit AVEVAFull verdict →
• OpenPlant Modeler8.6/10 · Paid

  A Windows plant modeler with broad discipline coverage and a high annual license price.

  Visit BentleyFull verdict →