A Revit alternative in the browser — what Indo-Revit has, and what it does not
Anyone looking for a Revit alternative is owed the whole list, so here is Indo-Revit's: it has the authoring core — levels, walls, hosted doors and windows that cut their openings, stairs, schedules, sheets, a seven-tab ribbon with Revit's own shortcuts, and IFC4 in and out — and it does not have the .rvt format, the family editor, worksharing, MEP systems or clash detection. It runs in the browser on a Free plan with nothing to install, inside a platform that also does quantities, cost and site.
Autodesk and Revit are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. CivilOS is not affiliated with Autodesk, and Indo-Revit is not Revit. The comparison is here so you can tell in a minute whether your work fits.
What you can do
| Feature | What it does | Export / status |
|---|---|---|
| Ribbon and shortcuts | Architecture, Structure, Annotate, Modify, Analyse, View, Manage; WA, DR, WN, CL, ST, MV, CO, RO, MM, AR, OF, AL, TR and the rest | Has |
| Authoring | Levels, walls, hosted doors and windows, curtain walls with mullions, stairs, railings, ramps, ceilings, shafts, areas, footings, plinth walls, braces, trusses | Has |
| Modify | Move, Copy, Rotate, Mirror, Array, Offset, Align, Trim — picked on the canvas | Has |
| Annotation | Tags, room tags, keynotes, spot levels and coordinates, detail lines, filled regions, revision clouds | Has |
| Views and sheets | Plans, elevations, sections, schedules, 3D orbit; a sheet set with paper-mm lineweights and a title block | Has |
| Analyse | Model warnings, RERA-style carpet / built-up / super built-up statement, stair, door-swing and parking checks, materials takeoff, sun path | Has |
| IFC4 | Export and import; the honest route to and from Revit | Has |
| .rvt | Revit's own format is not read or written | Does not have |
| Families and the family editor | Fixed element types with editable parameters; no loadable families | Does not have |
| Worksharing, MEP systems, clash detection, rendering | Not provided | Does not have |
Where the two are the same
The way a building is authored. Draw a wall on a level, place a door in it and the door cuts its opening and moves with the wall. Stairs, railings, ramps, ceilings and shafts are elements with parameters, not lines. Rooms carry tags, schedules read the model, sections cut it, and sheets print it to scale with the heavy line at the cut. The ribbon is arranged as a Revit user expects and the two-letter shortcuts are the same, so the hands work.
Where they are not
The system around the model. Revit's families are a language for building any component; Indo-Revit has fixed types with parameters. Revit's central model lets a team work on one file; Indo-Revit's projects are saved and shared, not worked on simultaneously. Revit has MEP systems, analysis links, rendering and a market of add-ins; Indo-Revit has none of those, and no .rvt. A firm whose deliverable is a coordinated multi-discipline Revit model with consultants stays in Revit.
What Indo-Revit has that Revit does not
The platform it lives in. The model's quantities go straight to an IS-code BOQ priced on CPWD DSR 2023; the same building opens in BIM Studio for a sun and shadow study and in Interior Studio at eye level; the Analyse tab produces the RERA-style area statement an Indian project needs; and the whole thing runs in a browser on a Free plan, in 24 languages, with nothing to install.
How to start
- Open Indo-Revit from the sidebar; the ribbon is at the top, the shortcuts are Revit's.
- Set the levels, draw walls, place hosted doors and windows, add stairs and structure.
- Annotate and schedule; check the model on the Analyse tab.
- Print the sheet set to scale, or export IFC4 for Revit or any IFC tool.
- Carry it on — BOQ, 3D study, interior, site — on the same project.
What CivilOS does not do
- No .rvt read or write. IFC4 is the exchange.
- No family editor or loadable families.
- No worksharing on a central model.
- No MEP systems, structural analysis, clash detection or rendering.
- Not affiliated with Autodesk. Revit is Autodesk's trademark; Indo-Revit is CivilOS's own BIM module.
Where a browser tool fits
Revit is the right tool for the coordinated multi-discipline model: families built to the office standard, a central model the team works on together, MEP systems, consultants exchanging .rvt, add-ins for analysis and rendering. That is what its licence buys and a browser tool does not replace it.
The small practice modelling its own building, the engineer who needs schedules and sheets from a model rather than from lines, the student learning BIM, the office that needs IFC for a client and does not have a Revit seat — for them an honest browser BIM with the same hands and a Free plan is the better tool.
Open Indo-Revit free → draw a wall, host a door, print the sheet, export IFC4Frequently asked questions
Is Indo-Revit a free Revit alternative?
Yes, to start. Create a free account (no card) and the Free plan opens every module, including Indo-Revit and BIM Studio, with a monthly allowance; prints carry the CivilOS letterhead. Pro, Max and Enterprise Seats plans add more hours and generations and put your own letterhead on every print. The Training Corner, Knowledge Library and Feedback are free without limit.
What Revit features does it have?
The authoring core: levels, walls, hosted doors and windows that cut their openings, curtain walls, stairs, railings, ramps, ceilings, footings and structural members; the modify tools picked on the canvas; annotation with tags, keynotes, spot levels and revision clouds; schedules, elevations, 3D and sheets; a seven-tab ribbon with Revit's own two-letter shortcuts; and IFC4 in and out.
What does it NOT have?
The .rvt format (read or write), the family editor and loadable families, worksharing on a central model, MEP systems and analysis, structural analysis, rendering, phasing beyond BIM Studio's simple phases, and clash detection. Exchange with Revit is through IFC4. Autodesk and Revit are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.; CivilOS is not affiliated with Autodesk.
Can I open my Revit model?
Export it from Revit as IFC and open the IFC here; walls, openings, levels and the rest arrive as BIM elements. A model built here exports to IFC4 for Revit or any other IFC tool. Native .rvt is Revit's own format and is not read or written.
Does it produce sheets?
Yes. The drawing-set engine prints plans, sections and elevations to scale with lineweights in paper millimetres, section cuts drawn heavier than what lies beyond, and a title block — the same engine the other CivilOS modules print with.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
No installation: CivilOS opens in an ordinary browser on a laptop, tablet or phone and can be installed as an app from the sidebar. A free account is needed to open the engineering modules; it takes a minute and asks for no card.
Draft for checking. Every safety-critical output of CivilOS is a preparation document. Drawings, quantities, rates, programmes and inspections must be verified, and the result signed off, by a licensed professional before they are issued, tendered, built or paid against.