BIM 360 alternative: a collaborative BIM platform built for French construction projects
BIM 360, now Autodesk Construction Cloud, is one of the best-known BIM platforms on the market. But for a large share of French construction teams, it is also seen as too complex, too expensive and too dependent on the Autodesk ecosystem. When your project does not require the features of a large international company, you should not have to put up with configuring an oversized tool. There are alternatives better calibrated to the realities of the French market.
Why many teams are looking for a BIM 360 alternative
Autodesk Construction Cloud is a powerful platform, designed for large international projects and for organizations already heavily structured around Autodesk tools. But a large share of construction projects in France do not fit that profile:
- An oversized tool: mid-size projects (renovating a school, building a sports facility, refurbishing an office building) do not need every module of an enterprise platform.
- Essential needs: centralizing models, sharing documents, managing approvals and collaborating efficiently, without a complex software architecture.
- Data sovereignty: BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud are American solutions whose data is hosted on servers subject to US law, notably the Cloud Act. For public projects and sensitive infrastructure, this is incompatible with the digital sovereignty requirements of French public buyers.
- Dependence on the Autodesk ecosystem: a platform that integrates better with Revit than with other software creates daily friction for teams working with ArchiCAD, Allplan or other tools.
The criteria for choosing a suitable alternative
Before choosing, clarify what you really need. For most projects, that means centralizing models and documents, managing access rights for each participant, tracking versions, organizing document approval and tracing exchanges. The criteria that often make the difference:
- Where the data is hosted: for public or sensitive projects, hosting in France under French law is often non-negotiable.
- openBIM compatibility: a platform that natively handles the IFC format guarantees interoperability between all participants' software, without favoring any vendor.
- Ease of deployment: a platform adopted quickly by all participants is more effective than a powerful but complex-to-configure solution.
- Features-to-cost ratio: for mid-size projects, paying for unused enterprise features makes no sense.
- Sector legitimacy: a platform backed by a recognized player in French construction gives assurance that the tool fits local practices.
openBIM as the foundation for collaboration without software boundaries
One of the criticisms often leveled at BIM 360 is that it integrates more smoothly with Revit than with other tools on the market. That is an advantage when all participants work on Autodesk, but a source of friction when disciplines use different software, which is the reality on most French job sites.
An alternative based on openBIM standards solves this problem at the root. The IFC format, maintained by buildingSMART International, is compatible with nearly all BIM software: a platform built on IFC accepts models from any software without loss of information and without giving one vendor an edge. In public procurement, where specifications explicitly require IFC as the delivery format, it meets this requirement natively, with no extra conversion.
Data sovereignty, a decisive advantage for French projects
Data location plays a growing role in software purchasing decisions at French organizations, public and private alike.
- No exposure to the Cloud ActPassed in 2018, the US Cloud Act allows US authorities to access data stored on servers operated by American companies, regardless of where the data is physically hosted. A platform hosted in France and operated under French law removes this risk for models of public buildings or sensitive infrastructure.
- Data under French and European lawThe data stays on national territory, subject to French law and the GDPR, with no exposure to extraterritorial legislation. It is a guarantee that public procurement players and strategic infrastructure projects cannot find with Autodesk.
- An asset in tendersPublic buyers increasingly include digital sovereignty criteria. A platform hosted in France makes it easier to meet these requirements and strengthens the bidding consortium's position.
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What a good collaborative BIM platform should concretely offer
Beyond sovereignty and interoperability, an effective BIM 360 alternative must cover everyday operational features:
- Centralized document management: structured storage of plans, models and technical documents, automatic versioning, and access rights by role and by project.
- Integrated BIM viewer: all participants, including those without a BIM software license, view IFC models from a browser, annotate the elements to be changed and collaborate on the model.
- Drawing approvals and validation workflows: a structured validation process, with full traceability of decisions, limits contractual risks and replaces the Excel sheets and email threads still common on many job sites.
Kroqi, the BIM 360 alternative designed for the French market
Kroqi is the collaborative BIM platform developed by the Scientific and Technical Centre for Building (CSTB). It is a direct alternative to BIM 360 for French teams looking for a simple, open and sovereign tool, built on openBIM standards and the IFC format.
Kroqi centralizes models, documents and exchanges in a single project space, with an integrated BIM viewer that all participants can use without installing any software. Drawing approval management, the Plan Room and the collaboration tools around the model cover the needs of the vast majority of projects. Hosting data in France is native, not a paid option.
Whether you are replacing BIM 360 on an ongoing project or choosing your tool as early as the tender response, Kroqi offers quick onboarding, compatibility with all BIM software on the market and complete independence from the Autodesk ecosystem.