SimScale
Pricing is tailored to your team. Reach out to the vendor for a quote. See full pricing · Updated October 3, 2026
SimScale is browser-based simulation software for CFD, FEA, and thermal studies, with a free Community plan capped at 10 quantitative simulations and paid plans that add private projects.
Desktop CFD still means a workstation, a mesh, and a queue. SimScale runs those studies in the browser, so a mechanical or building team can test flow, structure, and heat without installing a solver.
The free Community plan is for testing and learning. It includes most standard CFD and FEA types, 10 simulations with quantitative results, up to 2,000 core hours, one user, and a largest machine of 16 cores. Past the 10-simulation cap, jobs still run, but the output stays qualitative. A core hour is one hour on one core, for the solve or the mesh.
Mechanical is the quote-only structural and thermal plan: private projects, unlimited simulations within your core hours, and live support. Professional adds standard fluid analysis on the same private-project basis, still quoted, with a 192-core machine listed for both of those paid columns. Electromagnetics, multi-purpose analysis, GPU lattice Boltzmann, and GPU pedestrian wind comfort are specialized types that need an extra subscription even on Professional.
Enterprise is the quote for a wider rollout, adding Engineering AI, Physics AI, dedicated API support, and custom user and core-hour limits. Physics AI can also be added to Mechanical or Professional, and people who only review a result can stay on a free visitor seat. CAD links on the pricing page include SolidWorks, Fusion, Inventor, Creo, Solid Edge, FreeCAD, Rhino, and Onshape.
Specifications
Pricing
Platforms
Used for
Used by
Tasks
Pros and cons
Pros
- Community is free, with 10 quantitative simulations and up to 2,000 core hours.
- Review-only collaborators do not need a paid seat.
- The same browser workspace covers structure, thermal, and fluids, with private projects on paid plans.
Cons
- Mechanical, Professional, and Enterprise prices are quotes. There is no public dollar amount.
- Pedestrian wind comfort and GPU lattice Boltzmann are specialized add-ons, not part of the base Professional list.
- Community quantitative results stop after 10 simulations, and the largest Community machine is 16 cores.
Key features
Community: Free. Most standard CFD and FEA types, 10 quantitative simulations, up to 2,000 core hours, 1 user, 16-core maximum instance.
After the cap: Further Community runs still execute, but results are qualitative rather than quantitative.
Core hour: One hour of one computing core, counted for simulation and meshing. Paid plans can buy more or bill overage monthly, and overage can be switched off.
Mechanical (quote): Private projects, all standard structural and thermal types, live support. Nonlinear Mechanical (Marc) and Physics AI are optional add-ons.
Professional (quote): Private projects plus standard fluid, structural, and thermal types. Specialized GPU and electromagnetics types are an extra subscription.
Enterprise (quote): Professional scope plus Engineering AI, Physics AI, dedicated API support, a technical account manager, and custom capacity.
Reviewers: People who only view simulations stay free on every plan. Each person who runs a simulation needs their own login.
CAD plugins: Pricing page lists SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion, Inventor, PTC Creo, Solid Edge, FreeCAD, Rhino, and cloud Onshape.
Pricing
Community
per year
Free
Free on simscale.com/pricing as of 2026-09-30. 10 unrestricted simulations, up to 2,000 core hours, 1 user, 16-core max. For testing and learning. After 10 simulations, results are qualitative only. Confirm limits before a study.
Mechanical (quote)
Contact sales
No public price. Private projects, standard structural and thermal analysis, live support, custom user count, 192-core instance listed. Pay by PO or invoice. Request a quote.
Professional (quote)
Contact sales
No public price. Adds standard fluid analysis and a custom computing quota. LBM (GPU), pedestrian wind comfort (GPU), electromagnetics, and multi-purpose analysis need an extra subscription.
Enterprise (quote)
Contact sales
No public price. Includes Engineering AI, Physics AI, dedicated API support, and custom users, core hours, and machine size.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SimScale cost?
Community is free. The pricing page lists 10 unrestricted simulations, up to 2,000 core hours, one user, and a 16-core maximum machine. Mechanical, Professional, and Enterprise are custom quotes, paid by purchase order or invoice. SimScale does not publish dollar amounts for those three. You can cancel in the account page so the subscription does not renew after the current contract period.
Is SimScale free for commercial projects?
The Community plan is labeled free for testing and learning, not as a commercial subscription. It allows 10 simulations with quantitative results. After that, simulations still run but you only get qualitative output. Private projects start on the quoted Mechanical and Professional plans. A June 2026 SimScale press note also describes Community projects as public and non-commercial when discussing the Simerics-MP solver.
Does SimScale run on Mac or only in the browser?
SimScale is a browser application, so the workspace itself is not a Windows-only install. The pricing FAQ says you can use it across multiple devices. CAD plugins exist for desktop tools such as SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, Solid Edge, FreeCAD, and Rhino, plus Onshape in the cloud. Those desktop CAD packages still follow their own operating-system requirements.
Can SimScale import Revit or IFC files?
The pricing FAQ names CAD connections for SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion, Inventor, PTC Creo, Solid Edge, FreeCAD, Rhino, and Onshape. It does not list IFC or a Revit plugin on that page. Geometry stays linked: change the model in the CAD tool and the simulation setup follows. If you need IFC or RVT, confirm the current import list with SimScale before you plan the handoff.
Which SimScale plan includes pedestrian wind comfort?
Pedestrian wind comfort on GPU, and lattice Boltzmann on GPU, are specialized analysis types. The Professional FAQ says they need an additional subscription, along with electromagnetics and multi-purpose analysis. Standard fluid, structural, and thermal types are what Professional includes in the base quote. Community covers most standard CFD and FEA only, with the 10-simulation quantitative cap.
Who is SimScale for?
Community is for someone testing or learning simulation. Mechanical is for teams whose work is structural and thermal and who need private projects and live support. Professional is the quote when the same team also needs standard CFD. Enterprise is the rollout plan, with Engineering AI, Physics AI, and a dedicated API contact. The pricing page says the product is trusted by more than 900,000 engineers. Reviewers who never run a solve can stay on a free seat.
Tutorials and learning
Sources
Other Simulation tools
- SpacioFreemium
Spacio is a browser-based early-phase design platform for residential feasibility work that combines parametric massing, live code-oriented
- Treble Web ApplicationPaid (trial)
Treble Web Application is browser-based acoustic simulation software that couples wave-based and geometrical solvers so architects and
- DesignBuilderPaid (trial)
DesignBuilder is a Windows-based building performance simulation suite that wraps EnergyPlus, Radiance, and CFD engines in a modular GUI for
- IES Virtual EnvironmentPaid (trial)
IES Virtual Environment is an integrated desktop suite for whole-building performance simulation that ties energy, loads, daylighting, and
- NVIDIA OmniversePaid
NVIDIA Omniverse is a development platform built on OpenUSD for real-time 3D collaboration, simulation, and digital twins, with Omniverse
- OpenStudioOpen source
OpenStudio is a free, open-source energy modeling toolkit for Windows, Mac, and Linux that drives EnergyPlus and Radiance through a