Tech · The 2026 Survey

An architect’s stack.

What architecture firms work with right now. 174 tools across 10 stages of practice— capture to invoicing — including the 57 that just learned to draw.

174Tools
57AI-native
19Automation
98Traditional
10Stages

Section · The Stack

Ten stages of practice. Capture to invoicing.

Where the new tools land first, and where the old stack still holds.

  1. Stage 012 AI25 tools

    Capture, Surveying & Field

    Models can start with reality now — point clouds, drone scans, on-site capture.

    • LARKI - 3D surveys online
    • Luma AI
    • Metaroom by Amrax®
    • Sun Seeker Pro
    • +21 more
  2. Stage 0213 AI22 tools

    Planning, Feasibility & Analysis

    Feasibility in minutes, not weeks. Climate, code, capacity, all answerable up front.

    • Aino
    • ARCHITEChTURES
    • ARK
    • Autodesk AutoCAD
    • +18 more
  3. Stage 036 AI24 tools

    3D Modeling & Spatial Design

    Rhino still rules. The new entrants speak parametric and prompt in the same breath.

    • ARCHITEChTURES
    • Coohom
    • Interior AI
    • Kaedim
    • +20 more
  4. Stage 043 AI19 tools

    CAD, Drafting & Documentation

    The most automatable part of practice. A lot of the new tools are betting on it.

    • Autodesk AutoCAD
    • Blueprints AI
    • CodeZoning
    • BEAM
    • +15 more
  5. Stage 0527 tools

    BIM & Model Coordination

    Revit's monoculture is cracking — coordination is where the lighter tools land first.

    • BENTO | EvolveLAB
    • Foundry for Revit
    • Glyph | EvolveLAB
    • LEMOS - Cost Guidance System
    • +23 more
  6. Stage 0614 AI39 tools

    Rendering & Visualization

    Diffusion collapsed the render queue. The question is now what to render at all.

    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • ArchRender
    • ArkoAI
    • +35 more
  7. Stage 072 AI4 tools

    Specification & Products

    An LLM problem in product clothing. This category should move quickly.

    • MeltPlan
    • Royal Resource
    • Acelab
    • UpCodes
  8. Stage 082 AI24 tools

    Practice & Project Operations

    The unsexy half of practice. Quietly the most useful software a firm can pay for.

    • Merlin Project
    • zipBoard
    • BQE Core
    • Deltek Ajera
    • +20 more
  9. Stage 094 tools

    Hardware & Workstations

    Local compute is back. Diffusion, scans, and on-device LLMs all want GPU.

    • ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Gaming Laptop
    • Dell Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop
    • HP ZBook Firefly G9 Mobile Workstation
    • Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14’’ Laptop
  10. Stage 1041 AI41 tools

    AI & Generative Design

    57 tools, growing. Less a stage than a layer running through the other nine.

    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Aino
    • AIRI lab, Complete AIGC platform for Designers
    • ARCHITEChTURES
    • +37 more

Class of 2026 · AI-native

57 tools that didn’t exist five years ago.

Models in the loop from prompt to output. Some replace existing software, some sit on top, all are betting that the next generation of architects will work with intent, not commands.

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Section · The Index

Every tool, every stage.

The full 174-tool reference. Filter by stage or AI posture, search by name or workflow.

Filter by AI posture
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