ARES Commander vs. MicroStation Comparison Chart

Pricing details:
MicroStation on SELECT
Starting Price: $1,208 per year
Best For: Organizations requiring flexible licensing and continuous support.
Key Features: This subscription includes license pooling, which allows users to share licenses across multiple computers. It provides access to software upgrades, technical support, and the ability to use "Term Licenses" to pay for additional software as needed without upfront perpetual costs.

MicroStation Virtuoso (Practitioner License)
Starting Price: $2,656 per year
Best For: Individual practitioners or teams that need both software and expert training.
Key Features: This 12-month named-user license is sold through Bentley’s Virtuosity eStore. It includes two "Virtuosity Keys" per license. These keys are credits that can be redeemed for expert services, such as 1-on-1 mentoring, customized training courses, and tailored on-demand learning to help users "hit the ground running."

MicroStation Enterprise 365
Starting Price: Custom Quote
Best For: Large organizations requiring comprehensive access to the Bentley portfolio.
Key Features: This program provides unlimited access to Bentley’s infrastructure applications. Licenses are typically managed on a "per-day" basis for named users or unique machines. It is designed to scale with the organization, offering global pricing and simplified administration for multidisciplinary teams.

MicroStation for Education
Starting Price: $0 for Students / $1,500 for Institutional Units
Best For: Students, educators, and academic institutions.
Key Features: Individual students and faculty members can generally access MicroStation for free through the Bentley Education portal. For university departments, an annual flat fee provides unlimited installations for use in labs and administrative units.