Autodesk, Bentley, Hexagon. Three models, one decision.

Autodesk sells named user subscriptions and Flex tokens, Bentley sells consumption based enterprise programs, and Hexagon mixes perpetual, subscription, and token models, so the same engineering team can cost three very different numbers.

How do Autodesk, Bentley, and Hexagon licensing models differ?

Autodesk licenses named users with Flex tokens for occasional use, Bentley bills consumption against an enterprise commitment, and Hexagon sells a mix of perpetual, subscription, and token schemes by product line. The same 500 person engineering organization prices differently under each model.

Which model fits which usage curve?

Named user wins for daily heavy users, consumption wins for large populations of occasional users, and perpetual plus maintenance only wins where versions can be frozen for years. Map your usage histogram before debating price.

What does each vendor really cost per active user?

Cost per active user, not list price, is the comparable number, and idle seats and unmanaged consumption distort it in opposite directions. A 60 percent utilized Autodesk estate costs two thirds more per active user than the rate card suggests.

• Autodesk: divide subscription spend by users active in the last 90 days; reclaim the rest or convert them to Flex.
• Bentley: divide program spend by distinct active users and check the peak hours driving overage.
• Hexagon: add maintenance on shelfware perpetual licenses to the real total before comparing.

Why do multi vendor estates overspend?

Because the three portfolios overlap. Plant design, reality capture, and structural analysis exist in more than one stack, and acquisitions leave teams on parallel tools. The 20 to 30 percent overlap we benchmark is budget that consolidation recovers.

How aggressive are these vendors on compliance and true ups?

Autodesk runs the most active compliance program of the three, with a dedicated license compliance team and a history of converting legacy network license estates onto subscriptions. Bentley and Hexagon enforce through usage reconciliation rather than classic audits, which surfaces as a true up invoice.

• Autodesk: watch installer telemetry and legacy serial use; old network licenses are the usual claim base.
• Bentley: quarterly usage reports are the audit; dispute peak counting rules and shared machine effects in writing.
• Hexagon: entitlement sprawl across acquired product lines makes baseline reconstruction the defense.

What does a usage true up dispute look like?

It is an evidence fight over counting rules. Concurrent peaks, shared workstations, and idle session timeouts move the count materially, and the contract language on each is negotiable before signature, not after the invoice.

What negotiation levers work across all three vendors?

The model decision is the biggest lever, followed by utilization evidence, term structure, and competitive overlap. All three vendors price against the alternative stack when the buyer makes the overlap explicit.

1. Build a 12 month usage histogram per product before any renewal conversation.
2. Reclaim or convert idle named user seats and rightsize token pools to the histogram.
3. Cap consumption true ups with a banded commitment and rollover of unused volume.
4. Price the overlapping capability across vendors and put the consolidation case in the room.
5. Lock multi year unit rates with a reduction right, not just a price hold.

When is switching stacks actually credible?

At project boundaries. Mid project CAD migrations rarely pencil, but new programs, new offices, and post acquisition integrations are real switching windows, and vendors price them as such when you surface them.

Where the common advice on engineering software licensing is wrong

The standard advice is to standardize the whole engineering estate on one vendor to maximize discount leverage. We disagree. In roughly 15 to 25 engineering software engagements Fredrik Filipsson benchmarked in 2024 to 2025, single vendor estates paid higher unit rates at renewal than estates that kept a credible second stack in a defined niche, because the consolidated vendor priced lock in, not loyalty. The buyer side move is to consolidate the overlap you genuinely do not need, keep one alternative alive where switching is real, and make the vendor price against it every renewal.

What the engagement data shows

Three cuts of our advisory engagement file frame the size of the opportunity.

What to do next

Five moves turn this analysis into a lower invoice on the next renewal.

A sequence you can run this quarter

1. Pull 12 months of usage data per product across all three vendor stacks.
2. Classify users into daily, weekly, and occasional bands per application.
3. Reclaim idle named user seats and convert occasional users to tokens or consumption.
4. Map overlapping capability across Autodesk, Bentley, and Hexagon portfolios.
5. Renegotiate the licensing model against your histogram at the next renewal.
6. Put usage counting rules and true up caps into the contract before signature.

White Paper · Autodesk

Autodesk Audit Defense Guide

An Autodesk audit targets named user overdeployment, home use, and prior version reuse. Read it free.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the main licensing difference between Autodesk, Bentley, and Hexagon?

Autodesk licenses named users with Flex tokens for occasional use, Bentley bills actual consumption against an enterprise commitment, and Hexagon sells a mix of perpetual, subscription, and token models by product line. The same team can cost very different amounts under each.

Which is cheapest for a large engineering organization?

It depends on the usage curve. Named user wins for daily heavy users, consumption wins for big occasional populations, and frozen perpetual plus maintenance can win on stable legacy workflows. Cost per active user, not list price, is the comparable number.

Does Autodesk still audit customers?

Yes. Autodesk runs an active license compliance program and pursues legacy serial and network license use. Most claims trace to old entitlements still installed somewhere, so retire or document legacy installs before they surface in telemetry.

How do Bentley usage true ups work?

Bentley reconciles actual usage against your commitment, typically quarterly, and bills overage at program rates. Peak counting rules, shared machines, and idle sessions move the number, so govern usage and negotiate banded caps up front.

Should we consolidate everything on one engineering software vendor?

Usually not entirely. Consolidate genuine overlap, but estates that keep one credible alternative alive in a defined niche pay lower unit rates at renewal than fully locked estates in our benchmarks.