Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange

We welcome Autodesk to the file-free future of AEC collaboration. Meanwhile, Speckle is already leading the charge. Today, we explore the distinction between leading and following.

As Speckle continues to innovate in the AEC industry, we’re excited to see other major players, including Autodesk, embracing the file-free future of collaboration and communication.

Autodesk has made significant strides in recent years with its Data Exchanges, AEC Data Model API, and cloud-based solutions; efforts that align with the vision Speckle first championed. However, it’s essential to recognize Speckle’s path and what’s already been achieved.

When Autodesk introduced Project Quantum several years ago, it laid the groundwork for its file-free future. Still, the project didn’t materialize into widespread tools or workflows through its Plasma years until recently.

Speckle, by contrast, was born during the rise of Google’s Flux. While both were early efforts to transform AEC collaboration, Speckle, an open-source startup with a small team, has since delivered on the promises that more prominent players left unfulfilled.

Speckle’s open and flexible platform has matured rapidly, evolving from a forward-thinking concept into a production-grade solution that is now widely adopted by AEC professionals worldwide. Our focus has always been to enable near real-time, object-based collaboration, and we’ve built an ecosystem that empowers teams to exchange data freely and flexibly across platforms, disciplines, and workflows.

Autodesk Data Exchange: Platforms and APIs Explained

Autodesk’s extensive landscape of products and APIs creates a complex environment, making it challenging to draw straightforward comparisons.

The mix of Data Exchanges, GraphQL APIs, and various cloud services often overlaps in function, leading to a fragmented approach to AEC collaboration.

Despite these complexities, here’s a breakdown of key platforms:

Autodesk Data Exchange

A cloud-based method for sharing specific parts of models with other Autodesk or non-Autodesk applications. Data Exchanges enable contextual geometry and read-only data views in applications such as Power BI.

As of mid‑2025, Autodesk Data Exchange has moved beyond beta, offering full Revit GA support with two‑way updates, preservation of tags and view filters, and grouping. However, it remains tightly coupled with Autodesk Docs and requires a Docs subscription to function correctly.

AEC Data Model API

A GraphQL-based API that enables querying of granular AEC data in the cloud, starting with Revit 2024 models. The API allows users to filter and access data from Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) projects without needing custom plug-ins for desktop tools.

Autodesk Connect

A service that connects various Autodesk products, like BIM 360, Fusion Team, and Autodesk Docs, into Workato, a separate paid service that enables the flow of data and files across the platform. This forms the backbone for collaboration within the Autodesk ecosystem.

Data Automation API

Provides automation capabilities for various Autodesk tools like Revit, AutoCAD, and Inventor, enabling users to execute tasks programmatically, such as running scripts or automating processes within cloud-hosted Autodesk files.

Model Derivative API

Part of Autodesk Platform Services (APS), formerly Forge, this API converts proprietary design files into neutral formats, such as SVF, for viewing in the Forge Viewer. It’s necessary for applications that require converting design files into viewable or transferable data.

To interact with Autodesk’s APIs, including the AEC Data Model API and Data Management API, users must work within a developed application or use Autodesk’s online explorer.

This creates a somewhat restricted environment for those wanting more immediate or flexible access to their data.

Speckle: APIs Explained

Speckle offers an explorer the ability to interact with its GraphQL-based APIs. Still, the big difference lies in the range of environments from which Speckle’s APIs can be accessed.

Speckle provides users a more open and accessible API experience, regardless of their working environment. With Speckle, API access can be tied directly to individual users and linked to a registered application.

This allows for greater flexibility in how and where Speckle data is accessed and used, whether through custom applications, simple scripts, or cloud-based workflows.

The ease of access, combined with Speckle’s flexibility, opens up more opportunities for rapid development and integration into diverse workflows without the constraints of specific applications or platform environments.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Data Management

Autodesk Data Exchange: Data Management API (Forge)

The Data Management API is part of Autodesk Platform Services (APS), formerly known as Forge.

It simplifies file management and data handling across platforms, including BIM 360, Fusion Team, and A360. This API provides tools to manage metadata, navigate projects, and handle file uploads and downloads.

It allows users to browse projects, folders, and files across Autodesk cloud services. It also features metadata management, a function used for extracting and managing metadata from different files, allowing users to understand the structure and content of their AEC files.

Data Management API supports file uploading, downloading, and versioning across Autodesk’s cloud storage services.

Speckle

Speckle enables robust data management without requiring files. Instead of managing entire files, Speckle allows users to focus on object-level data.

This opens up workflows where objects from different sources can be combined, filtered, and modified without managing large file structures.

The Speckle API enables direct interaction with data in real-time across multiple tools and disciplines, eliminating the need to manage file uploads or file-based metadata.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: File-Free Future Race

As we dive into data exchanges, we must set the record straight. Autodesk semantics ring similar to ideas that Speckle pioneered, but despite the similar terminology, the differences are significant. This is why so many are asking us if the two are not the same thing.

Autodesk Data Exchange might be to Speckle what "Ice Ice Baby" is to "Under Pressure"; built on the same bassline but stripped of the broader message, which is what makes a song a work of art.

At first glance, Autodesk may be dipping its toes into the file-free future, but Speckle has been leading this revolution from the start. So, let’s take a closer look at why Speckle's approach to data exchanges surpasses Autodesk’s efforts.

Speckle is leading the charge in AEC collaboration rather than following trends. While Autodesk wrestles with its legacy infrastructure and platform dependencies, Speckle continues to innovate with true data freedom, unlocking the full potential of the AEC industry.

[Update] Today, Speckle runs on its third-generation platform. Next‑Gen connectors (10× faster, 50% lighter), public beta of Automate, SOC 2 Type 2 certification, and workspaces with SSO and region‑based hosting all underline its evolution from a file‑free concept to a complete AEC data platform.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Speckle Leads, Autodesk Follows

Platform Agnosticism

• Autodesk: While useful, Autodesk’s Data Exchanges are locked into their proprietary tools. You can only do so much outside their tightly controlled ecosystem and collaboration with non-Autodesk tools.
• Speckle: In contrast, Speckle’s data exchanges are truly platform-agnostic. Whether using Autodesk, Rhino, Grasshopper, or any other tool, Speckle empowers you to exchange, modify, and write back data across any platform with no restrictions.

File-Free Flexibility

• Autodesk: Autodesk’s Data Exchanges are still rooted in file-based workflows. Tied to Autodesk Docs, they require you to work within their cloud, managing subscriptions and files.
• Speckle: Speckle’s file-free approach is revolutionary. Simple as that. There are no files or boundaries; instead, there is object-level data that can be exchanged, modified, and reused across multiple tools in real-time. Speckle offers the flexibility that Autodesk can only dream of.

Collaboration Across Boundaries:

• Autodesk: Sure, you can view data exchanges in Revit or Power BI, but let’s be honest, it’s read-only. You’re subscribing to context, not collaborating on it.
• Speckle: Speckle’s exchanges aren’t just for show. With Speckle, you gain read/write workflows that facilitate seamless collaboration and coordination across disciplines. You’re getting real-time interaction and modification, making data exchanges an essential part of the design and decision-making process.

Granular Control Over Data

• Autodesk: While you can filter and select data in Autodesk’s ecosystem, you’re still stuck working within their predefined parameters.
• Speckle: You control exactly what data you exchange, geometry, metadata, parameters, and how it’s used. Speckle doesn’t just hand you a view; it gives you the tools to own and make your data work.

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Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: AEC Connectivity Breakdown

Autodesk connectors are, unsurprisingly, tightly integrated with their ecosystem, providing solid but limited connections. Their connectors function well within the walls of Autodesk products, but when you step outside of that ecosystem, you’ll quickly hit a wall.

On the other hand, Speckle’s connector ecosystem is designed with true interoperability in mind, spanning multiple platforms, including BIM tools, gaming engines, and geospatial applications. This flexibility enables teams to work fluidly across disciplinary boundaries, creating a seamless bridge between previously isolated tools.

Let’s take a closer look at how these two connector ecosystems stack up:

‍* Speckle supported software with Legacy connectors that remain available. With interest, more of these may migrate as Next Gen.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Collaboration In The Web

One of the key differences between Speckle and Autodesk Data Exchanges is the depth of collaboration enabled on the web.

Speckle’s collaborative web platform supports active conversations and shared workflows, whereas Autodesk’s Data Exchanges serve as static references.

• In-Context Commenting: Speckle enables users to leave comments directly within the model, providing context to their feedback. Teams can pinpoint exact elements or areas of interest, facilitating focused discussions and resolving issues collaboratively; something impossible with Autodesk Data Exchanges.
• Federated Data Conversations: Speckle’s ability to handle multiple models and versions simultaneously means conversations aren’t isolated to a single dataset. Teams can simultaneously discuss and compare different models and exchanges, maintaining full project context. Autodesk's ecosystem doesn’t allow this federated interaction across models.
• Real-Time Collaboration: With Speckle, teams can collaborate on the same model or data in real-time, viewing changes and updates as they occur. This dynamic interaction enhances coordination and reduces delays. In contrast, Autodesk Data Exchanges are read-only, limiting real-time interactivity.
• Shared Model Experiences: Speckle enables teams to share entire models and multi-model experiences, allowing stakeholders to join live walkthroughs, comment on specific aspects, and work together as if they were in the same room. Data Exchanges only support the static consumption of data, offering no shared interaction.‍

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Workflows

Forget file formats and conversion gymnastics, workflows are where the real innovation in AEC collaboration happens. This is where projects live or die, where teams thrive or trip over each other.

Speckle has evolved beyond the traditional notion that interoperability is solely about conversions and file transfers. The future of AEC isn’t about translating one static file into another; it’s about real-time collaboration, data fluidity, and working smarter without the baggage of old, siloed systems.

Where Autodesk clings to file-based workflows, Speckle leads the charge with a file-free, object-based approach that brings teams together in ways legacy platforms can’t. This is the heart of AEC's future: live coordination, more innovative reference models, seamless data extraction, and workflows that don’t just support collaboration, they supercharge it.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s possible with each platform:

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: SDK Options and Why It Matters

Both Autodesk and Speckle offer options, but Speckle’s breadth of SDK support pushes the boundaries, especially for developers looking to build with more modern and diverse programming languages.

Here’s how the two platforms stack up in terms of SDK support:

‍The AEC Data Model API is powerful and inherently verbose, allowing for querying of file-based data from Autodesk Docs with location restrictions (US or non-US). Queries cascade from top-level folders, but no queries can currently be made from Data Exchanges, a significant gap that Autodesk is expected to address, although this has not been confirmed. In contrast, Speckle has employed the same GraphQL approach from its inception, with SDK wrappers that simplify queries for most use cases while still offering flexibility for more complex needs. Speckle may place less emphasis on complex filtering, but it prioritises ease of use without sacrificing power.

You might wonder why developer flexibility matters to you as a non-developer.

The answer is simple: developer flexibility directly impacts how adaptable and customisable your tools become.

When platforms like Speckle offer a wide range of SDKs, developers can build more tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their project. The more flexibility developers have, the better and more accessible the end solutions will be for you, as a non-developer, to use and benefit from.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Your Data, Your AI

Since this article was first published in 2024, one theme has steadily risen to the surface across the AEC industry: how data is accessed, structured, and used to support automation and AI. This is no longer a forward-looking question—many firms are actively building pipelines, deploying copilots, or training models. The question is whether the platform you rely on supports that.

Speckle: Built for AI-Readiness

Speckle was designed around a single, consistent data model that spans multiple disciplines and tools, including Building Information Modelling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and infrastructure. All data is accessible via a single GraphQL API, whether it originates in Revit, Civil 3D, Rhino, Tekla, QGIS, or elsewhere. That access pattern doesn’t change with the tool; it’s stable, consistent, and platform-agnostic.

This means developers and analysts can build once and scale across multiple authoring tools without needing to rework their logic. Speckle’s SDKs in Python, C#, and TypeScript are just wrappers around that universal interface, enabling smooth integration into scripts, pipelines, and data platforms. This helps teams to create structured training sets for ML, automate QA and compliance checks, and deploy custom dashboards or internal copilots without artificial boundaries imposed by the toolchain.

Importantly, Speckle doesn’t touch your data unless you push it, and it doesn’t use your data for anything unless you choose to. The data you share through Speckle remains yours and is available for querying, transforming, and building upon.

Autodesk: Fragmented APIs, Inaccessible Exchanges

Autodesk offers a range of APIs, including the AEC Data Model API, Model Derivative API, Data Management API, and Design Automation APIs. Still, each targets a specific product or a narrow use case. There is one API for Revit models, another for Civil 3D, and a separate API for Inventor. These interfaces are not unified and typically operate on top of Autodesk Docs. The logic varies, as does the pricing.

More critically, Autodesk Data Exchanges, the file-free collaboration solution, features are not accessible via these APIs at all. You cannot query an Exchange using the AEC Data Model API, nor can you retrieve Exchange content programmatically for analysis or integration. Despite sharing similar naming and appearing alongside each other in Autodesk's marketing, Data Exchange and the Model Data APIs exist in separate technical silos.

This is a key limitation for any team hoping to build consistent, scalable pipelines. Without unified access, it becomes more challenging to create a system of record, automate insights, and make AI that understands the context of your project.

Access Defines Opportunity

Autodesk has made it clear that data hosted in its cloud may be used to train its own foundation models. That’s one approach: your data, their AI.

Speckle offers another.

By giving you consistent access, transparent semantics, and complete control over your data, Speckle enables you to build your own AI strategies, from dashboards to design agents, without being locked into anyone else's pipeline.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Model Federation

BIM Collaborate offers model federation, but only for Autodesk Docs and crucially, not for data exchanges.

Moreover, it’s yet another cost added to Autodesk’s ecosystem, further complicating the management and access of project data.

On the other hand, Speckle provides everything you need without locking you into specific file formats or requiring additional subscriptions.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Grasshopper: Simplified vs. Special

One feature of Autodesk Data Exchanges that I appreciate is the flexibility of filters that can be applied to an already-defined exchange. These filters enable users to fine-tune the data they send, selecting either a specific subset of geometry, metadata, or properties. This makes Autodesk’s exchanges highly targeted and useful for precision collaboration.

However, this focus on simplified, filtered data seems to be the reason Autodesk’s Grasshopper Data Exchange is so limited; it only sends a data package of geometry and property lists. While this is functional, it doesn’t cater to the true complexity of computational design.

In contrast, Speckle treats Grasshopper users like the “artists” they are. Speckle respects the full range of Grasshopper’s heterogeneous data trees, including grafts, lists, paths, and the arbitrary messes of geometry and data that, for better or worse, power today’s computational design workflows. Speckle preserves these structures, enabling multiplayer Grasshopper collaboration without sacrificing the richness and complexity of the data.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Pricing

Autodesk’s token-based system can be a potential minefield when comparing pricing models. While it may appear simple — “pay only for what you use” — the reality is more complicated.

Tokens recently saw a 200% price increase, must be purchased upfront, and expire after 12 months, making the pay-as-you-go model feel more like a "pay-before-Christmas" rush.

While Autodesk’s data exchanges might be free now in beta, they require separate permissions in your cloud account profile. We recommend discussing token costs with your reseller to get a complete understanding of what you’ll be paying.

Accessing Autodesk Data Exchanges isn’t just about sharing data—it’s about navigating the stack of entitlements required to make it work. What appears “free” is tightly bound to Autodesk Docs, which itself requires a subscription. In practice, this means:

• You must have an active Autodesk Docs entitlement, paid or bundled for “free” if…
• You are subscribed to the corresponding desktop application suites (e.g. Revit, Civil 3D)
• You must manage data through file-based permissions and project-level access controls

For smaller teams or collaborators outside the Autodesk ecosystem, this introduces complexity, friction, and non-obvious cost.

By contrast, Speckle offers the only free, open-source platform option with the possibility of self-hosting or enterprise support when needed. Our cloud hosting model is transparent. We host your data according to your needs, offering free and unlimited access for viewers, simple tiered pricing for editors, and the freedom to self-host whenever you require complete control. No hidden gates. No opaque entitlements. Just clarity. Additionally, Speckle Academia offers free, unlimited server storage for educators and students, providing future AEC professionals with access to the necessary tools without financial barriers.

Speckle takes a different approach. Our pricing is simple, transparent, and based on how you interact with the data:

• Free for viewers, always
• $9/month/editor for hosted workspaces, with no hidden costs or file gating
• Self-hosting remains open-source and free for complete control and unlimited access
• Enterprise plans add SSO, dedicated infrastructure, and regional data residency as needed

We don’t bundle access behind proprietary tools. You choose how and where your data lives, and how your team works with it.

Unlike Autodesk, Speckle distinguishes between personal, professional, and educational use cases. As a server provider, Speckle offers enterprise-paid plans that build on the open-source core, adding SSO, granular project-level data sovereignty, and unlimited, full-dedicated servers.

Speckle vs Autodesk Data Exchange: Conclusion

Ask yourself: Do you want to stay confined by the past, locked into an ecosystem that nickel-and-dimes you for access to your data?

Or are you ready to step into a future where collaboration is seamless, data flows freely, and your tools serve your projects, not the other way around?

The future of AEC is open, collaborative, and free from the restrictions of file-based workflows. The future is Speckle.

Speckle Model Sharing vs. Autodesk Data Exchanges: In a Nutshell‍

• Platform Flexibility:
• • Speckle: Fully platform-agnostic, allowing data to be shared, modified, and written back across any application or tool (Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, etc.).
  • Autodesk: Proprietary ecosystem: data exchanges are locked into Autodesk tools, limiting flexibility with non-Autodesk applications. Publish and subscription model.‍
• File-Free Collaboration:
• • Speckle: Truly file-free, focusing on object-level data exchange without relying on managing or converting files.
  • Autodesk: Still rooted in file-based workflows, tied to Autodesk Docs and traditional file management.‍
• Read/Write Capabilities:
• • Speckle: Supports read/write workflows, enabling whole interaction and modification of shared data across platforms.
  • Autodesk: Primarily read-only exchanges that offer contextual data but limit collaboration to viewing and referencing.‍
• Interoperability:
• • Speckle facilitates BIM interoperability through end-to-end valid connectivity workflows and mapping configuration with support for various CAD and BIM tools, including Autodesk products.
  • Autodesk: Focused on interoperability within its ecosystem, with some support for external tools. Native BIM objects are received under a publish-and-subscribe model.‍
• The Granularity of Data Control:
• • Speckle: Offers granular control over data sharing, allowing users to define which objects, properties, and parameters to exchange.
  • Autodesk: Data filtering is possible, but it is tied to the predefined parameters of the Autodesk ecosystem, which limits user control.‍
• Multiplayer Collaboration:
• • Speckle: Supports multiplayer, real-time collaboration, where multiple users can simultaneously interact with and modify the same model.
  • Autodesk: No support for multiplayer collaboration; Data Exchanges are more suited for sequential, read-only workflows.‍
• Data Augmentation:
• • Speckle: Supports enriching individual objects within models via the API, allowing for real-time, purposeful data workflows. Speckle models can also be viewed online with tools for sorting, filtering, and categorising data.
  • Autodesk: No support for data augmentation; exchanges are limited to read-only views of existing model data.
• What Happens If the Source File Is Deleted?
• • Autodesk Data Exchanges are tightly bound to the source file. If that file is deleted, renamed, or moved, the exchange becomes orphaned with no further updates, no visibility, and no recovery. Speckle, by contrast, treats data as a first-class citizen. Once a commit is made, it’s preserved independently of the source file. You can delete the originating Revit file, and the model in Speckle remains live: viewable, queryable, and automatable. This distinction matters. Speckle isn’t just a more innovative way to move data; it’s a more durable way to collaborate.

This article was updated in June 2025. Autodesk has improved Data Exchange, but it still ties users to files and Docs subscriptions. Speckle has matured into a comprehensive AEC data platform: faster, lighter, more secure (SOC 2 Type 2), connector-rich, and free from Document-Based costs.