Finch

Overview

Finch is a building-design platform for architecture teams exploring design options with data and BIM outputs. It is best suited to practices working on multifamily housing that want generation grounded in their own standards. Its main appeal is a firm-informed design workflow; its generative scope and some integration paths are constrained.

Key features

Design generation and AI

Finch’s Plan Library draws on past projects, firm knowledge, accessibility rules, local codes, and project constraints. That makes it a better fit for practices seeking to apply established design criteria than for teams looking for unconstrained concept generation. Generative tools support multifamily residential; other building programs get massing tools only.

Archie handles repetitive precision tasks such as door placement, compliance checks, and updates across linked units. Finch also creates floor plans, area calculations, and BIM geometry, with exports to traditional BIM tools. AI unit-plan generation is currently available only to strategic AI customers, so it should not be treated as a standard capability of every plan.

Applications and workflow limits

Finch documents workflows with Rhino, Revit, Grasshopper, and Autodesk Forma. Supported versions include Rhino 8, Rhino 7.24+, Rhino 6 SR35+, and Revit 2023–2027; MicroStation and SketchUp are not supported. Revit users can bring in conceptual massing and download generated BIM, but edits made to that downloaded model cannot be sent back into Finch.

Forma uploads are also selective: Basic Buildings and Line-edited buildings become editable volumes, while other listed geometry types enter Finch’s Generic layer as context. This distinction matters when a workflow depends on editing imported geometry rather than using it as a reference.

Pricing

Finch has a free single-user plan with all editing tools and real-time building performance metrics. It is a useful way to work with the editing and evaluation functions, but it does not include the optimized unit-mix and circulation generation named for Basic.

Basic costs €79 per month, billed monthly, for one user. It includes all editing tools, real-time building performance metrics, and optimized unit-mix and circulation generation, with a 14-day free trial. It is the clearest fit for an individual architect who needs those generation tools without firm-wide features.

Enterprise costs from €14,500 per year, billed annually, for three seats and from three users. It adds a firm-wide plan library, AI-powered floor-plan generation, code and compliance checks, custom BIM export and integrations, Archie, SSO, enterprise security, and dedicated onboarding, support, and training. This is the relevant tier for practices seeking shared standards and advanced AI workflows, but its annual entry price and three-seat minimum make it a substantial commitment. The listed prices are in different currencies and billing terms, so compare them on that basis.

Platforms

Finch is available as an extension and on macOS, web, and Windows. It supports cloud collaboration and clash detection, which may suit teams coordinating design work across locations. Application support remains specific: the listed Rhino and Revit versions apply, while MicroStation and SketchUp are excluded.

Who it's for

Finch is strongest for architecture practices designing multifamily residential projects, particularly those that want to reuse firm knowledge and evaluate options with real-time performance metrics. A solo user can start free, while Basic suits an individual needing optimized unit mixes and circulation. Firms that need AI floor-plan generation, shared libraries, or enterprise support should consider Enterprise. Teams focused on other building types, or dependent on unsupported applications or round-tripping edited Revit BIM, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Firm-specific design basis: The Plan Library can draw on prior projects, accessibility rules, codes, and constraints, making generation more relevant to established practice standards.

Useful range of outputs: Floor plans, area calculations, and BIM geometry support both early design evaluation and downstream BIM workflows.

Clear entry point: The free plan includes editing tools and performance metrics, while Basic adds unit-mix and circulation generation for €79 per month.

Narrow generative scope: Generative tools are for multifamily residential; other programs receive massing tools only.

Workflow caveats: Revit edits to downloaded BIM cannot be uploaded back, and only particular Forma geometry types become editable volumes.

Enterprise features are gated: AI floor-plan generation and Archie sit in Enterprise, and AI unit-plan generation is currently restricted to strategic AI customers.

Alternatives

For a broader selection of tools, see Architectural Design Software, BIM Software, and AI Floor Plan Generators.

Archicad is worth comparing if you need a paid option with a free plan and trial across mobile, desktop, and web platforms; eligible students and educators can use its one-year educational license.

GstarCAD is an alternative if you want a paid CAD product with a free trial and broad platform support, including Linux and mobile.

usBIM.platform may suit teams prioritizing cloud storage and online applications, with a free basic configuration that includes 10 GB of storage.

Vectorworks Architect is an alternative for frequent use if its annual plan, listed at $1,530.00 billed annually, and included learning resources fit your needs.

Allplan may suit users seeking a paid offering with 3D modeling, 2D drafting, visualization, and BIM, from €123.00 per month.

Cedreo is worth considering for a freemium workflow centered on residential design visuals; its free plan allows one project and five photorealistic renderings, with watermarks and feature limits.

Chief Architect is a paid alternative with a free trial and monthly Premier plan at $229/mo.

LibreCAD is the straightforward alternative for free, open-source 2D CAD on Linux, macOS, or Windows, rather than Finch’s building-generation workflow.

Verdict

Choose Finch if you work in multifamily architecture and want design generation tied to firm knowledge, performance metrics, and BIM outputs. Its free tier and single-user Basic plan provide a practical route into the workflow, but its limited generative typologies, integration caveats, and Enterprise pricing matter. Look elsewhere if your projects fall outside multifamily, your software stack depends on unsupported tools, or you need to revise downloaded Revit BIM inside Finch.