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VisiLean vs Autodesk Construction Cloud: an honest side-by-side

Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is where design-led projects keep their drawings, models, RFIs, submittals and issues. It is strongest at moving information from design to site. VisiLean is strongest at the next step: turning the programme into weekly work the trades commit to, flowing it through Takt zones and showing progress against the model as it happens. The two overlap less than their feature lists suggest, and they connect. This page sets out where each one leads and how teams run them together.

Based on publicly available information at the date of last review. Autodesk®, Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360, Autodesk Build, Navisworks and Forge are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. Primavera® P6, Microsoft® Project, Asta Powerproject and Asite are trademarks of their respective owners. References are for descriptive comparison and do not imply endorsement.

The one-paragraph version

VisiLean is for

Teams whose hardest problem is execution: lookaheads that hold, trades that arrive when work is ready, and a schedule that matches the site. Live CPM, Last Planner, Takt and 4D on one plan.

ACC is for

Teams whose hardest problem is information: the right drawing revision, coordinated models, RFIs and submittals answered on time, and one record of design decisions.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Native means a first-class feature. Partial means limited, an add-on or delivered through another product.

CapabilityVisiLeanACC
Document control and CDE

VisiLean reads drawings and federated models from the CDE; it is not built to be the CDE.

RFIs, submittals and issues
Model coordination and clash detection
CPM scheduling engine (native)

ACC's schedule tool shares and links an imported programme; it is not a full CPM authoring engine.

Last Planner System (native)
Takt planning (native)
4D BIM (native, live)

In the Autodesk stack, 4D sequencing is usually built in Navisworks as a separate authoring cycle.

P6 / MS Project / Asta import
Mobile field app

VisiLean via LiveSite, built around task progress and constraints; ACC via the Autodesk Build mobile app.

Cost management and change orders

VisiLean dashboards track planned against actual progress on the programme; budgets, contracts and change orders stay elsewhere.

Pricing model

ACC sold as separate product subscriptions; VisiLean quote-based against the scheduling workflow.

Native Partial / add-on / via another product Not a core feature

Where each one wins

  • VisiLean: lean production control is native

    The Last Planner lookahead, weekly work plan, constraint log and PPC all run from the live CPM master, and the Takt board is another view of the same schedule. In the Autodesk stack these are not core, so teams fill the gap with spreadsheets or a second tool.

  • VisiLean: 4D that follows the site

    VisiLean plays the working schedule back against the linked model, updated from the field. 4D in the Autodesk stack is usually a separate Navisworks sequence that has to be rebuilt when the programme moves.

  • ACC: documents, models and the design record

    Drawing management, revision control, model coordination and clash detection are ACC's home ground. VisiLean does not compete here and reads from it instead.

  • ACC: RFIs, submittals and cost on one platform

    For teams that want RFIs, submittals, issues, meetings and cost management in the same platform as their documents, ACC is broad and mature.

How VisiLean and ACC run on the same project

  • ACC stays the common data environment for drawings, models, RFIs and submittals.
  • VisiLean connects through Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360 or Forge and reads the models for live 4D BIM.
  • The master programme is imported into VisiLean from P6, MS Project or Asta and run live with the trades.
  • BIM 360 Issues tie into VisiLean's constraint log, so a design issue that blocks work is visible in the lookahead.
  • Site teams report task progress from LiveSite; design and document workflows stay in Autodesk.
VisiLean design coordination view. All Files panel with Local and Autodesk tabs listing PDF, RVT and DWG files in project folders, beside a 2D apartment floor plan open in the drawing viewer.
Drawings and models opened inside VisiLean from local folders or the Autodesk tab, next to the plan they belong to.

Related reading

VisiLean and Autodesk Construction Cloud

Eight ways the integration changes the workflow, from 4D BIM to BIM 360 issues.

Read more

BIM as a lean tool

How pairing BIM with lean practice improves predictability and cuts waste on site.

Read more

Real-time 4D BIM for production control

Why a 4D view tied to the live schedule changes the weekly production conversation.

Read more

GRA data centre case study

Galligan, Ryan and Associates on a data centre project in San Francisco.

Read more

Frequently asked questions

Is VisiLean an alternative to Autodesk Construction Cloud?

Only for the scheduling and production-control layer. Autodesk Construction Cloud is a broad platform for documents, models, RFIs, submittals, issues and cost on design-led projects. VisiLean specialises in the live CPM schedule, Last Planner, Takt, 4D BIM and progress from site. Most teams that evaluate both end up connecting them rather than choosing one.

Does VisiLean integrate with Autodesk Construction Cloud?

Yes. VisiLean connects to Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360 and Autodesk Forge. Models stay in the Autodesk estate and VisiLean reads them for live 4D BIM against the schedule. BIM 360 Issues can be tied to VisiLean's constraint log, so a design issue that blocks work shows up where the trades plan the week.

Doesn't ACC already have a schedule tool?

ACC includes a schedule tool for sharing a programme and linking it to project data, and most teams import the master from P6 or MS Project into it. That is useful for visibility. It is not a Last Planner lookahead, a weekly work plan with the trades, a Takt board or a live 4D view, which is the layer VisiLean adds.

Should our CDE move to VisiLean?

No. Keep the common data environment where it is, whether that is Autodesk Construction Cloud, Asite or another platform. VisiLean consumes federated models from the CDE rather than replacing it, which keeps ISO 19650 information management in one place and avoids a second source of truth for drawings.

How is pricing different between VisiLean and ACC?

Autodesk sells Autodesk Construction Cloud as separate product subscriptions, such as Docs, Build and BIM Collaborate, so cost depends on which products and how many users you take. VisiLean is quote-based and priced against the scope of the scheduling and production-control workflow. Teams running both are usually buying different capabilities, not paying twice for the same one.

Keep ACC for information. Add VisiLean for execution.

See VisiLean connected to your Autodesk models and running your live programme with the trades, in a working demo.

Explore VisiLean Planner