View IFC files without Revit (or any installed software)

Revit costs around USD 3,000/year per seat. ArchiCAD is similar. Tekla, Allplan, BricsCAD BIM — they all carry a serious price tag. If you just need to look at an IFC file someone sent you, paying that is overkill. Here is what you can use instead.

Browser-based viewers (zero install)

The simplest option: open IFC Navigator in your browser, drag your .ifc file in, and you are looking at the model. No install, no signup, no upload. Files are parsed locally by a WebAssembly engine, so your model never leaves your machine.

This works on any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) on any operating system — Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, even iPad and Android tablets. There is nothing to download.

Free desktop viewers

If you prefer a native app and do not mind installing one:

• BIMvision — Windows-only. Free for basic use; paid plug-ins for advanced features. Strong property browser, decent rendering quality.
• Solibri Anywhere — Windows and macOS. Free tier focuses on viewing; paid tiers add rule-based clash detection.
• Bonsai BIM (formerly BlenderBIM) — cross-platform, open-source add-on for Blender. Powerful but a steeper learning curve.
• FreeCAD with the Arch workbench — open-source, cross-platform. Capable but UI is utilitarian.

Why "no install" matters

• You are on a borrowed laptop, a hotel computer, or your client's machine — installing software is not an option.
• You are on a managed corporate device where you cannot install anything without IT.
• You only need to look at the file once and do not want to add yet another application to your dock.
• You are evaluating a workflow before committing to any tool.

For all of those, a browser-based viewer is the answer.

What you can do without Revit

With IFC Navigator you can:

• Render the full 3D model — orbit, pan, zoom.
• Click any element (wall, slab, beam, pipe, fitting) to see its IFC type, GlobalId, Name, Tag, and all attached property sets.
• Check which IFC schema version the file uses (IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4x3).

What you cannot do (without paid tools): edit the model, run clash detection, or re-export to a native format. For viewing and basic inspection, free is enough.