OpenFlows Water
Civil engineering design software
Infrastructure asset management software
Public works software
CAD software
Asset management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$982.00 per 12-month Virtuoso subscription
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Energy and utilities
- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
What is OpenFlows Water
OpenFlows Water is a hydraulic and water quality modeling application used to plan, design, and analyze pressurized water distribution systems. It supports engineers and utility teams in tasks such as system master planning, fire flow assessment, pump and tank operations analysis, and scenario comparison. The product emphasizes model building from GIS/CAD sources, simulation of extended-period operations, and reporting for engineering studies. It is part of Bentley’s OpenFlows portfolio and integrates with other Bentley infrastructure design and data environments.
Robust hydraulic simulation workflows
The software supports steady-state and extended-period simulations for distribution networks, including pumps, tanks, controls, and demand patterns. It includes tools for scenario management and comparison to evaluate alternatives such as pipe upsizing, pump scheduling, and pressure zone changes. These capabilities align with common engineering deliverables for planning and design studies.
Integration with engineering data sources
OpenFlows Water supports importing and synchronizing network data from GIS and CAD-based sources, which helps reduce manual model creation. It can connect to Bentley’s broader infrastructure design environment, enabling reuse of network geometry and attributes across projects. This is useful for organizations that maintain asset records in spatial systems and need to translate them into analysis models.
Utility-focused analysis and reporting
The product includes workflows commonly used by water utilities, such as fire flow analysis, pressure/velocity checks, and operational what-if studies. It provides reporting and visualization outputs that can be used in engineering documentation and stakeholder review. These features help standardize analysis steps across teams working on distribution system performance.
Not a full CAD design tool
Although it can exchange data with CAD environments, OpenFlows Water is primarily a modeling and analysis application rather than a detailed drafting or BIM authoring tool. Users typically still need separate CAD software for plan production and detailed design documentation. This can add coordination steps when moving from analysis to construction drawings.
Asset management scope is limited
The product models network assets for analysis, but it is not a complete infrastructure asset management system for work orders, inspections, or lifecycle maintenance processes. Organizations seeking enterprise asset management usually need additional systems for operational asset records and maintenance execution. As a result, it fits best as an engineering analysis component within a broader toolchain.
Complexity and licensing considerations
Hydraulic modeling requires domain expertise, and the application’s breadth of options can increase onboarding time for new users. Deployments in larger organizations may also require planning around licensing, role-based access, and integration with existing data governance. These factors can increase total implementation effort compared with simpler, single-purpose modeling tools.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| OpenFlows Water Essentials | Starting at USD 982.00 (12-month Virtuoso subscription) | Up to 100 pipes. Includes WaterCAD. (Price shown on Bentley eStore as "Starting At USD 982.00" for OpenFlows Water Virtuoso subscription). |
| OpenFlows Water Standard | Price not listed on vendor site / contact sales | Up to 1,000 pipes. Includes WaterCAD and HAMMER. |
| OpenFlows Water Advanced | Price not listed on vendor site / contact sales | < 5,000 pipes. Includes WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, and HAMMER; additional AI capabilities and transient analysis noted on product page. |
| OpenFlows Water Ultimate | Regular price shown on eStore USD 163,000.00 (vendor page does not map price to a specific tier) / contact sales | Unlimited pipes. Includes WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, and HAMMER. |
Notes:
- Pricing on Bentley's official eStore (Virtuosity) shows a "Starting At USD 982.00" price for the OpenFlows Water Virtuoso (12‑month) subscription and also displays a "Regular Price USD 163,000.00" on the same product page; the vendor site lists licensing options (12‑month Virtuoso subscription, perpetual license with SELECT) but does not publish per‑tier prices for Standard/Advanced/Ultimate on the product/eStore pages accessible without selecting SKU/options. See vendor pages for tier descriptions and licensing details.
Seller details
Bentley Systems, Incorporated
Exton, Pennsylvania, USA
1984
Public
https://www.bentley.com/
https://x.com/bentleysystems
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bentley-systems/
