How epanet-js compares to commercial modeling tools

An objective look at how epanet-js compares with legacy commercial platforms: where they excel, where epanet-js is faster and more cost-effective, and how they can work side by side.

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The right tool for daily modeling

InfoWater Pro, WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, and InfoWorks WS Pro are established tools with decades of specialized development behind them. For everyday hydraulic modeling (building networks, checking fire flows, testing valve shutdowns, allocating demand, and reviewing results), their complexity, subscription costs, and per-seat licensing can leave the modeling with the one or two people who hold a license.

epanet-js is built for speed, modern usability, and access:

No seat bottleneck: fair pricing and a free tier put modeling in the hands of project engineers, planning staff, and field teams, without a five-figure annual subscription for every seat.
Local-first speed: projects run and save on your machine, with fast rendering and immediate simulation feedback on Mac, Windows, or Linux.
Direct interoperability: epanet-js opens models from the commercial tools directly and saves standard EPANET .inp, so you can build, calibrate, and iterate in epanet-js without disrupting a client's requirements.

At a glance

epanet-js compared with the commercial modeling tools
Category	epanet-js	InfoWater, WaterCAD, InfoWorks
Hydraulic engine	EPANET 2.3 pressure-driven demand, FAVAD, MSX	EPANET-derived or separate engine with vendor extensions
Runs on	Mac, Windows, Linux nothing to install	Windows only InfoWater Pro also needs ArcGIS Pro
Where your models live	On your machine nothing uploaded to our servers	Desktop files with vendor cloud options
Model formats	Opens all three directly saves .inp; exports GeoJSON, Shapefile, CSV, XLSX	Proprietary formats with EPANET .inp import and export
Open source
Best for	Day-to-day modeling network review, fire flow, calibration, team-wide access	Specialized vendor modules and deliverables required in their format
Starting price	Free Pro $950/yr	$10,000/yr per user InfoWater Pro, WS Pro; OpenFlows Water up to $16,137/yr

Keep the workflow, cut the licensing cost

You don't have to give up your existing software to use epanet-js. It opens commercial models directly, saves clean, standard .inp files, and we publish step-by-step guides for taking a model back into each tool. Teams can run everyday design iterations, operational reviews, and scenarios in epanet-js, and keep a commercial seat for final client deliverables or specialized analysis.

Explore individual comparisons

Each page covers features, pricing, and how the two tools work together.

See it next to your current tool

Open your own model in epanet-js and judge the difference on your network, not ours.