Microstation V8i Price May 2026
MicroStation V8i remains a rock-solid CAD platform for infrastructure projects, especially if you're tied to DOT or rail standards that still reference it. However, let's talk about the — because that's where things get tricky.
Even now, buying used or legacy license transfers often runs — surprisingly high for software that Bentley has officially replaced with OpenRoads/OpenBuildings (subscription-only, ~$2,500–$4,000/year per user). microstation v8i price
V8i is great software — but don't pay more than $500–$1,000 per perpetual license on the secondary market today. For anything higher, you're better off moving to a modern Bentley subscription or even switching to Civil 3D (which costs less annually for comparable features). MicroStation V8i remains a rock-solid CAD platform for
At its peak, a new permanent license of V8i SELECTseries 10 cost around (depending on volume and region), plus an annual SELECT maintenance fee of roughly 12–15% of the license cost (~$600–$800/year) for updates and support. For a team of ten, that’s $50k+ upfront just to get started. V8i is great software — but don't pay
No forced cloud, no annual subscription shock if you own a perpetual license. The bad: Bentley aggressively pushes subscriptions now. Finding new V8i licenses is almost impossible through official channels. And if you don’t pay SELECT, you can’t get critical bug fixes for Windows 10/11 compatibility.