Whether you need an alternative to One Click LCA depends on the job. For a certified assessment on one of its supported schemes, it’s the default for good reason: according to its provider it has more than 250,000 datasets and more than 80 standard integrations, it works from BIM, and it covers DGNB and QNG. The alternatives win on narrower jobs. eLCA for free, ÖKOBAUDAT-based German assessments. eco2soft for Austrian OI3 and GWP. CAALA for QNG-focused funding evidence. The CARE Tool and the Gebäude-Klimarechner for quick renovate-versus-replace checks. Elementa for element-by-element retain-or-replace decisions at concept stage.
This page is written by a team that builds one of those tools. Read the Elementa section with that in mind. It says where Elementa doesn’t fit, too. Tool details, prices and licence tiers were checked against each provider’s or a public source in September 2026 and may change; each claim links to its source.
The short version
- Stay with One Click LCA if you need a certified assessment on a scheme it supports, BIM integration, or product-level EPD data at scale.
- eLCA (BBSR): free, uses ÖKOBAUDAT, built for BNB, no in-depth LCA knowledge required.
- baubook eco2soft: Austrian; GWP, AP, PENRE and OI3. Free for up to 3 buildings (results watermarked “Draft”), €120 per user per year for professional use.
- CAALA: ÖKOBAUDAT-based, QNG and DGNB; works from simple area inputs up to BIM.
- CARE Tool (grant-funded) and Gebäude-Klimarechner (free): whole-building renovate-vs-replace comparisons.
- Elementa: indicative, production-stage (A1–A3), element-by-element retain-or-replace at concept stage. Not a certified LCA.
What is One Click LCA good at?
One Click LCA is a cloud platform for building LCA and EPDs. Its provider describes it as having more than 250,000 LCA datasets and more than 80 standard integrations (gebaeudeforum.de LCA software overview, June 2025). It calculates from BIM models, is compatible with Autodesk Revit, and supports DGNB and QNG among many schemes.
For early design it offers Carbon Designer 3D, which needs only building type, gross floor area and number of floors, generates representative material quantities, and supports “build new vs refurbish” comparisons. It’s sold as an add-on requiring a Business licence or above (One Click LCA).
If the deliverable is a certified whole-life assessment, particularly across several schemes or countries, that breadth is the reason to stay.
Citation capsule: One Click LCA is a cloud building-LCA and EPD platform with, per its provider, more than 250,000 datasets and more than 80 standard integrations, including DGNB and QNG, and BIM calculation (e.g. Revit). Its early-design module Carbon Designer 3D starts from building type, floor area and storey count and requires a Business licence or above.
Which alternative fits which job?
| Job | Better fit | Why | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| German assessment, public buildings, BNB | eLCA (BBSR) | Free; ÖKOBAUDAT; built for BNB; component templates | Free (BBSR, nachhaltigesbauen.de) |
| Austrian building LCA, OI3 | baubook eco2soft | GWP, AP, PENRE and OI3 (BG0–BG6); developed by Energieinstitut Vorarlberg and IBO | Free up to 3 buildings (watermarked); €120/user/year (Energieinstitut Vorarlberg) |
| QNG / KfW funding evidence | CAALA | ÖKOBAUDAT; QNG and DGNB; area inputs to BIM | Paid (gebaeudeforum.de) |
| Circularity plus LCA, material passport | Concular CircularLCA, Madaster | Both listed for QNG and DGNB; passport and circularity focus | Paid (ibid.) |
| Renovate-vs-replace check | CARE Tool | Architecture 2030 project; compares renovating vs replacing, embodied and operational, early design | Funded by grants and donations (caretool.org) |
| Free renovate-vs-replace check, Germany | Gebäude-Klimarechner (g-kr.online) | CO₂e plus resource footprint; beta for residential buildings (2026) | Free (bau.bi) |
| Early and detailed design | SCALE | Listed for DGNB, for early and detailed phases | Paid (gebaeudeforum.de) |
| Element-by-element retain-or-replace, concept stage | Elementa | Pathway per element, indicative carbon, expert-estimate assembly costs for Austria, existing and proposed side by side | Open sign-up |
Two notes on reading this table. First, “free” tools are free because a public body or a grant pays for them; that says nothing about quality. eLCA is a federal tool and is fine for real work. Second, check the database before anything else. In Germany a figure that isn’t ÖKOBAUDAT-based won’t reconcile line by line with the assessment that follows (see choosing embodied carbon software).
Citation capsule: Alternatives to One Click LCA by job: eLCA (BBSR, free, ÖKOBAUDAT, BNB); baubook eco2soft (Austria, GWP and OI3, free for three buildings or €120 per user per year); CAALA (ÖKOBAUDAT, QNG and DGNB); Concular CircularLCA and Madaster (circularity and passports); the CARE Tool and the Gebäude-Klimarechner (renovate-vs-replace checks); SCALE (DGNB, early and detailed phases); Elementa (concept-stage retain-or-replace per element).
Where does Elementa fit, and where doesn’t it?
It fits when the question is which parts of an existing building to keep, reuse, refinish or replace, and roughly what that does to carbon and, for Austrian projects, to cost, before anyone will fund a full assessment. It works element by element, shows existing and proposed side by side, and labels every factor it uses, including the ones that are Elementa’s own assumptions (see the retain-or-demolish worked example).
It doesn’t fit if you need a certified assessment, a QNG submission, BIM-integrated workflow on a live model, or modules beyond the production stage. Elementa covers A1–A3, gives indicative results, and doesn’t produce a value you can disclose on an energy performance certificate (see pre-assessment vs certified LCA). For those jobs, use One Click LCA, eLCA, CAALA or eco2soft, depending on your market and scheme.
Most teams that work on existing buildings end up with two tools: one to decide early, one to certify late.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to One Click LCA?
Yes, for specific jobs. In Germany, eLCA from BBSR is free, uses ÖKOBAUDAT and is built for BNB. In Austria, baubook eco2soft is free for up to three buildings, with watermarked results. For renovate-versus-replace checks, the Gebäude-Klimarechner is free and the CARE Tool is grant-funded. None replaces One Click LCA’s breadth of schemes and datasets.
Which LCA software is used for QNG?
Several tools are listed for QNG in dena’s Gebäudeforum overview, including One Click LCA, CAALA, Concular CircularLCA, Madaster and a number of energy-certificate tools with QNG modules. Check that the tool uses the data basis QNG requires before you start.
Does One Click LCA handle renovation?
Carbon Designer 3D supports “build new vs refurbish” comparisons as part of its early-design analysis, according to One Click LCA. It’s primarily positioned for new-build design optimisation. For a detailed element-by-element retain-or-replace comparison on an existing building, a tool built for that job may be quicker.
Is Elementa an alternative to One Click LCA?
For one job: concept-stage retain-or-replace decisions on existing buildings. Not for certification, QNG evidence or BIM workflows. Elementa is indicative and covers A1–A3 only, so most teams use it before a certified tool, not instead of one.
The takeaway
One Click LCA is the right tool for certification at breadth, and nothing here argues otherwise. The alternatives are better at narrower jobs: free federal LCA in Germany, OI3 in Austria, QNG evidence, free renovate-vs-replace checks, and element-level retain decisions at concept stage. Name the deliverable, check the database, and pick the tool built for that job.
If your job is deciding what to keep in an existing building before formal assessment, start a project.