CIVA vs Neara (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Neara is our pick, scoring 6.8/10 against 6/10 for CIVA on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 6/10). Neither CIVA nor Neara lists a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
CIVA
6/10
CIVA is modular desktop software for simulating and analysing non-destructive testing inspections, including ultrasonic, eddy current, radiography, guided wave and thermography methods, for industrial NDT teams.
Neara
6.8/10
Neara builds physics-based 3D digital twins of electric utility networks from LiDAR, imagery and GIS data, used for resilience, wildfire, vegetation and capacity planning.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 3/10 | 3/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Engineering Simulation | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Who CIVA and Neara suit
| Audience | CIVA | Neara |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Firms | 8/10EXTENDE sells consulting studies and inspection design work built on CIVA for engineering and qualification projects. | 7/10Engineering contractors such as Empact Engineering use it for pole loading analysis at volume. |
| Energy Companies | 9/10CEA and EXTENDE name energy and nuclear as core sectors, and the software has dedicated tools for steam generator tubes, welds and nozzles. | 9/10Used for grid capacity, hardening and connecting renewables. |
| Enterprise | 8/10CEA describes the typical customer as a large industrial company, served with network licences and maintenance contracts. | 8/10Customers are large utilities on custom enterprise agreements. |
| Small Business | 2/10Quote-only specialist licences and a steep learning curve make it a poor fit for small firms without NDT modelling experts. | 2/10No self-serve plan or public pricing, and it is aimed at network operators. |
| Education | 7/10CIVA Education is a simplified edition built for universities and NDT training centres. | Not rated |
| Manufacturing | 7/10CEA lists manufacturing, aeronautics and probe manufacturers among CIVA's users, who use it for inspection design and probe development. | Not rated |
| Utilities | Not rated | 10/10Built specifically for electric network operators, with many named utility customers. |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose CIVA
Our data shows no clear advantage over Neara.
Why choose Neara
- Higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Integration score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
CIVA
Pros
- Covers ultrasonic, eddy current, radiography with CT, guided wave, SHM and thermography in one interface, so teams can compare inspection methods on the same part.
- CIVA 2025 gives every UT user finite element tools alongside semi-analytical models, so results can be cross-validated without buying a separate FEM package.
- Strong statistical tools: POD curves, PFA and ROC analysis, metamodels and Sobol sensitivity indices support inspection qualification work.
- A Python API (CIVA Script) and a Data Science module allow automated parametric campaigns and ML classifier training on simulated plus real data.
- A Swedish Radiation Safety Authority report described it as the most commercially successful NDT simulation software, and CEA publishes validation studies.
- EXTENDE also offers training (1,700+ people trained, Qualiopi-certified) and consulting studies on top of the licence.
Cons
- No public pricing, trial or download. NDT.net forum users, including students, reported they could not even find how to buy it.
- It is a specialist expert tool: building accurate models requires NDT and physics knowledge.
- It does not cover asset registries, work orders or inspection record management, so it has to sit alongside other systems.
- It has almost no presence on review sites: the SourceForge listing has no user reviews, so independent user feedback is scarce.
- Updates depend on an active maintenance contract.
Neara
Pros
- Physics-based simulation of wind, ice, thermal and flood loading on real network geometry, beyond simple clearance checks
- Reuses a utility's existing LiDAR, imagery and GIS data instead of requiring new capture
- Strong customer evidence, including close to 90 percent of Australian network utilities and large US and European utilities
- Reported results such as reassessing condemned poles, cutting planned replacements from 25,000 to 4,000 at one US utility
- Brings planning, design, vegetation and wildfire workflows into one model
Cons
- No public pricing, and sold only as an enterprise agreement
- Narrowly built for overhead electric networks
- Results depend on the quality and coverage of the LiDAR or imagery data
- Almost no independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or Reddit
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Neara scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 6/10 for CIVA. The largest gap is in Scalability: 6/10 for CIVA and 9/10 for Neara.
No, neither CIVA nor Neara lists a free plan.
