CRE Daily
Independent Review Coverage
See how CRE Daily reviewed Solsten's workflow, positioning, and fit for underwriting teams. This is a useful first stop for prospects who want an external take before starting a trial.
ARGUS Alternative
Best ARGUS Alternative Software for Commercial Real Estate Teams
Underwrite with an AI assistant that shows its work — formulas, source data, and what to check next. Imports the Excel rent rolls and expense reports you export from ARGUS — no reformatting — at a fraction of ARGUS Enterprise seat pricing.
Free to start. Paid plans from $99/mo. Per-user, not per-asset.
✓ No credit card ✓ Auto-detects ARGUS Excel export columns ✓ Built by a CRE acquisitions analyst
Best fit for solo investors, acquisition teams, and sponsors priced out of legacy enterprise software.
For Teams Mid-Migration
Already Being Migrated to ARGUS Intelligence?
Altus is actively migrating ARGUS Enterprise customers onto ARGUS Intelligence — and the company's CFO disclosed on the Q3 2025 earnings call that those migrations land with a roughly 16% blended price increase, with Altus actively steering customers toward a new asset-based pricing model that scales with the size of the portfolio you run through it. For lean acquisitions teams, syndicators, and growing sponsors, that combination lands harder than the old per-seat structure.
In Altus's Own Words — Q3 2025 Earnings Call
"On a blended basis, we're seeing about a 16% price increase."
"Our net revenue retention... is well north of 100%."
— Altus Group CFO, Q3 2025 earnings call (November 2025).
The translation: customers are absorbing the increase because rebuilding their models elsewhere is painful. That switching cost — not price, not feature parity — is the moat. The migration moment is the one window in your contract cycle where you are already paying it.
Here is the underrated part: re-modeling your portfolio in ARGUS Intelligence is not free either. You are already redoing the work and signing a new contract. That is the one moment where the switching cost of evaluating an alternative is already on the table — and the natural time to put Solsten side-by-side with ARGUS Intelligence on the same deal before you lock in the next contract cycle.
Asset-Based Pricing Math
Your cost grows with portfolio size, not just seats. Solsten pricing stays predictable as you scale.
Re-Modeling Anyway
If you have to rebuild your rent rolls and assumptions in ARGUS Intelligence, you can rebuild them in Solsten in the same import wizard step.
Founder-Level Support
You get the founder on the phone for onboarding. As Altus moves more support offshore, that contrast matters more.
Proof
External Validation for ARGUS-Shopping Buyers
If someone is comparing Solsten to ARGUS, give them an external review and an easy path to user feedback before they bounce back to search results.
G2
User Reviews and Buyer Validation
Browse early user feedback on G2 to see how real users describe Solsten in their own words. We link to the full review profile rather than over-curating individual quotes.
Why Professionals Are Switching from ARGUS
$3K–$10K Per Seat
ARGUS Enterprise pricing shuts out individual investors, small firms, and emerging operators — even those who need institutional-grade analysis.
Desktop-Only
No cloud access. No real-time collaboration. Sharing analysis means exporting files and emailing them back and forth.
Steep Learning Curve
ARGUS requires specialized training. Many firms pay for certification courses on top of software fees.
No AI Assistant Layer
No conversational assistant grounded in your property model. Teams still rely on manual review to explain assumptions, timelines, and output changes to stakeholders.
What Solsten Does That ARGUS Can't
🤖
ML-Powered Forecasting
Solsten learns from your actual payment history. Expense forecasts blend observed data with assumptions based on statistical confidence.
🧠
Saga AI Assistant
Ask questions about your underwriting directly in-app. Saga uses your property context to explain assumptions, outputs, and what changed across scenarios.
⏰
Fluid Timeline Engine
Calculations auto-adjust as time passes. Vacancies extend, leases expire, projections update — without manual intervention.
📊
Import from ARGUS
Export your rent roll or expense report from ARGUS Enterprise to Excel and import it into Solsten. Our wizard auto-detects ARGUS columns, maps lease statuses, escalation types, and recovery structures — no manual reformatting needed.
☁️
Cloud Collaboration
Share properties with teammates, manage investors, control access with granular permissions — all from any browser.
💰
90%+ Cost Savings
Professional-grade CRE analysis at a fraction of what ARGUS charges, with modern AI-assisted workflow support included.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
An honest, transparent look at both platforms.
| Feature | Solsten | ARGUS |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Proforma Engine | ✅ | ✅ |
| Monthly Proforma Engine | ✅ | ✅ |
| Rent Roll Timeline | ✅ | ✅ |
| NNN / Base Year / Mod Gross Recoveries | ✅ | ✅ |
| GP/LP Waterfall Modeling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multi-Loan Debt Modeling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Exit Scenario Analysis | ✅ | ✅ |
| ML-Powered Expense Forecasting | ✅ | — |
| Cloud-Based (Access Anywhere) | ✅ | — |
| Real-Time Team Collaboration | ✅ | — |
| Automatic Time-Passage Intelligence | ✅ | — |
| Property-Specific ML Learning | ✅ | — |
| AI Assistant Grounded in Your Property Data | ✅ | — |
| Excel Bulk Import Wizard | ✅ | — |
| Auto-Detects ARGUS Excel Export Columns | ✅ | — |
| 15-Factor Risk Scoring | ✅ | — |
| Tenant Lifecycle Tracking | ✅ | — |
| Organization & Sharing Controls | ✅ | — |
| Activity Audit Trail | ✅ | — |
| IFRS 16 / ASC 842 Compliance | — | ✅ |
| 35+ Year Industry Track Record | — | ✅ |
| On-Premise Deployment Option | — | ✅ |
| Starting Price | Free | $3,000+/yr |
Where ARGUS Still Wins
We believe in transparency. Here's where ARGUS currently has an edge:
- • IFRS 16 / ASC 842 lease accounting compliance — important for public REITs and institutional mandates.
- • 35+ year industry track record — ARGUS is deeply embedded in institutional workflows and training programs.
- • On-premise deployment — some institutions require local installations for compliance reasons.
For most investors, analysts, and firms — Solsten delivers everything you need at a fraction of the cost. If you require IFRS compliance or institutional mandates, ARGUS may still be the right fit.
The 6 Best ARGUS Alternatives in 2026
If you searched for ARGUS competitors expecting a list, here it is. We build one of these tools, so read our take accordingly — but every entry below is a real option teams actually choose, including the ones that compete with us.
1. Solsten
Best for lean acquisitions teams, syndicators, and sponsors
Cloud underwriting with full annual and monthly proforma engines, NNN / Base Year / Modified Gross recoveries, GP/LP waterfalls, multi-loan debt, ML expense forecasting, and the Saga AI assistant. Imports ARGUS rent roll and expense Excel exports. Free to start; paid plans $99–$179/mo per user — not per asset.
2. Rockport VAL
Best for institutional DCF valuation workflows
A cloud-based DCF and valuation platform developed in collaboration with Moody's Analytics. The most direct like-for-like replacement for ARGUS Enterprise's 10-year DCF at the institutional tier, and the name most often shortlisted next to ARGUS by valuation and asset management teams.
3. Valcre
Best for commercial appraisers
An end-to-end appraisal platform built specifically for appraisal firms — report writing, comps databases, and mobile inspection workflows. Access is by demo request; there is no open free tier.
4. MRI Procalc
Best for lease-by-lease analysis in the MRI ecosystem
Excel-based lease evaluation and deal analysis tools from MRI Software. A fit if your firm already runs MRI for property management and wants analysis tooling from the same vendor.
5. Valuate by REFM
Best for Excel-native DCF modeling on a budget
Excel-based DCF modeling with free base templates and one-time-purchase advanced models. Full control over underwriting assumptions, with the maintenance burden that comes with spreadsheets.
6. Excel + Template Libraries
Best for analysts who want control of every formula
Template libraries such as A.CRE publish institutional-style Excel models covering most deal types. Zero platform cost, total flexibility — and you own version control, error-checking, and collaboration by file-passing yourself.
How to Choose
- •Institutional mandate or IFRS 16 / ASC 842 compliance: stay on ARGUS Enterprise or shortlist Rockport VAL.
- •Appraisal reports as the deliverable: Valcre.
- •Spreadsheet control above all: Valuate, Procalc, or a template library — accepting the version-control and error-checking tradeoffs of Excel-based underwriting.
- •Underwriting speed, AI assistance, and predictable per-user pricing: Solsten. Import an ARGUS Excel export free and compare outputs on your own deal.
Easy Migration
Import Your ARGUS Data in 4 Steps
Solsten's import wizard is built to recognize ARGUS Enterprise Excel exports. No reformatting, no copy-paste, no lost data.
1
Export from ARGUS
Export your rent roll or expense report to Excel (.xlsx) from ARGUS Enterprise.
2
Upload to Solsten
Click "Import from Excel" in Solsten. Our wizard auto-detects your ARGUS columns — Leased Area, Base Rent PSF, Lease Expiration, and more.
3
Review & Edit
Preview mapped data, apply bulk defaults, and fix any edge cases before importing.
4
Analyze Instantly
Your tenant and expense data flows into the proforma engine. Get IRR, NOI, and risk scores immediately.
ARGUS Fields We Auto-Detect
✅ Suite / Space / Unit ✅ Tenant Name ✅ Leased Area / Rentable SF ✅ Lease Commencement / Expiration ✅ Base Rent PSF / In-Place Rent ✅ Annual Escalation / CPI ✅ Renewal Probability ✅ NNN / Base Year Stop / Mod Gross ✅ Speculative / Month-to-Month ✅ Expense Name / GL Account ✅ Annual Amount / Budget ✅ Above/Below the Line ✅ Reimbursable % / Pro Rata Share ✅ Fixed % / Variable Split ✅ Payment Frequency
Best Next Step by Team Type
Pick the path that matches your workflow and get a proof artifact fast.
Acquisitions Analysts
Run a side-by-side deal comparison to show where ARGUS and Solsten differ on assumptions and outputs.
Start a live deal comparison → See a modeled walk-through first →Syndicators and Sponsors
Stress-test waterfall outcomes and scenario sensitivity before sending LP materials.
Review waterfall modeling path →Broker/Advisory Teams
Get investor-ready outputs without passing spreadsheets back and forth for model cleanup.
Book a 20-min walkthrough →ARGUS Alternative FAQ
Straight answers on pricing, AI features, and migration.
What are the best alternatives to ARGUS Enterprise?
The main ARGUS alternatives fall into four groups: modern cloud underwriting platforms (Solsten), institutional cloud DCF and valuation platforms (Rockport VAL, developed in collaboration with Moody's Analytics), appraisal-specific tools (Valcre), and Excel-based approaches (MRI Procalc, Valuate by REFM, or template libraries like A.CRE). The right pick depends on whether you need underwriting speed, appraisal reports, institutional compliance, or full spreadsheet control. See the full breakdown above.
Is there a free ARGUS alternative?
Yes. Solsten has a free plan (1 property, 1 analysis per month) with no credit card required, and it imports ARGUS rent roll and expense Excel exports. Valuate by REFM offers free base Excel templates. ARGUS Enterprise itself has no lasting free tier.
Does Solsten include an AI assistant for underwriting questions?
Yes. Solsten includes Saga AI assistant. Saga can explain assumptions, timelines, and outputs based on your property model context.
How is Solsten different from ARGUS for modern teams?
Solsten combines institutional-grade proforma modeling with cloud collaboration, ML-powered forecasting, and an AI assistant layer. ARGUS still has strengths in some institutional compliance workflows.
Can I migrate ARGUS exports into Solsten?
Yes — via Excel. Export your rent roll or expenses from ARGUS Enterprise to Excel (.xlsx), and Solsten's guided import wizard auto-detects the ARGUS column layout. Solsten reads Excel and CSV files, not native ARGUS file formats.
How does Solsten pricing compare to ARGUS Enterprise?
Solsten starts free and paid plans stay accessible for lean teams, while ARGUS is typically institutional seat pricing. Many teams run a live-deal proof in Solsten first, then compare outputs and cost before making a platform decision.
I'm being migrated to ARGUS Intelligence — should I evaluate Solsten now?
If you're in the middle of an ARGUS Enterprise → ARGUS Intelligence migration, you're already re-modeling your portfolio and absorbing a pricing change at the same time. That's the natural moment to import the same rent rolls into Solsten side-by-side, run a live-deal proof, and decide which platform you want to lock into for the next contract cycle. Solsten's Excel import wizard reads the Excel (.xlsx) files ARGUS Enterprise exports, so you can stand up a parallel model in minutes.
Ready to Switch from ARGUS?
Start a free Solsten analysis today. Import the Excel rent rolls and expense reports you export from ARGUS, run a side-by-side comparison, and use Saga AI assistant to speed up model review.