Summary
DHI builds product marketing around specialist water science, modelling breadth and expert service, while Bentley OpenFlows builds around water-network productivity, AI-assisted modelling, digital-twin connection and wider infrastructure-software adoption.
Company
DHI is a Denmark-based water company whose public story starts with the Danish Institute of Applied Hydraulics in 1964 and has grown into an organisation of about 1,100 engineers and specialists working on projects in more than 115 countries. Its relevant offer for this comparison is MIKE Powered by DHI: a water-modelling software suite covering pipe networks, rivers, reservoirs, ecosystems, groundwater, coastal areas and related decision-support work. DHI also sells consulting, training, support, data portals and digital water services around the software, which makes the company difficult to read as a pure software vendor.
Bentley Systems is a U.S.-listed organisation. In its 2025 results release, Bentley described itself as an infrastructure engineering software company. Its own company page presents Bentley as a global infrastructure-software vendor with 5,800 colleagues in 42 countries, 42,000 accounts and users in 189 countries. OpenFlows is Bentley’s water-infrastructure modelling family, with OpenFlows Water positioned for water distribution planning, design and maintenance decisions, and adjacent products for sewer, storm, flood and WaterSight digital-twin use.
Market context and market disruptors
The shared buyer problem is practical: engineers, utilities, municipalities and consultants need to prove that water systems will work under design, failure, climate, demand and regulatory conditions before money is spent or risk is accepted. The category includes hydraulic and hydrologic modelling for water distribution, wastewater, stormwater, flood risk, rivers, groundwater, water quality and live network management. DHI’s public taxonomy reaches across the water cycle. Bentley’s OpenFlows pages narrow the entry point around planning, designing, optimizing and operating infrastructure networks.
The main disruptors are climate adaptation, urban resilience, live operational data, GIS/CAD/SCADA integration, cloud delivery, digital twins and AI-assisted modelling. These forces push water modelling beyond static engineering files toward richer physical models, faster scenario testing and stronger links between design, asset data and live network conditions. DHI responds through MIKE’s breadth, expert support, ArcGIS integration, cloud options and domain services. Bentley responds through tiered OpenFlows packaging, AI-assisted modelling, Darwin optimization, WaterSight and digital-twin connection across the Bentley environment.
Category narrative, positioning, messaging and product-to-market
DHI frames the market problem as a water-domain challenge. The MIKE homepage speaks to engineers, scientists and water-management professionals who need accurate and comprehensive results across groundwater, pipe systems, rivers and coastal areas. MIKE+ then turns that claim into a product structure: Model Manager, Water Distribution, Collection Systems, Rivers, 2D Overland, Rainfall Runoff, Control, Transport, ECO Lab, Data Assimilation and ArcGIS. The hierarchy is broad: “water environments” first, then product modules, then consulting support and training. The credibility asset is the company’s history in hydraulic modelling and the visible depth of its product catalogue.
Bentley frames the market problem as water-network productivity. OpenFlows Water starts with “plan, design and optimize water distribution systems quickly and easily,” then translates that promise into tiered editions, AI-assisted workflows, scenario management, transient analysis, hydraulic modelling, model calibration, design optimization, SCADA integration and user stories. The hierarchy is tighter than DHI’s because OpenFlows Water gives the buyer a clear starting product, visible tiers and buy/talk-to-expert CTAs. The credibility asset is Bentley’s larger infrastructure-software footprint, not only the water product itself.
The strongest DHI proof sits in its product-module granularity and project case studies: flood-risk planning in Karlshamn/Vägga, sewer inflow and infiltration work in Trollhättan, and CityFlow Live Wastewater Network in Gothenburg. The strongest Bentley proof sits in the OpenFlows Water product page itself: visible package tiers, WaterGEMS/WaterCAD/HAMMER bundling, Darwin calibration and design optimization, SCADA integration claims, and case stories such as Aqua and L&T Construction. DHI’s page structure asks the buyer to navigate a broader product, consulting, support, training, documentation, and project ecosystem. Bentley’s page structure makes the commercial path easier to follow through tiered packages and visible buy/contact CTAs, although exact pricing still varies by region.
Features comparison
| Feature | DHI / MIKE Powered by DHI | Bentley OpenFlows | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water distribution modelling | MIKE+ Water Distribution covers hydraulic and water-quality modelling, pumps and valves, leakage reduction, fire-flow analysis and source tracing. | OpenFlows Water includes WaterCAD, WaterGEMS and HAMMER, with hydraulic modelling, fire-flow, water quality, energy, scenario, transient and optimization capabilities. | Tie. Both are credible for core water-distribution modelling; Bentley presents the package more clearly. |
| Wastewater and stormwater networks | MIKE+ Collection Systems covers stormwater and wastewater hydrology and hydraulics, real-time controls and resilient solutions. | Bentley positions OpenFlows Sewer and OpenFlows Storm for sanitary sewer, storm sewer and drainage work within its hydrology/hydraulics family. | Tie. Both cover the workflow; DHI gives more detail on control and pollution modules in MIKE+. |
| Flood, river and 2D overland modelling | MIKE+ includes Rivers and 2D Overland modules for river flows, pollution transport, flood impacts, mitigation and emergency planning. | Bentley has OpenFlows Flood and related water-infrastructure tools, with digital-twin connection emphasized in recent OpenFlows messaging. | DHI. Public MIKE+ pages and cases show stronger flood/climate-planning proof. |
| Water quality and ecology | MIKE+ ECO Lab and MIKE ECO Lab address biological, chemical and ecological process modelling across aquatic environments. | OpenFlows Water supports water-quality analysis in water networks; the public story is less focused on ecological modelling. | DHI. DHI has a clearer specialist ecology and water-quality story. |
| Optimization and calibration | DHI supports scenario analysis, controls, data assimilation and expert model review; the public pages are less packaged around optimization claims. | OpenFlows Water highlights Darwin Calibrator and Darwin Designer for automated calibration, pipe sizing, rehabilitation and pump scheduling. | Bentley. Optimization is easier to understand in Bentley’s public packaging. |
| GIS, CAD and data integration | MIKE+ ArcGIS connects MIKE+ with ArcGIS Pro, and DHI describes APIs, scripting libraries and SDKs through MIKE for Developers. | OpenFlows Water references GIS, CAD, databases, spreadsheets, SCADA data and digital-twin publishing; Bentley also exposes a partner and developer ecosystem. | Tie. DHI is strong around ArcGIS and MIKE APIs; Bentley is broader across infrastructure data environments. |
| Cloud, live data and digital twin | DHI offers MIKE on Azure and live network services such as CityFlow Live; MIKE Operations added web API and Python workflow support in the 2026 release. | Bentley connects OpenFlows Water to SCADA data, real-time system analysis, and collaborative digital-twin publishing | Tie, with Bentley clearer on packaged commercial messaging and DHI stronger on operational-water-system breadth through MIKE OPERATIONS and CityFlow-type proof. |
| Packaging and access path | DHI presents subscription, perpetual, academic and MIKE on Azure options, plus a free one-month non-commercial evaluation license. | Bentley presents Essentials, Standard, Advanced and Ultimate tiers, plus online purchase, 12-month Virtuoso subscription, perpetual license and enterprise options. | Bentley. The visible tiering is clearer for commercial evaluation. |
Data, integrations and technical ecosystem
DHI starts from modelling data: hydrological, hydraulic, spatial and live-monitoring inputs. MIKE+ ArcGIS connects MIKE+ with ArcGIS Pro for model preparation, analysis and visualisation, including rivers, 2D overland and SWMM data. MIKE Operations brings in live field data from sensors and other operational sources for forecasting and control. MIKE Cloud adds storage and processing for time-series, multidimensional and GIS data, with IoT integration. MIKE for Developers opens the stack to technical users through APIs, scripting libraries, code examples and documentation for Python, C#/.NET, MATLAB and low-level C APIs.
Bentley starts from infrastructure records and utility-system data. OpenFlows Water can synchronize network data from GIS files, CAD files, databases and spreadsheets. Higher tiers add SCADA signals for real-time system analysis, while Bentley’s water-network monitoring pages connect SCADA, IoT, GIS, hydraulic models, customer information and historical data in a digital-twin environment. OpenFlows is therefore easier to connect to engineering, asset, operations and monitoring workflows. DHI is stronger when the buyer needs specialist model preparation, live forecasting, cloud model execution and developer access to MIKE workflows.
Buyer workflows, use cases and vertical marketing
The main jobs in this market are proof tasks: prove that a design works, prove that a flood plan is defensible, prove that a network can survive failure conditions, prove that water quality and environmental impacts are understood, and prove that live data can improve decisions. The table uses buyer jobs rather than feature labels.
| Buyer job | Buyer problem | DHI fit | Bentley fit | Best fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility engineer must prove a new water-distribution design meets pressure, fire-flow and future-demand conditions. | Design choices affect cost, safety, pressure, service continuity and future capacity. | MIKE+ Water Distribution covers hydraulics, water quality, fire flow, pumps, valves, leakage and source tracing. | OpenFlows Water is packaged for planning, design and optimization, with WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, HAMMER, scenario tools and tiered editions. | Tie | Both cover core distribution modelling. Bentley makes commercial evaluation clearer; DHI shows sufficient modelling depth. |
| Wastewater team must show which interventions reduce overflow, inflow and infiltration risk before capital works are funded. | The buyer needs model-backed prioritization before committing budget to network interventions. | DHI’s Trollhättan case links CityFlow Live modelling to I/I strategy, environmental impact and overflow reduction. | OpenFlows Sewer and OpenFlows Storm cover sewer, stormwater and drainage modelling. | DHI | DHI has more specific public proof for I/I and wastewater intervention planning. |
| Municipality must defend a flood-protection plan under sea-level-rise and cloudburst assumptions. | Planners need climate-adjusted protection levels, spatial priorities and budget justification. | DHI’s Vägga/Karlshamn case used MIKE+ to combine cloudburst and sea-level flood risk and define protection levels. | Bentley has OpenFlows FLOOD and digital-twin capability for flood-risk modelling and mitigation. | DHI | DHI shows a complete public planning case with climate, design and economic framing. |
| Water-quality specialist must test pollutant, nutrient or ecosystem effects before approving a project or treatment strategy. | Hydraulic adequacy alone does not answer biological, chemical or ecological impact questions. | MIKE ECO Lab and MIKE+ ECO Lab support ecological, biological and chemical process modelling. | OpenFlows Water supports water-quality modelling within distribution networks. | DHI | DHI has the clearer specialist ecology and environmental-modelling story. |
| Operations manager must connect model outputs with SCADA or live data to improve incident response. | Static models lose value when rainfall, demand, failures or operating conditions change quickly. | CityFlow Live and MIKE Operations support real-time and forecast-driven workflows; the Gothenburg case shows live tunnel-system control. | OpenFlows Water adds SCADA integration in higher tiers; Bentley’s water-network monitoring story connects SCADA, IoT, GIS, hydraulic models, client information and historical data in a digital-twin environment. | Tie | DHI proves live operation through cases; Bentley presents a clearer packaged data-monitoring narrative. |
| Consultant must deliver repeatable scenarios and explain design trade-offs to non-modelling stakeholders. | The model must become a decision artifact for clients, reviewers and budget holders. | DHI offers expert modellers, model reviews and broad MIKE modules for specialised assignments. | Bentley offers scenario management, scenario comparison, tiered packaging and water-network monitoring/digital-twin workflows. | Bentley | Bentley’s public workflow is easier to translate into stakeholder-facing reviews and demos. |
| Enterprise buyer must reduce fragmentation between water models, GIS, CAD, asset data and project-delivery tools. | Separate files and tools slow review, governance, handover and cross-team coordination. | DHI connects MIKE+ to ArcGIS Pro and offers MIKE APIs and cloud options. | Bentley links OpenFlows to its wider infrastructure-software ecosystem, digital twins, developer and partner catalogues, and enterprise licensing. | Bentley | Bentley has the broader enterprise-software channel and integration story. |
| Public agency must select a defensible platform with training, support and procurement paths. | Adoption risk is high when modelling requires scarce expertise and long procurement cycles. | DHI offers training, support, consulting, academic licences and a free non-commercial evaluation path. | Bentley offers online purchase, Virtuoso subscriptions with training, perpetual SELECT, enterprise plans and partner/sales paths. | Tie | DHI reduces specialist-capability risk; Bentley reduces packaging and procurement uncertainty. |
Competitive narrative and sales enablement
Bentley’s likely competitive narrative is strongest when the buyer already uses infrastructure-design software or wants water models to sit inside a wider engineering-data environment. Discovery should test whether the buyer has fragmented GIS/CAD/model files, slow scenario review, SCADA data that is not used in models, or difficulty onboarding new engineers. The best demo moments: build a model from GIS/CAD data, compare scenarios, run Darwin calibration or design optimization, publish to a digital-twin environment, then show how WaterSight turns live data into system-level decisions.
DHI’s likely competitive narrative is strongest when the buyer has water-domain complexity that cannot be reduced to a standard network design problem. Discovery should test whether the work involves flood-risk combinations, river/drainage interaction, groundwater, ecology, pollutant transport, water quality, coastal conditions or the need for expert modelling support. The best demo moments are module-based: combine 1D and 2D modelling, run flood scenarios, use data assimilation, show ArcGIS outputs, and connect product evidence to DHI project cases. The sales trap for DHI is overwhelming non-specialists with breadth. The sales trap for Bentley is presenting AI and digital twins before the buyer has seen credible hydraulic work.
Packaging, pricing and adoption friction
DHI publishes access models, not a transparent price list. The MIKE page presents subscription packages, perpetual licenses, academic licenses and MIKE on Azure; it also offers a free one-month non-commercial evaluation license. That helps trial logic but still leaves commercial buyers needing sales contact for real pricing, module composition and service requirements. Adoption friction is also technical: MIKE’s broad scope increases the need for training, expert configuration and clear project scoping.
Bentley publishes more visible packaging for OpenFlows Water. The product page shows Essentials, Standard, Advanced and Ultimate tiers; it also presents 12-month Virtuoso subscription, perpetual license with SELECT and enterprise options. The page notes that prices vary by region, so exact pricing still requires the purchase path or sales contact. Adoption friction comes from choosing the right tier, understanding which capabilities live in WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, HAMMER or WaterSight, and proving that digital-twin integration is relevant to the buyer’s current data maturity.
Product marketing could reduce friction by showing three guided entry paths: first model in one day, first defensible scenario package, and first live-data or digital-twin workflow. DHI should make “which module for which job” easier for non-experts. Bentley should make “which OpenFlows product for which water workflow” easier for buyers who do not already know the Bentley portfolio.
Business and channel logic
DHI’s channel logic is expert-led. The company sells software, training, support, consulting, project reviews, data portals and live services. That fits public-sector agencies, utilities, ports, coastal authorities, researchers and engineering consultants that need modelling confidence. The business logic is strongest when software and expertise reinforce each other: a difficult water problem leads to DHI services, which then strengthens MIKE adoption and future renewals.
Bentley’s channel logic is platform-led. OpenFlows sits inside a larger infrastructure software company with online purchase routes, partner discovery, training, enterprise plans, public-sector reseller visibility and adjacent products for engineering firms, owner-operators, government and academic users. The business logic is strongest when water modelling becomes one element in a larger infrastructure data environment. This gives Bentley more cross-sell surface, but it also forces product marketing to keep the water buyer’s specific job visible inside a broad portfolio.
Public reviews, complaints and market perception
Bentley has more visible public review evidence for OpenFlows WorkSuite. G2 shows a modest but real body of reviews, with praise around ease of use, calculation speed, sanitary-system modelling and CAD/GIS-related workflows. The visible complaints are consistent with complex engineering software: time-consuming inputs, many parameters and interface/friction issues. That public footprint helps Bentley because buyers can see peer language beyond the vendor site, even if the review sample is not enough to treat as a verified customer-satisfaction study.
DHI’s reviewed public footprint is weaker on review platforms and stronger in project evidence. The company can show detailed specialist cases, but a buyer looking for peer review summaries, usability complaints, onboarding feedback or independent satisfaction data has less to work with from the reviewed sources. That does not prove weaker software quality. It proves lower public-review visibility. In product-marketing terms, DHI’s public proof is expert-heavy and case-heavy; Bentley’s is product-page-heavy, review-visible and easier to commercialize at first contact.
Improvements
DHI should rename “Projects” to “Case studies.” “Projects” is credible but too broad as a navigation label. A buyer looking for proof has to infer that it means client examples, methods, outcomes and comparable situations. “Case studies” is shorter, clearer and better aligned with the proof function of that section.
DHI should modernise the website journey with role-based “start here” paths. DHI’s navigation is built around expertise areas such as Cities, Marine and coast, Energy, Mining, Ports and maritime, Water resources and Nature-based solutions. That supports institutional credibility, but it forces buyers to translate broad domains into their own task. A stronger journey would start with roles or jobs — utility modeller, flood planner, wastewater team, water-quality specialist, consultant, live-network operator — then connect each path to the relevant MIKE product, case study and contact option.
Bentley should publish one OpenFlows workflow map. Bentley’s OpenFlows portfolio is commercially clearer than DHI’s because it uses visible product pages, package tiers and buy/contact paths. The remaining friction is portfolio interpretation across OpenFlows Water, Sewer, Storm, Flood and water-network monitoring. One workflow map would show which product supports which buyer job — distribution design, sewer modelling, stormwater drainage, flood-risk planning, SCADA/live monitoring and digital-twin workflows — and would make the portfolio easier to sell, demo and evaluate.
Final takeaway
Bentley has stronger product marketing in this comparison because OpenFlows is easier to understand, evaluate and bring into a buying conversation. The OpenFlows Water page gives buyers a clear route from product scope to package tiers, included applications, capability differences, GIS/CAD/SCADA integration, optimization tools and buy/contact options. Bentley is strongest when the buyer needs a packaged water-infrastructure platform that can connect modelling with asset, operations and digital-twin workflows.
DHI has the stronger specialist story when the problem becomes technically demanding. Its public journey is less direct: buyers move between expertise areas, MIKE modules, consulting support, project examples, documentation and pricing paths. That makes the first evaluation harder, but the proof is substantial in flood and climate planning, ecological process modelling, hydrodynamics, water quality, groundwater, river systems, live forecasting and expert-supported modelling. Bentley wins the first-page commercial journey; DHI becomes more convincing when the buyer needs deep water-science capability.
Methodology note
This report is based on reviewed public sources only: company websites, product pages, release pages, licensing/access pages, project stories, review pages and public company information. It is a strategic product-marketing comparison, not a technical audit, procurement recommendation, pricing benchmark or verified customer-satisfaction study. The report compares DHI’s MIKE/software-and-services position with Bentley’s OpenFlows/WaterSight position because those are the public offers most directly relevant to hydraulic, hydrologic and digital water-infrastructure modelling.
