Comparison
clca vs openLCA
Open-source desktop LCA (GreenDelta)
openLCA is free and flexible; clca delivers managed SaaS, automated EPD reports, Turkish regulation and team collaboration out of the box.
What openLCA is good at
Free, open-source, flexible — but installation/operations burden falls on the user, and enterprise support is extra.
- Free, open-source — ideal for budget-constrained teams
- Modular plugin architecture
- Flexible for academic research
Feature comparison
| Feature | clca | openLCA |
|---|---|---|
| AI report assistant | ✓ Native | ✗ |
| Ready report & EPD templates | ✓ One click | Manual |
| Automated report generation | ✓ One-click PDF | Plugin required |
| Custom activity creation | ✓ UI-based | ✓ Complex |
| Consultant module | ✓ Native | ✗ |
| Automatic electricity calculation | ✓ TR + global grids | Manual |
| Real-time multi-user | ✓ Live sync | ✗ Manual sync |
| LCA copy (1-click) | ✓ | ✓ Manual |
| Live mass-flow management | ✓ Live balance | Post-calculation |
| Per-project licensing | ✓ Flexible | Free |
| License | SaaS subscription | Free / open-source |
| Deployment | Web SaaS | Desktop |
| Automated EPD | ✓ | Manual |
| Multi-user | ✓ Native | Manual sync |
| EN+TR UI | ✓ | EN |
| ecoinvent v3.12 | ✓ Managed | ✓ Manual setup |
| Audit log + KVKK | ✓ | ✗ |
Choose clca when
- Managed SaaS (no installation/update/backup burden)
- Browser-based multi-user access with workspace isolation
- Automated EPD PDF generation
- KVKK/GDPR-compliant enterprise use with audit logs
Choose openLCA when
- Zero budget + technical team capable of setup
- You need very specialized custom plugin development
Next step
Test the comparison against your own product portfolio. Open a free trial project on clca and model the same data set.