This study evaluates the performance of SAP2000, and AxisVM in conducting pushover analyses, with a focus on the manual (user) definition of plastic hinges versus the automatic definitions provided by the software. Three structures, namely a single column subjected to a point load, a 2D reinforced concrete (RC) frame model, and a 3D RC model, are considered. It explores the performance of the three models in different conditions, including, application of the different software, the use of user defined (manual) hinges, and automatically generated hinges to assess their response to various analytical excitations. The need for engineers to focus on understanding the application of defining the hinge properties according to existing guidelines, including FEMA-356, ASCE 41-13/17, and Eurocodes, is highly emphasized, in addition to the existing methods as found in the literature. This is achieved by considering and comparing the capacity curves generated by the software. The results vary in some instances, especially when comparing results from user-defined and automatic hinges. It is also found that when used with precision, the results are almost similar, it is also important to use software that allows ultimate precision for better results.