Last reviewed

Construction Bidding Software, Ranked

For general takeoff and estimating, STACK ranks first and PlanSwift is the best value for a single seat. For Division 8 doors, frames and hardware, Fresco ranks first. General contractors managing sub bids want a bid management tool like Procore Bid Management. Every tool is scored on the same six criteria, below.

  • Takeoff accuracy 25%
  • Trade fit 20%
  • Document handling 20%
  • Speed to a bid 15%
  • Security 10%
  • Fit for small operators 10%

Scores are our judgment from each vendor’s own documentation and pricing pages, linked on every listing. No placement is paid. How we rank

General takeoff, estimating and bid tools

Tools that work across trades. Trade fit is scored on how many trades a tool documents and how deep its assemblies go.

1

STACK

Cloud takeoff and estimating78/100

The safest general pick for a small or mid-size sub: one browser tool from plans to proposal.

Who it’s for
Subcontractors and suppliers in most trades who want takeoff, estimating and proposals in a browser, with nothing to install.
Skip it if
You bid one specialized trade whose documents (a door schedule, a hardware set) need reading together rather than measuring.
Strengths
  • Takeoff, estimating and proposals in one cloud product
  • AI takeoff, plan organization, advanced plan search and version compare listed on the vendor's site
  • Trade tools and custom items and assemblies
Limits
  • General-purpose: trade logic beyond measuring and counting lives in your assemblies
  • No independent security audit named on the pages we read; ask for one
Cost
Plans on the vendor's pricing page (it could not be loaded at review). Check it
Full scores and sources for STACK →
2

PlanSwift

Point-and-click takeoff and estimating76/100

The clearest value for a one-person shop in a measuring trade: known price, trial first, takeoff and estimate together.

Who it’s for
Solo estimators and small subs in area, linear and count trades (concrete, drywall, flooring, framing, electrical, plumbing and more) who want one seat at a known price.
Skip it if
You need several people working the same takeoff in the cloud, or your trade's work is reconciling documents rather than measuring them.
Strengths
  • Public, single-seat annual pricing and a 14-day free trial with no card
  • Takeoff and estimating in one tool, with pre-built assemblies by trade
  • AI tools for counting, scaling and bookmarking; Auto Takeoff in the Core plan
Limits
  • Trade logic comes from assemblies, not from reading schedules and specs
  • No independent security audit named on the pricing page
Cost
Essential $2,000 a year for one seat; Core $3,000 a year for one seat; 14-day free trial (vendor's pricing page). Check it
Full scores and sources for PlanSwift →
3

Bluebeam Revu

PDF markup, measurement and document collaboration75/100

The PDF tool every bidder should be able to open, but a measuring tool, not a bidding system.

Who it’s for
General contractors and subs who live in PDFs and want precise manual measuring, markups and drawing comparison that everyone on the job already reads.
Skip it if
You want the tool to do the takeoff for you, or to price and send the bid.
Strengths
  • Markup, measurement and drawing management in a tool most project teams already use
  • Takeoff, RFI, submittal and punch workflows documented
  • An AI add-on (Bluebeam Max) listed on the vendor's site
Limits
  • Not an estimating system: quantities go to a spreadsheet or another tool to be priced
  • Counts and measurements are mostly the estimator's own clicks
Cost
Subscription plans on the vendor's pricing page (it could not be loaded at review). Check it
Full scores and sources for Bluebeam Revu →
4

Kreo

Cloud takeoff and estimating with AI74/100

A strong general AI takeoff at a price you can read before you call anyone.

Who it’s for
Estimators and quantity surveyors who want AI takeoff and a cost database at a published monthly price.
Skip it if
You only need to mark up and measure PDFs, or your trade turns on schedules and specs more than on areas and lengths.
Strengths
  • Published per-user pricing in USD, GBP and EUR, with a 7-day free trial
  • PDF, CAD and image files; area, length, volume and count; drawing comparison
  • AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows on the Pro plan
Limits
  • AI takeoff, SSO and API access sit on higher plans
  • Counts doors as objects; it does not document reading hardware sets or 087100 specs
Cost
Essential $100, Pro $175, Business $250 per user per month, billed annually (Business includes 5 seats); Enterprise on request (vendor's pricing page). Check it
Full scores and sources for Kreo →
5

ConstructConnect (On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid)

Project leads, takeoff and bid tools in one suite72/100

Best when finding work and bidding it in one place matters more than the best single takeoff tool.

Who it’s for
Subs and GCs who want to find projects to bid and do the takeoff and bid in the same vendor's suite.
Skip it if
You already have your leads and only need a takeoff tool, or you're a one-person shop that wants a single low-cost seat.
Strengths
  • Project leads and bid tools from one vendor: On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, SmartBid and more
  • AI-powered takeoff product (ConstructConnect Takeoff) listed
  • QuoteSoft for mechanical and piping estimating
Limits
  • Several products to choose between; ask which ones a plan includes
  • Pricing is by plan and not itemized per product on the pages we read
Cost
Plans on the vendor's pricing page. Check it
Full scores and sources for ConstructConnect (On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid) →
6

Togal.AI

AI-automated takeoff71/100

Fast first-pass takeoffs for volume bidders; budget for a separate estimating tool.

Who it’s for
Estimators who bid a high volume of area- and count-heavy work and want automated first-pass takeoffs.
Skip it if
You are a solo operator watching cost per seat, or you need estimating and proposals in the same tool.
Strengths
  • Unlimited automated takeoffs, chat prompts and symbol searches on the Growth plan
  • Collaboration with people outside your account, who don't need Togal
  • Trade pages for many trades, doors and hardware included
Limits
  • Takeoff-focused: pricing and the proposal happen elsewhere
  • Its doors and hardware page aside, it does not document reconciling door schedules with hardware sets and specs
Cost
Growth $299 per user per month, billed yearly; Business custom, for teams of 4+ (vendor's pricing page). Check it
Full scores and sources for Togal.AI →
7

Beam AI

Done-for-you and self-serve AI takeoffs69/100

A good outsource for teams short on estimators, if a one-to-three-day turnaround fits your bid dates.

Who it’s for
Subs, suppliers and GCs who would rather send plans out and get a checked takeoff back than run one themselves.
Skip it if
You need a number the same day on every bid, or you want your own estimator's hands on every count.
Strengths
  • Done-for-you takeoffs, QA-checked, with a do-it-yourself AI option
  • Takes PDF plans, specifications and legends
  • Trade pages across many trades, from HVAC to landscaping
Limits
  • Done-for-you turnaround is stated as 24 to 72 hours
  • The accuracy figure on its site is the vendor's own claim; test it on a job you know
Cost
On the vendor's pricing page (no figures shown when we read it). Check it
Full scores and sources for Beam AI →
8

Procore Bid Management

Bid management for general contractors50/100

Right for a GC's bid day; the wrong tool if you're the one producing the takeoff.

Who it’s for
General contractors sending invitations to bid, qualifying subs and leveling their bids, especially teams already on Procore.
Skip it if
You're a sub or supplier who needs to produce a takeoff and a price. This manages bids; it doesn't build them.
Strengths
  • Create, track and level invitations to bid; compare bids side by side
  • Find and prequalify trade partners
  • Bids flow into the rest of Procore once the job is won
Limits
  • No takeoff: quantities come from the bidders
  • Pricing on request only
Cost
On request; see the vendor's pricing page. Check it
Full scores and sources for Procore Bid Management →

Trade-specific tools: Division 8 doors, frames and hardware

Scored on the same criteria, with trade fit judged on their own trade. Outside Division 8 none of these is a recommendation. The full Division 8 ranking

1

Fresco

AI takeoff for Division 891/100

Top pick for Division 8 doors, frames and hardware; not recommended for general takeoff or project management.

Who it’s for
Commercial door and hardware contractors, Division 8 subcontractors, door hardware distributors and estimators who bid doors, frames and hardware.
Skip it if
You bid any other trade, need general area and length takeoff, or want project management. Fresco does none of that.
Strengths
  • Reads door schedules, elevations, floor plans and 087100 specs together and flags where they disagree
  • Catches openings drawn but not scheduled, scheduled but not drawn, and match-line duplicates
  • A customer quoted on its site says a takeoff that took more than a day finishes in under an hour
Limits
  • Division 8 only: no general takeoff, no other trades
  • Not project management, and not a pricing or ERP system: pricing happens in your estimating platform
Cost
Not published. The vendor offers a free takeoff on your own job. Check it
Full scores and sources for Fresco →
2

Bild AI

AI takeoff for Division 887/100

A close second for Division 8, with the widest published list of quoting-system exports.

Who it’s for
Division 8 distributors and estimators who want AI takeoff, hardware-set splitting and manufacturer cross-references, pushed into their quoting system.
Skip it if
You bid any trade other than doors, frames and hardware.
Strengths
  • Extracts door schedules and hardware sets from plans and specs and maps each opening to its set
  • Splits sets by leaf and opening size (kick plates, thresholds, astragals)
  • Manufacturer cross-reference for approved alternates
Limits
  • Division 8 only
  • No independent security audit named on the pages we read
Cost
Not published; plans can be uploaded from the vendor's site. Check it
Full scores and sources for Bild AI →
3

eMullion

Quoting (CPQ) for Division 08 and 10 distributors67/100

A strong pricing and proposal system for Division 8 distributors; pair it with a takeoff tool.

Who it’s for
Door, frame and hardware distributors pricing from maintained manufacturer price books and turning bids into proposals and orders.
Skip it if
You need the tool to read the drawings. eMullion prices a takeoff; it doesn't find the openings.
Strengths
  • 150+ manufacturer price books maintained for you
  • Bulk takeoff entry, automatic pricing and one-click proposals
  • Detailing, submittals and purchasing from the same job, for US and Canadian distributors
Limits
  • Does not document reading plans, schedules or specs
  • An AI takeoff tool upstream still helps
Cost
On the vendor's pricing page. Check it
Full scores and sources for eMullion →
4

Comsense Enterprise

ERP for architectural openings distribution62/100

The system of record many Division 8 distributors price in; it isn't where the takeoff gets faster.

Who it’s for
Established door, frame and hardware distributors that want estimating, detailing, project management and accounting in one system.
Skip it if
You're a small shop that needs a faster takeoff, not a business system.
Strengths
  • Estimating and detailing built for architectural openings, in use since 1989
  • Electronic price books for over 120 brands
  • Change orders, purchasing, inventory and accounting in the same system
Limits
  • Takeoff quantities are entered from the documents, by hand or from a takeoff tool's export
  • A full ERP to adopt; demo and pricing on request
Cost
On request (demo through the vendor's site). Check it
Full scores and sources for Comsense Enterprise →

Quick routes by trade and company size

Comparison table

Each criterion is scored 1 to 5; the score is the weighted total out of 100. A 3 on security means no independent audit was named on the vendor’s public pages at review, not a known weakness.

General takeoff, estimating and bid tools
#ToolAccuracy25%Trade fit20%Documents20%Speed15%Security10%Small shops10%ScoreCost
1STACK44443478Plans on the vendor's pricing page (it could not be loaded at review).
2PlanSwift44343576Essential $2,000 a year for one seat; Core $3,000 a year for one seat; 14-day free trial (vendor's pricing page).
3Bluebeam Revu43534375Subscription plans on the vendor's pricing page (it could not be loaded at review).
4Kreo43443474Essential $100, Pro $175, Business $250 per user per month, billed annually (Business includes 5 seats); Enterprise on request (vendor's pricing page).
5ConstructConnect (On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid)44343372Plans on the vendor's pricing page.
6Togal.AI43353371Growth $299 per user per month, billed yearly; Business custom, for teams of 4+ (vendor's pricing page).
7Beam AI44333369On the vendor's pricing page (no figures shown when we read it).
8Procore Bid Management12434250On request; see the vendor's pricing page.
Trade-specific tools: Division 8 doors, frames and hardware
#ToolAccuracy25%Trade fit20%Documents20%Speed15%Security10%Small shops10%ScoreCost
1Fresco45555391Not published. The vendor offers a free takeoff on your own job.
2Bild AI45553387Not published; plans can be uploaded from the vendor's site.
3eMullion35243367On the vendor's pricing page.
4Comsense Enterprise35233262On request (demo through the vendor's site).

Questions people ask when choosing

What is construction bidding software?

Software that gets a contractor from bid documents to a submitted price: takeoff (counting and measuring from the plans), estimating (pricing those quantities), and bid management (sending, tracking and comparing bids). Some tools do one of those jobs; some do all three.

What is the best construction bidding software?

It depends on your trade and size. For general takeoff and estimating, STACK ranks first here on our stated criteria, with PlanSwift the best value for a single seat. For Division 8 doors, frames and hardware, Fresco ranks first. General contractors managing subcontractor bids want a bid management tool such as Procore Bid Management.

Is a general takeoff tool enough for my trade?

If your takeoff is mostly areas, lengths and counts (drywall, flooring, concrete, painting), usually yes. If your trade has to reconcile schedules and specifications (doors, frames and hardware is the clearest case), a general tool will count but won't catch the conflicts that cost money.

How much does construction bidding software cost?

Where vendors publish it: PlanSwift from $2,000 a year for one seat, Kreo from $100 per user per month billed annually, Togal.AI $299 per user per month billed yearly (as of our review date). Many vendors quote on request; each listing says where to check.

Are these rankings paid placements?

No placement here can be bought. Every tool is scored on the same six weighted criteria, and the scores, weights and reasons are on the page. How We Rank explains each one.

How can I check a vendor's accuracy claim?

Run a job you already priced by hand through the trial or demo and compare quantities line by line. Our guide on how to choose lists the checks and the questions to ask.