7 Best Construction Estimating Software 2023 (50 Top Programs)

Published: January 26th, 2023.
by Chris Von Wilpert

Today there are 279 different construction estimating software. We spent 100 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to estimate your construction costs.

What is the Best Construction Estimating Software?

  1. Buildxact — best of the best
  2. ProEst — best for big companies
  3. Clear Estimates — best for residential contractors
  4. Procore — best for specialty contractors
  5. Sage Estimating — best for BIM integration
  6. AccuBuild — best for cost management
  7. On-Screen Takeoff — best takeoff solution

1. Buildxact

Our Verdict — Best Of The Best

Price: Starts at $149/month

Buildxact is a powerful cloud-based construction management solution for large contractors and building companies, at a competitive price that is affordable even for freelancers. We think it’s the best of the best because of how its workflow and integration capabilities make it for fast estimates, with accurate pricing.

The Best Part:

  • It makes the complicated simple. Buildxact allows builders and contractors to use just this from the takeoff to the invoice. They claim to make the entire process 80% faster.

The Worst Part:

  • It’s hard to integrate actual costs. Users report they usually end up integrating actual costs manually, which can take away from the quick experience otherwise provided by Buildxact.

Get it if you want the best all-in-one construction estimating solution for an amazing price. 

I recommend you get the Pro plan for $249/month.

Try Buildxact now

(14-day free trial)

Best For

Buildxact is best for anyone who wants to leverage the most powerful digital takeoffs and estimates.

Top Features

  • Ready. Set. Go.  Buildxact claims it only requires two hours of lead time to get started using the product. After that initial stint, you’re ready to go.
  • It saves an ungodly amount of time. Buildxact allows you to create accurate construction estimates at lightning speeds, for both your takeoffs and cost estimates, down to the smallest details.
  • Real time pricing. Your Buildxact account connects you with dealer catalogs in real-time, for the right material pricing… every time. 
  • “I’ll go wherever you will go.” Even when you’re out in the field, as long as you have your mobile phone and an internet connection, you can check and update your project on the go.
  • It shaves off the boring tasks. Create online templates of your most common projects and you’ll never get caught trying to remember if you’ve left any materials out.

Pricing

Buildxact offers three pricing plans for builders and remodelers:

  • Entry:  $149/month for the builder starting off with digital takeoffs and estimates to speed up quotes.
  • Pro:  $249/month for a team of builders interested in scaling their business with end-to-end project management.
  • Teams:  $299/month for a growing team of builders interested in scaling their business using end-to-end project management

Try Buildxact today with a free 14-day trial.

Try Buildxact now

2. ProEst

Our Verdict — Best For Big Companies

Price: Custom pricing

ProEst is a construction estimating software that has been in business for over 40 years and is designed to be used by both subcontractors and contractors. We think it's the best for big companies because of how solid and trustworthy it is.

The Best Part:

  • No matter how much you grow, It will scale with you. Need to add more users? Done. Opening up dozens of new locations? No problem. Need to add trade partners to work along with you? You’ve got it. With their unlimited annual pricing, no matter how much you scale, you’ll be taken care of.

The Worst Part:

  • How much does it cost? ProEst keeps their pricing behind a wall, which may be a turn off for a lot of people. While we do know how much it costs, we won’t disclose it here, since they don’t disclose it themselves.

Get it if you only do business with the most traditional companies.

I recommend you book a free demo to learn how ProEst could help you.

Try ProEst now

(free demo)

Best For

ProEst is best for large corporations who want to do business with another big corporation.

Top Features

  • It comes from a solid provider. ProEst has been around since 1976, having worked with over 8,000 to craft one of the top products on the market.
  • Build your own takeoff software. ProEst allows you to set up formula variables and algorithms so you can rate your assemblies. Customization overload!
  • Extensive database. ProEst offers one of the largest built-in cost databases in the market, eliminating the need to track down every single individual cost.
  • Built-in CRM. With ProEst’s customer relationship management tools,you can easily track client information and keep track of everything. So long, post-its.
  • Relaxed bid day decisions. Take the stress out of bid day while you clearly see how subcontractor costs, margins, exclusions and other details compare.

Pricing

ProEst hides its pricing plans. You need to book a call for pricing.

Try ProEst today with a free demo.

Try ProEst now

3. Clear Estimates

Our Verdict — Best For Residential Contractors

Price: Starts at $79/month

Clear Estimates is a cloud-based construction estimating software designed to provide quick and accurate estimates for residential contractors and remodelers.  We think it’s best for them because it’s affordable yet powerful, and It has one of the cleanest interfaces of any estimating tool.

The Best Part:

  • Perfect for a one-man-band. Clear Estimates is as intuitive and easy to use as it gets. Anyone can generate accurate estimates, proposals, and track projects with minimal effort.

The Worst Part:

  • Doesn’t have as many third-party integrations. When compared to some of the most prominent competitors, Clear Estimates is a little below when it comes to integrations with other apps (like accounting and finances, for example).

Get it if you want an easy, simple solution that will buy you time, for about half of the price of the best option.

I recommend you get started on the Standard plan for $79/mo if you’re working on your own, or on the Pro plan for $119/mo, if you’ve got a team.

Try Clear Estimates now

(30-day free trial)

Best For

Clear Estimates is best for residential contractors who want to be more efficient.

Top Features

  • It makes you look professional. Sweeten up your reports with your logo, name, address, and contact information, like the big companies do.
  • 1, 2, done. It’s extra easy to create your estimates from any device — even if you're out in the field!
  • Ready to use, out-of-the-box. Clear Estimates comes with 10,000+ instances of pre-loaded parts with descriptions, labor and material costs.
  • It’s super flexible. You can create and edit parts as you wish, save your own templates, and even boilerplate language to expedite your work even more.
  • It’s always accurate. Get access to your region-specific material and labor prices updated every 3 months, so you can be confident that your estimates are always the most accurate they can be.

Pricing

Clear Estimates offers three pricing plans:

  • Standard: $79/month for freelancers and service providers.
  • Pro: $119/month for larger teams.
  • Franchise: $249/month for companies that want to host everything on their own servers.

Annual plans provide a 20% discount.

Try Clear Estimates today with a 30-day free trial.

Try Clear Estimates now

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

  1. Buildxact — best of the best
  2. ProEst — best for big companies
  3. Clear Estimates — best for residential contractors

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Tool

Entry Offer

Pricing

Buildxact

14-day free trial

Starts at $149/mo

ProEst

Free demo

Custom quote

Clear Estimates

30-day free trial

Starts at $79/mo

Procore

Free demo

Custom quote

Sage Estimating

Free demo

Custom quote

AccuBuild

Free demo

Custom quote

On-Screen Takeoff

14-day free trial

Custom quote

Here are the top 50 construction estimating tools we considered in this review:

  1. Buildxact
  2. ProEst
  3. Clear Estimates
  4. Procore
  5. Sage Estimating
  6. AccuBuild
  7. On-Screen Takeoff
  8. BuildingConnected
  9. CoConstruct
  10. PlanSwift
  11. STACK
  12. eTakeoff
  13. Bluebeam Estimating
  14. B2W Estimate
  15. Fast Estimate
  16. MC2 Estimating
  17. UDA Estimating
  18. Estimator360
  19. Quick Bid
  20. CostX
  21. eSTM8
  22. WinEst
  23. DataSet
  24. Buildertrend
  25. Designer Plus
  26. Autodesk Quantity Takeoff
  27. RSMeans
  28. RedTeam
  29. Bid4Build
  30. E2E Solutions
  31. Autodesk Building Design Suite
  32. UDA Construction Suite
  33. National Estimator
  34. CCS Estimating
  35. e-PlanSoft
  36. SureTrak
  37. Price Systems
  38. PlanGrid
  39. Global Cost Estimating System
  40. eTakeoff Dimension
  41. Earthwork Estimating Software
  42. Clear Estimates
  43. Autodesk Building Systems
  44. Visual Estimating
  45. VisualTakeoff
  46. Power Estimator
  47. Quick Bid Pro
  48. Autodesk MEP Fabrication Suite
  49. EstimatorXpress
  50. Construction Cost Estimator

What is construction estimating software?

Construction estimating software is a tool used by construction professionals to accurately estimate the cost of construction projects. It typically includes features such as detailed estimates, a wide range of labor costs, a construction cost database, professional proposals, quantity takeoff, square footage estimates, project management tools, credit card processing, and customer relationship management. 

It can be used by contractors, subcontractors, electrical contractors, specialty contractors, and other construction business professionals. It’s a powerful tool that makes it easier to accurately estimate the cost of construction projects and make informed decisions about potential projects.

How do you estimate construction costs?

To estimate construction costs, you can use construction software or project management solutions, such as Buildxact, ProEst, or other cloud-based construction management solutions. 

These solutions provide a centralized database with cost data, digital takeoffs, and proposal templates, allowing you to quickly develop quantity estimates and project bids. Manual processes and calculations are eliminated, saving you time and money. 

Professional contractors and larger companies can benefit from construction accounting software, which can help with the takeoff process and provide accurate estimates. 

With unlimited users and advanced features, these software solutions provide a huge time-saver for project managers and potential customers. By using cloud-based access, users can also easily add additional users and features to the software.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best construction estimating software to try this year:

  1. Buildxact — best of the best
  2. ProEst — best for big companies
  3. Clear Estimates — best for residential contractors
  4. Procore — best for specialty contractors
  5. Sage Estimating — best for BIM integration
  6. AccuBuild — best for cost management
  7. On-Screen Takeoff — best takeoff solution

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