The Accubid alternative
that takes off for you.
Trimble Accubid is a powerhouse for electrical and mechanical pricing — six-figure item counts, labor units, the works. But the takeoff feeding it is still a desktop, largely manual job. Pilars automates the takeoff and hands the quantities off.
What Accubid is
Accubid (Trimble) is a deep, established estimating suite for electrical and mechanical contractors, with extensive databases of items, assemblies and labor units and serious pricing horsepower. It's an enterprise desktop tool, and its takeoff — even with auto-count features — leans on the estimator doing the work. The pricing depth is the draw; the takeoff is the slow part.
Where Pilars is different
Pilars isn't a pricing database — it's the automated takeoff in front of one. It reads the full set and spec, counts and traces, flags code, and exports confidence-scored quantities you can bring into Accubid or any estimate. Keep your labor units and pricing; replace the manual takeoff with an automated, cloud one that runs on any machine.
| Capability | Pilars | Trimble Accubid |
|---|---|---|
| Fully automated takeoff | Yes | Assisted / auto-count |
| Runs in the browser (Mac too) | Yes | Desktop |
| Reads the spec book | Yes | No |
| Code-compliance flagging | Yes | No |
| Trade coverage | All trades | Electrical / mechanical |
| Pricing | $100 per trade, per plan | Per-seat license |
Based on public documentation as of 2026. Trimble Accubid is a trademark of its owner; this is an independent comparison.
Questions estimators actually ask
Does Pilars replace Accubid's pricing database?
No — Pilars automates the takeoff and exports quantities. Keep Accubid for the labor units and pricing if that's your system; let Pilars feed it faster.
Is Pilars only for electrical, like Accubid leans?
No — Pilars covers all trades, so a multi-trade GC or a sub outside electrical/mechanical gets the same automated takeoff.
Can I bring Pilars quantities into Accubid?
Yes — Pilars exports structured quantities you can use in your estimate. The point is to remove the manual takeoff, not your pricing engine.
Pricing?
Pilars is $100 per trade, per plan, no per-seat fees. Accubid is a per-seat license.