The best electrical estimating software in 2026, and what goes in front of it.
An electrical estimate is a material database, a set of labor units and a pile of counts. The estimating systems on this page own the first two. The third is where the hours go, which is why takeoff tools now sit in front of them. Seven products, honest verdicts, and a section for the one- and two-person shop.
What is the best electrical estimating software?
Trimble Accubid, McCormick and ConEst IntelliBid are the three established electrical estimating systems in 2026, and none of them publishes a price; you get a quote. PataBid Quantify is the cloud option with a public price, listed at $2,460 per license per year. Countfire adds fast symbol counting with its own estimate module. Takeoff tools such as Pilars ($300 per user per month for the electrical trade, unlimited takeoffs) sit in front of any of them and supply the counts.
Electrical bidding software splits into two jobs. Estimating turns quantities into money using a priced material database, labor units and assemblies. Takeoff produces the quantities. The big three do both, with the takeoff side being assisted clicking. Pilars does only takeoff, so on this list it is a companion, not a replacement, and we have ranked it last for that reason.
How we judged them. Depth of the electrical database and labor units, who does the reading on the takeoff side, platform, whether pricing is public, and review signals where available. Pilars publishes this page and is included in it.
Pricing reviewed 13 November 2026, based on public documentation. PataBid's price was last read in September 2026. All product names are trademarks of their owners; this is an independent comparison.
Electrical estimating and bidding software compared
| Product | Best for | Type | Platform | Public price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trimble Accubid | Mid-size and large electrical contractors | Electrical estimating; LiveCount takeoff; AI takeoff added June 2026 | Windows or hosted (Classic); cloud (Anywhere) | Not public; you get a quote |
| McCormick | Contractors who want takeoff and estimate in one workflow | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical estimating with built-in takeoff | Cloud, per vendor | Not public; third-party listings report from $300 per month |
| ConEst IntelliBid | Electrical, low-voltage, datacom and solar contractors | Electrical estimating with SureCount takeoff | On-premise or CE Cloud | Not public; you get a quote |
| PataBid Quantify | Small and mid-size shops that want a published price | Cloud electrical and mechanical estimating with graphical takeoff | Browser | $2,460 per license per year |
| Countfire | Electrical and M&E estimators, UK-centred | Automated symbol counting plus estimate | Cloud, PC or Mac | Not public; you get a quote |
| STACK | Shops that want a general cloud takeoff and estimate seat | Cloud takeoff plus estimating, AI assist | Browser | "As low as $299 per user/month"; free version |
| Pilars | Feeding any of the above with counts and run lengths | Fully automated AI takeoff, editable (not estimating) | Browser | $300 per user per month; one trade per user, unlimited takeoffs |
What electrical estimating software has to get right
Three things separate a real electrical estimating system from a spreadsheet with a logo.
- Assemblies. One receptacle on the plan is a box, a ring, a device, a plate, connectors, a wire allowance and a labor unit. Good software explodes the count into all of it and lets you tune the recipe.
- Labor units. Hours per item, adjusted for height, building type and conditions. See NECA labor units explained for why the column you pick matters more than the software.
- Material pricing that stays current. Copper and conduit move. A database with supplier pricing behind it saves a day of phone calls, though gear and fixture packages still come from vendor quotes.
Where these systems fall down is not the math. It is the front end. Somebody still has to find every device, read every fixture tag against the luminaire schedule and trace every home run before the database has anything to price, and a missed sheet or a double-counted corridor flows straight through to the bid.
The seven products
1. Trimble Accubid
Accubid is the incumbent. Classic is the Windows desktop version, also sold hosted; Anywhere is the cloud version. Its strengths are deep electrical assemblies and labor units, audit trails and multi-user estimating. Takeoff is a separate app, LiveCount, and on 30 June 2026 Trimble announced AI takeoff across its MEP estimating products: symbol recognition and counting, length-based takeoff and an AI assistant in Accubid Anywhere. Reviewers consistently mention a steep learning curve. Best for: mid-size and large electrical contractors with dedicated estimators and room for training.
2. McCormick
McCormick has been in business since 1979 and covers electrical, plumbing and mechanical. Design Estimating Pro, its built-in takeoff, offers point-and-click counts, linear takeoff, auto-count and a patented Auto Home Run, feeding a preloaded material database with supplier pricing. The vendor now describes the product as cloud-based. It does not describe AI takeoff features on its site. Best for: contractors of any size who want count-to-bid in one workflow. The head-to-head is in Accubid vs McCormick.
3. ConEst IntelliBid
IntelliBid comes in Standard, Plus and Pro editions, with SureCount for takeoff. SureCount's patented Auto Count counts all symbol types on a drawing at once. You can run it on-premise or on ConEst's CE Cloud. Third-party listings show no free trial, and the vendor's site does not mention AI. Best for: electrical, low-voltage, datacom and solar contractors who want an electrical-specific database and a choice of where it is hosted. See McCormick vs ConEst.
4. PataBid Quantify
PataBid Quantify is browser-based electrical and mechanical estimating with built-in graphical takeoff, supplier pricing and change-order management. It is the only dedicated electrical estimating system here with a public price: $2,460 per license per year, updates and support included. Best for: shops that want to know the cost before the sales call and prefer a browser to a Windows install. More in PataBid vs Accubid.
5. Countfire
Countfire started as automated symbol counting and now has Estimate and spec-compare products. It counts across every drawing in a project and runs on PC or Mac with no download. Third-party listings report about 240 Capterra reviews with high ratings. It is UK-centred, so check the database suits your market. Best for: estimators whose pain is counting, especially in the UK. See Countfire vs Accubid.
6. STACK
STACK is not electrical-specific, but it is a capable cloud takeoff and estimating tool with a free version, and its Symbol Counting AI is documented for electrical plan sheets. You bring your own items and labor. Best for: contractors who do electrical alongside other scopes and want one general tool.
7. Pilars (takeoff, in front of your estimating system)
Pilars is not estimating software. It reads the plan set and spec book, resolves the fixture and equipment schedules, counts devices and fixtures, traces runs and flags NEC issues, then exports quantities to Excel for you to price. The first pass is automatic and takes minutes; every detection stays editable, so you can reclassify, add, remove or adjust and the totals update. Electrical is one of 19 trades from the same upload. In our one published test, a real power plan, it counted duplex receptacles at 97.5% (benchmark). A user costs $300 per month with unlimited takeoffs. Best for: shops that like their estimating system and want the counting done before they open it.
Best electrical estimating software for small contractors
A one- or two-person shop has a different problem from a fifty-person one: every recurring cost gets questioned, and nobody has three weeks for training. Realistic setups:
- PataBid Quantify. $2,460 per year gets a real electrical database, takeoff and change orders in a browser. The cleanest step up from a spreadsheet.
- McCormick. Sold to contractors of all sizes; third-party listings report pricing from $300 per month. Ask for a quote on the entry edition.
- STACK's free version. Fine for learning on-screen takeoff before you pay for anything.
- Spreadsheet plus automated takeoff. Keep the price sheet you trust and let Pilars do the counting: $300 per user per month for the electrical trade, unlimited takeoffs, with monthly billing available. That is more than a PataBid licence costs over a year, so it earns its place only when counting is what eats your week.
Accubid and IntelliBid can absolutely run a small shop, but the training and the unpublished pricing make them a harder first purchase. Our broader guide is best takeoff software for small contractors.
Where Togal.ai and Beam AI fit
Both come up when electrical contractors search for AI estimating, so for completeness: neither is an estimating system. Togal.ai ($299 per user per month, billed annually) is AI-assisted takeoff that is strongest on architectural areas, and it lists electrical among its trades. Beam AI from Attentive.ai is a done-for-you takeoff service returning quantities in 24 to 72 hours, from $25,000 per year; its self-serve licence does not cover electrical. Like Pilars, they supply quantities to an estimating system. The takeoff-side comparison is in best AI takeoff software for electrical contractors.
Questions estimators actually ask
What is the best electrical estimating software for small contractors?
For small electrical contractors, PataBid Quantify is the easiest to budget because it publishes a price of $2,460 per license per year. McCormick is also sold to small shops, and third-party listings report pricing from $300 per month. A small shop that prices in a spreadsheet can add Pilars for the counting at $300 per user per month with unlimited takeoffs, billed monthly if preferred.
How much does electrical estimating software cost?
Trimble Accubid, McCormick, ConEst IntelliBid and Countfire do not publish pricing, so you get a quote. PataBid Quantify lists $2,460 per license per year, and STACK advertises plans as low as $299 per user per month with a free version. Pilars takeoff costs $300 per user per month for one trade, with unlimited takeoffs.
Accubid vs McCormick for a three-estimator electrical shop: which is easier to learn?
Reviewers commonly describe Trimble Accubid as having a steep learning curve that needs formal training. McCormick keeps takeoff and estimating in one workflow, though directory reviews raise learning-curve complaints about McCormick as well, so trial both. Neither Accubid nor McCormick publishes pricing, so ask both for a three-seat quote.
Does electrical estimating software do the takeoff for me?
Partly. Accubid with LiveCount, McCormick Design Estimating Pro and ConEst SureCount all include on-screen takeoff with auto-count features, and Trimble added AI takeoff in June 2026. A fully automated tool such as Pilars reads the whole set and spec book first and hands quantities to the estimating system.
Can I use Pilars with Accubid, McCormick or ConEst?
Yes. Pilars exports quantities to Excel, sourced to the sheet, and the estimator enters or imports them into Accubid, McCormick, ConEst IntelliBid or a spreadsheet for pricing. Pilars does not replace the material database or labor units in those systems.
Is there electrical bidding software that runs in a browser or on a Mac?
PataBid Quantify, Countfire, STACK and Pilars all run in a browser, and Trimble Accubid Anywhere is the cloud version of Accubid. McCormick describes its product as cloud-based, and ConEst offers a hosted CE Cloud option, but neither vendor states Mac support.
Is ConEst IntelliBid still a good choice in 2026?
ConEst IntelliBid remains a solid electrical-specific estimating system with Standard, Plus and Pro editions and SureCount auto-count takeoff, available on-premise or hosted. ConEst does not publish pricing or mention AI features on its site, so compare a quote against McCormick and Accubid.