Best AI Takeoff Software for Electrical Contractors in 2026

Last updated: October 20, 2026 · Vendor pages read: October 20, 2026 for Drawer AI and Bluebeam; October 17, 2026 for Togal.AI; August 19, 2026 for the rest, via our comparison guides

We make Bildrix, so this list is partisan. Bildrix is ranked first because we built it for this job; every other tool is described from its own public pages, linked, so you can check us.

Short answer: for electrical contractors bidding plan-set commercial and TI work in the US and Canada, the best AI takeoff software in 2026 is Bildrix. It counts devices from the sheet's own legend, shows you every count it doubts, reads panel schedules into an editor and carries the counts into a priced bid, change order and invoice. If what you need most is conduit routed and wire sized for you, Drawer AI is the specialist to look at. If you already live in Togal.AI, STACK or PlanSwift, the sections below say what you would gain and lose by moving.

Electrical is where takeoff tools separate fastest. Counting rooms is one problem; counting a hundred receptacle variants across forty sheets, then tracing every run back to a panel, is a different one. So this list is ranked on the electrical work itself: device counts, wire runs and homeruns, panel schedules, review and what happens after the count.

Electrical AI takeoff tools, side by side

How we ranked the best AI takeoff software for electrical contractors

Each tool is described from its own pages, read on the dates at the top, and the order follows six electrical questions:

1. Device counting: does it read the legend, or wait for you to box each symbol?
2. Wire runs and homeruns: drafted for you, routed for you, or traced by hand?
3. Panel schedules: read into something you can edit, or left as a picture?
4. Review: does it say which counts it doubts?
5. Pricing: can you see it without a demo?
6. After the takeoff: does the count become a bid, a change order and an invoice?

Bildrix wins four of the six on our reading. Drawer AI and Bobyard win on routing, and we say so in their sections.

1. Why do we rank Bildrix first for electrical takeoff?

Because it starts where an estimator starts: the legend. Bildrix's electrical takeoff finds the legend on the sheet and counts devices against it, so a duplex, a GFCI and a USB receptacle are three lines, not one search result you split by hand. A symbol that pairs with nothing in the legend is flagged rather than guessed.

Every count under 60% confidence goes to a review queue, lowest first: keep it, delete it, next. Everything at 60% or above was counted without you and stays editable. We do not publish an accuracy percentage; our accuracy research sets every vendor's advertised figure beside what has actually been measured.

Wire runs are drawn with a live footage readout, or the AI suggests switch legs, receptacle chains and homeruns and you accept, reject or drag each route. Panel schedules are read after upload into a Panel Editor with circuit, description, breaker trip and poles, and load; devices link to their circuits and homeruns group by panel, with a panel export.

Then the counts price themselves into a division-26 estimate through your assemblies and price book, with AI price lookups tagged for you to verify. The estimate goes out for e-sign; a revised set is compared to the last one and the difference staged as an AIA G701 format change order; the invoice follows, with QuickBooks-ready CSV.

Pricing and trial: Pro per seat billed annually, or pay as you go with credits, on the pricing page. Upload free; book a call and we run the first takeoff free. What it does not do: automatic conduit routing, wire sizing, voltage drop or riser counting. PDF plan sets only, US and Canada only.

2. Is Drawer AI better if you need wire sizing?

Yes, on that one job. Drawer AI is "built exclusively for the electrical trade" and describes the deepest automation on this list: detecting power devices, lighting fixtures and panel schedules, generating conduit paths from each panel to every device, totalling conduit and wire footage by circuit, and sizing wire with voltage drop and derating. Output is an Excel report and a marked-up PDF showing the routing.

Pricing: Starter and Enterprise annual plans by team size and project volume; no figures shown. Trial: book a demo, with a 30-day money-back guarantee mentioned. Drawer's own demo webinar says it runs on vector PDFs, not scanned sets. A review queue for uncertain detections, a priced estimate, e-sign, change orders and invoices are not described on the page we read. If your bottleneck is the bid after the count, that is the gap.

3. How does Togal.AI handle electrical takeoff?

Togal.AI's electrical page, as of October 17, 2026, describes counting a device by boxing one symbol and letting image search find it across every sheet, linear tools that measure conduit runs, feeders and cable tray, homeruns on its measured list, and Togal.CHAT answering questions about panel schedules. Whether runs are traced or detected is not stated. Legend matching, a confidence flag and a schedule editor are not described. Counts go to Excel or to estimating software such as ServiceTitan; pricing stays there.

Pricing: per user per month billed yearly on Growth, custom on Business. Trial: sign-up goes through a demo. Row by row: Bildrix vs Togal.AI for electrical takeoff.

4. What does Bobyard do for electrical?

Bobyard's pages, read in August 2026, describe device counts, panel schedules read from the schedule, riser and equipment counting, and homeruns routed automatically. Its Bobyard 2.0 post describes a review workflow with confidence levels and a legend manager, so on review it is the closest rival to Bildrix. Assembly templates and a cost database are described; an AI price lookup and per-line provenance are not. It covers six trades.

Pricing: not published. Trial: none described; you book a demo. Full comparison: Bildrix vs Bobyard.

5. Is Kreo a fit for electrical subcontractors?

Kreo's electrical page describes Auto Count, search and Ask AI on drawings. Wire runs and circuits were not described when we read it. Kreo's real strengths are elsewhere: multi-trade work, BIM and IFC takeoff, multi-currency and enterprise admin, which makes it a better fit for quantity surveyors than for an electrical sub tracing homeruns.

Pricing: per user per month billed annually, AI on Pro. Trial: 7 days on Pro. See Bildrix vs Kreo.

6. Does STACK work for electrical estimating?

As an estimating worksheet, yes. STACK's electrical page and help center describe autocount from a symbol you box, wire drawn by hand, a deep worksheet with assemblies and cost types, and Excel and QuickBooks export. Its Floor Plan AI is a priced add-on aimed at rooms and walls. E-sign and invoices are not described.

Pricing: per user per month billed annually, plus the AI add-on. Trial: a free account and 7 days. See Bildrix vs STACK.

7. Should an electrical estimator stay on PlanSwift?

If you are fast in it, it still works. PlanSwift's electrical page describes measuring conduit and wire runs that "snake around corners and drop down walls", clicking devices and pricing with assemblies, on a Windows desktop. Since May 2026 Takeoff Boost adds Auto Count, which finds a symbol you pick once across up to 10 pages, and Auto Takeoff a page at a time. Legend reading, AI-suggested wire runs, panel schedules, e-sign, change orders and invoicing are not described.

Pricing: per license per year. Trial: 14 days, no card. See Bildrix vs PlanSwift.

8. Where does Bluebeam fit for electrical?

Beside the takeoff tool, usually. Bluebeam's estimating page describes VisualSearch, which "scans a set for a symbol and returns counts the estimator confirms", measurements kept as markups, and Quantity Link into Excel. Wire runs, panel schedules and an AI takeoff are not described. Pricing: per user, billed annually. Trial: free, length not stated.

Which tool fits which electrical shop?

• You bid commercial and TI electrical from PDF sets and want the count, the bid and the change order in one place: Bildrix.
• Your estimate lives or dies on conduit and wire sizing on large industrial jobs: Drawer AI.
• Electrical is one trade among many and you work from BIM: Kreo.
• You want a mature estimating worksheet and will draw wire yourself: STACK or PlanSwift.

The all-trades version of this list is the best AI takeoff software in 2026, and the walkthrough of the electrical first pass is on our AI takeoff software page.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

We built Bildrix for electrical estimators who want the machine to do the counting and to say plainly what it was not sure of. Run it on a real set: upload free, or book a call and we will run your first electrical takeoff with you.