If you bid electrical work and have looked at AI takeoff software this year, you have probably met Bobyard. It started in landscaping, is backed by what its about page calls the largest Series A in construction software, and in June 2026 launched Bobyard Electrical, its first trade beyond landscaping. Its electrical page says it "counts every device, routes every conduit, and rolls it all into an estimate." On some electrical features it goes further than we do today. We will say exactly where.
Bildrix was built for a narrower shop and a longer job. Our customer is the owner-estimator at a 1 to 15 person electrical sub or small GC, bidding commercial and TI work from PDF plan sets in the US and Canada. That person needs device counts they can defend, wire runs they can edit, an AI that admits its doubt, and a way to turn the takeoff into a priced estimate, a signed proposal, a change order and an invoice without retyping a number. They also want to see the price before they talk to anyone.
Two products, then, that overlap on the takeoff and diverge around it. We go category by category: the takeoff, electrical depth, what happens afterwards, revisions, getting started, and price. One ground rule. Everything we say about Bobyard comes from Bobyard's own website, read on August 19, 2026, and we link the page each time. Where its pages are silent, we say "not described" rather than guessing.
TL;DR: Bildrix vs Bobyard
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Electrical subs and small GCs, 1 to 15 people, plan-set work in the US and Canada. | Trade contractors in six trades, small shops to large teams. | For a small electrical sub, Bildrix. |
| Starting price | $397 per month billed annually, whole workspace, 5 teammates included. Founding rate $149 per month for the first 100 customers. | Not published. You book a demo. | Bildrix |
| Free trial | Yes. 15 AI detection pages, no credit card, plus a free first takeoff. | None described. Book a demo. | Bildrix |
| Electrical takeoff | Legend-based device counts, wire runs drawn or AI-suggested and edited, panel schedules read into an editable Panel Editor. | Device counts, automatic homerun and conduit routing, panel-schedule reading, riser counting. | Split: Bobyard on routing depth, Bildrix on control and what the estimate becomes. |
| After the takeoff | Priced estimate, client e-sign, change orders, invoices, QuickBooks-ready CSV. | Estimate table. E-sign, change orders, invoices not described. | Bildrix |
| Revisions and change orders | Compare two sets, then stage the diff as an AIA G701 format change order. | Not described. | Bildrix |
| Review of the AI's output | Confidence on every detection, uncertain items flagged and queued, messy scans labeled. | Confidence score on every detection; verify before locking in. | Close to even; Bildrix adds the queue. |
| Trades covered | Architectural and electrical in depth, plumbing fixture counts on demand. | Six trades, each with its own trained models. | Bobyard |
| Overall winner | Small electrical shops that want the whole bid in one thread and a price they can see today. | Estimators who want automatic conduit routing and riser counting. | Bildrix, for the shops this guide is written for. |
Bildrix vs Bobyard at a glance
Both products start the same way. You upload a plan set, a trained AI reads the sheets, each detection gets a confidence score, and you review before you price. Both run in the browser and both put the takeoff into an estimate. The differences are how far the AI goes on its own, what it admits it is unsure about, and what happens after the estimate.
Bobyard
- AI takeoff and estimating for landscaping, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, finishes and paving, each with its own trained models
- On electrical: counts devices, reads panel schedules and risers, auto-routes homeruns with conduit recommendations
- A confidence score on every detection and a review workflow before anything is committed
- An estimate table with material and labor from a built-in cost database
- No published price or trial; you book a demo and get a dedicated customer success manager
Bildrix
- Built for electrical subs and small GCs in the US and Canada who bid from PDF plan sets
- Counts electrical devices against the sheet's own legend
- Draws wire runs with a live footage readout, or suggests them run by run to accept, reject or reshape; no automatic conduit routing
- Groups circuits, devices and wire on separate ledgers
- Flags uncertain detections for review and labels messy scans rather than reporting confident zeros
- Carries the same quantities into the estimate, signed proposal, AIA G701 format change order and invoice
- Turns a plan revision into a priced change order, reductions included as credits
- One flat published price for the whole workspace, up to 5 teammates included
- Free trial of 15 AI detection pages, no credit card, plus a free first takeoff
- Reads panel schedules after upload into an editable Panel Editor; devices link to circuits and homeruns group by panel
- Architectural and electrical in depth, plumbing fixture counts on demand
Quick verdict
If you only read one table, read this one.
| If you want… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Automatic homerun and conduit routing and riser counting | Bobyard |
| Wire runs you review and edit run by run | Bildrix |
| A takeoff that becomes the signed estimate, change order and invoice | Bildrix |
| A price and a trial you can see and start today | Bildrix |
| Landscaping, plumbing pipe, mechanical, finishes or paving takeoffs | Bobyard |
Feature comparison
A good demo gets you through the afternoon. Features get you through bid week. So we go category by category: the takeoff experience, electrical depth, what happens after the takeoff, revisions, and how you get started. In each category we show what each product does and call a winner. One of the five is not a Bildrix win, and we say so. Bobyard was built to automate as much of a trade takeoff as its models can, across six trades, then price it. Bildrix was built to get a small electrical shop from a plan set to a signed, invoiced job with an AI that shows its doubt. Every Bobyard statement links to the page it came from.
Takeoff experience
The first thing an AI takeoff tool has to do is read the plan set and give you something better than a blank sheet. Bobyard's homepage says it automates the first pass, groups detected quantities and keeps the estimator in the verification loop. Its Bobyard 2.0 post adds a Review Workflow with confidence levels surfaced for every item, a Legend Manager, Text Count and search across pages. The homepage FAQ puts the time saved at 50-90% depending on drawing quality, trade and the estimator's review, a more careful claim than most of this category makes.
Bildrix starts from the same place. Upload a PDF plan set and let Detect All run trade by trade. Every detection carries a confidence level, the uncertain ones are flagged and queued for review, and every count, boundary and wire route is editable on the drawing. Messy scans and sparse sheets are labeled as such, not reported as confident zeros. Ask AI cites the sheet on every answer. Text search covers the set's text layer, and a processed page re-runs free. The complete guide walks through the first pass.
Bildrix flags the detections it is not sure about, so you review the flagged minority instead of the whole sheet.
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard |
|---|---|---|
| Upload | PDF plan sets. Pages named; names and scales editable. | Drawings, schedules, legends, spec books. File types not listed. |
| What the AI detects | Rooms, doors, windows, walls, electrical devices, wire runs, circuits. | Six trade-specific models: devices, fixtures, pipe, duct, plants and more. |
| Counting symbols | Matched against the sheet's legend; symbol search from a cropped symbol. | Legend Manager for symbol and pattern legends; Text Count. |
| Searching and asking | Text search over the set's text layer; Ask AI cites the sheet. | Search across pages; Ask Bob over specs and the RFI log. |
| Editing the AI's output | ✅ Every count, boundary and route editable in the canvas. | ✅ Outputs inspected before they are committed. |
| Knowing what to double-check | ✅ Confidence level on every detection; uncertain items flagged and queued. | ✅ Confidence levels surfaced for every item. |
| Scans and messy sets | Labeled messy or sparse, not reported as certain. | Not described. The trade pages say it can read any drawing. |
Winner: Bildrix
This one is close. Bobyard's pages describe a confidence score on every detection and a review step before anything is committed, which is the right design. We give it to Bildrix on the margins that matter on a bad set: it labels a messy scan as messy instead of handing you a confident zero, Ask AI cites its sheet, and a processed page re-runs free. On clean drawings in one of Bobyard's six trades, call it even.
Electrical takeoff
This is the category Bildrix was built around and where Bobyard goes furthest, so we will be specific. An estimator needs device counts that match the legend, wire footage per run, circuits grouped for pricing, and the gear off the riser and the schedules.
Bobyard's electrical page lists two things we do not have. Conduit and wire auto-routing will "suggest optimized wiring and homerun routes, with conduit recommendations". Riser and equipment counting counts transformers, switchboards and generators off the riser. Its panel schedule intelligence pulls frame size, circuit count, wire size and breaker size from the schedule, and Bildrix reads schedules too, as the next paragraph describes. Its FAQ adds routing by panel location, building geometry and circuit logic, multi-floor in one pass, and the launch post says it reads legend, schedule and plan together. That is more routing automation than Bildrix offers today, and we would rather say so than hedge.
Bildrix reads the electrical sheets the way your estimator does. It finds the legend first and counts devices against it. Wire runs are yours: draw them with a live footage readout, or let the AI suggest switch legs, receptacle chains and homeruns and review them one at a time, accept, reject, or drag the route. Panel schedules are read automatically after upload into a Panel Editor you correct and accept circuit by circuit; devices link to their circuits on the sheet and homeruns group by panel. There is no automatic conduit routing. Circuits are grouped, and a built-in price catalog prices the counts into a division-26 estimate; the electrical page shows each step.
Wire runs in Bildrix snap to devices and elbow orthogonally, with footage updating as you draw. AI-suggested runs are reviewed one at a time.
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard |
|---|---|---|
| Device counts | ✅ Counted against the legend, totals by type and room. | ✅ Receptacles, switches, panels, fixtures, equipment, by system. |
| Legend matching | ✅ Symbols read from the sheet's own legend. | ✅ Legend, panel schedule and plan read together. |
| Wire runs | ✅ Drawn with live footage or AI-suggested run by run, editable. No automatic conduit routing. | ✅ Homeruns auto-routed; wire per circuit; conduit recommendations. |
| Circuits and homeruns | ✅ Grouped; homerun suggestions reviewed one by one; separate ledgers. | ✅ Devices tied to circuits and circuits to panels; multi-floor in one pass. |
| Panel schedules | ✅ Read after upload into an editable Panel Editor: circuit, description, breaker trip and poles, load. | ✅ Frame size, circuit count, wire size, breaker size. |
| Riser and equipment counting | ❌ No riser-specific pass yet. | ✅ Transformers, switchboards, generators counted off the riser. |
| Electrical price catalog | ✅ Built-in catalog; your own price book applies too. | ✅ Built-in cost database with material and labor. |
Winner: Bobyard on routing depth, Bildrix on review and what the estimate becomes
We will not call this one for ourselves. If you want a tool that finds the panel, routes the homeruns and counts the gear off the riser, Bobyard's pages describe that and ours do not. What Bildrix gives you instead is control at the run level, a wire footage you drew or approved, panel schedules you can read and correct line by line, and a division-26 estimate that becomes the signed proposal, change order and invoice. Which you prefer depends on how much you trust automatic routing on the sets you get.
From takeoff to estimate, change order and invoice
A takeoff is not the job. The job is a bid the client signs, a change order when the drawings move, and an invoice that gets paid. Most AI takeoff tools stop at measurement. Bobyard does not.
Bobyard's Estimate Table takes quantities "from takeoff to proposal" without exporting: an interactive estimate with assembly templates, a cost database, phases and general conditions. The electrical launch post adds material and labor, taxes and margins, and says you "upload to bid, without leaving Bobyard". The pages do not describe a client signature, a change order document, an invoice or an accounting export.
Bildrix keeps going past the estimate. The measured takeoff becomes a priced estimate with provenance on every line: your price book, an AI price, or an AI quantity. The client signs on a share page, sealed with a SHA-256 fingerprint and bound to the plan revision. Payment schedules, deposit and progress invoices, retainage, online payment and QuickBooks-ready CSVs close the loop.
Every line in a Bildrix estimate shows where its number came from: your price book, an AI price, or an AI quantity.
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard |
|---|---|---|
| Priced estimate | ✅ From the takeoff, per-line provenance, option sets. | ✅ Estimate table with material and labor, taxes and margins. |
| Assemblies | ✅ Your price book or AI auto-assign with a rationale. | ✅ Assembly templates and a built-in cost database. |
| Client proposal and e-sign | ✅ Share page, comments, e-sign sealed to the revision. | Proposal described. E-sign not described. |
| Change orders | ✅ Revision diff staged as an AIA G701 format change order. | ❌ Not described. |
| Invoices and payments | ✅ Deposit, progress, final, retainage. Online payment. | ❌ Not described. |
| Accounting export | ✅ QuickBooks-ready invoice CSVs. | ❌ Not described. |
| Exports | ✅ Excel, PDF and CSV with sheet references and provenance. | Formats not listed. |
Winner: Bildrix
Credit to Bobyard for building the estimate in. The difference is where each product stops. Bobyard's pages stop at the bid going out. Bildrix carries the same quantities through the signature, the change order and the invoice, so a device counted on sheet E-201 is the device the client signed for and the device you billed. With a bookkeeper and a proposal tool behind you, Bobyard's table may be enough. If the estimator also sends the invoice, the thread is the point.
Revisions and plan comparison
Drawings change. An addendum lands two days before the bid, a bulletin lands after award, and the cost of a missed circuit is yours. This is where Bobyard's pages are quietest, so we will say only what they say.
The Bobyard 2.0 post describes page links and a toggle between the current drawing and the previous one. Nothing we read describes comparing two revisions of a sheet, pairing revised sheets, or turning the difference into a document. The electrical launch post mentions change orders once, as the cost of a miscount, not as something the product produces.
Bildrix treats the revision as the start of a document. Upload the revised set and the sheets pair by drawing number. Compare Pages overlays any two sheets. Then the diff is staged as a change order in AIA G701 format, added scope priced from your estimate and reductions booked as credits, ready for the client to sign against the revision it references. It is sealed like the original proposal.
The revision diff becomes a priced change order in AIA G701 format, with reductions booked as credits.
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing two sets | ✅ Compare Pages overlays any two sheets. | Not described. |
| Sheet matching | ✅ Revised sheets pair by drawing number. | Not described. |
| What the diff becomes | ✅ A priced change order in AIA G701 format. | Not described. |
| Credits for removed scope | ✅ Reductions book as credits. | Not described. |
| Document trail | ✅ Signed, sealed and bound to the plan revision. | Not described. |
| Addenda before the bid | ✅ Re-run detection on the new sheets; a processed page re-runs free. | Re-run the AI; re-run cost not described. |
Winner: Bildrix
This is the clearest gap in the guide, and it runs our way. If Bobyard adds comparison, we will update this page. Today, with Bildrix the revision becomes a signed change order with the credits already on it; Bobyard's pages offer nothing equivalent. For a small sub that gap is a week of chasing, an argument about which revision was priced, and sometimes a credit you forgot to claw back. It does not demo as well as auto-routing. It pays better.
Getting started: trial, sign-up and support
This is where the two products differ in a way that tells you who they were built for.
To use Bobyard, you book a demo. The about page says it plainly: "Book a demo with our team." The demo page asks you to bring your hardest drawing, and the homepage promises a live takeoff on one of your own projects. After that, the electrical page describes a dedicated CSM for every customer, hands-on training, and support five days a week. It is real onboarding, and also a sales motion: no trial, no sign-up link and no price.
Bildrix assumes you would rather try it than talk about it. Start free in the app with no credit card and run the AI on 15 pages of your own plan set. Viewing, measuring by hand and exporting never count against that cap. If you would rather have our eyes on it, book a call and we will run your first takeoff free. Live chat is staffed Monday to Friday. The price is on the pricing page. Nobody has to qualify you first.
| Feature | Bildrix | Bobyard |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | ✅ 15 AI detection pages, no credit card. | ❌ None described. You book a demo. |
| Free first takeoff | ✅ Your plan set, our walkthrough, free. | ✅ A live takeoff on your project in the demo. |
| Sign-up | ✅ Start in the app today. | Book a demo, then onboarding. |
| Seats | ✅ Up to 5 teammates in one flat price. | Not described. |
| Cancellation | ✅ Annual billing, cancel renewal any time. | Not described. |
| Onboarding and support | ✅ Live chat Monday to Friday, email, the review call. | ✅ Dedicated CSM, hands-on training, support five days a week. |
| Where it's built for | US and Canadian projects. USD, NEC, imperial units. | Not stated. |
| File types | PDF plan sets only. | Not listed. |
Winner: Bildrix
Bobyard's onboarding is hands-on, so take this verdict for what it is: a verdict about how you get in the door. A small shop bidding on Thursday does not have time for a demo on Tuesday and a pricing conversation after. Uploading a set tonight, seeing what the AI flags on your own drawings, and deciding with a number in front of you beats a polished walkthrough. We just will not make you book one to learn the price.
Pricing comparison
Only one of these products publishes a price. Bobyard has no pricing page. The closest thing to a figure is its own comparison post, which calls Bobyard "a premium subscription priced for serious commercial bid volume" and says Togal.AI's public starting price, which it puts at around $299 per user per month, "is currently less than Bobyard". As of August 19, 2026, from their pages and ours:
| Bobyard | Bildrix |
|---|---|
| Price: not published. A premium subscription, in Bobyard's words, with a CSM included. | Pro: $397 per month, billed annually. $4,764 a year for the whole workspace, up to 5 teammates, no per-seat charges. |
| Seats and tiers: not described. | Founding rate: $149 per month, billed annually, for the first 100 customers. That is $1,788 for the year. |
| Trial: none described. Book a demo; it includes a live takeoff on your project. | Trial: 15 AI detection pages free, no credit card. First takeoff free with a review call. |
| Cancellation: not described. | Cancellation: cancel renewal any time. The year is charged up front. |
We cannot do the math when one side is blank. Bobyard describes itself as premium and prices above a per-seat tool; Bildrix puts one flat workspace price on a public page, with a founding rate for the first 100 customers. Prices change; check both sites. The right price is still the price of the tool that does your job.
Bobyard advantages
We said at the top that Bobyard goes further than we do on parts of the electrical takeoff. Here is the full list, stated as plainly as the verdicts above. A comparison that cannot name the other side's strengths is not worth reading.
- Electrical automation depth: homerun and conduit auto-routing with conduit recommendations; linear feet of wire per circuit; multi-floor risers and drops in one pass; transformers, switchboards and generators counted off the riser. Bildrix draws or suggests wire runs you edit one at a time and has no automatic conduit routing. Both tools read panel schedules.
- Trade breadth with trade-specific models: landscaping, electrical, plumbing with pipe lengths by size and risers, mechanical with duct and pipe by size, finishes and paving. Bildrix covers architectural and electrical in depth, plumbing fixture counts on demand, and nothing else yet.
- Hands-on onboarding: a dedicated customer success manager for every customer, hands-on training on real projects, a live takeoff on your own drawings in the demo, and an ROI calculator for the business case. Bildrix has live chat Monday to Friday and a free first takeoff review, and no CSM.
- Scale and backing: an AI lab of PhD researchers and computer vision engineers, models trained on millions of drawings, the largest Series A in construction software by its own account, and a customer stories page of named landscaping companies. Bildrix is newer and smaller and says so.
Bildrix advantages
Bildrix was designed for the part of the job that starts after the counting, and for the shop where the owner is also the estimator. Every advantage below comes from that decision. None of them is a feature for the demo. They are for the night before a bid is due.
- An AI that shows its doubt: every detection carries a confidence level, uncertain ones are flagged and queued, and a messy scan is labeled messy rather than reported as a confident zero. We do not publish an accuracy percentage, and our research page explains why no vendor's number should be taken at face value. Bobyard's pages also show confidence per detection; the queue and the labeling are ours.
- Control at the run level: devices counted from the legend, wire runs drawn by hand with a live footage readout or AI-suggested and accepted, rejected or reshaped one at a time, circuits grouped, a built-in price catalog, and a division-26 estimate. Less automation than Bobyard's routing, and a footage you can defend line by line.
- One thread from plan set to invoice: a priced estimate with per-line provenance, client e-sign sealed to the revision, change orders in AIA G701 format with credits, invoices with online payment, and QuickBooks-ready CSVs. Bobyard's pages stop at the proposal. The product page lays the thread out.
- A price you can see and a trial you can start: one flat workspace price on the pricing page, 5 teammates included, a founding rate for the first 100 customers, 15 free AI detection pages with no card, a free first takeoff, and a stated scope: US and Canada, PDF plan sets. Bobyard asks you to book a demo and publishes no price.
Which platform should you choose?
It comes down to how much takeoff automation you want, and how much of the job after it in the same tool:
Choose Bobyard if you…
- Want homeruns and conduit routed automatically and the riser counted
- Bid landscaping, plumbing, mechanical, finishes or paving as well
- Run a larger estimating team and want a dedicated CSM
- Are comfortable learning the price on a demo call
Choose Bildrix if you…
- Are an electrical sub or small GC in the US or Canada
- Want to draw or approve every wire run yourself
- Want the takeoff to become the estimate, change order and invoice
- Want the AI to say which numbers to double-check
- Want to see the price and start a trial today
- Want one flat workspace price, 5 teammates included
That is the framework. Pick the one that matches your Tuesday.
Conclusion
Bobyard and Bildrix are both real AI takeoff tools. Bobyard automates more of the electrical takeoff, across more trades, behind a demo. Bildrix keeps your hand on the wire runs and takes a small electrical shop from plan set to signed, invoiced job at a price it can read today.
For the shops this guide is written for, Bildrix comes out ahead where a bid is decided: the thread to invoice, revisions, getting started, and the price. Bobyard keeps the edge on routing depth, riser counting, trade breadth and onboarding.
If that sounds like your shop, try it on your own plans. Start free in the app, no credit card, 15 AI detection pages. Or book a free first takeoff review.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Bildrix better than Bobyard?
For a 1 to 15 person electrical sub or small GC in the US or Canada that wants the whole bid in one place at a price it can see today, yes. Bildrix carries the quantities through estimate, signed proposal, change order and invoice, and its trial starts without a demo. An estimator who wants homeruns routed and panel schedules read automatically may prefer Bobyard.
- What is the biggest difference between Bildrix and Bobyard?
Two things. After the estimate, Bildrix adds client e-sign, AIA G701 format change orders from the revision diff, invoices and QuickBooks-ready CSVs, none of which Bobyard's pages describe. And how you get in: Bildrix publishes its price and starts a free trial in the app; Bobyard asks you to book a demo and publishes no price.
- Which is better for electrical contractors?
It depends on the part you value. Bobyard's electrical page describes automatic homerun and conduit routing and riser counting, which go further than Bildrix today. Bildrix counts devices against the legend, reads panel schedules into an editable Panel Editor, lets you draw or review wire runs one at a time, groups circuits by panel, and lands everything in a division-26 estimate that becomes the signed proposal, change order and invoice.
- Which is better for general contractors?
For a small GC running plan-set jobs, Bildrix: architectural counts, electrical in depth, plumbing fixture counts on demand, and one thread from takeoff to invoice. Bobyard's pages address trade contractors, with a finishes suite for room, door and window counts; its customer stories page lists landscaping companies.
- Does Bildrix offer a free trial?
Yes. Start in the app with no credit card and run AI detection on 15 pages of your own plan set; viewing, measuring by hand and exporting never count against the cap. Or book a call and we will run your first takeoff free. Bobyard's pages describe no trial; you book a demo, which includes a live takeoff on one of your projects.
- Which is more affordable?
Bobyard does not publish a price. Its own comparison post calls it a premium subscription priced for serious commercial bid volume and says Togal.AI's public starting price, around $299 per user per month, is currently less than Bobyard. Bildrix Pro is $397 per month billed annually, $4,764 a year for the workspace with up to 5 teammates, and the founding rate for the first 100 customers is $149 per month, as of August 19, 2026. Prices change; check both sites.
- Does Bildrix handle estimates, change orders and invoices?
Yes, from the same quantities. Estimates carry per-line provenance, the client signs on a share page sealed to the plan revision, change orders are staged from the revision diff in AIA G701 format with credits, and invoices cover deposit, progress, final and retainage with online payment and QuickBooks-ready CSVs. Bobyard's pages describe an estimate table and a proposal; e-sign, change orders and invoicing are not described.
- Can I switch from Bobyard to Bildrix?
Yes, and you do not need to export anything from Bobyard first. Bildrix works from the PDF plan set: upload it, let Detect All run, and compare the results with the takeoff you already have. The fair test is one real project: bring a set you took off in Bobyard to the free first takeoff review and compare counts, footage, flags and time to a priced estimate.