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Autodesk Assistant vs Pelles AI

Two AI assistants that answer questions from project documents. Not like-for-like (our reading): Autodesk Assistant is built into Autodesk Forma (which now includes Autodesk Construction Cloud) and works on the project records there, including an RFI AI Agent; Pelles AI is a separate platform for MEP and specialty trade contractors that reviews drawings, specs and contracts, produces deliverables such as pre-bid RFI lists, and lets teams build their own apps and agents. Neither publishes prices. Desk research from vendor sites read Nov 4, 2026; no winner.

DESK RESEARCH FROM VENDOR SITES. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Nov 4, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Autodesk Assistant (Autodesk Forma) (Construction management AI; no public prices (quote / sales)) vs Pelles AI (AI platform for trade contractors; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Nov 4, 2026. No winner declared; desk research from vendor sites.

Side by side

Autodesk Assistant vs Pelles AI: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowAutodesk Assistant (Autodesk Forma)Pelles AI
CategoryConstruction management AIAI platform for trade contractors
AI role (our label)AI features added to established productAI-first
What it doesAI assistant built into Autodesk Forma; Autodesk says Autodesk Construction Cloud is now part of Forma. Autodesk describes it as a project-level agent that searches specifications, RFIs, issues, submittals, meetings, change orders and schedules in natural language, pulls from other agents, drafts emails, summaries, reports and dashboards, and keeps a reusable prompt library. Its blog (updated June 3, 2026) says the Assistant for construction workflows in Forma is out of beta, with access based on license type and user permissions, and says photo-to-issue generation (capture a photo, add a short prompt, get a detailed issue for review) is coming soon. In the Build RFIs tool, an RFI AI Agent (enabled per project) searches the project's specifications and closed RFIs as a question is typed and returns a verdict (No RFI needed, RFI recommended, or Couldn't determine), and AI can pre-fill RFI fields (title, question, category, discipline, cost and schedule impact, priority, location details) from a prompt for the user to review. Autodesk's help page says the Assistant uses pretrained third-party models and does not share customer data with those providers, sets query limits of 100 per project member per 24 hours (and 10 per minute) and 500 per project per 24 hours, and says responses may not be complete or accurate. Autodesk says Forma has more than 15 AI-powered capabilities (vendor claim). Customer quotes are not used.AI platform for trade contractors that the homepage describes as turning a company's knowledge, documents and workflows into an AI-powered operating system (headline: "You always knew how it should work. Build it."), for estimating, contract review, operations and closeout. The navigation lists Pelles Core and Pelles Build. Its FAQ says Pelles Core is ready at login with DoubleCheck, Compare, Reports and Agents plus a knowledge base and chat (the platform section lists cited answers, deep research, revision compare and checklists), and Pelles Build lets a team build its own apps and agents by describing the work in plain words; the vendor says the code behind your apps is yours. Agents can be texted, messaged in Teams or emailed and draft RFIs or changes for review; apps read from and write back to Procore, Autodesk, Trimble, ERPs, Excel, files and email, with 25+ integrations listed and a mobile app. The FAQ says Pelles is for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and specialty trade contractors, that teams usually start in estimating and preconstruction, that it works alongside Procore, ACC, Trimble and Microsoft 365, and that it is not a takeoff tool (it reviews drawings, specs and contracts and produces deliverables such as RFI lists and contradiction reports; Count & Measure (beta) checks counts against a schedule). The security section lists SOC 2 Type II attested, CCPA and CPRA alignment, AWS hosting, SSO and roles, permission-aware retrieval, isolation per project and no training on customer content (vendor statements). It also runs a BuildAI Academy for learning AI in construction. Project, page and task counters, hours-saved estimates, time-savings percentages and testimonials are not used.
Who it's forAutodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) project teams; Autodesk says access depends on license type and user permissions.Trade contractors' precon, legal, operations, field, and executive teams (MEP trades named).
Pricing (as publicly stated)Not publicly listed. There is no separate price for the Assistant. The Autodesk Forma pricing page (rendered in a headless browser) shows no figures: it offers Bundle Offers (Model Management, Preconstruction and Construction Operations bundles, each Get a quote) and Pricing by Product across Forma Build, Forma Data Management, AutoSpecs, Pype, Forma Construction Connect, Forma Takeoff and Forma Estimate, describes flexible user, project and account-based pricing, and mentions a 30-day money-back guarantee (vendor statement).Not publicly listed. The vendor site has no pricing or plans link, and /pricing returns a not-found page. The homepage FAQ says Pelles is priced by team or company, with unlimited usage and no per-token or usage-based billing. The call to action is Book a demo, which offers to run DoubleCheck and a contradictions report on a real bid set from your trade in 30 minutes, and the FAQ page answers the free-trial question with personalized demos on your own project documents. Confirm pricing with the vendor.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
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Sources

Facts last checked: Nov 4, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Who uses it: Autodesk Assistant is for Forma project teams, with access based on license type and user permissions. Pelles says it is for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and specialty trade contractors, and that teams usually start in estimating and preconstruction.
  • Where it runs: Autodesk Assistant searches specifications, RFIs, issues, submittals, meetings, change orders and schedules inside Forma and drafts emails, summaries, reports and dashboards. Pelles works alongside Procore, ACC, Trimble and Microsoft 365, lists 25+ integrations, and its agents can be texted, messaged in Teams or emailed (vendor statements).
  • RFIs: Autodesk's RFI AI Agent, enabled per project in the Build RFIs tool, searches specs and closed RFIs as a question is typed and returns No RFI needed, RFI recommended or Couldn't determine, and AI can pre-fill RFI fields for review. Pelles Reports produces pre-bid RFIs, proposals, BOMs and change orders in a team's own templates, and Pelles agents draft RFIs or changes for review.
  • Beyond Q&A: Pelles Core includes DoubleCheck, Compare, Reports and Agents plus a knowledge base and chat, and Pelles Build lets a team describe the work in plain words to build its own apps and agents; Pelles says it is not a takeoff tool. Autodesk says photo-to-issue generation is coming soon and that Forma has more than 15 AI-powered capabilities (vendor claim).
  • Data and limits: Autodesk's help page says the Assistant uses pretrained third-party models, does not share customer data with those providers, caps queries at 100 per project member per 24 hours (10 per minute) and 500 per project per 24 hours, and says responses may not be complete or accurate. Pelles lists SOC 2 Type II, permission-aware retrieval, isolation per project and no training on customer content (vendor statements).
  • Pricing (read Nov 4, 2026): Autodesk lists no separate price for the Assistant; the Forma pricing page offers bundles and products with Get a quote and user-, project- or account-based pricing, with no figures. Pelles publishes no prices; its FAQ says it is priced by team or company with unlimited usage and no per-token billing, and the call to action is Book a demo. See each tool page for detail.
  • Not used here: hours-saved estimates, time-savings percentages, project counts and customer quotes (vendor material). Facts for both tools come from vendor websites (desk research).

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

Used either of these? Share your take

Good or bad, an honest review from an estimator, PM or super helps the next team more than another vendor demo. You post under a handle; your email is never shown.

Questions to ask in your review

  • Whether your documents live mostly in Forma/Autodesk Construction Cloud or across Procore, Trimble and file shares
  • Whether you need an assistant for GC project records or a trade contractor's bid review and deliverables
  • What either costs for your team
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?
  • What does it cost you in practice, compared with what the sales call said?

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