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Facts: desk research, not tested · Reviews: members' opinions

Beam AI vs Countfire

Two takeoff tools for trade contractors that split the work differently. Beam AI sells annual licenses for QA-checked takeoffs and estimates delivered by its team, plus do-it-yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel; Countfire is self-serve PDF takeoff and estimating software built for electrical, fire, security and mechanical estimators, with AI that names and sorts items as it counts. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 24, 2026; not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 24, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Beam AI (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices) vs Countfire (Takeoff & estimating; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Oct 24, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Beam AI vs Countfire: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowBeam AICountfire
CategoryTakeoff & estimatingTakeoff & estimating
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI features added to established product
What it doesAI takeoff and estimating offered two ways: QA-checked takeoffs and estimates delivered in 24-72 hours, or instant do-it-yourself AI takeoffs. The vendor calls these "Done For You" (from uploaded plans and specs) and "Do It Yourself". Part of Attentive.ai. Vendor claims 99%+ accuracy (vendor claim, not verified). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the pricing page still lists Do It Yourself for HVAC, plumbing and steel, Done For You construction-plan takeoffs for all trades (up to 2 takeoffs in parallel on that tier), Done For You aerial imagery takeoffs for landscaping, snow, paving and striping with access to the Attentive.ai OnSite mobile app, and Bid Management tools on the Done For You tiers. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: the homepage still offers Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates in 24-72 hours and do-it-yourself AI takeoffs, now framed for commercial contractors across construction and field services with estimating through bid management in one workflow; the 99%+ accuracy figure is still a vendor claim. Customer quotes on the pricing page were not used. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates in 24-72 hours, Do It Yourself instant AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial and blueprint takeoffs for maintenance and construction); it now spells out instant Excel estimates across trades with in-platform estimating for HVAC and plumbing, and bid management that captures ITBs from your inbox and tracks bid statuses, due dates, owners, RFIs and addenda. The pricing page adds auto-addenda detection to its feature list. Accuracy, bid-capacity and customer-count figures, customer quotes and star reviews are vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates in 24-72 hours, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial and blueprint takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management); a site banner now promotes Beam AI's own annual precon conference (Convergence) on November 4-5, 2026, and the login menu separates Construction and Field Services. Accuracy, capacity and customer-count figures, quotes and star reviews remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates in 24-72 hours, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial and blueprint takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management; the banner still promotes its Convergence precon conference on November 4-5, 2026). Accuracy, capacity and customer-count figures, quotes and star reviews remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates in 24-72 hours, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial and blueprint takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management; the Convergence conference banner for November 4-5, 2026 is still up). Accuracy, capacity and customer-count figures and quotes remain vendor material not used here.PDF takeoff and estimating software that counts symbols across every drawing in a project, with built-in checks for missed or incomplete counts. The checks flag missed symbols or incomplete counts. "Smart Select" is described as AI trained on real takeoff data that names and organizes items as it counts. Also auto-counts revised drawings, compares specifications, and produces client-ready Excel quotes from your price list. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the homepage still leads with Smart Select and adds Measure updates built for mechanical takeoffs; the FAQ still offers a free 7-day trial and notes an information security program that follows much of the criteria set forth by the SOC 2 framework (vendor statement). Cloud-based in a desktop browser on PC or Mac (FAQ says tablets and mobile are not supported); integrates with Excel and Dropbox. Part of TAG Software Group (Valsoft). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: homepage and FAQ unchanged in substance (Smart Select, Measure updates for mechanical takeoffs, desktop browser only, Excel and Dropbox, free 7-day trial); the sectors menu lists electrical, lighting, fire sprinkler, security and fire alarm, data and AV, and mechanical. The savings calculator (5 days and £1,500 per estimator per month) and the 20+ countries line are vendor claims not used here. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Smart Select, Measure updates for mechanical takeoffs, symbol counting across every drawing, auto-count of revised drawings, pre-priced Excel quotes, spec compare). Its savings calculator, customer quotes and the 20+ countries line are vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: homepage and FAQ unchanged in substance (Smart Select, Measure updates for mechanical takeoffs, desktop browser only, Excel and Dropbox, free 7-day trial); the menu now includes a For enterprise page, and the FAQ says training takes about 2.5 hours across Takeoff and Estimate and that price lists and kits are set up before estimating. The savings calculator, £150 million priced-projects line, 20+ countries line and customer quotes are vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage and FAQ unchanged in substance (Smart Select, Measure updates for mechanical takeoffs, browser-based and optimised for desktop, Excel quotes, free 7-day trial). The savings calculator, priced-projects and countries lines and customer quotes remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage and FAQ unchanged in substance (Smart Select, Measure updates for mechanical takeoffs, in-built accuracy checks, auto-counting of revised drawings, Excel quotes, spec comparisons, free 7-day trial). The savings calculator, priced-projects and countries lines and customer quotes remain vendor material not used here.
Who it's forCommercial contractors and field service businesses; trades listed include HVAC, electrical, concrete, utility/civil, paving, earthwork, and more.Electrical and mechanical contractors' estimating teams.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Annual license. Do It Yourself (construction plans): starts at $8K annual license per trade, available for HVAC, plumbing & steel. Done For You (construction plans): starts at $25K annual license, based on trade and volume, available for all trades. Done For You (aerial images): starts at $10K annual license per trade, based on site acreage and service. Enterprise: custom pricing. (Pricing re-checked Oct 15, 2026; unchanged Oct 19, 2026: DIY from $8K, Done For You construction plans from $25K, aerial from $10K annual license; Enterprise custom.) Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license, Done For You construction plans from $25K annual with up to 2 takeoffs in parallel, Done For You aerial from $10K annual license; Enterprise talk to us). The page says licenses are sized to annual bid capacity rather than per project or per takeoff. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade, Done For You construction plans from $25K annual, Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade, Enterprise custom; licenses sized to annual bid capacity). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade for HVAC, plumbing and steel; Done For You construction plans from $25K annual based on trade and volume, up to 2 takeoffs in parallel; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom; licenses sized to annual bid capacity). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade; Done For You construction plans from $25K annual; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade; Enterprise custom; licenses sized to annual bid capacity). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade; Done For You construction plans from $25K annual; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade; Enterprise custom; licenses sized to annual bid capacity).Not publicly listed. countfire.com/pricing still redirects to the contact page (live chat, phone, email, help centre); the site's calls to action include "Start trial". No prices shown. (Checked Oct 16, 2026; unchanged Oct 19, 2026: countfire.com/pricing still redirects to the contact page; no prices shown; FAQ still offers a free 7-day trial.) Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged (countfire.com/pricing still lands on the contact page; no prices). Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (countfire.com/pricing still lands on the contact page; no prices; Start trial remains the call to action). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (countfire.com/pricing still lands on the contact page; no prices; Start trial remains the call to action; the FAQ says cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid term). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (countfire.com/pricing still lands on the contact page; no prices; Start trial remains the call to action). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (countfire.com/pricing still lands on the contact page; no prices; Start trial remains the call to action).
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Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 24, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • What each does (vendor pages): Beam AI's homepage describes Done For You takeoffs and estimates delivered in 24-72 hours from uploaded plans, specs and legends, with every takeoff QA-checked before delivery; Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel; aerial-imagery and blueprint takeoffs for landscaping, snow, paving and striping; Excel estimates across trades with in-platform estimating for HVAC and plumbing; and bid management that captures ITBs from your inbox. Countfire's homepage describes PDF takeoff software that counts symbols across every drawing in a project, in-built accuracy checks, auto-counting of revised drawings, pre-priced items turned into a client-ready Excel quote, and spec comparisons; its sectors menu lists electrical, lighting, fire sprinkler, security and fire alarm, data and AV, and mechanical.
  • Where the AI is: Beam applies AI to extract quantities, and its Done For You service adds a QA check by its team before delivery. Countfire's Smart Select is described as AI trained on real takeoff data that names and files items under the right heading as it counts; the counting and pricing are run by your own estimators in the browser.
  • Service or software: Beam's Done For You tier is a delivered service; its Do It Yourself tier is software you run. Countfire is software you run; its FAQ says you upload a price list and create kits before estimating, with its support team guiding setup.
  • Our reading: the overlap is mechanical work. An electrical, fire alarm or low-voltage estimator who wants to keep counting in-house is the buyer Countfire describes; a contractor who wants takeoffs handed back ready to price, or works in HVAC, plumbing or steel, is closer to what Beam describes.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 24, 2026): Beam AI publishes starting prices: Do It Yourself from $8K a year per trade (HVAC, plumbing and steel); Done For You construction plans from $25K a year, based on trade and volume; Done For You aerial imagery from $10K a year per trade, based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom. Its FAQ says licenses are sized to annual bid capacity rather than charged per project or takeoff. Countfire publishes no prices: countfire.com/pricing lands on its contact page; its FAQ offers a free 7-day trial and says cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid term.
  • Not used here: Beam's accuracy, bidding-capacity and customer-count figures and its customer quotes, and Countfire's savings calculator, priced-projects and countries lines and customer quotes. Neither tool has been tested by Means & Methods Lab.

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.

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Questions to ask in your review

  • Whether you want takeoffs delivered by a vendor team (Beam Done For You) or counted by your own estimators (Countfire, Beam Do It Yourself)
  • What you actually pay, and on what basis (neither publishes full prices)
  • How much annual bid capacity a Beam license covers for your trade and volume
  • 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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