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Beam AI vs Exayard

Two AI takeoff products sold two different ways. Beam AI (part of Attentive.ai) offers QA-checked Done For You takeoffs and estimates delivered in 24-72 hours, plus instant Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for a few trades, on annual licenses. Exayard is self-serve software: describe what to count or measure in plain language, review the detected quantities and price the estimate, on per-user monthly plans with a monthly allowance of AI work. Both publish starting prices. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 29, 2026; not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 29, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Beam AI (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices) vs Exayard (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 29, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Beam AI vs Exayard: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowBeam AIExayard
CategoryTakeoff & estimatingTakeoff & estimating
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI-first
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. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial and blueprint takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management; the banner still promotes the Convergence precon conference on November 4-5, 2026). Accuracy, capacity and customer-count figures and quotes remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management; the banner still promotes the Convergence precon conference on November 4-5, 2026). Capacity figures and quotes remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates, Do It Yourself AI takeoffs for HVAC, plumbing and steel, aerial takeoffs, Excel estimates and bid management; the banner still promotes the Convergence precon conference on November 4-5, 2026). Capacity figures and quotes remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 29, 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 takeoffs and bid management; the menu still lists the Convergence event). Accuracy and capacity figures and quotes remain vendor material not used here.AI takeoff and estimating platform: describe what to count or measure in plain language, review the detected quantities, and price the estimate. It accepts PDF, image, or CAD (DWG/DXF/DGN) plans. Offers a REST API, MCP server, webhooks, and CLI. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the pricing page also lists yearly billing (2 months free), multi-currency display, bids with logo, e-signature and reminders, a price book with trade starter packs and QuickBooks, market prices from published cost books, and on Professional alternates, allowances, revision compare and live supplier prices; Starter and Professional still show $100 and $250 of AI work per seat each month (about 20 and 50 drawing sheets). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: the pricing page lists AI takeoffs and its Exa assistant on web, email, WhatsApp and a customer's own website on Starter; its plan comparison also lists API keys for the REST API, MCP server and Public CLI, and webhooks, Zapier, n8n, Make, Slack and Teams. Local prices are shown in 15 currencies, which the page says are reviewed every six months, with existing subscribers keeping their price for 12 months after any change. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged in substance (describe-what-to-count AI takeoffs on PDF, image and CAD files, estimates and proposals, agent and API access); the pricing page now also says local prices are reviewed every six months and existing subscribers keep their price for 12 months after any change, and lists AI takeoffs and its Exa assistant on web, email, WhatsApp and your website. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: the homepage now carries an Onboard your agent to Exayard banner and says it works with Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode, alongside the existing REST API, MCP server and CLI. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (upload PDF, image or CAD plans, describe the count or measurement in plain language, review and export to Excel, PDF or integrations; trade examples from landscaping to FF&E); a banner now invites users to connect an AI agent (Claude, Codex, Cursor or OpenCode). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (describe the count or measurement in plain language on PDF, image or CAD plans, review and export; the Onboard your agent banner names Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode). The homepage says MCP, REST, webhooks and a public CLI come on every paid plan. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Onboard your agent banner naming Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode; MCP, REST API, webhooks and CLI on every paid plan). Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: homepage and pricing page unchanged in substance (the Onboard your agent banner naming Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode; MCP, REST API, webhooks and CLI on paid plans; 15 currencies). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026 (read for a compare): homepage, AI takeoff page and pricing unchanged in substance (describe what to count or measure; PDF, image and CAD files with automatic scale detection; review and approve quantities on the plan; the homepage invites users to onboard their own agent and names Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: homepage, pricing and developer pricing pages unchanged in substance (upload PDF, image or CAD plans with automatic scale detection, describe what to count or measure, review AI results and export to Excel or PDF; drive it from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, n8n or your own backend via MCP, REST, webhooks and a public CLI; the homepage also promotes an AI agent for your website that captures leads, answers questions and gives estimates). The time-savings headline is a vendor claim not used here.
Who it's forCommercial contractors and field service businesses; trades listed include HVAC, electrical, concrete, utility/civil, paving, earthwork, and more.Contractors across trades (vendor lists concrete, electrical, roofing, framing, plumbing, drywall, and more).
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). Re-checked Oct 25, 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; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom; licenses sized to annual bid volume rather than per project or per takeoff). Re-checked Oct 26, 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; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade for HVAC, plumbing and steel; Done For You construction plans from $25K annual; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade; Enterprise custom). Re-checked Oct 28, 2026 (also read for a compare): 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; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade; Enterprise custom). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: unchanged (DIY from $8K annual license per trade for HVAC, plumbing and steel; Done For You construction plans from $25K annual license based on trade and volume; Done For You aerial from $10K annual license per trade based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom).Per-user subscription plus metered AI usage. Starter $99/user/month ($100 AI credits; up to 50 manual takeoffs/month at our Oct 14 read), Professional $249/user/month ($250 AI credits, unlimited manual takeoffs), Enterprise custom ($1,000+ AI credits/user/month at our Oct 14 read). Developer docs say AI takeoffs are metered and a plan sheet averages about 15 credits (stated as an average, not a price). (Pricing re-checked Oct 14, 2026; unchanged Oct 19, 2026: Starter $99/user/month, Professional $249/user/month, Enterprise custom.) Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: Starter ($99) and Professional ($249) per user per month are unchanged, with the same $100 and $250 of AI work per seat each month (about 20 and 50 drawing sheets). Two plan details read differently: Starter now lists unlimited seats, projects and measuring by hand (the 50-manual-takeoff cap is no longer shown), and Enterprise now reads AI usage per seat set to your volume rather than a $1,000+ credit figure. The page lists unlimited seats while quoting prices per seat, so confirm how seats are billed with Exayard. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: no price changes (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per seat per month with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat, about 20 and 50 drawing sheets; Enterprise custom with AI usage set to your volume); prices are stated per seat before tax. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: no price changes (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per seat per month before tax, with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat, about 20 and 50 drawing sheets; Enterprise custom; local prices in 15 currencies). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: no price changes (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per seat per month before tax with $100 and $250 of AI work, about 20 and 50 sheets; Enterprise custom; two months free with yearly billing). The developer docs say 1 credit is $1, the Free plan gets 30 credits a month per company, the API and MCP server are free on every plan, and admins can allow extra usage with a default $1,000 a month limit. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: no price changes (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per seat per month with $100 and $250 of AI work, about 20 and 50 drawing sheets; Enterprise custom; two months free with yearly billing). The developer docs still say 1 credit is $1, the Free plan gets 30 credits a month per company, extra usage has a default $1,000 a month limit, and a plan sheet averages about 15 credits. Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per seat per month with $100 and $250 of AI work included, about 20 and 50 sheets; two months free on yearly billing; 15 currencies). Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: unchanged (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per user per month; Starter includes $100 of AI work, about 20 sheets; 2 months free on yearly billing). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: unchanged (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per user per month with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat, about 20 and 50 sheets; 2 months free on yearly billing; Enterprise custom). Re-checked Oct 28, 2026: unchanged (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per user per month with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat, about 20 and 50 sheets; 2 months free on yearly billing; Enterprise custom). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: unchanged (Starter $99 and Professional $249 per user per month with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat, about 20 and 50 sheets; 2 months free on yearly billing; Enterprise custom; developer docs: 1 credit is $1, Free gets 30 credits a month per company, an admin can buy 100 to 10,000 credits at a time, and a plan sheet averages about 15 credits, stated as an average, not a price).
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Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 29, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Delivery model: Beam AI's Done For You tiers take uploaded plans, specs and legends, extract quantities with AI and QA-check every takeoff before delivery in 24-72 hours; its Do It Yourself tier gives instant AI takeoffs you run yourself. Exayard is do-it-yourself only: you upload plans, prompt it (for example "count all outlets"), review the AI results and apply your own pricing.
  • Trades and inputs: Beam AI lists Do It Yourself for HVAC, plumbing and steel, Done For You construction-plan takeoffs for all trades, and Done For You aerial imagery takeoffs for landscaping, snow, paving and striping. Exayard says it handles PDF, image and CAD plans with automatic scale detection and lists examples across electrical, plumbing, mechanical, drywall, painting, glazing, landscaping and FF&E.
  • Beyond takeoff: Beam AI lists Excel estimates across all trades, in-platform estimating for HVAC and plumbing, and bid management that captures ITBs from your inbox and tracks due dates, RFIs and addenda. Exayard lists bids with your logo, e-signature and reminders, a price book with trade starter packs and QuickBooks, market prices from published cost books, and on Professional alternates, allowances, revision compare and live supplier prices.
  • Developer access: Exayard's pricing page lists API keys for its REST API, MCP server and public CLI, plus webhooks and Zapier, n8n, Make, Slack and Teams connections.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 29, 2026): Beam AI is sold on annual licenses: Do It Yourself from $8K per trade, Done For You construction plans from $25K (based on trade and volume, up to 2 takeoffs in parallel), Done For You aerial from $10K per trade, and custom Enterprise. Exayard is per user per month: Starter $99 with $100 of AI work per seat (about 20 drawing sheets), Professional $249 with $250 (about 50 sheets), custom Enterprise, and yearly billing with 2 months free. See each tool page for detail.
  • AI tags: we tag both AI-first.
  • Not used here: Beam AI's accuracy percentage, capacity multiplier and customer quotes, and Exayard's time-saving headline (vendor material). 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.

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 you want takeoffs delivered by the vendor's team (Beam AI Done For You) or software your estimators run themselves (Exayard, Beam AI Do It Yourself)
  • How either handles heavy civil and sitework plan sets, not just building trades
  • What a year costs for your trades, seats and bid volume on each pricing model
  • 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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