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Bobyard vs Beam AI

Two AI-first takeoff and estimating vendors that both cover construction-plan and aerial work, sold differently. Bobyard is self-serve AI takeoff and estimating for six trades (landscaping, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, interior finishes and paving), with estimates, a cost database, submittals and Bob GPT, on quote-only pricing. Beam AI (Attentive.ai) sells annual licenses for Do It Yourself AI takeoffs (HVAC, plumbing and steel) or Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates delivered in 24-72 hours, plus aerial Done For You and bid management, with published starting prices. Partly like-for-like (our reading): both do AI takeoff and estimating; Bobyard keeps the estimator in a self-serve product across six trades, while Beam AI also offers a vendor-run Done For You path and publishes license floors. Desk research from vendor sites read Nov 5, 2026; no winner.

DESK RESEARCH FROM VENDOR SITES. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Nov 5, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Bobyard (AI takeoff & estimating; no public prices (quote / sales)) vs Beam AI (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Nov 5, 2026. No winner declared; desk research from vendor sites.

Side by side

Bobyard vs Beam AI: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowBobyardBeam AI
CategoryAI takeoff & estimatingTakeoff & estimating
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI-first
What it doesAI takeoff and estimating for landscaping, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, interior finishes and paving trades, with separate pages for each trade. Its FAQ says that as of Q4 2026 it supports these six trades, each with its own trade-specific takeoff model, and that landscaping and paving maintenance aerial takeoffs can start from just an address using aerial imagery; the vendor says the models are trained on millions of drawings (vendor claim). The AI does the first pass and the estimator reviews each detection, using its confidence score, before it is locked into the estimate. Solution pages list Takeoffs (per-trade models that count fixtures, devices and symbols and measure lengths, areas and volumes in one pass, auto-grouped by room, system, material or floor), Estimates (configurable estimate table, tax and overhead by cost type, markup or margin, one-click branded proposal), a Cost Database (material, labor, equipment and subcontractor cost per item, labor rates by type and group, nested assemblies, bulk import of an existing library) and Submittals (catalogs split into products, Bob GPT matches items from your library and the web for you to confirm, branded PDF package, resubmittals and status tracking); a chatbot called Bob answers spec and RFI questions on the project. Customer quotes, time-saving and revenue figures are vendor claims and are not used.AI takeoff and estimating for commercial contractors across construction and field services, offered two ways: Done For You QA-checked takeoffs and estimates from uploaded plans and specs, delivered in 24-72 hours, or instant Do It Yourself AI takeoffs (HVAC, plumbing and steel). Done For You covers construction-plan takeoffs for all trades and aerial imagery takeoffs for landscaping, snow, paving and striping with the Attentive.ai OnSite mobile app; Excel estimates and bid management tools are included on the Done For You tiers. Part of Attentive.ai. Accuracy and capacity figures and customer quotes are vendor material not used here.
Who it's forTrade contractors.Commercial contractors and field service businesses; trades listed include HVAC, electrical, concrete, utility/civil, paving, earthwork, and more.
Pricing (as publicly stated)No public prices: the vendor site has no pricing or plans link, /pricing and /plans return a not-found page, and the FAQ says pricing depends on which products and add-on features you use, routed through Book a demo. Confirm current pricing with the vendor.Annual license. Do It Yourself (construction plans): 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, all trades. Done For You (aerial images): from $10K annual license per trade, based on site acreage and service. Enterprise: custom pricing.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Nov 5, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Who does the takeoff: Bobyard's AI does the first pass and the estimator reviews each detection, using its confidence score, before it is locked into the estimate; per-trade models count fixtures, devices and symbols and measure lengths, areas and volumes in one pass, auto-grouped by room, system, material or floor. 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 the customer runs, for HVAC, plumbing and steel only.
  • Trades and inputs: Bobyard's FAQ (as of Q4 2026) lists six trades, each with its own takeoff model; landscaping and paving maintenance aerial takeoffs can start from just an address using aerial imagery. Beam AI's Do It Yourself covers HVAC, plumbing and steel on construction plans; Done For You construction plans cover all trades; Done For You aerial covers landscaping, snow, paving and striping with the Attentive.ai OnSite mobile app.
  • Beyond takeoff: Bobyard lists Estimates (configurable table, tax and overhead by cost type, markup or margin, one-click branded proposal), a Cost Database (material, labor, equipment and subcontractor cost, labor rates, nested assemblies, bulk import), Submittals (Bob GPT matches items from your library and the web for confirmation, branded PDF, resubmittals and status tracking), and a chatbot Bob for spec and RFI questions. Beam AI lists Excel estimates across trades, in-platform estimating for HVAC and plumbing on Done For You, auto-addenda detection, and bid management that captures ITBs from your inbox and tracks bid statuses, due dates, RFIs and addenda.
  • Pricing (read Nov 5, 2026): Bobyard publishes no prices; /pricing and /plans return not-found, and the FAQ routes pricing through Book a demo based on products and add-ons. Beam AI lists annual licenses: Do It Yourself construction plans from $8K per trade (HVAC, plumbing, steel); Done For You construction plans from $25K based on trade and volume (all trades); Done For You aerial from $10K per trade based on site acreage and service; Enterprise custom. See each tool page for detail.
  • Not used here: accuracy and capacity figures, time-saving and revenue claims, 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 you want a self-serve product the estimator runs across six trades, or a Done For You path where the vendor QA-checks and delivers takeoffs
  • Whether Beam AI's published license floors or Bobyard's quote-only packaging fit your trade mix and volume
  • Whether Bobyard's cost database and submittals stack, or Beam AI's bid-management and Excel estimate tools, cover the rest of your bid process
  • 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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