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Clad vs Exodigo

Two underground-utility tools that work at different points of a job. Clad Locates is software an excavator uses to submit and track 811 locate tickets, inside Clad's project management and billing platform for infrastructure contractors; Exodigo is a subsurface intelligence service that maps utilities, foundations and geotechnical conditions before design and construction. 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: Clad (Infrastructure project management and 811 locates; vendor publishes prices) vs Exodigo (AI subsurface & utility mapping; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Oct 24, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Clad vs Exodigo: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowCladExodigo
CategoryInfrastructure project management and 811 locatesAI subsurface & utility mapping
AI role (our label)AI features added to established productAI-first
What it doesProject management and billing software for contractors building internet and power infrastructure. The homepage (read Oct 18, 2026) lists production tracking with blueprint markups linked to quantities, reporting and forecasting, milestone schedules across a portfolio, invoices built from production data with retainage tracking and ERP sync, vendor invoice review and approval, and vendor and materials management. Clad Locates is an AI-powered 811 ticket management system for excavators: draw on a map and AI writes a correctly formatted locate narrative, with automated response tracking, bulk submit, scheduled tickets and one dashboard across states. Its YC profile says Clad unifies project operations and finance to automate project tracking, payments and permitting. Vendor claim, not verified: Locates makes calling in a locate request 10x faster. Y Combinator batch: Winter 2023 (YC company profile). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: homepage, Locates overview and pricing unchanged in substance; the Locates page says it connects with any 811 system for one dashboard across states (supported states are highlighted on a map), and the YC launch post said Locates first went live in Alabama. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: homepage, Locates overview and pricing unchanged in substance (production tracking, billing from production data with retainage and ERP sync, vendor and materials management; AI locate narratives, automated tracking, bulk submit and scheduled tickets); the Locates page now headlines one dashboard for all 50 states. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026 (homepage and Locates pages rendered in a headless browser): unchanged in substance; Locates still says one dashboard covers all 50 states. Its 10x line is a vendor claim and is not used. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage and Locates pages unchanged in substance (project management and billing for infrastructure; AI ticket narratives drawn from a map, automated tracking, bulk submit, scheduled tickets, one dashboard across 811 systems).Non-intrusive subsurface intelligence for infrastructure: utilities, foundations and geotechnical conditions mapped without breaking ground. Four stages: Remote Data Intelligence (ExoInfo, which uses AI to connect utility records, as-builts, geotechnical reports, satellite imagery and permits), On-Site Reality Capture (multi-sensor scanning with AI analysis, plus targeted validation), AI Engineering (2D/3D mapping, digital twins and design deliverables), and Utility Relocation Services. Combines AI with engineers and geophysicists. Vendor cites $75B of de-risked infrastructure investment, 86.1M sq ft scanned, $200M+ in venture funding and 100+ customers (vendor claims), and announces the acquisition of California civil engineering firm V&A Inc. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026 (homepage read in a headless browser; a plain fetch returned 429): the four stages are unchanged; the AI Engineering stage now lists 2D-to-3D transformation, design validation, utility design and HDD design, and utility relocation services cover cost estimation and coordination. Customer outcome figures on the homepage are vendor claims and are not repeated here. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (four stages: Remote Data Intelligence with ExoInfo, On-Site Reality Capture covering utility, foundation and geotech mapping and targeted validation, AI Engineering, and Utility Relocation Services); the V&A Inc. acquisition announcement is still shown. Investment, area-scanned, funding and customer counters and the utility-strike statistics on the page are not repeated here. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026 (headless browser; a plain request returned 429): homepage unchanged in substance (four stages: Remote Data Intelligence with ExoInfo, On-Site Reality Capture, AI Engineering and Utility Relocation Services; the V&A Inc. acquisition announcement is still shown). Counters on the page are not repeated here. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026 (headless browser; a plain request returned 429): homepage unchanged in substance (four stages: Remote Data Intelligence with ExoInfo, On-Site Reality Capture, AI Engineering and Utility Relocation Services; V&A Inc. acquisition announcement still shown). Counters and strike statistics are not repeated here.
Who it's forInfrastructure contractors (fiber and power), excavators who call in 811 tickets, and the operators and utilities they build for.Owners, designers and contractors on infrastructure projects with utility conflicts: transportation, transit, water and energy.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Clad Locates publishes prices (withclad.com/locates/pricing, read Oct 18, 2026): Free $0 a month (20 tickets, one state, AI ticket creation, status tracking, map view); Standard $250 a month (50 tickets, extra tickets $5 each, unlimited states, renewals, expiring-ticket notifications, bulk address upload); Pro $450 a month (50 tickets, extra tickets $9 each, KMZ-to-ticket tool, API access, SSO as an add-on, custom integrations and reports). Unchanged Oct 19 and Oct 20, 2026; Standard also lists photo and file attachments, all ticket types and submitting no-response notices. The core project management and billing product has no public prices; the homepage offers a demo to explore custom plans and pricing. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged (Locates Free $0 for 20 tickets in 1 state; Standard $250 a month with 50 tickets and $5 per extra ticket; Pro $450 a month with 50 tickets, $9 per extra ticket, KMZ export, API and an SSO add-on). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: Locates pricing unchanged (Free $0, 20 tickets, one state; Standard $250 a month, 50 tickets, $5 per extra ticket; Pro $450 a month, 50 tickets, $9 per extra ticket, KMZ-to-ticket, API, SSO add-on); core product still quoted through a demo.No public prices found (checked Oct 16, 2026; still none on the Oct 19, 2026 homepage, whose calls to action are Get in Touch and View Projects): the vendor site has no pricing or plans link in its navigation or footer, and /pricing and /plans return a not-found page. The site's calls to action include "Get in Touch". Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Earlier note (Oct 15, 2026): site routes to sales. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (/pricing returns not found; Get in Touch). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026 (homepage read in a headless browser; a plain request returned 429): unchanged (/pricing returns not found; Get in Touch). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged (/pricing returns not found; Get in Touch).
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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): Clad's homepage describes project management and billing software for infrastructure, with production tracking, blueprint markups linked to quantities, schedules, invoices built from production with retainage tracking and ERP sync, vendor invoice processing, and vendor and materials management; its Locates page describes an AI-powered 811 ticket management system for excavators, with bulk submit, scheduled tickets and one dashboard across 811 systems in all 50 states. Exodigo's homepage describes four stages: Remote Data Intelligence (ExoInfo, which uses AI to connect utility records, as-builts, geotechnical reports, satellite imagery and permits), On-Site Reality Capture (non-intrusive multi-sensor scanning for utility, foundation and geotechnical mapping), AI Engineering (2D and 3D mapping, digital twins, design validation, utility and HDD design) and Utility Relocation Services (cost estimation and coordination).
  • Where the AI is: Clad Locates lets a user draw the dig area on a map and has AI write a correctly formatted ticket narrative, then tracks responses automatically. Exodigo applies AI to fusing sensor data and public records into a map of what is below ground, delivered with its engineers and geophysicists.
  • Software or service: Clad is self-serve software the contractor runs. Exodigo is a delivered service: its team captures and analyzes the data and hands over deliverables. Its homepage also announces that it acquired V&A Inc., a California civil engineering company (vendor announcement).
  • Our reading: these are not substitutes. 811 tickets are how a contractor asks utility owners to mark their lines before digging, which state one-call laws require; a subsurface survey like Exodigo's is typically bought earlier, for design, utility coordination and relocation budgets. Check your state's one-call rules; this is not legal advice.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 24, 2026): Clad Locates publishes Free ($0 a month, 20 tickets a month, one state), Standard ($250 a month, 50 tickets, extra tickets $5 each) and Pro ($450 a month, 50 tickets, extra tickets $9 each, with a KMZ-to-ticket tool and API access; SSO is an add-on); Clad's core project management and billing platform is quoted through a demo. Exodigo publishes no prices (exodigo.com/pricing returns a not-found page; the site offers Get in Touch).
  • Not used here: Clad's 10x faster line, and Exodigo's de-risked investment, square-footage, funding and customer counters and its utility-strike statistics. 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 your gap is the admin of calling in and tracking locate tickets (Clad Locates) or not knowing what is underground before design or bid (Exodigo)
  • What you actually pay, and on what basis (neither publishes full prices)
  • How Clad's ticket volume tiers fit your monthly ticket count across states
  • 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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