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Downtobid vs PlanHub

Two commercial bidding platforms that both publish prices. Downtobid is AI-first ITB software: its AI reads a plan set, detects trade packages and drafts scope notes for invites sent from the GC's own email, and subs get a bid board. PlanHub is an open bidding marketplace and network for GCs, subs and suppliers, with PlanHub AI ranking projects and answering questions on bid documents. Desk research from vendor pages read Oct 19, 2026; not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 19, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Downtobid (Bid management; vendor publishes prices) vs PlanHub (Bid management; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 19, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Downtobid vs PlanHub: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowDowntobidPlanHub
CategoryBid managementBid management
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI features added to established product
What it doesBid management software where AI reads uploaded plan sets, detects trade packages, and drafts scope notes for GCs' invitations to bid. GCs send personalized ITBs from their own email and track coverage. Subs get a bid board for invites, deadlines, and RFIs. Dodge Construction Network now lists "Bid Board by Downtobid" as part of the Dodge family; Downtobid's own site still sells it. Re-read Oct 17, 2026 (rendered in headless Chrome; curl gets a bot check): the homepage says nothing goes out without the GC's review, invites carry each sub's scope summary, relevant sheets and the GC's branding, and sub lists import by CSV with matching to Downtobid's database and duplicate flags; a case study cites 15 minutes vs 2+ hours to build packages and 3.8 vs 1.9 bids per package (vendor case study, not verified). Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: (headless Chrome) unchanged in substance; the FAQ now describes transparent per-user pricing versus revenue-percentage pricing even though its price answer quotes a per-organization starting price, so confirm the billing unit. A GH Pastor case study cites 15+ hours saved per week (vendor case study, not verified). Dodge's Bid Board page still sells Bid Board by Downtobid.Construction bidding marketplace and preconstruction network for finding projects and managing bids, with planrooms and ITBs. It also offers directories, takeoff/estimation, and prequalification. As of Oct 15, 2026 PlanHub calls itself an "AI-Powered Commercial Construction Bidding Platform": it says PlanHub AI ranks opportunities by your trade, service area, activity, and relationships, answers project-specific questions about bid documents with links to source pages, and matches GCs with subcontractors for bid coverage. Vendor network figures (not verified): 56,000+ early-stage and 93,000+ bid-stage projects a year, 58,000+ GCs, 400,000+ subcontractors. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: (pricing page in headless Chrome) PlanHub AI ranking, document Q&A and GC-sub matching are unchanged; the homepage now also cites 30,000+ suppliers and 500,000+ GCs, subcontractors and suppliers nationwide (vendor figures, not verified).
Who it's forCommercial general contractors and subcontractors.General contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Vendor FAQ: starts at $149/month per organization for GCs; for subs, the "leads" bid board starts at $119/mo and full bid management at $299/mo. Subs can access planrooms and submit bids free. Re-checked Oct 17, 2026: unchanged. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: unchanged.Free profile to receive GC invitations and bid within a local radius. Subcontractor Premier plan listed at $1,999/yr (50-mile radius), $2,349 (100-mile), $3,299 (200-mile), with a trial period; Enterprise (national reach, teams of 3+ users) on request. (Pricing re-checked Oct 15, 2026.) Re-checked Oct 17, 2026 in headless Chrome: unchanged. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: unchanged ($1,999 / $2,349 / $3,299 per year by radius); the FAQ describes Premier as a flat-rate annual subscription with no per-lead fees.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 19, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Model: Downtobid is built around the GC's own invites: personalized ITBs go out from the GC's email with each sub's scope summary, relevant sheets and the GC's branding. PlanHub describes an open marketplace where GCs reach new bidders, subcontractors can choose projects without needing an invitation and suppliers connect with contractors pricing work.
  • AI: Downtobid says its AI reads every sheet of an uploaded PDF plan set, identifies trade packages and drafts initial scope notes, and that nothing goes out until the GC reviews and edits it. PlanHub says PlanHub AI brings the most relevant opportunities to the top using your trade, service area, activity and relationships, answers project-specific questions with a click through to the source page in the bid documents, and matches GCs with subcontractors for bid coverage.
  • For subcontractors: Downtobid's Bid Board puts invites, deadlines and RFIs on one board and calendar, assigns estimators to prevent double-bidding and helps subs find commercial GCs; subs can open planrooms and submit bids free. PlanHub's subcontractor plans list unlimited bids sent to every GC on a project at once, daily project leads with search filters, plan and spec downloads, a mobile app and a prequalification badge.
  • Breadth: PlanHub lists public and private planrooms, GC, subcontractor and supplier directories, market intelligence, planning-stage projects, takeoff and estimation, prequalification and a bid board and bid builder. Downtobid lists an ITB tool, a subcontractor network, the Bid Board, coverage tracking (who opened, who is bidding, who needs a nudge) and CSV sub-list import matched against its database with duplicate flags.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 19, 2026): Downtobid's FAQ says it starts at $149 a month per organization for GCs, $119 a month for the subcontractor leads bid board and $299 a month for full bid management; the same FAQ also describes its pricing as per-user, so confirm the billing unit. PlanHub's subcontractor page lists Premier at $1,999 a year for a 50-mile bid radius, $2,349 for 100 miles and $3,299 for 200 miles, with Enterprise (national reach, teams of 3+ users) on request and a free start with no card. We did not read a PlanHub price for GCs.
  • Each vendor publishes a comparison page naming the other (vendor marketing, not used here). Also not used: Downtobid's case-study figures and customer quotes, and PlanHub's network counts, review-site ratings, ROI calculator 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.

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

  • How long it took to build bid packages and send invites in each, and how much of Downtobid's AI scope notes you had to rewrite
  • Whether invites from your own email or from a marketplace got more subs to respond on your jobs
  • For subs: whether the leads each showed fit your trade and service area, and whether PlanHub AI's document answers held up when you checked the source page
  • What you pay in practice, including how Downtobid bills (per organization or per user) and which PlanHub radius you needed
  • 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?

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