Means & Methods Lab, home
Facts: desk research, not tested · Reviews: members' opinions

Exayard vs Bobyard

Two AI-first takeoff and estimating tools for trade contractors that differ in how you drive the AI and how they sell. Exayard lets you describe what to count or measure in plain language on PDF, image or CAD plans, then review and price the results, with published per-seat prices that include a monthly allowance of AI work, plus API, MCP and agent access. Bobyard runs trade-specific AI models for six trades that make a first pass over the drawings for an estimator to confirm, adds a cost database, estimates, proposals and submittal packages, and publishes no prices. Vendor pages read Oct 22, 2026; desk research, not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 22, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Exayard (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices) vs Bobyard (AI takeoff & estimating; no public prices (quote / sales)). Facts last checked Oct 22, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Exayard vs Bobyard: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowExayardBobyard
CategoryTakeoff & estimatingAI takeoff & estimating
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI-first
What it doesAI 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.AI takeoff and estimating for landscaping, mechanical, electrical, finishes, plumbing and paving trades, with separate pages for each trade. The vendor says it is trained on millions of drawings. Its FAQ (checked Oct 19, 2026) says that as of Q4 2026 it supports 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. Customer quote cites 5X bid volume (vendor-published claim). Re-read Oct 21, 2026: the FAQ now says the AI does the first pass and the estimator reviews each detection, using its confidence score, before it is locked into the estimate; six trades with trade-specific models as of Q4 2026 unchanged. Its time-saving and customer revenue figures (vendor claims) are not used. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: 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, with confidence scores to focus review), 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. Six trades as of Q4 2026 unchanged. Customer quotes and figures are not used here.
Who it's forContractors across trades (vendor lists concrete, electrical, roofing, framing, plumbing, drywall, and more).Trade contractors.
Pricing (as publicly stated)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).No public prices found (checked Oct 16 and Oct 19, 2026): 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 are "Book a demo". Confirm current pricing with the vendor. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: still no prices (/pricing returns a not-found page); a new FAQ answer says pricing depends on which products and add-on features you use; Book a demo. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: still no prices (/pricing returns a not-found page); pricing depends on products and add-on features; Book a demo.
User reviewsNo reviews yet. Read or writeNo reviews yet. Read or write
Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 22, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • How the AI is driven: Exayard has you upload PDF, image or CAD (DWG, DXF, DGN) plans and describe in plain language what to count or measure, then review the detected quantities before pricing. Bobyard's custom models, built per trade, read drawings and aerial images, count fixtures, devices and symbols and measure lengths, areas and volumes in one pass, auto-group quantities by room, system, material or floor, and give every detection a confidence score so the estimator can focus the review before locking it into the estimate.
  • Trades: Exayard lists contractors across trades, including concrete, electrical, roofing, framing, plumbing and drywall. Bobyard says that as of Q4 2026 it supports six trades (landscaping, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, interior finishes and paving), each with its own model, and that landscaping and paving maintenance aerial takeoffs can start from just an address.
  • Estimating and output: Exayard lists estimates and proposals, bids with logo, e-signature and reminders, a price book with trade starter packs and QuickBooks, and market prices from published cost books, with alternates, allowances, revision compare and live supplier prices on Professional. Bobyard lists a reusable cost database (material, labor, equipment and subcontractor cost per item, labor rates by type and group, nested assemblies, bulk import of an existing library), an estimate table with bulk edits, tax and overhead by cost type and markup or margin, and a one-click branded proposal.
  • Beyond takeoff: Exayard offers its Exa assistant on web, email, WhatsApp and a customer's own website, a REST API, MCP server, CLI and webhooks, connections such as Zapier, n8n, Make, Slack and Teams, and a homepage invitation to onboard your own AI agent (it names Claude, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode). Bobyard adds a submittals module (takeoff materials become submittal items, uploaded catalogs are split into products, Bob GPT suggests matches from your library and the web for you to confirm, and it builds a branded PDF package and resubmittals for flagged items) and a spec and RFI chatbot called Bob.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 22, 2026): Exayard publishes Starter at $99 and Professional at $249 per seat per month before tax, with $100 and $250 of AI work per seat each month (about 20 and 50 drawing sheets, per the page) and Enterprise priced to your volume; yearly billing with two months free was listed at our Oct 19 read. Bobyard publishes no prices: its FAQ says pricing depends on which products and add-on features you use, /pricing returns a not-found page, and its call to action is Book a demo.
  • AI tags: both are tagged AI-first.
  • Not used here: Exayard's takeoff-time headline, and Bobyard's bid-volume, revenue, project-win and time-saving figures and customer quotes (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

  • Missed and false counts on your own trade's drawings compared with your own takeoff
  • How far Exayard's monthly AI allowance goes on a typical bid set for your trade
  • What Bobyard costs for your trade and the add-ons you would need
  • Whether either reads your legends, schedules and revised sheets without manual cleanup
  • 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?

How reviews work: review guidelines and methodology. All reviews: reviews hub.

Related