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FlowManual vs Kreo

Two cloud tools that link on-drawing takeoff to an estimate, priced in very different ways. FlowManual (YC S26) measures and counts on drawings and prices the quantities in an editable estimating workbook, with scope review, revision comparison and bid leveling, on a free plan with a daily allowance or a custom Pro plan. Kreo is agentic AI takeoff and estimating for PDF, CAD and image plans with Auto Measure and the Caddie agent, on published per-user plans from $100 to $250 a month billed annually. Vendor pages read Oct 29, 2026; desk research, 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: FlowManual (Takeoff linked to an estimating workbook, with a free plan; free option; paid prices not listed) vs Kreo (Takeoff; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 29, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

FlowManual vs Kreo: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowFlowManualKreo
CategoryTakeoff linked to an estimating workbook, with a free planTakeoff
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI-first
What it doesTakeoff and estimating software that links quantities measured and counted on drawings to an estimating workbook with formulas, multiple sheets, rates and assemblies. The site (read Oct 18, 2026) lists takeoff workflows for mechanical (equipment counts, pipe runs), ductwork, concrete and general symbol counting; refreshing linked quantities when drawings change, with manual edits protected for review; scope review of specs and contracts for requirements and exclusions; drawing revision comparison; bid leveling of subcontractor proposals; and chat. Its YC profile calls it an all-in-one AI estimating, bidding and purchasing platform for general and MEP contractors. Security statements: AES-256 encryption at rest isolated per company, SSO, MFA and audit logging, and training on customer documents and pricing only with opt-in (vendor statements). Y Combinator batch: Summer 2026 (YC company profile). Re-read Oct 19, 2026: unchanged in substance (mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting workflows; linked estimating workbook). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged in substance (mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting, linked estimating workbook, scope review, drawing revision comparison; AES-256 at rest, SSO, MFA and audit logging). Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (measure, count and price on drawings in one workspace; mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting workflows; linked estimating workbook with formulas and multiple sheets that refreshes linked quantities when drawings change; scope review, drawing revision comparison and bid leveling; AES-256 at rest, SSO, MFA, audit logging, opt-in-only training, export and deletion of project data, enterprise deployment options). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (mechanical equipment and piping, ductwork lengths by size, concrete areas and volumes and general counting; accepted quantities into an estimating workbook with Excel import and Excel, CSV or proposal PDF export; scope review, revision comparison and bid leveling). Its Security page (Trust Center) now spells out AES-256-GCM encryption at rest with per-file and per-record keys, Google or email sign-in with optional two-step email verification, four project roles and an activity log, enterprise SSO through SAML 2.0 or OIDC (SCIM on the roadmap), opt-in-only model training that is off by default, Anthropic as the document-analysis provider (not used for training), Microsoft Azure for hosting and document parsing in the United States, optional web search through Exa under Exa's own terms, and SOC 2 Type II in progress with a penetration test scheduled (vendor statements). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: homepage and Security page unchanged in substance (takeoff for mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting linked to an estimating workbook; scope review, drawing revision comparison and bid leveling; AES-256-GCM encryption at rest with per-file and per-record keys, enterprise SSO through SAML 2.0 or OIDC with SCIM on the roadmap, opt-in-only model training, Anthropic for document analysis without training, Microsoft Azure hosting in the United States, optional web search through Exa under Exa's own terms, SOC 2 Type II in progress and a penetration test scheduled; vendor statements). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (takeoff for mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting linked to an estimating workbook; scope review, drawing revision comparison and bid leveling; Anthropic named for document analysis without training; security statements as recorded Oct 25). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (measure, count and price on drawings in an estimating workbook with formulas and multiple sheets, linked quantities refreshed when drawings change; mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting; scope review, drawing revision comparison and bid leveling). The homepage example estimate is illustrative and not used.Cloud-based AI takeoff and estimating software for PDF, CAD and image plans, whose agentic AI detects elements and turns measurements into estimates. Vendor says its agentic AI detects elements, cross-references data across sheets, generates reports, and turns measurements into cost estimates. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the pricing page lists Pro AI features as one-click area and line measurements, auto symbol counting, AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows, custom AI takeoff requests, AI scale detection and drawing naming, batch AI takeoff across sheets, the Caddie AI assistant and Reusable Skills automation; Business adds API access for projects and AI, and Enterprise a custom AI allowance and AI fine-tuning. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: the Pro AI feature list is unchanged. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026 (pricing rendered in a headless browser): the Pro AI feature list, Pilots and API add-ons are unchanged. Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: the homepage now leads with agentic AI takeoff and announces Auto Measure 3.0, which Kreo says adds a second review pass inside the model that checks and re-fits its outlines before returning results; it also describes the Caddie agent with a self-serve skill builder and ready-made skills, and an AI Scope Builder that breaks drawn assemblies into materials. The Auto Measure 3.0 accuracy percentages, review rating and customer logos are vendor material and are not used. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (agentic AI takeoff, Auto Measure 3.0 with a second review pass, the Caddie agent with a skill builder, AI Scope Builder). The accuracy percentages, review rating and customer logos remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (Caddie AI assistant described as an autonomous agent inside Kreo, Auto Measure, takeoff and estimating). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (agentic AI takeoff; Auto Measure 3.0 with a second review pass inside the model; the Caddie agent with a self-serve skill builder, ready-made skills and voice questions; AI Scope Builder; AI scale detection; PDF, CAD and image support); the hero line now reads Hey, Spot: just point at the drawing and ask. Accuracy percentages, the review rating and customer logos remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (agentic AI takeoff; Auto Measure 3.0 with a second review pass inside the model; the Caddie agent with a self-serve skill builder and ready-made skills; the Hey, Spot hero line). Auto Measure accuracy percentages, the review rating and customer logos remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (agentic AI takeoff; Auto Measure 3.0; the Caddie agent with skills; AI scale detection; PDF, CAD and image support). Accuracy percentages, the review rating and customer logos remain vendor material not used here. Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: homepage unchanged in substance (agentic AI takeoff with the Hey, Spot hero line; Auto Measure 3.0; the Caddie agent with skills; pages for quantity surveyors, cost estimators and contractors). Accuracy percentages, the review rating and customer logos remain vendor material not used here.
Who it's forGeneral and MEP contractors' estimators, from solo estimators on the free plan to teams.AEC professionals and estimating teams.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Free plan with every feature inside a daily usage allowance, unlimited projects and uploads, no card required (flowmanual.com/pricing, read Oct 18, 2026). Pro is custom and sales-led, with unlimited usage and priority support. The page says symbol counts on drawing sets use far more of the allowance than reading a document, so counting a full set needs Pro or a trial. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026 (unchanged again Oct 20, 2026): the page adds that one dense sheet can use more than a full day of the Free allowance, Free includes email support, and documents stay downloadable at any time. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged (Free with a daily usage allowance, all features, unlimited projects and uploads, email support, no card; Pro custom and sales-led with unlimited usage and priority support; a dense sheet can use more than a full day of the Free allowance, so counting a set needs Pro or a trial). Re-checked Oct 23, 2026: unchanged (Free with a daily usage allowance, all features, unlimited projects and uploads, email support, no card; Pro custom and sales-led with unlimited usage and priority support; one dense sheet can use more than a full day of the Free allowance, so counting a set needs Pro or a trial). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026: unchanged (Free with a daily usage allowance, all features, unlimited projects and uploads, email support, no card; Pro custom and sales-led with unlimited usage and priority support; one dense sheet can use more than a full day of the Free allowance, so counting a set needs Pro or a trial). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026: unchanged (Free with a daily usage allowance and every feature, no card; Pro custom with unlimited usage and priority support; counting a set needs Pro or a trial). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: unchanged (Free with a daily usage allowance that resets every day, all features, unlimited projects and uploads, email support, no card; Pro custom and sales-led with unlimited usage and priority support; one dense sheet can use more than a full day of the Free allowance, so counting a set needs Pro or a trial).Per-user subscription, billed annually. Essential $100/user/mo (listed as without AI); Pro $175/user/mo adds AI tools (Auto Measure, One-Click Area, Auto Count); Business $250/user/mo with 5 seats included (billed at $15,000 every 12 months); Enterprise custom. 7-day free trial on Essential, Pro and Business. (Pricing re-checked Oct 17, 2026; Lite and Plus tiers no longer listed.) Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: unchanged (Essential billed at $1,200 and Pro at $2,100 every 12 months; Business $15,000 every 12 months with 5 seats). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: plan prices unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Business includes 5 seats and is billed at $15,000 every 12 months). The pricing page also says Pro covers up to 4 users and Business 5 to 20, and that guests who only view and comment are free. It lists paid Pilots (a 1-month Pro Pilot and a 1- to 3-month Business Pilot, with the fee credited to an annual plan if you move within 14 days; no Pilot fee shown) and API add-ons on Pro: Core Platform API $140 per user per year, Items and Assemblies API $160 per user per year, and Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch usage. Business includes all three APIs and 200 Auto Measure API launches a month, with extra launches 25% cheaper than on Pro; an Excel Add-in is in early access and currently free. Re-checked Oct 21, 2026: unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Pro up to 4 users, Business 5 to 20 users with 5 seats included at $2,100 per user a year; Core Platform API $140 and Items and Assemblies API $160 per user per year, Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch usage; guests free). Re-checked Oct 22, 2026: unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Business includes 5 seats and is billed at $15,000 every 12 months; Pro up to 4 users, Business 5 to 20; same Pilots and API add-ons; guests free). The pricing page also shows GBP (Essential £80, Pro £125, Business £210) and EUR (€90, €150, €220) per user per month billed annually; prices exclude VAT and sales tax. Re-checked Oct 23, 2026 (pricing rendered in a headless browser): unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Business includes 5 seats and is billed at $15,000 every 12 months; Core Platform API $140 and Items and Assemblies API $160 per user per year, Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch usage). Re-checked Oct 24, 2026: unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Business with 5 seats and all APIs $15,000 a year; Core Platform API $140 and Items and Assemblies API $160 per user a year; Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch billing; guests free). Re-checked Oct 25, 2026 (pricing rendered in a headless browser): unchanged ($100 Essential, listed as without AI, $175 Pro and $250 Business per user per month billed annually, billed at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000 every 12 months; Business includes 5 seats; Enterprise custom; 7-day free trial on each paid plan; paid Pro and Business Pilots credited to an annual plan; guests who only view and comment are free; GBP and EUR prices also shown). Re-checked Oct 26, 2026: unchanged ($100 Essential, listed as without AI, $175 Pro and $250 Business per user per month billed annually, billed at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000 every 12 months; Business includes 5 seats and covers up to 20 users; Pro covers up to 4 users; Enterprise custom; 7-day free trial; Pro and Business Pilots credited to an annual plan; guests free; GBP and EUR prices also shown). Re-checked Oct 27, 2026 (pricing page rendered in a headless browser): unchanged ($100 Essential, $175 Pro and $250 Business per user per month billed annually, billed at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000 every 12 months; Business includes 5 seats; Enterprise custom; GBP and EUR prices also shown). Re-checked Oct 28, 2026: unchanged ($100 Essential, listed as without AI, $175 Pro and $250 Business per user per month billed annually, billed at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000 every 12 months; Business includes 5 seats; Enterprise custom; 7-day free trial; GBP and EUR prices also shown). Re-checked Oct 29, 2026: unchanged ($100 Essential, listed as no AI, $175 Pro and $250 Business per user per month, billed once a year at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000; Business includes 5 seats and covers up to 20 users; Enterprise custom; guests who only view and comment are free; API add-ons on Pro still $140 and $160 per user per year and Auto Measure API $840 a year plus usage, all included in Business).
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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

  • Who each names: FlowManual's YC profile names general and MEP contractors, with mechanical, ductwork, concrete and general counting workflows. Kreo has pages for quantity surveyors, cost estimators and contractors.
  • Where the AI sits: Kreo's Pro plan lists one-click area and line measurements, auto symbol counting, AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows, custom AI takeoff requests, AI scale detection and drawing naming, batch AI takeoff across sheets, the Caddie AI assistant and Reusable Skills automation; its Essential plan is listed as without AI. FlowManual lists scope review of specs and contracts, drawing revision comparison, bid leveling of subcontractor proposals and chat on every plan.
  • Estimating: FlowManual prices quantities in a workbook with formulas, multiple sheets, unit costs, labor and markup, reusable rates and assemblies, and refreshes linked quantities when the drawing changes. Kreo lists live-linked estimates and custom assemblies, a shared company cost database, drawing comparison and annotations, and Excel import and export with PDF reports; Business adds cost database import and export, IFC export, enterprise SSO and API access.
  • Pricing (read Oct 29, 2026): FlowManual Free includes every feature within a daily usage allowance, unlimited projects and uploads and no card; Pro is custom and sales-led with unlimited usage, and one dense sheet of symbol counting can use more than a day of the Free allowance. Kreo lists Essential $100, Pro $175 and Business $250 per user per month billed annually (billed at $1,200, $2,100 and $15,000 every 12 months; Business includes 5 seats and covers up to 20 users), Enterprise custom, a 7-day free trial and free view-and-comment guests; API add-ons are extra on Pro and included on Business.
  • Not used here: Kreo's Auto Measure accuracy percentages, review rating and customer logos; FlowManual's illustrative example estimate (vendor content). 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 far FlowManual's free daily allowance goes on a real set, and what Pro costs next to Kreo's per-user plans
  • How Kreo's AI takeoff and FlowManual's counting compare on the same drawings
  • How either handles heavy civil takeoff such as earthwork, linear utilities and roadway sections
  • 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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