VS CONEST · MODERN AI VS LEGACY DESKTOP
ConEst if you grew up on it.
bidyou.ai if you\'re hiring estimators today.
ConEst IntelliBid is the established US electrical estimating tool — mid-1990s codebase, perpetual-licence pricing, Windows desktop, annual cost-database update ritual. It works. Senior electrical estimators know it intimately. The trade-off lands when you hire someone new: the 40–100-hour learning curve is real, the perpetual licence is $2,300–$5,000+ per seat, and the cost database needs manual upkeep between annual updates. bidyou.ai shifts that whole shape — modern web app, sub-€100 / month subscription, AI that matches BoQ lines against your own bid history, live retailer pricing built in.
| Dimension | ConEst IntelliBid | bidyou.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Era + delivery | Windows desktop application, evolved from mid-1990s codebase. Per-PC install, network licence server for teams. No web client. | Modern web app (2026 architecture). Sign up at bidyou.ai, drop a BoQ, see the AI draft within minutes. Works on any OS with a browser. Mobile-responsive for field tasks. |
| Pricing model | Perpetual licence. IntelliBid Lite ~$2,300. Pro ~$5,000+. Annual maintenance + cost-database subscription on top. Multi-seat is an additional licence. | Subscription: Free for 3 active projects, no credit card. Starter €39 / month, Pro €129 / month, Enterprise custom. No upfront capex, no Windows licence stack. |
| How prices stay current | Annual cost-database update (NetPricer, Trade Service). Manual import. Between updates, prices drift. | Live retailer queries on every estimate. Region-aware (Würth, Leroy Merlin, AKI, Wickes, Screwfix). Your private supplier price-lists override retailers when you have them. No annual update ritual. |
| AI matching | None. Items are matched manually via the assembly browser or by experienced estimator memory. Bidder time is the bottleneck. | Per-tenant AI trained on your historical bids. Drop a BoQ → 75 % top-1 dictionary match + semantic fallback. A 300-line BoQ moves from upload to validated draft in minutes, not days. |
| Training time to productive | Typical: 40–100 hours for a new estimator to become productive. Steep learning curve cited consistently in ElectricianTalk / ECN / Mike Holt threads. | Single-screen estimating workspace + inline AI suggestions. Most estimators ship their first valid bid the same day they sign up. |
| Drawing handling | Some drawing-to-takeoff integrations via Bluebeam etc., add-on packages, manual count entry common. | YOLOv11 block detection on DWG/DXF — counts luminaires, sockets, equipment automatically. PaddleOCR fallback for scanned PDFs. Out of the box; no add-on packages. |
| Geo + market scope | US-centric. NEMA / NECA codes. NetPricer is US wholesale. | EU-hosted, GDPR-native. EN/PT/ES/FR ingest. Designed for UK / IE / DE / FR / EU electrical contractors (plus Lusophone markets — PT/BR/AO/MZ via PT-PT support). |
| Audit log + history | Standard project-level revision tracking. Not specifically ISO-conformant. | ISO 27001 A.12.4.1 conformant audit log per row/field with batch grouping. Adobe-Fusion-style History Ribbon — revert any batch in one click. |
| Where each shines | Mid-to-large US electrical contractor with established workflow, existing IntelliBid muscle memory, perpetual-licence preference, US codes / databases default. | EU contractor (or US contractor open to change) wanting modern web + AI matching + EU data residency + sub-€100/month entry pricing + no Windows licence ceremony. |
Perpetual licences age. AI estimators that learn from your bids — and that live in a browser tab — get sharper every month you use them.
Try the modern alternative.
Free for the first 3 projects. No installer. No Windows licence. No €5k upfront.
No credit card. Magic-link activation.
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