Beam AI vs Aginera
Beam AI sells takeoffs as an annual service, including a done-for-you option checked by its team. Aginera puts the takeoff in your estimators' hands in minutes.
The difference is who does the work and when. With Beam's done-for-you plan, you send plans and receive QA-checked takeoffs in 24–72 hours. With Aginera, the takeoff runs while you wait, every quantity points back to its sheet, and your own estimator reviews it before it is exported to your estimating system.
Side by side
| Aginera | Beam AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Software: the takeoff runs in minutes, your team reviews it | Do-it-yourself licence, or done-for-you takeoffs checked by Beam |
| Turnaround | Minutes (14 minutes for a 12-sheet mechanical set in our case study) | 24–72 hours on done-for-you |
| Entry price | Free tier; Professional $299/user/month monthly; enterprise annual | DIY from $8K/year per trade; done-for-you from $25K/year |
| Trades | Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, structural | DIY for HVAC, plumbing and steel; done-for-you for all trades; aerial for sitework |
| Checking | Every row traceable to sheet and tag; unmeasurable lengths flagged; extracted vs reviewed quantity kept | "QA-checked takeoffs" on done-for-you |
| Export | Trimble/Accubid, McCormick, ConEst IntelliBid, Procore, Bluebeam/OST CSV, Excel, JSON API | Customized Excel formats on Enterprise |
Beam AI details as published on their website, checked October 13, 2026: ibeam.ai/pricing. Products change — check their current pages before deciding.
Choose Beam AI if…
- • You want takeoffs done for you and can wait one to three days
- • You need trades outside MEP, including aerial sitework
- • You would rather buy a service than review takeoffs in-house
Choose Aginera if…
- • Your estimators want the takeoff the same hour, to bid more jobs
- • You want to see where every number came from, not trust a QA team
- • You want to start without a five-figure annual commitment
- • You price in Accubid, McCormick, ConEst or Procore
Compare them on your own drawings
The fairest test is a set you have already estimated. Run it through both and line the output up against your own takeoff. We will do ours with you.
Questions
How much does Beam AI cost?
Beam AI publishes starting prices: do-it-yourself from $8K per year per trade (HVAC, plumbing, steel), done-for-you from $25K per year for all trades, and aerial from $10K per year per trade, with custom enterprise quotes.
Is a done-for-you takeoff more accurate?
It is checked by someone else. Aginera’s approach is to make the takeoff checkable by your own estimator: each row carries its sheet, tag and source, and anything that could not be measured is flagged rather than estimated into the total.
Can we trial Aginera on our own drawings?
Yes — sign up and run a takeoff yourself, or book a pilot and we will go through our output against a takeoff your team has already done.
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