The honest comparison:
SimplyWise vs Buildxact
Buildxact is a takeoff and estimating platform, built around plans you upload and measure on a screen. It has phone and template paths too, and both are bolt-ons. SimplyWise is built around the photo you shoot standing in the room. Same goal, two very different days.
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Three things Buildxact makes you work around
Both tools price jobs. The difference is what you have to bring before either one can start. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a jobsite photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. It is free to try, then $29.99 a month, or $239.99 a year on the annual plan.
Their no-plan paths are bolt-ons
Buildxact does answer the no-plan case, twice. Their features page points you at a third-party app, Rendr, to capture measurements on a phone. Their estimate generator builds from a project type such as a bathroom, and it is an add-on above a $199 a month plan. Both start somewhere other than the room in front of you. SimplyWise starts from the photo, in the app you already carry.
The phone is the whole tool
SimplyWise reads room dimensions off the LiDAR sensor on a Pro iPhone. They land straight in the estimate. Buildxact’s pricing page lists the Onsite mobile app starting at the Pro plan, which is $399 a month or $4,070 a year. Their features page routes phone measurement to a separate company. Either way the phone is an accessory to a desktop takeoff, not the tool itself.
One price, no credits and no climbing
Buildxact’s free tier meters work in credits and starts you with five. Its paid ladder then sells those assistants as add-ons and folds them in as you climb. The full set is included only on the $599 a month Master plan. SimplyWise is one subscription with no feature gating. It opens every app in the suite.
Feature by feature: every box a working contractor needs to tick
Pulled from the live SimplyWise release and Buildxact’s own public pages on August 22, 2026.
| Feature | SimplyWise | Buildxact |
|---|---|---|
| Where the estimate starts | A photo, a voice description, an uploaded blueprint, or a room scan | An uploaded plan, phone measurements via Rendr, or a template generator |
| Photo to estimate | Yes, about 6 seconds | Not listed on their site |
| Room measurement from a phone | Yes, LiDAR scan in the app, on a Pro iPhone | Yes, through their third-party Rendr integration |
| Before and after visualization | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| Entry price for a working setup | $29.99 a month, or $239.99 a year | $199 a month, or $2,030 a year on the lowest paid plan |
| Mobile app for the field | Yes, the app is the product | Yes, listed from the Pro plan up |
| Automated estimate help | Yes, included in the plan | Yes, credit metered free; assistants are add-ons at Foundation and Pro, included at Master |
| Digital takeoff from construction drawings | Blueprint upload supported, but quantities come from your description, not the drawing | Yes, full on screen takeoff |
| Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Branded quotes the client signs | Yes, client side signing | Yes, customizable quote letters and digital signatures |
| Supplier and material pricing | Live material pricing in the app | Dealer integration and Home Depot material ordering |
| Seats included | One subscription covers the SimplyWise suite | Unlimited users from the Foundation plan up |
| Job management and scheduling | A built in calendar to schedule your work, plus project folders to keep jobs organized | Yes, from the Pro plan up |
| Free trial | 7 days | 14 days, plus a free credit metered plan |
SimplyWise rows verified against the live release and the SimplyWise Cost Estimator help pages. Buildxact rows verified on buildxact.com US pricing and features pages, and their estimating and takeoff guides, on August 22, 2026. Where a row says a capability is not listed, a sweep of those pages turned up nothing for it under any wording we could find. That is not the same as saying it can never be done.
Price the whole ladder, not the headline
Buildxact publishes a four step ladder. Its 15% annual discount comes with a twelve month commitment. SimplyWise is one flat subscription. Both ladders below come off the two companies’ own pricing pages, read on August 22, 2026.
| Plan | Price | Seats | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimplyWise Cost Estimator, monthly | $29.99 a month | Whole SimplyWise suite | 7 days free |
| SimplyWise Cost Estimator, annual | $239.99 a year, about $20/mo | Whole SimplyWise suite | 7 days free |
| Buildxact Go | $0, metered in credits | 5 credits included | Free plan |
| Buildxact Foundation | $199 a month, or $2,030 a year | Unlimited users | See footnote |
| Buildxact Pro | $399 a month, or $4,070 a year | Unlimited users | See footnote |
| Buildxact Master | $599 a month, or $6,110 a year | Unlimited users | See footnote |
Buildxact figures are the US pricing page read on August 22, 2026. Its annual column shows $169, $339 and $509 as the effective rates for Foundation, Pro and Master. Those bill at $2,030, $4,070 and $6,110 a year. The page states annual plans carry a 15% discount and a twelve month commitment. Add-ons are priced on top and fold in as you climb: the estimate generator at $99 on Foundation, the takeoff assistant at $99 and the estimate reviewer at $149 on Pro. All three are included on Master. Buildxact advertises a 14 day free trial site-wide, but their three paid plan cards route to a demo booking and the page never says which tiers the trial covers. Buildxact also runs separate price lists outside the US. SimplyWise pricing is from simplywise.com.
Shoot one photo of the next job you look at and see the itemized estimate come back. Free to try, no plan set required.
Two ways to get to the same number
Buildxact is excellent when the drawings exist, and it has answers when they do not. Those answers are a second app and an add-on. Here is the same hour in SimplyWise.
Photos of the space and the scope. On a Pro iPhone, scan the room and the dimensions come with it.
Use the voice button to describe the scope. Or upload the plans, if you happen to have them.
Materials, labor and fees come back itemized. Each line carries a unit, a quantity and a price you can edit, plus your built in markup.
Hand over a branded quote the client signs to approve. Invoice off the same record when the job closes.
Buildxact claims its side cuts takeoff time in half and bids jobs seven times faster. Against hand measuring a drawing set, that is a real win. It is just a different starting line. Theirs begins with a plan on a screen. Ours begins with a phone in a room. Try SimplyWise free →
Pick the one that matches how your week actually runs
These two rarely compete for the same contractor. Read the two lists. The answer is usually obvious within four lines.
Pick SimplyWise if
The estimating-first case
- ✓Most of your work is remodel and repair with no plan set, and you would rather not add a second app to measure it.
- ✓You are solo or a small crew. A $199 a month entry plan is not a line you can carry.
- ✓You want the estimate, the quote and the invoice done from the phone in your pocket.
- ✓You want one flat subscription, not a plan you climb to unlock the assistants.
Pick Buildxact if
The full-platform case
- ✓You bid from construction drawings. You need on screen takeoff tied back to the estimate.
- ✓You are a builder adding seats. The plan price spread across a team is fine.
- ✓You need job management and schedules too. Their pricing page lists both from the Pro plan up.
- ✓You want dealer integrations built into the takeoff and ordering flow.
How SimplyWise stacks up against every major estimating tool
See also: SimplyWise vs Contractor Foreman, the same comparison run against another full platform, with both price ladders read off the companies’ own pages.
Common questions, answered
See it on your next estimate
Start a free 7-day SimplyWise trial. Price the next job you walk, drawings or not. If your book turns out to be plan and spec after all, you will know what a takeoff platform is worth to you.
Buildxact Alternatives for Contractors
Buildxact is a takeoff and estimating platform built for builders who bid from drawings. Plenty of contractors never see a drawing. Here are the leading Buildxact alternatives for contractors who want fast estimates without a takeoff workflow.
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1
SimplyWise Cost Estimator
The estimating-first pick for contractors who want to shoot a photo of the work and get a priced estimate back. Room scanning on a Pro iPhone, voice and blueprint input, live material pricing, branded quotes and invoicing in one app. Free to try. Then $29.99 a month, or $239.99 a year on the annual plan.
Best for: Solo contractors and small crews pricing remodel and repair work on site, with or without drawings.
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2
Contractor Foreman
All in one construction management platform. Covers estimating, invoicing, project management, daily logs and time tracking. Seat banded plans start at $49, though their grid gates the logs and scheduling to higher tiers.
Best for: Companies that want a whole platform, not an estimating tool.
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3
Buildertrend
Full construction project management for residential builders and remodelers. Covers estimating, scheduling, change orders and client portals.
Best for: Builders running several jobs with an office team behind them.
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4
Houzz Pro
Marketplace lead generation combined with proposals, project management and client communication.
Best for: Remodelers and designers who want leads and project tools in one place.
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5
Joist
An estimate and invoice app contractors have used for years. Manual line item entry, with no photo to estimate and no room scanning.
Best for: Contractors who want a simple, low cost invoicing and estimating app.
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6
Square Invoices
Free invoicing tied to Square Payments, the simplest option in the category. Estimates, invoices and contracts, with no photo to estimate and no takeoff.
Best for: Anyone who just needs to send an invoice and take a card.
If drawings are rare in your book, a takeoff platform is the wrong shape of tool. Start with the estimator. Start a free SimplyWise trial →
Sources
- Buildxact US pricing page, buildxact.com/us/pricing, read August 22, 2026 (Go, Foundation, Pro and Master plans; monthly and annual rates; annual billing totals; 15% annual discount and twelve month commitment; 14 day free trial; add-on prices; Onsite mobile app listed from the Pro plan).
- Buildxact estimating software guide, buildxact.com/us/blog/estimating-software-for-builders-remodelers, read August 22, 2026 (on screen takeoffs, estimates created from takeoffs, document and photo storage). The /us/features/estimating-software/ path redirects here.
- Buildxact takeoff software guide, buildxact.com/us/blog/takeoff-software, read August 22, 2026 (source of their own claim that Buildxact cuts takeoff time in half and bids jobs seven times faster).
- Buildxact features index, buildxact.com/us/features, read August 22, 2026 (Blu assistant products and what each one does; the Rendr integration for capturing measurements on a mobile device; the estimate generator that builds from a project type).
- SimplyWise pricing page, simplywise.com/blog/pricing (subscription covers every app in the suite, no feature gating, 7-day free trial).
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator FAQs, simplywise.com/blog/simplywise-cost-estimator-faqs (photo, voice, blueprint and room scan inputs; room scan on iOS Pro devices; client side signing; line item structure).
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator App Store listing, id 6670619664 (4.8 rating, feature list).