Overview

Bidwright is an open-source workspace for moving construction bids from intake through estimating, review and quote delivery. It is best suited to solo estimators who want local control or small teams willing to run their own server. Its wide estimating scope comes with a deployment trade-off: the current choices are desktop or self-managed Docker, not hosted service.

Manual estimating, AI review and agent-drafted line items all fit within the same workflow, with a person reviewing AI drafts. Manual work does not depend on outbound AI calls, so teams can keep estimating without connecting a model provider.

For category comparisons, see Construction Takeoff Software and Construction Estimating Software.

Key features

Takeoff and bid documents

PDF takeoff covers count, linear, area and region annotations; 3D model takeoff extracts element quantities and supports filtered bills of materials and revision diffs. That combination serves teams working from both drawings and models, while the broad set of viewers—PDF, DOCX, XLSX, DWG/DXF, MSG/EML, Bluebeam markups, RTF and ZIP—keeps bid materials in one workspace.

The estimator library spans resources, ratebooks, assemblies, labor units, cost intelligence, playbooks, knowledge and datasets. This breadth can help teams organize estimating inputs alongside bid work rather than treating takeoff as a standalone task.

AI and control

Users connect their own keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter or Gemini, or use local LM Studio and Ollama options. Providers bill AI use directly; Bidwright does not proxy or rebill tokens. That gives teams control over provider choice and spend, but requires them to bring and manage their own AI access.

The desktop app stores data locally and requires no cloud account. Docker deployments can run offline or air-gapped after setup. Organization AI keys are not visible to Bidwright. These controls will matter to teams with strict data boundaries, though Docker also means managing infrastructure yourselves.

Pricing

Plan	Price	What it includes
Desktop app	0.00 USD per free	Single-user; macOS, Windows and Linux; AI disabled until you add your own key
Docker self-host	0.00 USD per free	AGPL-3.0; multi-user server; self-managed infrastructure
Hosted	Custom pricing	Coming soon; waitlist open

The desktop plan is the low-friction fit for one estimator, an owner-operator or an evaluator, but it is single-user and AI requires your own key. Docker supports multiple users without a software charge, making it the relevant option for a small team or power user; the cost is operational ownership of the server. Docker users are directed to community support through GitHub Issues.

Hosted service is not yet generally available. SSO, audit logs and data residency are planned, so teams that need a managed deployment or those controls should not treat it as a current option. The license also matters if you embed Bidwright in another SaaS: AGPL requires offering source to users; a commercial license is the route to ask about for another arrangement.

Platforms

Bidwright spans API, Linux, macOS, Windows, web and self-hosted environments, with a hybrid delivery model. In practice, the presently defined deployment choices are a local desktop app and Docker self-hosting; hosted service is forthcoming.

Who it's for

Choose Bidwright if you want estimating, takeoff, bid management and quote preparation together, and can accept either a single-user local app or the work of running a server. Its offline-capable manual workflows and local data storage suit users who want to avoid dependence on cloud accounts or AI calls.

Look elsewhere if your team needs a ready-to-use hosted service, published hosted pricing or established hosted controls today. The Docker option is multi-user, but it shifts infrastructure management and support expectations to your team.

Pros and cons

Broad estimating workflow: PDF and 3D takeoff, bid management, pricing resources and quote delivery address more than measurement alone.
Flexible AI approach: Bring a provider key or use local model options, with provider-direct billing; manual work remains usable without AI calls.
Local and self-hosted control: Desktop data stays local, and Docker can operate offline after setup; this suits privacy-conscious teams that can manage deployment.
Deployment limits: Desktop is single-user, while Docker requires self-managed infrastructure; hosted service is still forthcoming.
License and support trade-offs: SaaS embedding under AGPL entails offering source to users, and Docker users rely on community support through GitHub Issues.

Alternatives

OpenTakeoff is another free, open-source option, with an Apache-2.0 license and no account requirement; consider it if those terms or a no-account start are the priority.

MeasureSquare is a paid alternative with a free plan and trial, plus mobile platforms for in-store sales and on-site consultations; choose it if that mobile retail workflow fits better.

CostX is a paid Windows option with a free plan; it is worth comparing if you want a Windows-focused alternative.

Kreo BIM Takeoff has a free trial and a Pro plan at 65.00 USD per month billed annually, with unlimited usage; it suits teams that prefer a paid, per-user unlimited-usage plan.

Vertigraph Products offers a free BidScreen Cloud Starter tier capped at 2 projects per month, 2 users and 1 GB storage; it may suit teams whose needs fit those limits.

TakeCost has a free Core plan with one new takeoff file per month and full area, length and count tools; consider it if a monthly file cap is workable.

usBIM.platform provides a free basic configuration with 10 GB cloud storage and online applications; it is an alternative for teams prioritizing those cloud basics.

STACK offers a free tier limited to one active project per month, 300 plan pages, 50 measurements per project and one viewer seat; it may fit a small, tightly capped workload.

Verdict

Bidwright is the right choice for a solo estimator or technically capable small team that wants a broad, locally controlled estimating workspace and is comfortable supplying AI access or managing its own server. The main reason to choose it is the combination of takeoff, estimating resources and bid workflow with optional, provider-direct AI. Look elsewhere if you need managed hosting now, rather than a desktop app or self-hosted deployment.

	Bidwright	Togal
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	$299/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows	Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Measurement types	—	2d and 3d
Custom assemblies	—	Yes
Export formats	—	Excel

Bidwright vs Togal

Bidwright

Togal