# Trimble AutoBid Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2026 > Review of Trimble AutoBid Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs. Source: https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [HVAC Estimating Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/mechanical-and-hvac-estimating-software-comparison/) / Trimble AutoBid Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. Overview [Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/reviews/)[Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/alternatives/) # Trimble AutoBid 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing Wondering if Trimble AutoBid is right for your organization? Our HVAC Estimating Software selection experts can help you in 15 minutes or less. On this page - Overview - User Interface - Popular Alternatives - Pricing and Plans - Features - User Reviews - Popular Comparisons ## Overview Trimble AutoBid 4.3 [(53)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/reviews/) Pricing Pricing available upon request ### About Trimble AutoBid Trimble® AutoBid Mechanical is the market leading estimating software for commercial and industrial mechanical, piping and plumbing contractors. Providing contractors with Integrated OnScreen View graphical takeoff, automatic fitting generation, value engineering, a database of over 100,000 items and multiple industry standard labor books. Trimble AutoBid helps contractors create accurate bids and gain a competitive advantage on bid day and complete estimates quickly with real-time, up-to-date material pricing. Professional, accurately priced bid submissions help win more jobs and protect margins. Trimble Autobid Mechanical can also help you improve information sharing with your teams and other stakeholders for enhanced efficiency and informed decision making. Wondering if Trimble AutoBid is right for your organization? Our HVAC Estimating Software selection experts can help you in 15 minutes or less. ## Trimble AutoBid User Interface ## Popular Trimble AutoBid Alternatives Main Product Trimble AutoBid 4.3 [(53)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 3.87Ease of use - 4.04Value for money - 4.35Customer support - 4.16Functionality Pricing Available upon request Get Price Alternative Product [Autodesk Forma](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/autodesk-construction-cloud-profile/) 4.3 [(2206)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/autodesk-construction-cloud-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.17Ease of use - 4.01Value for money - 4.18Customer support - 4.15Functionality Pricing Available upon request Get Price Alternative Product [Houzz Pro](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/houzz-pro-profile/) 4.3 [(1087)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/houzz-pro-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.17Ease of use - 4.02Value for money - 4.26Customer support - 4.16Functionality Pricing Starting at $399.00 per month Get Price Alternative Product [Sage Construction Suite](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/185440-Sage-Construction-Suite/) 4.0 [(1059)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/185440-Sage-Construction-Suite/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 3.70Ease of use - 3.67Value for money - 3.90Customer support - 3.94Functionality Pricing Available upon request Get Price Alternative Product [Leap](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/110460-Leap/) 4.3 [(406)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/110460-Leap/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.20Ease of use - 4.30Value for money - 4.32Customer support - 4.17Functionality Pricing Starting at $79.00 per month Get Price Alternative Product [Knowify](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/knowify-profile/) 4.5 [(109)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/knowify-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.44Ease of use - 4.43Value for money - 4.65Customer support - 4.19Functionality Pricing Starting at $99.00 per month Get Price ## Trimble AutoBid Pricing and Plans Starting price: $1.00 Free Trial Free Version Basic $1.00 No plan information available Confused about pricing? We've got you covered. Get a personalized pricing breakdown tailored to your specific needs—no guesswork, no generic estimates. ## Trimble AutoBid Features - Popular features found in HVAC Estimating Accounting Integration Billing & Invoicing Calendar Management Cost Database Cost Estimating Data Import/Export Electronic Signature Labor Rates Scheduling Work Order Management - More features of Trimble AutoBid Bid Management Change Order Management Collaboration Tools Commercial/Industrial Customizable Reports Document Management Estimating Fitting Management For HVAC Companies For Plumbing Industry Prebuilt Assembly Project Planning Project Tracking Quotes/Estimates Reporting/Analytics Reporting & Statistics Subcontractor Monitoring Takeoff ## Trimble AutoBid User Reviews Overall Rating 4.3 Ratings Breakdown 5 51% 4 38% 3 8% 2 0% 1 4% Secondary Ratings Ease of Use 3.9 Value for money 4.0 Customer support 4.3 Functionality 4.2 Grayson P. Verified reviewer Construction 501-1000 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed January 2019 AutoBid SheetMetal Review 4 I have been a ABSM user since 1998 and seen the software grow with the industry. Our HVAC estimating capacity has had to increase as the company grew and as the Lead HVAC estimator I have had to opportunity to change software and found ABSM to continually lead the industry. I can't imagine using anything else. Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 4 Value for money 4 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: Common database that is shared by all estimators. It's very fast. Anyone can access the software as long as they have a username/ password and a licence is available. Access can be limited on a individual user level. You can build anything you come across. The functionality of the assemblies is incredible. Cons: Labor categories are limited to shop and field in reports though user defined categories are available. i.e. Commissioning/Start-up. These categories do not receive correction factors. New users find it overwhelming. Database and takeoff is now one program so only one can be opened at a time. Read More CJ Chris J. Verified reviewer Construction 2-10 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed September 2023 Software refresh 4 All in all its alright. I'm winning jobs with it but I still need to do things by hand. I have so much to learn as I know I'm only scratching the surface of its capabilities Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 3 Value for money 5 Customer support 3 Functionality Pros: I like the speed in which you can take off projects. Cons: I don't like dealing with errors after calculatingI don't like the cost of 1 on 1 trainingI don't like that specs are all over the place and that I have to edit constantlyI don't like that there arrnt any quick keys to do things quicker Reasons for switching to Trimble AutoBid Does not calculate labor to much set up required for each job Read More BK Brian K. Verified reviewer Construction 201-500 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed May 2019 Not what it used to be 3 Recent tech support does not have field experience. They tend to just delete problems and not actually fix WHY a problem has occurred. Had I not asked a few questions regarding the latest version (2018v2) I would not have known it was NOT the actual version I was running even though it clearly showed the version number. An all new stand alone install had to be done, sending me back to square one with the program as if new out of box. Ratings Breakdown 2 Ease of use 2 Value for money 3 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: Pro:The ability to set up joints to pick up the transition parts such as going from CS to copper, (like a weld-o-let die-electric nipple and copper adapter). Importing direst from Trimble's Trade Service is great. Cons (continued) I have been using onscreen takeoff programs for about 15 years. This is an old program that requires way to many mouse clicks. No usable hot keys. Cons: Set up of the program takes a LOT of time and tends to be an ongoing project as you add items. Updates are few and far between. The updates are often are buggy leaving you with unexplained errors. Version 2017 had enough issues that the new 2018v2 version is a stand alone version requiring you to start all over. Supplied spread sheets can not be customized any more. Read More TC Tim C. Verified reviewer Construction 51-200 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed September 2023 Pretty good software, has some difficulties 4 It has made our takeoff process a lot simpler, we print less plan sets. Sped up our overall process. Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 4 Value for money 4 Customer support 2 Functionality Pros: The on screen takeoff looks nice, pretty intuitive once you get used to it Cons: The lack of keyboard shortcuts for basic takeoff features. It would really speed up the process Reasons for choosing Trimble AutoBid We use many Autodesk products and hoped the support/updates would remain consistent and the software would remain for years to come. Reasons for switching to Trimble AutoBid Wanted to use the onscreen takeoff on a product we hoped would be steadily updated and have increased functionality and support. Read More LM Lou M. Verified reviewer Construction 51-200 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed September 2023 My Take on the state of current Auto Bid system 5 From begining to end from quick pen Dos through the current version of Auto bid it has allowed us to bid more work with fewer people in shorter time frames without compromising accuracy. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 5 Value for money 5 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: It allows estimators flexibility to use a tool that they can trust to be consistent and accurate. Cons: The lack of ability to link Auto Bid Mechanical rapid reports with Auto Bid Sheet Metal that will work more than once. Reasons for choosing Trimble AutoBid Auto Bid as we know it today was in it infancy windows version was new in 2003 we also purchased sheet metal along with pipe designer and duct designer at that time they were in beta testing.I had experience running earlier versions of quick pen piping from the original all the way to dos andoverall, at the time it was the most complete operating system one may be better here or there, but none matched the overall package especially in the windows version. Reasons for switching to Trimble AutoBid He wanted to lease out the program not sell it . Read More LS Louis S. Verified reviewer Construction 201-500 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Reviewed August 2023 Makes doing take-offs easy and reliable 4 I have been using AutoBid since it was a DOS program and I have enjoyed the updates as they have made the product more reliable and easier to use. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use 5 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: I enjoy having the ability to print reports sorted by different systems, areas, floors, and/or alternates. This means if needed I can break-out different values/areas to give a better understanding of where our costs and labor are trending. Cons: About the only problem I have is with the sheet-metal program and that is minor: there are not as many fields as the piping program has which makes it a bit more difficult to break a bid down. Read More CM Colyn M. Verified reviewer Building Materials 11-50 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed September 2023 Quick Pen / Autobid review 5 It is a great work tool for estimators providing the estimator know the work and can make the job by job adjustments Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 5 Value for money 5 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: It is the most widely known sheet metal estimating software in our market. I have been using Quick Pen since it was DOS based with a digitizer and dot matrix printer, and the advancements have been quite something over the years. There are a few things such as inability to merge the plumbing version with the sheet metal version that I thought would have been worked out a long time ago since the majority of the shops that use QP will have plumbing and sheet metal estimators Cons: For some reason since our last update we have not been able to work on the network, we have to escape out of the server do the takeoffs and copy the summaries back on to the server. Read More CS Cooper S. Verified reviewer Construction 51-200 employees Used weekly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed August 2023 Simple takeoff/complicated back end 4 Overall experience has been very good. Its has been challenging learning the ins and outs of the system on my own and I feel like the software has WAY more to offer than what we learn in the limited training sessions. Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 5 Value for money 4 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: I like that it is very easy to do a takeoff. With the info it provides it makes it so almost anybody can prepare an estimate. Cons: For the price of the product there should be more training support available as the free sessions that come with the purchase of the product is simply not enough. After using the software for a few years I am not noticing that a lot of the products are out-dated and the systems & labor for some systems are just patched together. I would like to see an update that would update my library with newer product and proper labor. Reasons for choosing Trimble AutoBid Its the best overall takeoff software Read More VR Verified Reviewer Construction 201-500 employees Used weekly for less than 2 years Review source Reviewed August 2023 AutoBid Mech/SM 4 Saves a large number of hours compared to doing manual take-off and entry or with some software support. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 4 Value for money 4 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: Can be fully customized to suit our organizations needs. Solid database of materials and list pricing. Training offered is pretty good and a solid foundation to get started. Ability to create assemblies that suit the needs of our local codes and methods is awesome. Cons: My biggest complaint is sometimes click accuracy can be a little funky. More instruction on how to create a variable assembly during training would be appreciated. Reasons for switching to Trimble AutoBid Efficiency and time savings. Read More VR Verified Reviewer Construction 501-1000 employees Used monthly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed January 2019 AutoBid Sheet Metal 2013v1 3 Overall the program is very good and fast for generic non-detailed take offs. Ratings Breakdown 3 Ease of use 3 Value for money 5 Customer support 3 Functionality Pros: The program and database is very detailed and complete. The versatility is quite broad. the ability to break jobs down during take off is a big help especially when dealing with cost codes. Cons: The "Code Manager" does not function correctly, I have sent AutoBid notices about this issue. as of yet no response to this. The process of setting up the equipment symbols is very cumbersome. we do not use the equipment label for what it is intended for because there is not the time to input all of the VAV boxes from the schedule. Although you can take off the ductwork by AHU label, it is very easy to make mistakes while doing this, it would be very time consuming to go back and make the proper corrections if this happens. Read More Showing 1 - 10 of 53 Reviews [See All Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/reviews/) ## Trimble AutoBid Popular Comparisons [Autodesk Forma vs Trimble AutoBid](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/autodesk-construction-cloud-profile/vs/trimble-autobid-mechanical/)[Houzz Pro vs Trimble AutoBid](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/houzz-pro-profile/vs/trimble-autobid-mechanical/)[Sage Construction Suite vs Trimble AutoBid](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/185440-Sage-Construction-Suite/vs/404124-trimble-autobid-mechanical/) [Compare All Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/trimble-autobid-mechanical-profile/alternatives/) ## Other Top Recommended HVAC Estimating Software [Procore](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/procore-profile/) **4.5** (2661) Recently recommended **332** times [Jobber](https://www.softwareadvice.com/field-service/jobber-profile/) **4.6** (1458) Recently recommended **124** times [Simpro](https://www.softwareadvice.com/cafm/simpro-enterprise-profile/) **4.0** (146) Recently recommended **57** times [Housecall Pro](https://www.softwareadvice.com/construction/housecall-profile/) **4.7** (2741) Recently recommended **45** times Stuck Between Options? Our experts can help you compare Trimble AutoBid with other top options, so you can find the best fit for your needs. ## See what companies are saying about Software Advice