General contractors (GCs) have more choices than ever for software to streamline bidding in the construction industry. TrueBuilt and Downtobid are two AI-powered preconstruction platforms that tackle the bid process from different angles. TrueBuilt offers an all-in-one suite spanning takeoffs, estimating, and bid management, while Downtobid zeroes in on automating ITBs (Invitations to Bid) and subcontractor outreach. Both aim to save time and increase bid success, but their approaches and feature sets vary significantly.
In this comparison, we’ll break down how each platform offers solutions to key preconstruction tasks – from sending bid invites to leveling subcontractor quotes. You’ll see where TrueBuilt’s integrated approach shines and how Downtobid’s focused toolset differs. By the end, you should have a clear picture of which solution aligns best with your contracting team’s workflow.
Note: If you’re looking to simplify your bidding process with AI, Downtobid lets you upload plans and connect with 57,000+ verified subs within minutes – Try a free demo to see it in action.
Key Takeaways
- Scope of Tools: TrueBuilt covers the full preconstruction workflow: AI takeoff, cost estimating, bid invites, and bid leveling. Downtobid handles bid management only: plan analysis, sub sourcing, and personalized invitations.
- AI & Automation: Downtobid's AI parses plans, identifies needed trades, matches relevant subs, and auto-sends tailored ITBs (boosting response rates ~30%). TrueBuilt's AI accelerates takeoffs (~70% faster via computer vision) and analyzes incoming bids to recommend the best sub by scope and price.
- Subcontractor Network: Downtobid maintains a curated, verified network of tens of thousands of subs with real-time engagement tracking and personalized outreach. TrueBuilt offers a sub directory (your contacts plus a North American network) with qualification tools integrated into its estimating workflow.
- User Experience: TrueBuilt delivers a unified workflow from takeoff to bid award but requires replacing legacy tools and training across multiple modules. Downtobid's focused approach makes it faster to implement with a modern interface that integrates with your existing estimating and PM systems.
- Pricing Model: Downtobid uses transparent SaaS pricing: free trial, then ~$150/month Starter or $500/month Pro. TrueBuilt requires contacting sales for custom enterprise quotes.
What Is Downtobid?
Downtobid is a modern construction bidding platform built to streamline how GCs prepare bids and engage subs. Rather than doing takeoffs or full estimating, it focuses on the invitation-to-bid stage.
The software uses machine learning to analyze your project plans and identify all the trade scopes, then finds qualified subcontractors for each scope and sends out personalized bid invitations automatically.
The platform acts like a virtual bid coordinator – ensuring you don’t miss any scope, connecting you to active subs, and even following up with subs who don’t respond initially. By automating these steps, Downtobid helps GCs achieve complete coverage on bid day with far less manual work, leading to higher subcontractor participation and more competitive bids.
Core features include an AI plan parser that “reads” drawings to break the construction project into trades, a 57,000+ verified subcontractor database, one-click personalized ITB emails, a no-login required plan room for subs, and a live bid tracking board that shows which subs have opened, declined, or agreed to bid.
Downtobid essentially handles the front-end of bidding – finding subs and getting bids – so your estimating team can focus on pricing and analysis. Customer reviews highlight how much time they saved.
What Is TrueBuilt?
TrueBuilt is an AI-powered preconstruction platform combining quantity takeoff, cost estimating, and bid management in one cloud system.
Core workflow: Perform digital takeoffs (AI computer vision cuts time ~70%), generate linked estimates, invite subs to bid, and use machine learning to analyze and level incoming quotes. The AI recommends which sub to award based on qualifications, scope, and price, then pushes the winning bid directly into your estimate.
Key features: AI-assisted takeoffs that auto-recognize plan elements, smart estimating tied to those takeoffs, an AI Assistant for querying specs and project data, bid leveling with ML, and sub management tools (maintain your own database or access TrueBuilt's pre-qualified network with performance tracking).
TrueBuilt is ideal for GCs wanting end-to-end preconstruction in a single platform.
Feature Comparison: TrueBuilt vs. Downtobid
Both platforms aim to improve the bidding phase, but they do so with different scopes and strengths. Below is a side-by-side look at how TrueBuilt and Downtobid compare across core aspects of preconstruction bidding:
🗂️ Bid Invitations & Sub Outreach
Downtobid excels at automating ITBs and follow-ups. It generates personalized invitation emails for each subcontractor, highlighting relevant project details so subs immediately see why the job suits them. It then tracks who opened or clicked the invite and sends polite reminder emails if a sub hasn’t responded, boosting overall engagement.
TrueBuilt, on the other hand, allows you to invite subs through its bid management module but doesn’t emphasize personalized outreach to the same degree. TrueBuilt’s focus is on what happens after subs submit bids – its machine learning helps analyze and level those bids to recommend the best choice.
In summary, Downtobid puts more emphasis on getting subs to the table (invitations and responses), whereas TrueBuilt emphasizes making sense of the bids once they come in. Both provide access to large sub networks, but Downtobid’s is actively verified and curated for relevance (no more blasting thousands of random subs), while TrueBuilt offers a network plus tools to qualify subs, integrated with your overall precon data.
📐 Takeoff & Estimating Capabilities
This is a major differentiator. TrueBuilt includes built-in digital takeoff tools and estimating software. You can upload plans into TrueBuilt and have its AI automatically identify elements (drywall, doors, electrical fixtures, etc.) and count measurements – speeding up takeoffs dramatically.
Those quantities flow right into TrueBuilt’s estimating module, where you can generate detailed cost estimates and even compare different versions or iterations of an estimate.
Downtobid does not do quantity takeoffs or cost estimating – it assumes you have another solution for that. Downtobid sticks to bid management: once you have your scopes and perhaps a rough estimate, Downtobid takes over in finding subs and managing the bid invites.
This means TrueBuilt can eliminate some manual data transfer (no exporting takeoff measurements to another estimating tool), ensuring consistency from takeoff to bid.
However, it also means TrueBuilt is a larger system to implement. GCs who are happy with their current takeoff/estimating tools might prefer Downtobid’s focused approach that plugs into the bidding step only. You could use Downtobid alongside your existing estimating software with little overlap, whereas adopting TrueBuilt might replace multiple tools at once.
🤖 AI and Automation
Both platforms brand themselves as AI-driven, but their AI features target different pain points. Downtobid’s AI shines in the plan analysis and matchmaking: it reads your drawings to figure out which trades are needed and then matches those trades with subcontractors in the database.
It also automates the tedious follow-up process by tracking sub behavior (opened email, viewed plans) and sending nudges to ensure you get a yes or no from subs instead of silence.
This can lead to significantly higher response rates – GCs using Downtobid have seen 30%+ more subs respond to invites versus manual emailing. TrueBuilt’s AI is applied more broadly across preconstruction. It uses computer vision in takeoff (to auto-count plan elements), machine learning in bid leveling (to compare bid line items and recommend the optimal bid), and even offers an AI chat assistant that can answer questions about your project docs or historical cost data.
In practice, Downtobid’s automation reduces the front-end workload (finding and engaging subs), while TrueBuilt’s AI reduces back-end workload (performing takeoffs and analyzing bids). Depending on where your team feels the bigger bottleneck is, this distinction is key.
💻 User Experience & Adoption
Downtobid is a newer platform built specifically to be intuitive for the bidding workflow. GCs often note its clean, uncluttered interface and guided process for setting up a project – it feels like a streamlined, modern app rather than an old enterprise system.
Because it focuses on one domain (bids), most users get up to speed quickly. Subcontractors also benefit from no login required to view plans – they can access the bid documents instantly via a link, reducing friction and ITB fatigue. TrueBuilt, being an all-in-one solution, is more complex by nature.
It may require a more intensive onboarding and training period, since estimators must learn the takeoff module, costing module, bid module, etc. fully to get the best results. Implementing TrueBuilt can be a bigger change management hurdle – you might be replacing your takeoff software, your Excel cost sheets, and your bid invitation process all at once with TrueBuilt. For larger firms seeking a comprehensive platform, this trade-off can be worth it.
But smaller contractors or those who only need to fix one part of their process (e.g. just better bid invites) could find TrueBuilt “too much” and not use many of its features. In that case, Downtobid’s targeted approach (and ability to integrate outputs with other tools) is easier to slot into an existing workflow.
💲 Pricing & Value
The cost structures reflect each product’s scope. Downtobid uses a subscription model common to modern SaaS: you can start with a free trial project, then upgrade to a paid plan if it delivers value. As of 2026, Downtobid’s plans start around $150/month for a basic tier and about $500/month for a Pro tier with full features.
This transparent pricing makes it easier for a GC to budget and compare ROI (e.g. a few hundred dollars a month vs. time saved and potentially lower subcontractor quotes due to more coverage). TrueBuilt is positioned as an enterprise solution and does not list pricing publicly – GCs need to contact TrueBuilt for a custom quote based on their company size and needs.
Typically, that implies a higher price point (possibly tens of thousands annually) and a longer sales process. The value consideration comes down to usage: Downtobid charges less and tackles a narrower problem (bids), whereas TrueBuilt charges more to replace multiple tools (but only worth it if you actually use it for takeoff, estimating and bidding). For many mid-sized contractors, Downtobid’s pay-as-you-go model for bidding software may be easier to justify. Large GCs seeking a top-to-bottom precon overhaul might see TrueBuilt’s broader capabilities as worth the investment.
Final Thoughts
TrueBuilt suits GCs wanting to overhaul their entire preconstruction workflow – from takeoffs to estimates to sub selection – in one platform. It delivers comprehensive AI-driven automation but requires significant implementation and team training.
Downtobid targets the bidding bottleneck specifically. It doesn't replace your estimating or PM systems – it integrates with them to supercharge sub sourcing and bid coverage. Upload plans, let the AI identify trades and contact qualified subs, and get ~30% more responses. Fast to implement, faster to see results.
Some contractors use both: TrueBuilt for takeoffs/estimating, Downtobid for reaching more subs and automating ITBs.
Bottom line: Choose based on your biggest pain point. If it's performing takeoffs and estimates, consider TrueBuilt's all-in-one approach. If it's getting enough competitive bids quickly, Downtobid delivers immediate value without disrupting your existing workflow. Try Downtobid's free demo to see how it streamlines your bid process.