For most electrical contractors bidding jobs under roughly $1 million, STACK is the best entry point in 2026, with published pricing at $249 per user per month for its Premium tier and a genuine free trial, which none of the legacy desktop systems offer. Larger commercial electrical contractors bidding complex, high-volume projects should still look at Trimble Accubid or McCormick Systems, both of which carry decades of assembly libraries but keep pricing behind a sales call. The right choice depends far more on your typical bid size than on any single feature.
Key takeaways
- STACK's Takeoff & Estimate product publishes real pricing: $249 per user per month for Premium and $299 for Pro, both billed annually, with a free 7-day trial.
- Trimble Accubid, McCormick Systems and ConEst IntelliBid, the three legacy desktop leaders, all keep pricing behind a sales conversation rather than publishing it.
- McCormick reports more than 55,000 items and 25,000 assemblies in its database, one of the deepest out of the box.
- Aggregator estimates put legacy desktop systems in the roughly $1,000 to $6,000 per year range depending on tier and seats, but none of that is confirmed vendor pricing.
- The real dividing line is bid complexity, not price: assembly-heavy commercial bids above $1 million still favor the legacy tools' depth over a newer cloud interface.
Electrical estimating software compared at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Pricing model | Starting price | Standout |
|---|
| STACK | Bids under roughly $1M, faster onboarding | Published, per user | $249/user/mo annual | Free trial, modern cloud takeoff |
| Trimble Accubid | Large commercial, BIM-integrated bids | Quote only | Not published | 120,000+ assemblies, BIM integration |
| McCormick Systems | Deep out-of-box assembly library | Quote only | Not published | 55,000+ items, automated wire pull calc |
| ConEst IntelliBid | Contractors wanting live vendor pricing feeds | Quote only | Not published | Live pricing from up to 8 vendors |
| Jobber | Service-call quoting, not takeoff | Published, per user | $49/mo, 1 user | Fast quotes for smaller service jobs |
| Method CRM | QuickBooks-native quoting | Published, per user | $35/user/mo | Deep two-way QuickBooks sync |
We split this list along the line that actually matters for electrical estimating: assembly-based takeoff software built for competitive commercial bidding, versus general job-quoting tools that work fine for smaller service and residential jobs. We pulled current pricing directly from each vendor's own page in August 2026, and for the legacy desktop systems that keep pricing behind a sales call, we say so rather than repeating older aggregator estimates as if they were confirmed numbers.
STACK: the modern option with real pricing
STACK's Takeoff & Estimate product is built for cloud-based digital plan takeoff across trades including electrical, with published pricing that none of the legacy systems match: $249 per user per month for Premium and $299 for Pro, both on annual billing, with a 20% discount over monthly and a genuine 7-day free trial at Pro-level features.
For a mid-size electrical contractor bidding commercial tenant improvements or mid-size new construction, that transparency matters. You can trial the actual software against a real bid before committing, which none of Accubid, McCormick or ConEst allow without a sales process first.
Best for: electrical contractors bidding jobs under roughly $1 million who want to test the software before buying.
- Published, per-user pricing you can budget against today.
- Free trial on real Pro-level features, not a stripped demo.
- Works across trades, useful if you also bid mechanical or general scopes.
- Assembly library depth trails the decades-old legacy systems for very large, complex commercial bids.
- Per-user pricing adds up quickly for an estimating team of four or five.
Trimble Accubid: the enterprise standard for large commercial bids
Accubid remains the name most electrical estimators trained on at a large commercial contractor recognize, with a reported assembly library of more than 120,000 items and integration with Trimble's BIM tools for takeoff directly from 3D models. Pricing is not published; industry estimates place it anywhere from roughly $99 per month at an entry tier to five figures annually per user at the enterprise tier, but none of that is confirmed by Trimble directly, so treat it as a starting point for a sales conversation rather than a number to budget against.
Best for: large commercial electrical contractors bidding complex, high-dollar projects that justify BIM integration.
McCormick Systems: the deepest out-of-box assembly library
McCormick reports more than 55,000 items and 25,000 assemblies out of the box, alongside a patented Auto Home Run feature that automates wire pull calculations, a genuine time saver on large panel schedules. Aggregator estimates place its pricing in a growing tier around $2,500 to $5,000 per user annually, though McCormick itself keeps published pricing off its site and this figure is not vendor-confirmed.
Best for: shops that want the deepest assembly database ready to use without heavy customization.
ConEst IntelliBid: live vendor pricing feeds
ConEst's differentiator is live material pricing pulled from up to eight vendor sources plus its own NetPricer service, which matters for contractors bidding in volatile material markets where a stale price book can cost real margin. ConEst's own pricing page describes its pricing methodology in detail but states no subscription cost, directing every inquiry to a demo request.
Best for: contractors where live material price accuracy matters more than assembly library size.
Not every electrical job needs assembly-based takeoff. A residential service call, a panel swap, or a small tenant improvement is usually quoted faster and just as accurately in a general field service platform, the same one covering scheduling and invoicing in our scheduling software for contractors roundup. Jobber's Core plan at $49 per month covers fast written quotes for smaller work, and Method CRM at $35 per user per month adds quoting on top of a deep QuickBooks sync if disconnected accounting data is your bigger problem. Neither replaces true takeoff software for a competitive commercial bid, but both save the cost and learning curve of a dedicated estimating platform for contractors who do not need it.
Choose based on your typical bid size
- Choose STACK if your typical bid is under roughly $1 million and you want to test real software before committing.
- Choose Accubid if you bid large, complex commercial work and already use Trimble's BIM tools.
- Choose McCormick if you want the deepest assembly library ready to use out of the box.
- Choose ConEst if live material pricing accuracy is your biggest margin risk.
- Choose a general platform like Jobber or Method if your work is mostly service calls and smaller jobs rather than competitive commercial bidding.
Once the bid is won, the job still needs to be scheduled, dispatched and invoiced; our best CRM for electrical contractors covers that side. For the trade-agnostic view, see best estimating software for contractors and best takeoff software for contractors. If a bid you win needs to close with financing on the table, Hearth financing for electricians runs through the numbers.
How we put this together
Pricing for STACK was read directly from its own pricing pages in August 2026. Trimble Accubid, McCormick Systems and ConEst IntelliBid do not publish pricing on their own sites; figures attributed to them here are drawn from third-party aggregator estimates and are explicitly marked as unconfirmed rather than presented as vendor-stated numbers. Assembly library sizes and feature claims for Accubid and McCormick come from each company's own marketing materials. Confirm current pricing directly with any vendor before budgeting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best electrical estimating software for a small contractor?
STACK is the strongest starting point for small to mid-size electrical contractors, with published per-user pricing and a genuine free trial, letting you test it against a real bid before committing.
How much does electrical estimating software cost?
STACK publishes $249 to $299 per user per month on annual billing. The legacy desktop systems, Accubid, McCormick and ConEst, do not publish pricing, and third-party estimates place them anywhere from roughly $1,000 to well over $6,000 per year depending on tier and seats, though none of that is vendor-confirmed.
Do I need dedicated estimating software or is a general quoting tool enough?
If your typical job is a residential service call or a small tenant improvement, a general platform like Jobber handles quoting fine. Dedicated estimating software earns its cost once you are competing on complex commercial bids with detailed assembly and labor calculations.
What is the difference between Accubid and McCormick?
Accubid integrates directly with Trimble's BIM software for takeoff from 3D models and reports a larger overall assembly library, while McCormick emphasizes a deep out-of-box item and assembly database plus its Auto Home Run automated wire pull calculation feature. Both are quote-only and best evaluated with a live demo against your actual bid types.
Does STACK work for electrical takeoff specifically, or is it general construction software?
STACK's Takeoff & Estimate product works across trades including electrical, with assembly libraries and takeoff tools that apply to electrical scopes rather than being electrical-exclusive like Accubid or McCormick.
Can I try electrical estimating software before buying?
STACK offers a genuine 7-day free trial with Pro-level features. The legacy desktop systems, Accubid, McCormick and ConEst, generally require a sales demo before any hands-on access.
