An Accubid alternative for the counting part of your bid
Trimble Accubid is full commercial electrical estimating software: material database, labor units, pricing and the LiveCount takeoff tool, sold by quote12. AmpCount only does the count. It reads the legend, counts every device and fixture on vector PDF sheets, flags what it isn't sure about and checks the fixture schedule, for $149 a month. Most shops that look for an Accubid alternative don't need to replace their pricing database. They need the counting to stop eating the estimator's day.
What Accubid is
Accubid comes in two versions, Accubid Classic and the cloud-based Accubid Anywhere, and both are built around a pricing and labor database for electrical estimating12. Accubid Classic lists over 42,000 items and 13,000 assemblies1. Takeoff happens in Trimble LiveCount, which keeps a live two-way link with the estimate and includes AI-powered takeoff and Auto Count12. Trimble does not publish prices; you request a quote12.
AmpCount vs Accubid at a glance
| AmpCount | Accubid | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Electrical takeoff for commercial contractors. Counts devices and fixtures on vector PDF plans. | Full electrical estimating: material and labor database, pricing, bid reports, with LiveCount for takeoff12. |
| How counts start | Reads the legend, then matches every symbol on every sheet by its drawn geometry. No clicking to start. | Takeoff in LiveCount, linked two ways to the estimate, with AI-powered takeoff and Auto Count to detect symbols12. |
| Uncertain symbols | Anything not an exact match is marked uncertain and stays out of the count until you confirm it. | Not described on Trimble's public product pages12. |
| Fixture schedule check | Checks counts against the fixture schedule and shows the sheet with the difference. | Not described on Trimble's public product pages12. |
| Pricing and labor | Not included. Bring the counts into your estimating software. | Core of the product: material database, labor units, and real-time pricing on Accubid Anywhere12. |
| Price | $149 a month or $1,490 a year, published. Up to 3 people, no sheet limits. | Quote only. Not published on Trimble's site12. |
| Runs on | Browser, on Windows or Mac. | Accubid Classic, with a hosted option. Accubid Anywhere runs in the cloud12. |
| Export | Excel, CSV and an estimating sheet with your item codes per drawing. | Bid breakdowns export to other applications1. |
Prices as listed on November 3, 2026. Check the vendor for a current quote.
To see Accubid next to the rest of the field, the electrical estimating software guide lists 14 tools with their published prices, and the electrical takeoff software guide explains the four ways software counts a plan set.
Where Accubid is strong
- A mature material database: over 42,000 items and 13,000 assemblies on Accubid Classic1.
- Takeoff and estimate live in one system: LiveCount syncs counts and lengths into the estimate both ways12.
- An instant bid summary, change order tools and supplier price quotes in the Accubid family12.
- Drawing compare in LiveCount shows what was added or removed since the last revision12.
Where AmpCount is different
Counts start themselves
Upload the PDF set and AmpCount counts every symbol from the legend across all sheets. The estimator's time goes into the short list of marks it isn't sure about, not into clicking each device.
Every number traces back to the plan
Click any count and see each mark on the sheet. Confirmed, dismissed and uncertain are separate, so nothing enters the count silently.
The schedule check runs on its own
AmpCount compares your fixture counts against the fixture schedule and tells you which type is off and on which sheet, before the bid goes out.
The matching is plain geometry, step by step, as shown in how AmpCount works. A vision model helps read titles, legends and schedules but never confirms a mark or counts, as the AI electrical takeoff guide explains.
Where the time goes in an Accubid takeoff
In Accubid the count is tied to the estimate: LiveCount keeps a live two-way link with Accubid and tracks counts and lengths in the same run12. That link is valuable. LiveCount also offers AI-powered takeoff and Auto Count, though on Accubid Classic the AI functionality comes only with the Estimating Essentials Hosted subscription1. Where those tools aren't part of your plan, the estimator picks an assembly, goes sheet by sheet, and clicks every receptacle, switch and fixture, then repeats for the next device type. On a tenant fit-out with a few hundred devices across six sheets, that's hours of clicking before any pricing happens.
AmpCount moves that part out of the estimator's hands. The whole set is counted in one pass, and what's left is judgment: the handful of marks the geometry wasn't sure about, and any fixture type where the plans disagree with the schedule. Those quantities then go into Accubid in one sitting, per drawing, against assemblies you already trust.
What it costs to count faster
Trimble prices Accubid by quote12, so there's no public number to compare line by line, and you probably already own it. The real question is what the counting costs you in estimator time, and what electrical estimators earn puts a number on each of those hours. A set with a few hundred receptacles, switches and fixtures can take most of a day to count and recount by hand.
AmpCount is $149 a month for up to 3 people, or $1,490 a year on the yearly plan, with no sheet limits for the team. Our ROI calculator's default example, 8 bids a month at 6 hours of counting each cut to 1 hour of review, at a loaded $60 an hour, is $2,400 of estimator time a month. Your numbers will differ, which is why the calculator lets you change every input.
Keep Accubid, speed up the count
- Upload the vector PDF set to AmpCount and let it count.
- Review the uncertain marks and the fixture schedule check, usually a short list.
- Give each symbol your Accubid assembly code once in the Symbols page.
- Export the estimating sheet: item code, quantity and unit per drawing, in the order you enter them.
- Enter the quantities against your assemblies in Accubid and price the job as usual.
Pricing the counts by hand for now? The electrical estimate template and the electrical estimate calculator take quantities straight from the export.
Before you switch
- Make sure your plan sets come as vector PDFs. AmpCount can't count scanned sheets.
- List the assembly codes you use most so you can attach them to symbols once.
- Pick a recent bid you already took off in LiveCount, run it through AmpCount and compare the totals per assembly, side by side on an electrical takeoff sheet.
- Decide who on the team reviews the uncertain list before quantities go into Accubid. A newer estimator still learning Accubid's assemblies and LiveCount learns a lot from checking that list against the plan.
Choose Accubid if
Choose AmpCount if
- Counting devices and fixtures is the slowest part of your bid and you want it done in minutes.
- You want to see every counted mark on the plan, and the fixture schedule check, before quantities reach Accubid.
- You want a monthly price you can cancel, without a quote or annual contract.
Cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days if it doesn't fit your plans.
Questions
Does AmpCount replace Accubid?
No. AmpCount does the device and fixture count. Accubid does pricing, labor and bid reports12. Most contractors use AmpCount for the count and keep pricing where it is. If you're weighing the pricing side too, the other desktop electrical suites with their own databases are McCormick's estimating system, Conest IntelliBid and Best Bid electrical estimating.
Can I import AmpCount counts into Accubid?
AmpCount exports an estimating sheet with your assembly code, quantity and unit per drawing, laid out in the order estimators enter quantities. Check with Trimble which import options your Accubid version supports.
How does AmpCount count without clicking?
It reads the symbols in your legend and matches every drawing on each sheet by its geometry, including rotated symbols. Anything that isn't an exact match goes to an uncertain list for you to confirm.
What doesn't AmpCount do?
It doesn't price materials, apply labor units, route conduit or size wire, and it can't count scanned sheets. It counts devices and fixtures on vector PDFs.
Is my Accubid database at risk if I try AmpCount?
No. AmpCount never connects to Accubid. You export a file and enter or import quantities yourself, so your database and assemblies stay exactly as they are.
Who should review the uncertain list?
Whoever signs off the bid. The list is usually short, and each item opens the sheet zoomed in on the mark, so the review takes minutes rather than a recount.
Other comparisons
Guides and calculators
Sources
Accubid is a trademark of Trimble. AmpCount is not affiliated with Trimble. If something here is out of date, email support@ampcount.com and we'll fix it.