A Best Bid alternative for the counting part of your bid
Best Bid electrical estimating software is a Windows desktop program for electrical contractors that combines on-screen takeoff, assemblies, labor hours and material pricing56. Best Bid Next Generation is a $2,500 one-time license with unlimited installs at your location, free updates and free support135; counts and measurements are taken on its takeoff screen, by hand or with its Auto Count tool5. AmpCount takes over the count that feeds those assemblies. It finds every legend symbol on the vector PDF set with no setup per device, leaves anything doubtful for you to confirm and compares fixture totals with the schedule, for $149 a month for up to 3 people.
What Best Bid is
Best Bid comes from First Choice Electrical Estimating Software (1CEES), founded in 199111, and is built only for electrical work by estimators who still use it5. It ships in two versions: Best Bid Hybrid Pro ($1,999.95), the long-running flagship, and Best Bid Next Generation ($2,500), which adds a larger takeoff screen, a Branch Circuit Library, two raceway types in one run and an expanded database123. Assemblies fill in related items as you enter quantities, so 10 receptacles bring their plates and supports along, and raceway, conductor, strap and fitting choices can be switched on the fly5. It includes material pricing and labor hours, with Real-Time Pricing at $33 a month after a trial and NetPricer support15. It runs on Windows; Best Bid points Mac users to Parallels57.
AmpCount vs Best Bid at a glance
| AmpCount | Best Bid | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Electrical takeoff for commercial contractors. Counts devices and fixtures on vector PDF plans. | Full electrical estimating with built-in on-screen takeoff, assemblies, labor hours and material pricing56. |
| How counts start | Reads the legend, then matches every symbol on every sheet by its drawn geometry. No clicking to start. | You upload the PDF, set the scale, and take counts and measurements on screen, by hand or with Auto Count, then transfer them to the estimate5. |
| Uncertain symbols | Anything not an exact match is marked uncertain and stays out of the count until you confirm it. | Not described on Best Bid's public pages25. |
| Fixture schedule check | Checks counts against the fixture schedule and shows the sheet with the difference. | Not described on Best Bid's public pages25. |
| Pricing and labor | Not included. Bring the counts into your estimating software. | Built-in material pricing and labor hours, Real-Time Pricing at $33 a month after a trial, NetPricer support15. |
| Price | $149 a month or $1,490 a year, published. Up to 3 people, no sheet limits. | Next Generation $2,500 one time, Hybrid Pro $1,999.95. Server Addition $3,500. Financing available15. |
| Billing | Monthly or yearly. Cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days. | One-time license, free updates and support3. Software returns not accepted10. |
| Runs on | Browser, on Windows or Mac. | Windows desktop, unlimited installs at your location5. Mac through Parallels7. |
| Export | Excel, CSV and an estimating sheet with your item codes per drawing. | Excel and many other formats, plus labor reports5. |
Prices as listed on November 3, 2026. Check the vendor for a current quote.
To see Best Bid 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 Best Bid is strong
- A one-time price you can see: $2,500 for Next Generation, with free updates, free support and unlimited installs at your location135.
- Takeoff and estimate in one program, so counts and measurements carry straight into assemblies6.
- Flexible assemblies: switch EMT to MC or copper to aluminum in one click, per branch circuit or fixture type35.
- Built for electrical only, with material pricing and labor hours included, and a trial download plus one-on-one screen shares58.
Where AmpCount is different
The legend sets up the count
Best Bid's help library covers manual counting and an Auto Count tool you set up in its takeoff screen5. AmpCount reads the legend and counts every device and fixture type on every sheet by its drawn geometry, with no setup per symbol.
The estimator still decides
Exact matches are counted. Near matches wait in an uncertain list, and every number links back to its marks on the sheet, so the person who used to place the counts now reviews them.
A2 and B1 checked against the schedule
AmpCount reads type tags like A2 or B1 and the fixture schedule, and shows the type and sheet where the two disagree, before quantities reach Best Bid's lighting assemblies.
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 a Best Bid estimate
Best Bid's assemblies are fast once quantities are in: enter 10 receptacles and the plates and supports come with them, and switching raceway types takes a click5. The quantities still come from the takeoff screen, counted by hand or with Auto Count, sheet by sheet5, before the assemblies can do their work. That's the order every electrical estimate follows: count, then price.
AmpCount takes that step. It reads the legend, counts the whole set in one pass, and hands you what needs judgment: near matches to confirm, and fixture types that don't add up to the schedule. The checked quantities then go into your Best Bid assemblies.
What it costs over a year
Best Bid Next Generation is $2,500 once, with unlimited installs at your location, free updates and free support, as of November 3, 2026135. Real-Time Pricing adds $33 a month if you keep it1, and a shared database needs the $3,500 Server Addition plus a SQL server4. Over a few years that's a low cost for a full estimating system. Accubid, McCormick Systems and IntelliBid are sold by quote instead.
AmpCount is a recurring cost instead: $149 a month for up to 3 people, or $1,490 a year on the yearly plan, and it does far less, device and fixture counts on vector PDFs. Set that against the hours your estimator spends placing counts on Best Bid's takeoff screen each month, at a typical electrical estimator's pay; the ROI calculator does that math with your own numbers.
Keep Best Bid, skip the hand count
- Upload the same PDF you'd import into Best Bid's takeoff screen, as a vector file.
- Confirm the flagged marks and fix any fixture type that disagrees with the schedule.
- Name each symbol after the Best Bid assembly it feeds, once per symbol.
- Export quantities and units per drawing under those names.
- Enter the quantities into your Best Bid lighting, switch and receptacle assemblies 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
- Time how long a typical bid spends on device and fixture counts in Best Bid's takeoff screen.
- Check that the PDFs you import into Best Bid are vector files from CAD, not scans.
- Note the lighting, switch and receptacle assemblies you lean on in Best Bid, so symbols can point to them.
- Pick a bid you counted on Best Bid's takeoff screen and see whether AmpCount lands on the same totals per type.
Choose Best Bid if
- You want takeoff, assemblies, labor and pricing in one program you own outright.
- You'd rather pay once than pay monthly, and your shop works on Windows.
Choose AmpCount if
- You already price in Best Bid or a spreadsheet, and counting every receptacle and fixture is the slow part.
- You want lighting quantities checked against the fixture schedule before they reach Best Bid's assemblies.
- Your team works on Mac or Windows and wants nothing to install.
Cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days if it doesn't fit your plans.
Questions
How much does Best Bid electrical estimating software cost?
Best Bid's pricing page lists Next Generation at $2,500 one time and Hybrid Pro at $1,999.95, with a $3,500 Next Generation Server Addition for a shared SQL database, as of November 3, 202614. Financing starts at $500 down15. Real-Time Pricing is $33 a month after its trial1, and freelance estimating is quoted per job19.
What do Best Bid electrical estimating software reviews say?
Software Advice lists Best Bid Electrical Estimating at 4.9 out of 5 from 33 reviews, as of November 3, 202612. Ratings tell you others are happy; they don't tell you how it handles your sets. Download the trial, run one recent bid you already know the answer to, and compare counts, labor and totals before you buy, since Best Bid doesn't accept software returns10.
Can I download Best Bid?
Yes. Best Bid offers a trial download of Next Generation from its sign-up page and recommends a one-on-one screen share first8. Purchased licenses usually arrive by email the same day10. Get it only from bestbidestimating.com.
Does Best Bid run on a Mac?
Best Bid says it runs on any Windows operating system5 and has a page on running it on a Mac through Parallels7. AmpCount needs neither, since it runs in a web browser.
Does AmpCount replace Best Bid?
No. AmpCount counts devices and fixtures. Best Bid holds your assemblies, labor hours and material pricing, and measures conduit runs5. Many shops would keep Best Bid for pricing and use AmpCount for the count.
Other comparisons
Guides and calculators
Sources
- Best Bid pricing
- Best Bid electrical estimating software
- Best Bid Next Generation
- Best Bid Next Generation Server Addition
- Best Bid FAQ
- Best Bid, electrical estimating software with takeoff
- Best Bid, running Best Bid on Mac
- Best Bid trial sign-up
- Best Bid freelance estimating
- Best Bid return policy
- Best Bid, about us
- Software Advice, Best Bid Electrical Estimating profile
Best Bid is a trademark of First Choice Electrical Estimating Software. AmpCount is not affiliated with First Choice Electrical Estimating Software. If something here is out of date, email support@ampcount.com and we'll fix it.