1build

Freemium Win & Set Up the Work

Live construction cost database with 68M priced items across every US county; estimating and digital takeoff platform for residential contractors.

Also in Companies -- Strategic (Nemetschek Group, Masco Corporation, Initialized Capital, Afore Capital, Y Combinator, Greycroft)

3.2 /5 composite score
C2 5/5 reflects the public GraphQL API with API-key auth, and the file surface covers JSON and CSV. The estimating placement is a county-level cost-data and digital-takeoff workflow for residential contractors; firm-size fit is solo to small-team.
Solid

Rubric Scorecard

How we grade →

Criterion Score Evidence
Value for the price 2/5 Freemium, free tier Source →
Agent Friendliness 5/5 API: https://developer.1build.com/ Source →
Ease of adoption 3/5 --
Portability & lock-in 3/5 2 file formats Source →
Interoperability 3/5 3 integrations

Pricing

ModelFreemium
Free tieryes
Visit 1build →

Published by buildingtech.pro. How we verified this: we checked 1build against its live site and an independent source — forconstructionpros.com. Nothing on this page is listed from memory. See how we grade. Verified 2026-07-18.

Evidence

File formats

FormatDirectionSupport
JSON unknown unknown
CSV unknown unknown

Integrations

STACK Construction Buildxact CostCertified

Alternatives in Estimating & Takeoff

Oslo-based AI quantity extraction platform from PDFs and BIM models (Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino) with credit-based SaaS, free tier (50 credits), MCP server, and REST API. Launched Sparkel 2.0 (August 2026).
4.2/5
AI-powered preconstruction estimating platform with a built-in cost database and bid management tools.
4.0/5
AI measurement platform that generates 3D property models and material quantities from smartphone photos.
4.0/5
Agentic AI platform for preconstruction: bid analysis, procurement automation, compliance verification, scope gap identification. Stockholm-based. Seed: $8M (Northzone, Jan 2026). High C2 score: AI agents drive preconstruction workflows.
3.8/5

See all 1build alternatives → ยท Compare all Estimating & Takeoff tools →

Subscribe to Building Probable

Independent AEC + AI reviews & research, including Estimating & Takeoff coverage -- the companion newsletter to buildingtech.pro.

Subscribe to Building Probable →