Beam is the closest to Setout in model: both deliver takeoffs that people have checked. Beam licenses by trade and year and delivers estimates in Excel. Setout prices per building and delivers the takeoff traced to each sheet, with the whole building in 3D and a buying order.
At a glance
| Compared | Beam AI | Setout |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the takeoff | You (Do it yourself) or Beam's team (Done for you) | Setout's team, checked on the sheet |
| Pricing | Per trade per year; Done for you from $25,000/year | Per building, quoted from the set |
| Turnaround | 24–72 hours (Done for you) | Quoted with the price |
| Deliverable | QA-checked takeoffs, Excel estimates | Takeoff in the app, Excel and PDF, the 3D building |
| 3D model of the building | We didn't find one on Beam's pricing page | Yes, phone and web |
| Build-ups and build steps | We didn't find these listed | Every wall and floor type |
Beam AI
Beam AI is AI takeoff software plus a done-for-you takeoff service. Published pricing: Do it yourself from $8,000/year per trade (HVAC, plumbing, steel); Done for you from $25,000/year, all trades, QA-checked, 24–72 hours.
Setout
- Priced per building, quoted from your drawing set, with your whole team included
- Your approved PDF set. No BIM or Revit model needed
- People who read drawings check every pass
- Every quantity opens on the sheet it came from
- The whole building in 3D on phone and web, with an exploded build-up for every wall and floor type
- Block with grout and rebar, steel by size and weight, concrete, doors from the schedule
- A buying order by floor and stage
- Anything the drawings leave open is withheld and asked, never shown as zero
Which fits you
Beam fits trade contractors bidding a high volume of jobs in one trade. Setout fits a GC or owner-builder who needs the whole building taken off, checked against the drawings and used on site.
Sources, checked October 3, 2026: Beam AI pricing. Pricing and features change; tell us if something here is out of date and we'll fix it.