Autodesk Build vs. Trimble GC WinEst

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk Build
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk Build, based on the former PlanGrid, is construction productivity software. It includes tools to collaborate, collect, and manage project information throughout the project’s construction and operations lifespan. It enables document centralization and tracking.
$39
user per month
Trimble GC WinEst
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
With thousands of users world-wide, WinEst estimating from Trimble GC is a database-driven construction project management solutions on the market. It looks and feels just like Excel with familiar Windows navigation, including drop-down menus and ribbon bars. Behind the covers is a database with multiple work-breakdown structures (WBS) and filters that can be customized to the user's preferences so that estimating data can be sliced and diced and presented in different ways. WinEst…N/A
Pricing
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Editions & Modules
Nailgun
$39
user per month
Dozer
$59
user per month
Crane
$139
user per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk Build
7.9
57 Ratings
6% above category average
Trimble GC WinEst
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing8.656 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing8.656 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists7.551 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation7.048 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports6.736 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing7.655 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools8.338 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals7.142 Ratings00 Ratings
As-built drawings8.442 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app9.454 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk Build
-
Ratings
Trimble GC WinEst
8.6
1 Ratings
5% above category average
Takeoff tools00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Job costing00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Cost databases00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Cost calculator00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Bid creation00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Small Businesses
FollowUp CRM
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Score 9.5 out of 10
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Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Score 8.5 out of 10
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Likelihood to Recommend
2.4
(69 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(52 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk BuildTrimble GC WinEst
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
PlanGrid performs really well in all aspects of construction from the general to the sub/trade. The platform distributes and communicates project documentation in an extremely user-friendly manner. As with most software, it is cheaper the larger the scale of the project. In situations where the project is relatively small, and the trade contracts are also of relatively low dollar value, the product can be cost-prohibitive.
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Trimble
WinEst is truly built for everyone. Their assemblies/database linking is perfect for self perform and subcontractors while their database management and custom reporting is perfect for GCs. While Excel set the bar, WinEst is on another planet. With the immediacy required by today's markets, WinEst allows you to deliver a superior product while being more accurate.
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Pros
Autodesk
  • Plangrid is the best SaaS I have seen for ease of uploading construction plans and automated organization of those plans.
  • For companies that are not using other products for mobile access, the Plangrid mobile apps are perfect to allow people on and off site to share and collaborate in many phases of construction project documentation.
  • Plangrid has a very responsive technical support team (although it is pretty much email only).
  • Plangrid's website layout is easy to use and understand and allows new users to jump right in and do basic to moderate tasks without little training.
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Trimble
  • It's very flexible when building an estimate and selecting items to include. You can either click your way to the datebase or quickly copy and paste similar items.
  • The numerous ways to view and estimate whether it's by CSI, Uniformat, Master Format, or any view you'd like to see. One of ours is by program area, i.e. Sitework, Tower, Parking Deck, etc. After that, you can sort by Bid Package, CSI, etc. Quick buttons can be created far all the views you'd need which allows changing between views a breeze.
  • The visual interface is pleasing and easy to read.
  • It's easy to create your own database using Excel. Once you tag an item with unit costs, sort codes, etc., Winest will import it. You can also build it manually within the program but Excel was faster.
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Cons
Autodesk
  • The photo attachment process is a bit complicated. In ProCore (another similar software I've used), you can upload photos directly into RFIs for your reference, or into e-mails. For PlanGrid, you have to first upload the photo into the documents tab, then link them into the RFI. It's not intuitive and can add confusion to the documents tab.
  • Photos can't be directly uploaded. Between different devices and colleagues, it's possible you'll get an important photo outside of the PlanGrid photo capture feature within its app. Again, it's complicated for users to use.
  • In their new drawings viewer, the icons for actions do not have icons available. I had to use them all in order to understand what they meant, and I'm fairly tech savvy. I'm not sure if a new person to PlanGrid will pick up on each icon's abilities very easily.
  • There's no all-in-one solution in CM, but PlanGrid is fairly barebones, and I don't believe it has any ability to connect to other software. There's no ability to take meeting munites; you can hack the field reports feature to accomplish this, but it's clear that was not the intent of the designers.
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Trimble
  • At times, WinEst controls feel counter intuitive. Also the tools available for actually developing the database can feel clunky. This means that if you do not take the time to create a robust import file, you will spend a serious amount of time fixing your errors.
  • WinEst is also an object based database which means that it is difficult to do mass dumps of information (mainly takeoff) into the program. While this is great for ensuring that everything is done purposefully, it does lead to extended hours of data entry
  • It takes hours upon hours of use before you begin to realize the true potential. The sheer number of tools is overwhelming and their help resources are very basic and only explain how to correctly enter the data but not the feature's best use cases.
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Likelihood to Renew
Autodesk
We are at the point where we have shown our teams what is possible with this software. We cannot take it away and go back to the way we used to do things. I think that they would push back on us to give them access to something electronic. It is a good program that we will continue to use
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Usability
Autodesk
Very well thought app, easy to use and provides fast access to the project's plans (your own and your team's), improvements in the annotation posibilities and on-site report generator will be appreciatted. The punch-list report generator and the current/previous plan version compare tools works flawlessly. Haven't used the RFI's nor field report options yet
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Trimble
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Autodesk
Online chat during business hours is extremely helpful. The Plangrid staff has gone above and beyond many times to help us. One time they even offered to completely rebuild our 900+ sheet project so I could slip sheet a few old drawing revisions! This undoubtedly would have taken hours on Plangrid's end. They are always responsive and are continually improving, listening to user feedback.
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Trimble
Doug Quinn was our trainer and travels all over the country. Whenever I have an issue I shoot him an email and he quickly responds as soon as his training gets a break.
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Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
Plangrid, while not serving the external document distribution function, is unrivaled for internal document distribution and sharing in the construction industry. The speed at which documents are navigatable, the ability to download your projects for viewing without an internet connection, and the document mark-up and photo tools place it head and shoulders above the competition.
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Trimble
WinEst simply blows excel and Timberline out of the water. The shear depth of functionality is unparalleled. Not only does WinEst deliver a better product, it also shortens the amount of man hours required for each bid, alternate, pricing exercise, etc. On top of this, it has a number of redundant safeguards for catching errors that the others don't have.
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Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • It helped us "wow" a joint commission survey in 2016 and have a successful survey because he loved how we could access plans on an iPad, check suite sizes, and didn't have to carry around huge, heavy sets of life safety plans.
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Trimble
  • We've not measured the rate of return but WinEst has made us much more efficient and organized.
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ScreenShots

Autodesk Build Screenshots

Screenshot of No confusing folders - all your plans at your fingertips.Screenshot of Easy overlay to visually detect changes or clashes.Screenshot of Track issues directly on the plan, including descriptions, photos, cost, and schedule impacts.Screenshot of Mark up plans for instant communication between field and office.Screenshot of Attach any kind of construction documents to your plans, including 360 photos.Screenshot of Track, review, and submit all your field reports on a mobile device.