Buildxact vs Cubit: which estimating tool fits your business?
The short answer: Buildxact is one price for the whole business, built for residential builders who want estimates, quotes and supplier prices in one place. Cubit is a dedicated estimating and takeoff tool, priced per user, for estimators and QSs, including commercial work. One estimator pays about the same; a team of three pays about $4,499 a year less on Buildxact.
Quick answer
Choose Buildxact ifSeveral people estimate, quote or order
- More than one person needs it: every plan has unlimited users
- You build homes or renovations and want quotes and supplier prices in one place
- You'd like it in the browser and on site with the Onsite mobile app
Choose Cubit ifEstimating is someone's whole job
- You're an estimator or QS, including tier 2 and 3 commercial work
- You take off from CAD and BIM files as well as PDFs
- You want a desktop app, or a managed cloud-hosted version
How we make money: we don't, on this page. Neither Buildxact nor Buildsoft pays us, so both get plain links. Disclosure.
Category by category
Who comes out ahead on each thing a builder weighs up. “Depends” means the answer turns on how you work.
Every fact, with its source
Entry plan, AUD with GST added (both vendors quote ex GST). A tick only where the vendor's own page confirms it; “?” means not confirmed yet.
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | BxBuildxactBuildxact · Builder estimatingVisit site | CuCubit EstimatingBuildsoft · Estimating and takeoffVisit site |
|---|---|---|
| Price (per user unless marked) | ||
| Per yearAUD inc GST unless marked | $2,233/yrFoundation, unlimited users, billed annually source | $2,244/yrStandard, per user, billed annually (12-month minimum) source |
| Billed monthly instead | $219/mo | $224/mo |
| Prices include GST? | No, GST added | No, GST added |
| Other plans (per year) | Pro $4,477 Master $6,721 | Professional $2,983 Enterprise $3,366 |
| Fit | ||
| Cloud or desktop | Runs in the browser (app.buildxact.com), plus the Onsite mobile app source | Desktop app or managed cloud-hosted version source |
| On-screen takeoff from plans | Digital takeoffs, every plan source | Trace over PDF, CAD, BIM and image plans source |
| Australian supplier price files | Supplier integration, every plan source | Imports supplier pricing; AU suppliers not named source |
| Quotes from the estimate | Customisable quote letters source | BoQ reports and PDF/Excel export; client quote not stated source |
| Connects to Xero | Sends purchase and invoice data to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online source | Integrates with Xero source |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial source | 14 days, all Enterprise features, via request form source |
| How it is priced | One price for the business: unlimited users on every plan (12-month commitment if paid yearly) source | Per user, billed annually (12-month minimum) source |
| Honesty | ||
| Do we earn from this link? | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission |
| Visit Buildxact | Visit Buildsoft | |
What a team pays per year
Buildxact is one price for the whole business; Cubit is per user. Where one is at least 10% cheaper, it is marked.
| Per year | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | 10 seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BuildxactFoundation, unlimited users, billed annually. One price for the whole business | $2,233 | $2,233 | $2,233 | $2,233 |
| Cubit EstimatingStandard, per user, billed annually (12-month minimum) | $2,244 | $6,732 | $11,220 | $22,440 |
List price × seats, before any volume or reseller discount (none are published). AUD prices include GST. * GST not stated.
Count your estimators, then look at your plans
If you're a residential builder or renovator and more than one person estimates, quotes or orders materials, Buildxact is the better value by a wide margin: the price stays the same as you add people, and quotes and supplier prices are built in.
If estimating is one person's whole job, the price is about even, and the question is what you take off from. Cubit traces over CAD and BIM files as well as PDFs, can run on the desktop, and Buildsoft aims it at estimators and QSs up to tier 2 and 3 commercial firms. That depth suits a dedicated estimator better than a builder who quotes between site visits.
Run both trials on the same set of plans you've already priced by hand. Compare the totals, the time taken and how the client quote looks at the end.
Plain links, no commission. Also weighing up Groundplan or Databuild? See the estimating comparison.
Builders ask
Is Buildxact cheaper than Cubit?
For one estimator they cost about the same: Buildxact Foundation is $2,233 a year for the whole business and Cubit Standard is $2,244 a year per user, both including GST and billed annually. Because Buildxact includes unlimited users, a team of three pays about $4,499 a year less on Buildxact.
Which is better for commercial estimating?
Buildsoft positions Cubit for estimators, quantity surveyors and builders, and says it suits tier 2 and 3 commercial firms. Cubit takes off from PDF, CAD, BIM and image plans, and comes as a desktop app or a managed cloud-hosted version. Buildxact is aimed at residential builders and renovators.
Do Buildxact and Cubit connect to Xero?
Yes. Buildxact sends purchase and invoice data to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online, and Buildsoft says Cubit integrates with Xero.