Civils.ai
AI-powered quantity takeoffs and checks for construction contractors
Civils.ai is the most domain-specific takeoff AI we've tested—purpose-built for construction, not a repurposed chat model. The human-in-the-loop QA justifies the premium pricing. Skip it if you need CAD/BIM integrations or work primarily with pre-1975 drawings.
- Contractors needing accurate quantity takeoffs from PDF drawings
- Groundworks estimators extracting subsurface data from borehole logs
- Pre-construction teams running checks across specs and codes
- Firms aiming to reduce manual takeoff effort by 90%
- Teams working with hand-drawn or pre-1975 PDFs (lower accuracy)
- Users needing CAD/BIM integrations (not supported)
- Small-scale, simple takeoffs that could use free tools
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Skip Civils.ai if you need CAD/BIM integrations or work primarily with pre-1975 hand-drawn PDFs, as accuracy drops for old drawings and no CAD/BIM support exists.
Going past your monthly takeoff allowance requires a top-up or upgrade to the next tier, with no automatic overage billing—you must manually adjust.
Civils.ai's pricing ($90/mo Starter, $270/mo Professional) is competitive for specialist construction AI, but per-takeoff costs add up for high-volume teams. Comparatively, general takeoff tools like PlanSwift have one-time fees, while Civils.ai's monthly model suits firms that want to scale up and down. Enterprise custom pricing is necessary for teams needing API access or multiple users, which can be pricier than competitors if not negotiated.
In short
Civils.ai — AI-powered quantity takeoffs and checks for construction contractors. Best for Contractors needing accurate quantity takeoffs from PDF drawings, Groundworks estimators extracting subsurface data from borehole logs, Pre-construction teams running checks across specs and codes. Plans from $90/mo.
What's new in Civils.ai
Checked yesterdayAcross the latest 4 updates: 1 feature update, 1 changelog entry and 2 news mentions.
What's new on Civils.ai in July 2026
Civils.ai's monthly product update for July 2026.
Top AI Construction Companies of 2026
Civils.ai featured as a top AI construction company for document intelligence and risk detection.
AI Borehole Digitiser: Turn PDF Geotechnical Reports into Structured AGS 4.1 Data
AI Borehole Digitiser converts scanned geotechnical PDFs into AGS 4.1, Excel, DXF. Over 100K boreholes digitized since 2022.
Can General-Purpose LLMs Perform Accurate Civil Estimates? Claude vs ChatGPT vs Civils.ai
Civils.ai outperforms Claude and ChatGPT in blind civil quantity-takeoff test vs chartered QS ground truth.
Viability Score
How likely is Civils.ai to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Measure areas, lengths, and counts from PDF drawings using plain-English prompts
- AI Borehole Digitiser: extract borehole data from scanned PDFs into AGS 4.1, Excel & DXF
- AI-powered earthworks and landscaping takeoffs
- Run checks across drawings, specs, and codes of practice
- Save frequently-used checks as reusable templates
- Export results to Excel and annotated PDFs
- Human-in-the-loop QA verification of AI output
- Support for scanned, historic, and multi-sheet PDF drawings (post-1975)
- Unlimited AI searches and checks (fair use policy)
- Audit trail with cited and marked-up sources
- Digitised over 100,000 boreholes since 2022
- Multi-trade takeoffs capped at 5 per sheet
- Request revisions from comments (Professional+)
- Learns your standards (Professional+)
- API and MCP integrations (Enterprise)
About Civils.ai
Civils.ai is a purpose-built AI platform for construction contractors, estimators, and pre-construction teams that automates quantity takeoffs, earthworks estimation, and document checks from PDF drawings and geotechnical reports. It cuts manual effort by up to 90% while maintaining 97% accuracy through human-in-the-loop QA. Key features include plain-English prompts to measure areas, lengths, and volumes; the AI Borehole Digitiser that extracts subsurface borehole data into AGS 4.1, Excel, and DXF; customizable contract and spec checks with reusable templates; and export to Excel and annotated PDFs. Unlike general-purpose AI, Civils.ai is AEC-focused—reading complex drawings with unlimited document support, citing sources, and providing auditable outputs. Trusted by over 200 firms across 8 countries on $3B+ in projects, it's a specialized tool for teams that cannot afford errors. While it lacks CAD/BIM integrations and struggles with pre-1975 hand-drawn PDFs, its domain-specific accuracy and auditability make it a strong choice for contractors needing reliable takeoffs and subsurface data extraction.
Behind the Verdict
Civils.ai earns its place as a specialist tool in a market crowded with general-purpose AI. Its focus on construction drawings and geotechnical data means it solves real pain points for contractors: measuring areas, lengths, and volumes from PDFs, and extracting borehole data from scanned reports. The human-in-the-loop QA process is a differentiator—outputs are verified before you export, which matters when a measurement error can cost thousands. We'd reach for this when we need reliable takeoffs for medium-to-large projects with modern PDF drawings, especially where subsurface data is involved. The AI Borehole Digitiser is a standout feature, converting geotechnical reports into AGS 4.1, Excel, or DXF—a niche but critical capability for groundworks estimators. Pricing is tiered: Starter at $90/mo for 10 takeoffs, Professional at $270/mo for 30 takeoffs, and Enterprise custom. This is pricey compared to generic AI, but if it saves even a few hours per month, it pays for itself. Where it bites: no CAD/BIM integrations, so if you work in Revit or AutoCAD, you'll still need to export PDFs first. Accuracy drops with pre-1975 hand-drawn drawings—a known limitation. Also, multi-trade takeoffs are capped at 5 per sheet, which could constrain complex projects. Compared to something like Buildxact or PlanSwift, Civils.ai offers more AI automation but less manual control. For teams that want to automate takeoffs without sacrificing auditability, Civils.ai is a strong candidate. In practice, the fair use policy on unlimited searches is generous for standard queries, but advanced multi-step workflows may incur custom pricing—something to clarify before scaling. Overall, it's a focused, trustworthy tool that delivers on its promise for AEC professionals.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Civils.ai actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You receive a set of 20 PDF drawings for a new commercial project. You upload them to Civils.ai, type 'measure all concrete slab areas' and 'count all electrical outlets' in plain English. The AI processes within minutes, and the output is reviewed by the QA team. You export to Excel and annotated PDFs.
Outcome: Manual effort reduced by 90%; accurate quantities ready for tender submission in hours rather than days.
You have a geotechnical report with 50 borehole logs as scanned PDFs. You use the AI Borehole Digitiser to extract all data into AGS 4.1 format and DXF. You then run earthworks takeoffs on the site drawings using the same platform.
Outcome: Borehole data digitised in minutes, enabling accurate earthwork volume calculations and visualisation in your GIS/CAD tool.
You need to check if the latest drawings comply with building codes and client specs. You create reusable check templates in Civils.ai, run them across all documents, and get an audit trail with cited sources.
Outcome: Compliance verified quickly with full traceability, reducing risk of costly rework later.
Use Cases
- Auto-generate material takeoffs from PDF drawings for cost estimation
- Extract borehole data from geotechnical reports to visualize site conditions
- Run contract compliance checks against specifications and codes
- Cross-check schedules of rates against variation orders
- Measure earthwork volumes for landscaping and utility projects
- Digitize historical scanned drawings for legacy project analysis
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-07-05
Limitations
- Takeoffs are counted per drawing sheet per trade, with a cap of 5 takeoffs per sheet for multi-trade projects—this can be restrictive for complex drawings.
- Integrations are limited to Excel/PDF exports on lower tiers; API and MCP are Enterprise-only.
- Lower-tier plans include few users (1 for Starter), so team-wide deployment may require an Enterprise plan with custom pricing.
as of 2026-07-02
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Civils.ai tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Starter
$90/mo
Ideal for
Solo estimator or small contractor working on a few projects per month, needing basic takeoffs and AI checks.
What this tier adds
Entry-level plan with 10 takeoffs/month, 1 user, and 2 GB storage.
Professional
$270/mo
Ideal for
Growing teams or mid-sized contractors handling multiple projects monthly, needing higher takeoff limits and priority support.
What this tier adds
Adds 30 takeoffs/month, 50 GB storage, revisions from comments, and learns your standards.
Enterprise
Custom
Ideal for
Large contractors or consultancies needing unlimited users, custom takeoff/storage, API access, and enterprise security.
What this tier adds
Custom allowances, unlimited users, API & MCP integrations, SSO/SAML, and custom DPA.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Civils.ai's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Civils.ai's pricing ($90/mo Starter, $270/mo Professional) is competitive for specialist construction AI, but per-takeoff costs add up for high-volume teams. Comparatively, general takeoff tools like PlanSwift have one-time fees, while Civils.ai's monthly model suits firms that want to scale up and down. Enterprise custom pricing is necessary for teams needing API access or multiple users, which can be pricier than competitors if not negotiated.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Civils.ai — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Most users get first takeoff results within minutes of uploading PDFs and typing a plain-English prompt. Full onboarding, including learning to create reusable check templates and understanding takeoff counting, may take 1–2 hours. Enterprise teams with custom integrations may require a few days for API setup.
Switching to or from Civils.ai
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From manual takeoffs: start uploading PDFs and using plain-English prompts without any data migration.
- →From Excel-based takeoffs: export your previous takeoff estimates as reference, then use Civils.ai to regenerate from drawings.
- →From PlanSwift: no direct import; upload original PDF drawings and re-run takeoffs in Civils.ai.
- ↗To PlanSwift or Bluebeam: export all data from Civils.ai to Excel and PDF, then manually recreate takeoffs in the target tool.
- ↗To any generic takeoff tool: Civils.ai's audit trail and annotated PDFs can be archived; no structured data export for non-Excel formats.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Official links
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