Comparison

BNi Reference vs FairBid

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BNi Reference

Access construction cost data, build reference lists, and stay updated with industry content. Explore free articles and insights, browse cost books, and export your saved lists.

Highlights
  • Access BNi construction cost data
  • Build and save Reference Lists
  • Export lists to PDF and Excel
  • Explore industry news and insights
  • Browse and search cost book items
  • Save up to 100 items per list
Features
Read full description

BNi Reference™ helps construction professionals access BNi® construction cost data, build Reference Lists, and stay connected with the latest industry content. Explore our free Community page to discover industry news, articles, updates, and insights from across the construction industry. What you can do: • Explore free community articles, updates, and industry insights • Browse the cost book • Search and filter items • Build and save Reference Lists • Export lists to PDF and Excel • Keep up to 100 items per list Privacy Policy: https://www.econverge.com/privacy-policy End User License Agreement: https://www.econverge.com/eusa

About

FairBid

Generate professional, itemized estimates for contracting jobs using voice input and AI. Get live material pricing, regional market rates, and create branded PDF quotes and contracts in minutes. Manage your entire job pipeline from initial contact to paid invoice.

Highlights
  • Voice-to-estimate generation
  • Live material pricing
  • Regional market rate data
  • Branded PDF quotes and contracts
  • Job pipeline management
  • Receipt scanning and cost matching
  • AI-generated tool checklists
Features
Read full description

Stop guessing on your price. Most contractors underbid — not because they don't know their craft, but because they're pricing from memory instead of market data. FairBid fixes that. Describe a job out loud. FairBid's AI turns your words into a fully itemized estimate with live materials pricing, regional market rates, and a professional PDF you can send to a client in minutes. VOICE IN. PROFESSIONAL ESTIMATE OUT. No spreadsheets. No pricing books. No templates. Just describe the job the way you'd explain it to a helper, and FairBid builds the estimate from the ground up. HOW IT WORKS 1. Describe the job by voice or text 2. Answer AI-ranked clarifying questions — the ones that protect your margin most 3. Review your fully itemized estimate with live Home Depot and Lowe's pricing 4. Set your final price with the Pricing Slider — a market-grounded range showing what contractors in your area are charging, so you can position your bid with confidence instead of guessing 5. Send a branded and customizable PDF quote and contract directly to your client WHAT YOU GET WITH EVERY ESTIMATE → Fully itemized line items with labor and materials broken out → Live materials pricing matched to actual SKUs at Home Depot or Lowe's → Regional market rate data pulled fresh for your job location → Phase-by-phase scope of work — a document that used to take hours to write → AI-generated tool checklist, including rental flags → Branded PDF quote with your logo, payment terms, and expiration date → AI-written contract — ready to send at acceptance BUILT FOR THE FIELD FairBid is designed for how tradespeople actually work — in a truck, between jobs, at the end of a 10-hour day. Voice-first input means you never have to type out a job description. Everything is on your iPhone or iPad, ready when you are. FULL JOB MANAGEMENT BUILT IN FairBid isn't just an estimating tool — it's your entire job pipeline. → Track every job from first contact through paid invoice → 6-stage status pipeline: Draft → Sent → Accepted → Contract Sent → Invoiced → Paid → Scan receipts and match actual costs against your estimate → Schedule jobs directly to your iOS Calendar → Search, filter, and sort your full job history PRICE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT GUESSWORK Before you set your final number, FairBid shows you what the market is actually paying — regional contractor rates for your exact trade and job type, pulled live from the web for the job's location. The Pricing Slider lets you position your bid anywhere within that range with a single drag. Slide toward the lower end to stay competitive. Slide toward the higher end when your quality, speed, or reputation earns it. The market data is right there — you're never flying blind. This is the feature that pays for the subscription. Knowing you're at $4,200 when the market range is $3,800–$5,400 is worth more than any template or spreadsheet ever gave you. WHO IT'S BUILT FOR Solo contractors and small crews in residential and light commercial trades: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, painting, roofing, flooring, tile, drywall, landscaping, concrete, and general contracting. Optimized for jobs from $500 repair calls to $50,000+ remodels. PRICING Free trial included — no credit card required to start. Starter: $14.99/month — up to 5 estimates Pro: $24.99/month — up to 25 estimates Business: $49.99/month — unlimited estimates Subscriptions are billed monthly and can be cancelled anytime through your Apple ID settings. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://fairbid.app/privacy

Screenshots

BNi Reference4 screens
FairBid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: BNi Reference at 13.0 against FairBid's 17.6. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BNi Reference sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and FairBid sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BNi Reference against 5.0 for FairBid. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BNi Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, FairBid fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
BNi Reference versus FairBid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBNi ReferenceFairBid
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size362 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProCureEdge LLCAELISH BLUE,MONTGOMERY SHERWOOD

Customer experience

BNi Reference

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FairBid

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

BNi Reference

Subscriptions10
  • BNi Home Remodelers - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • BNi Mechanical Electrical - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • BNi Public Works Costbook - Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • BNi Remodeling - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • BNi Reference Web Access$50.001 Year
  • BNi Reference - Mobile Access$50.001 Year
  • BNi Home Remodelers - Yearly$149.991 Year
  • BNi Mechanical Electrical - Yearly$149.991 Year
  • BNi Public Works Costbook - Yearly$149.991 Year
  • BNi Remodeling Costbook - Yearly$149.991 Year
7 purchases

FairBid

Subscriptions7
  • FairBid Starter$14.991 Month
  • FairBid Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • FairBid Pro$24.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • FairBid Business$49.991 Month
  • FairBid Starter Annual$143.991 Year
  • FairBid Pro Annual$239.991 Year
  • FairBid Business Annual$479.991 Year

Questions

Is BNi Reference free?
BNi Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FairBid free?
FairBid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BNi Reference or FairBid?
BNi Reference and FairBid are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do BNi Reference or FairBid have ads?
Neither BNi Reference nor FairBid shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BNi Reference or FairBid?
BNi Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, and FairBid fortnightly. Most recently, BNi Reference was updated on October 5, 2026 and FairBid on October 6, 2026.

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