# BNi Reference vs FairBid

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | BNi Reference | FairBid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bni-reference/id6758135504/reviews) | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fairbid-contractor-estimating/id6761267231/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 362 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ProCureEdge LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1850903342) | [AELISH BLUE,MONTGOMERY SHERWOOD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888513691) |

## What reviewers say

### BNi Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bni-reference/id6758135504)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BNi Home Remodelers - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| BNi Mechanical Electrical - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| BNi Public Works Costbook - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| BNi Remodeling - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| BNi Reference Web Access | $50.00 | per year |
| BNi Reference - Mobile Access | $50.00 | per year |
| BNi Home Remodelers - Yearly | $149.99 | per year |
| BNi Mechanical Electrical - Yearly | $149.99 | per year |
| BNi Public Works Costbook - Yearly | $149.99 | per year |
| BNi Remodeling Costbook - Yearly | $149.99 | per year |


### FairBid

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fairbid-contractor-estimating/id6761267231)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FairBid Starter | $14.99 | per month |
| FairBid Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| FairBid Pro | $24.99 | per month |
| FairBid Business | $49.99 | per month |
| FairBid Starter Annual | $143.99 | per year |
| FairBid Pro Annual | $239.99 | per year |
| FairBid Business Annual | $479.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*