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Construction · head to head

Billd vs RIB CostX

Billd logo

Billd

Construction

Material financing and pay application advances for commercial subcontractors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RIB CostX logo

RIB CostX

Construction

2D and BIM quantity takeoff with live-linked estimating workbooks for quantity surveyors and estimators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Billd the contractor carries the fee rather than the supplier, so unless the cost is bid into the job or offset by a negotiated supplier cash discount, financed material is simply more expensive material.; RIB CostX pricing is not published anywhere and is quoted per package and per seat through regional resellers, so two firms of similar size routinely pay materially different rates for the same configuration.
  • They diverge on capability: Billd covers Material financing, RIB CostX covers 2D drawing takeoff.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Billd and RIB CostX actually diverge.

Attributes where Billd and RIB CostX differ
AttributeBilldRIB CostX
PlatformsWebWindows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Construction).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Billd

  • Material financing
  • Pay App Advance
  • Same-day supplier funding
  • Supplier network terms
  • Credit line for materials
  • Online account portal

Only in RIB CostX

  • 2D drawing takeoff
  • BIM and 3D takeoff
  • Live-linked workbooks
  • Drawing revision comparison
  • Bill of quantities production
  • Rate libraries
  • Subcontractor comparison
  • CostX Viewer

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Billd

  • An electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buysnot RIB CostX
  • A concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30not RIB CostX
  • A growing mechanical firm that wants to negotiate a supplier cash discount by paying immediately, funded by Billdnot RIB CostX
  • A subcontractor with a signed pay application sitting unpaid that needs payroll covered before the cheque landsnot RIB CostX

RIB CostX

  • A quantity surveying practice that must issue a formatted bill of quantities under NRM or SMM7 and cannot do so from a generic takeoff toolnot Billd
  • A contractor tendering a job where the client reissues drawings mid-tender, needing revision comparison so only changed areas are remeasurednot Billd
  • An estimating department moving from paper and Excel to model-based measurement while keeping the same rate library and bill structurenot Billd
  • A cost consultant producing early-stage elemental cost plans from partial models, then refining the same workbook as design detail arrivesnot Billd

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Billd

  • The contractor carries the fee rather than the supplier, so unless the cost is bid into the job or offset by a negotiated supplier cash discount, financed material is simply more expensive material.
  • No rate card is published, so the effective annualised cost is only visible after underwriting and cannot be compared against a bank line or a card facility before you apply.
  • A 120 day term assumes the general contractor pays roughly on time; if the GC drags past that, the subcontractor owes Billd on schedule regardless of whether it has been paid.
  • This is credit, not construction software, so it adds a debt obligation and a covenant relationship to a business that a surety and a bonding agent will look at when setting bonding capacity.
  • Coverage is US commercial construction, so contractors outside that market or working residential get little from it, and eligibility depends on project type and the creditworthiness of the paying party.

RIB CostX

  • Pricing is not published anywhere and is quoted per package and per seat through regional resellers, so two firms of similar size routinely pay materially different rates for the same configuration.
  • It is Windows desktop software with heavy graphics demands; there is no meaningful macOS or browser option, which rules it out for practices standardised on Apple hardware.
  • The learning curve is steep enough that firms typically budget formal training, and an estimator productive in a rival tool takes weeks rather than days to reach the same output here.
  • RIB is owned by Schneider Electric, whose strategic interest is the wider RIB construction cloud, so a buyer choosing CostX today is betting on continued investment in a desktop estimating product inside a group focused elsewhere.
  • BIM takeoff is only as good as the model, and on projects where the model is modelled for coordination rather than measurement the automatic quantities need enough manual checking that the time saving largely disappears.

Pricing, plan by plan

Billd

On request
  • Material Financing$undefined/year
    • Supplier paid upfront
    • Repayment up to 120 days
    • Fee set per draw after underwriting
  • Pay App Advance$undefined/year
    • Advance against billed and uncollected work
    • Purchase fee deducted from the advance
    • Terms set per contractor

RIB CostX

On request
  • CostX Quantify$undefined/year
    • 2D and BIM takeoff
    • Measurement export
    • No integrated estimating workbook
  • CostX Core$undefined/year
    • Takeoff plus live-linked workbooks
    • Rate libraries
    • Standard reporting
  • CostX Complete$undefined/year
    • Full BIM takeoff
    • Advanced workbooks and bills of quantities
    • Subcontractor comparison

Which should you pick?

Choose Billd if

  • You need material financing.
  • You also want pay app advance.
Billd review

Choose RIB CostX if

  • You need 2d drawing takeoff.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want bim and 3d takeoff.
RIB CostX review

Questions people ask

Is Billd or RIB CostX better?
Neither clearly leads. Billd starts at On request and RIB CostX at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Billd or RIB CostX?
Billd starts at On request and RIB CostX at On request.
Does Billd or RIB CostX run on more platforms?
Billd runs on Web. RIB CostX runs on Windows.
What is Billd best used for?
Billd is most often used for an electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buys, a concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30, a growing mechanical firm that wants to negotiate a supplier cash discount by paying immediately, funded by billd, a subcontractor with a signed pay application sitting unpaid that needs payroll covered before the cheque lands. Of those, an electrical subcontractor that has won a job larger than its cash position can carry through the first three material buys and a concrete contractor whose general contractor pays at 75 days while the supplier expects 30 are not what RIB CostX is typically brought in for.
What can Billd do that RIB CostX cannot?
Billd covers Material financing, Pay App Advance, Same-day supplier funding, Supplier network terms. RIB CostX covers 2D drawing takeoff, BIM and 3D takeoff, Live-linked workbooks, Drawing revision comparison.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Billd: Who pays Billd's fee, the contractor or the supplier?

The contractor. The supplier is paid upfront in full and carries no credit risk.

RIB CostX: How much does RIB CostX cost?

RIB does not publish prices. It is quoted per package (Quantify, Core or Complete) and per seat, usually through a regional reseller.

Billd: Does Billd publish rates?

No. Cost depends on term, product and underwriting outcome and is disclosed in the offer.

RIB CostX: Is a perpetual licence available?

RIB has historically offered both perpetual and subscription licensing, with subscription now the default push. Ask explicitly, because the perpetual option is not advertised.

Billd: What happens if my general contractor pays late?

You still owe Billd on the agreed schedule. The 120 day term is designed to cover a normal pay cycle, not a dispute.

RIB CostX: Does it do BIM takeoff or just 2D?

Both. Complete handles IFC and Revit models; Quantify and Core differ in workbook capability rather than measurement.

Billd: Does using Billd affect bonding capacity?

It is a debt facility, so a surety will consider it. Discuss it with your bonding agent before drawing heavily.

RIB CostX: Who is it for?

Quantity surveyors and estimators in markets that use bills of quantities: UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and South Africa above all.

RIB CostX: Can we open estimates without a licence?

A free CostX Viewer lets others open and inspect measured drawings and workbooks without a full seat.

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