Softwr

Construction · head to head

Handoff vs Zilliz

Handoff logo

Handoff

Construction

AI estimating and proposals for residential remodelling contractors, priced per company not per seat

From
$119/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zilliz logo

Zilliz

Databases

Managed vector database and vector lakebase for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zilliz has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Handoff pro and Scale require a 12 month commitment, so a seasonal remodeller who slows down over winter pays through the quiet months or stays on the more expensive month-to-month Flex tier; Zilliz pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: Handoff covers Estimate from description, Zilliz covers Vector indexing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Handoff and Zilliz actually diverge.

Attributes where Handoff and Zilliz differ
AttributeHandoffZilliz
Starting price$119/monthFree
Pricing modelPer company per monthcontact-sales
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud, Self-hosted
CategoryConstructionDatabases
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Handoff

  • Estimate from description
  • Photo-based estimating
  • AI takeoff
  • Custom pricing catalogues
  • Proposals and e-signature
  • Change orders
  • Invoicing and card payments

Only in Zilliz

  • Vector indexing
  • Distributed architecture
  • SQL interface
  • Tensor support
  • Real-time search
  • Cloud-native
  • Open-source compatible

What people use each for

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

Handoff

  • A remodelling contractor who visits four kitchens a week and wants a priced proposal out the same evening instead of three days laternot Zilliz
  • A roofing business whose owner writes every estimate personally and is the bottleneck on salesnot Zilliz
  • A small builder who wants proposal, change order and invoice in one record so the final billing reconciles to what the client signednot Zilliz
  • A contractor collecting payment by card who wants to cut the processing rate from 3.35 to 2.85 per cent by moving to the annual Pro tiernot Zilliz

Zilliz

  • Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systemsnot Handoff
  • Implement semantic search over documentsnot Handoff
  • Create multimodal search with text and imagesnot Handoff
  • Power recommendation engines with vector similaritynot Handoff
  • Enable similarity search on user embeddingsnot Handoff

Where each one falls short

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

Handoff

  • Pro and Scale require a 12 month commitment, so a seasonal remodeller who slows down over winter pays through the quiet months or stays on the more expensive month-to-month Flex tier
  • AI-generated line item pricing is based on general cost data, not your suppliers or your subcontractors, so every estimate needs review and the time saving is smaller than the marketing implies once a real pricing catalogue is built
  • AI takeoff only appears on the 899 dollar Scale tier and is capped at plans of 5,000 square feet, which excludes most light commercial and larger custom homes
  • Flex includes only 50 AI credits a month and one pricing catalogue, which a busy estimator exhausts quickly, making the entry tier more of a trial than a working plan
  • It targets residential remodelling specifically, with no scheduling, no field production tracking and no job costing depth, so a growing contractor outgrows it and migrates to a full construction management platform

Zilliz

  • Pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • Operational complexity for self-hosted Milvus deployments
  • Learning curve for those unfamiliar with vector databases
  • Limited built-in analytics compared to some alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Handoff

$119/month
  • Flex$119/month
    • Billed annually, 149 USD month to month
    • 2 users
    • 50 AI credits a month
  • Pro$239/month
    • Billed annually, 299 USD month to month
    • 12 month commitment
    • 5 users
  • Scale$719/month
    • Billed annually, 899 USD month to month
    • 12 month commitment
    • 5 users
  • Custom API$undefined/year
    • Quoted for multi-location businesses
    • API access
    • Custom integrations

Zilliz

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zilliz review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Handoff if

  • You need estimate from description.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want photo-based estimating.
Handoff review

Choose Zilliz if

  • You need vector indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want distributed architecture.
Zilliz review

Questions people ask

Is Handoff or Zilliz better?
Neither clearly leads. Handoff starts at $119/month and Zilliz at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Handoff or Zilliz?
Zilliz has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $119/month for Handoff and Free for Zilliz.
Does Handoff or Zilliz run on more platforms?
Handoff runs on Web, iOS, Android. Zilliz runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Zilliz for free?
Yes. Zilliz has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Handoff starts at $119/month.
What is Handoff best used for?
Handoff is most often used for a remodelling contractor who visits four kitchens a week and wants a priced proposal out the same evening instead of three days later, a roofing business whose owner writes every estimate personally and is the bottleneck on sales, a small builder who wants proposal, change order and invoice in one record so the final billing reconciles to what the client signed, a contractor collecting payment by card who wants to cut the processing rate from 3.35 to 2.85 per cent by moving to the annual pro tier. Of those, a remodelling contractor who visits four kitchens a week and wants a priced proposal out the same evening instead of three days later and a roofing business whose owner writes every estimate personally and is the bottleneck on sales are not what Zilliz is typically brought in for.
What can Handoff do that Zilliz cannot?
Handoff covers Estimate from description, Photo-based estimating, AI takeoff, Custom pricing catalogues. Zilliz covers Vector indexing, Distributed architecture, SQL interface, Tensor support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Handoff: What does Handoff actually cost?

From 119 US dollars a month billed annually on Flex for two users, 239 on Pro for five users, and 719 on Scale which is the only tier with AI takeoff. Month to month prices are 149, 299 and 899.

Zilliz: What is the difference between Milvus and Zilliz Cloud?

Milvus is the open-source vector database that you can self-host. Zilliz Cloud is the fully managed service built on Milvus that removes operational overhead and handles scaling automatically.

Source
Handoff: Is the card processing fee on top of the subscription?

Yes. It is 3.35 per cent on Flex and 2.85 per cent on Pro and Scale, charged on payments you collect through the platform.

Zilliz: How many vectors can Zilliz handle?

Milvus and Zilliz Cloud can store and search billions of vectors through their distributed architecture that separates storage and compute layers.

Source
Handoff: Does it do commercial construction?

No. It is built for residential remodelling scopes and its cost data and takeoff limits reflect that.

Zilliz: Is Milvus open-source?

Yes, Milvus is open-source under the Apache License 2.0 and is part of the LF AI & Data Foundation.

Source
Handoff: Can I cancel monthly?

Only on Flex. Pro and Scale carry a 12 month commitment.

Zilliz: What pricing does Zilliz Cloud offer?

Zilliz Cloud pricing is not publicly listed and requires contacting their team to discuss your specific scale and use case requirements.

Source
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