CrestBid vs PlanHub

PlanHub is a place to find projects and get invited. CrestBid is where you track and win the bids you decide to chase.

PlanHub and CrestBid get compared a lot, but they mostly do different jobs. PlanHub helps you find work. CrestBid helps you manage and win the bids you're already getting, from PlanHub and everywhere else.

Competitor details checked October 2026 against each vendor's public website. Plans change; check the vendor's site for current details.

Where PlanHub fits best

PlanHub is a bidding network for subcontractors. Its pages describe a free profile to receive direct invitations from general contractors and bid on projects within a local radius, Invitations to Bid "tailored to your capabilities and location," a network of 50,000+ general contractors, and 3,000+ new commercial projects out for bid each month. The paid Premier plan widens the area you can search, and Enterprise adds national reach for teams with 3+ users. It fits best when your problem is finding more projects to bid.

What CrestBid is built for

CrestBid doesn't sell leads. It's for what happens after the invite arrives: forward invites from PlanHub and every other source to one Bid Inbox, keep one project with every GC that invited you, see your hit rate by GC and which GCs actually award you work, decide Go/No-Go before bid day, and send branded proposals with your inclusions, exclusions and SOQ. Coming soon: a fit score on every invite in the Bid Inbox, lien waivers, pay apps with retainage, and QuickBooks Online.

Pricing at a glance

| | CrestBid | PlanHub | |---|---|---| | Entry price | Free plan (2 users); Pro $49 per user per month | Free profile (local radius) | | Paid plans | Pro $49 per user per month | Premier listed at $1,999/yr (50-mile), $2,349/yr (100-mile), $3,299/yr (200-mile); PlanHub says pricing is tailored to trade and territory. Enterprise: price not listed on their site | | Billing | Monthly | Annual prices listed | | Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | Free sign-up, no credit card required; Premier trial offered, length not stated on their site |

Using them together

They work well side by side: find and download projects in PlanHub, forward the invites to your CrestBid Bid Inbox, and track every bid and result in one place.

Questions subs ask us

Isn't CrestBid just another fee?

Pro is $49 per user per month, and the Free plan (2 users, 50 open opportunities) costs nothing. The 14-day Pro trial doesn't need a credit card, and when it ends you drop to the Free plan unless you choose to pay. For most subs, CrestBid replaces the giant Excel sheet and the Outlook follow-up flags, not the platforms your GCs use.

Would it mean more data entry?

Invites come in by forwarding the emails you already get, so nobody retypes the project, the GC and the bid date. Your existing bid log comes in with one spreadsheet import. CrestBid doesn't log in to any GC's portal; it works from the invite emails you forward and the files you import.

Does CrestBid use AI to price my bids?

No. CrestBid doesn't do takeoff and doesn't price your work; you set every number. The Bid Inbox reads each invite email to fill in the job details, and you check it before it goes on your board.

Try CrestBid on your own bids

Start a 14-day Pro trial, no credit card, and forward this week's invites to your Bid Inbox. Start free trial

Sources

Competitor details on this page come only from the vendor's own website, checked in October 2026:

CrestBid details: crestbid.com pricing page and product. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.