You need to find subs
A real subcontractor network and two-sided bid board mean you can broadcast an ITB and get coverage. Trueleveler levels the bids you already have — it does not source them.
COMPARISON · TRUELEVELER vs DOWNTOBID
Trueleveler vs DownToBid: source the bids, or level them?
They sound like rivals, but they do different jobs. DownToBid reads your plans, finds subs, and sends ITBs — it’s bid solicitation. Trueleveler takes the quotes that come back and produces a true-cost, apples-to-apples comparison — then runs the job to closeout. Here’s which one you actually need (often, it’s both).
Level
Not just solicit
47s
Per-bid analysis
$99–199
Flat /mo · public
27
Lifecycle engines
§ 01SIDE BY SIDE · AS OF JUNE 2026
Two stages of the same job.
DownToBid lives before the bids land — sourcing subs and chasing coverage. Trueleveler lives the moment quotes arrive — normalizing scope, adding back exclusions, and carrying the winner through to pay apps and closeout. They overlap less than the names suggest.
| DownToBid | Trueleveler | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Bid solicitation — reads plans, finds subs, sends ITBs, runs a sub-side bid board. | Bid leveling — normalizes the quotes you receive into one true-cost comparison, then runs the project. |
| AI bid leveling | Plan analysis and ITB matching; third-party reviewers note it does not do true side-by-side leveling. | Core engine: normalizes inclusions, exclusions, retainage & payment terms across up to 10 quotes in ~47 seconds. |
| Subcontractor network | Yes — sub database + two-sided bid board is the product’s flywheel. | Not yet — you bring the bids (email intake + connectors on the roadmap). |
| Post-award lifecycle | No — stops once bids are in. | 27 engines: contract review, CO review, pay-app review, RFI drafter, notices, daily-log synth & more. |
| Finance / ledger | No. | Native double-entry ledger — WIP tie-out, pay-app revenue, retainage; exports to QuickBooks / Sage. |
| Pricing | Public: GCs ~$149–500/mo; subs ~$119–299/mo.1 | Public & flat: $99–199/mo. No card to try. |
| Onboarding | Self-serve, public pricing. | Self-serve. Drop a PDF, get an analysis — no call, no implementation fee. |
| Best for | GCs who need to find subs and broadcast invitations to bid. | Commercial SMB GCs, subs & owner’s reps who need to level the bids and run the job that follows. |
1 DownToBid publishes pricing; figures checked June 2026 and may change. This is an independent comparison; DownToBid is a trademark of its respective owner.
§ 02CREDIT WHERE DUE · WHERE DOWNTOBID WINS
When DownToBid is the right call.
Solicitation is your bottleneck
If chasing coverage and sending invitations is where your day goes, DownToBid’s plan-reading and ITB automation target exactly that step.
You’re a sub watching the board
Their sub-side bid board surfaces opportunities to bid. That demand-side flywheel is something a leveling tool simply isn’t.
Free templates & a strong content library
DownToBid built a deep library of bidding templates and guides. It’s a genuinely useful resource even before you pay.
§ 03WHERE TRUELEVELER WINS
When Trueleveler is the better fit.
Leveling that’s actually leveling
Reading plans and matching subs isn’t comparing quotes. Trueleveler normalizes scope, exclusions, retainage and terms into one true-cost view — with missing scope added back — in under a minute.
The job doesn’t end at award
Solicitation tools stop when bids land. Trueleveler carries the winner into contract review, COs, pay apps, notices and closeout — 27 engines, one arc.
A native ledger
WIP tie-out, pay-app revenue and retainage live in a built-in double-entry ledger that exports clean to QuickBooks/Sage. No solicitation tool touches your books.
Lower, flatter price
$99–199/mo flat, public, no card — below a single GC seat on most network tools, and it doesn’t scale against you.
THEY’RE COMPLEMENTS, NOT RIVALS
Source with a network. Level with Trueleveler.
Use DownToBid (or any network) to find subs and collect quotes. The moment those quotes land — forward them in and let Trueleveler produce the true-cost comparison, then run the contract, COs, pay apps and closeout. Bring three real quotes and see it on your own bids.
Level Your Bids Free →§ 04DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
Ask an AI to compare them.
Researching with ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity? Open the comparison pre-loaded — then come back and run your own bids.
COMPARE MORE
Keep comparing.
START FREE · NO CREDIT CARD
Got the bids? Level them free.
Drop up to 10 vendor quotes and get a true-cost comparison in under a minute. No demo, no implementation, no lock-in.