Countfire Review 2026: Automated Takeoff Built for Electrical Estimators

Updated October 13, 2026 – Tested Intelligence

Quick verdict: Countfire does one trade properly instead of every trade thinly: select an electrical symbol once and its AI Smart Select finds and counts every match across the whole PDF set, with built-in accuracy checks, linear measurement for runs, and a direct path from takeoff into a priced estimate. Pricing is not public, so the honest route in is the free 7-day trial on your own drawings, not a directory price.

What it is

Countfire is a cloud-based takeoff and estimating platform purpose-built for electrical estimators, with mechanical and structured cabling and AV workflows alongside the core electrical product. It was founded in the UK in 2012, and its estimating workflow has three parts that work together: Takeoff, Estimate and Spec Compare.

The centre of it is automated counting. On a large electrical job, the slow work is counting the same sockets, luminaires and switches across dozens of sheets. Countfire’s Smart Select, which the vendor describes as AI trained on real takeoff data, names and organises items as it counts, and built-in checks let an estimator verify a count instead of trusting it blind. Quantities then import into Countfire’s own estimate in one click, with prices linked from previous estimates.

Key features

• AI Smart Select: select a symbol once and count every match across multiple PDFs, with items named and organised automatically
• Linear measurement for cable and containment runs, with bends and tees added and risers and drops marked on the drawing
• Built-in accuracy checks and coverage-area visualisation to confirm devices are not missed
• Drawing revision handling: compare revised drawings and re-count them reusing existing work
• Spec Compare: colour-coded detection of changes between PDF specification versions
• Estimate built directly from takeoff quantities, with pricing linked from previous estimates and Excel export of the full breakdown
• Fully cloud-based team working: share projects, assign drawings by zone or discipline, live progress view

Pricing

Pricing is not public. Countfire’s site offers a 7-day free trial with full access, including Smart Select, but publishes no plan prices, and Capterra likewise lists pricing as not provided by the vendor. Directory figures elsewhere conflict with each other, so do not budget from any of them. Get a written quote for your team size, and use the trial week on a real tender to judge value.

Who it’s for

Electrical estimating teams – and mechanical and cabling/AV teams in its adjacent workflows – who count high volumes of repeated symbols on PDF sets and want the count, the check and the priced estimate in one cloud platform.

Who should skip it

General contractors and other trades: Countfire is deliberately electrical-first, so a GC measuring concrete, drywall and finishes will need a broader takeoff tool. Estimators who want a hands-off service that returns a finished takeoff should also look elsewhere – Countfire speeds up your counting, it does not replace your team.

Pros

• Purpose-built for electrical takeoff, not adapted from a general tool
• Count-once automation across the full drawing set, with checks built around the count
• Takeoff, estimate and spec comparison in one workflow, so quantities are not re-keyed
• Revision re-counting handles addenda without starting the takeoff again

Cons

• Pricing is not public, and conflicting directory figures make early budgeting guesswork
• Electrical focus is a hard limit for multi-trade estimating departments
• Automated counting still needs the built-in checks and human review on messy or non-standard symbols
• Value depends on repetitive symbol volume – small, one-off jobs gain less

FAQ

What does Countfire do?

Countfire automates electrical takeoff: you select a symbol once and it counts every match across your PDF drawings, measures linear runs, checks the results, and turns the quantities into a priced estimate, with specification comparison alongside.

How much does Countfire cost?

Pricing is not public. The vendor offers a 7-day free trial and quotes directly; directory prices for Countfire conflict, so rely only on a written vendor quote.

Is Countfire only for electrical contractors?

Electrical estimating is its core and its design centre. It also markets mechanical and structured cabling and AV workflows, but it is not a general multi-trade takeoff platform for GCs.

Bottom line

If your estimating pain is counting thousands of electrical symbols sheet after sheet, Countfire is one of the most focused tools you can trial – one week on your own drawings will tell you more than any price page, which is just as well, because there is not one.