PlanGrid (now part of Autodesk Construction Cloud) is a field document and drawing management tool. MEPSub is a complete MEP project management platform — estimates, submittals, RFIs, invoices, AI, and a 13,000+ item cost book. PlanGrid does one thing. MEPSub does everything.
A complete look at what each platform covers across the MEP project lifecycle.
| Feature | MEPSub | PlanGrid |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Estimating & Preconstruction | ||
| Estimate builder with line items & sections | ✓ | ✗ |
| MEP cost book (13,000+ items) | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI scope of work generation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Assemblies & estimate templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Estimate pipeline (bid tracking) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Proposals & RFQs | ✓ | ✗ |
| 📋 Submittals & Documents | ||
| Submittal management (CSI MasterFormat) | ✓ 145 CSI sections | Basic only |
| AI spec book parsing with OCR | ✓ | ✗ |
| GC Review Portal (no login) | ✓ | Requires account |
| Drawing viewing & markup | Document viewer | ✓ Core strength |
| Transmittals | ✓ | Partial |
| 💵 Financial Management | ||
| Invoicing & payment tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| SOV / AIA progress billing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Change orders (financial tracking) | ✓ | Basic |
| Purchase orders | ✓ | ✗ |
| 🤖 AI Features | ||
| AI chat assistant (MEP-specific) | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI RFI drafting | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI cost verification | ✓ | ✗ |
| O&M manual builder (AI) | ✓ | ✗ |
| 💲 Pricing | ||
| Starting price | Free | $39/user/mo (5 user min) |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vendor lock-in | None | Autodesk ecosystem |
PlanGrid is excellent at what it does — managing drawing sets, markups, and field documents. But drawings are only one piece of an MEP project. You still need to estimate, submit, invoice, and close out. PlanGrid doesn't replace those workflows.
Estimate → Project → Submittals → RFIs → Change Orders → Invoices → Closeout. Every step linked, all data carries forward, nothing re-entered. That's the MEPSub advantage — it's not just another tool, it's the platform that replaces all your disconnected tools.
PlanGrid starts at $39/user/month with a minimum of 5 users — that's $195/mo just to view drawings. MEPSub's free plan includes estimates, submittals, invoices, RFIs, the cost book, and AI features. The gap in value is significant.
One platform from estimate to closeout. 18+ modules. AI-powered. Starting free. Built for MEP subs.