Buildxact is the go-to estimating and project management platform for Australian residential builders, with digital takeoffs from PDF plans, live supplier pricing, and the Blu AI assistant. FlowSpec does one move: it turns a spoken job into a Xero draft quote in about 30 seconds, priced from your own Xero items. Two different starting points for two different quoting styles.
See it draft a real quote into Xero.
Side-by-Side
| Feature | FlowSpec | Buildxact |
|---|---|---|
| Speak the job into a quote | Yes, voice to draft quote | Plan-based estimating |
| Quote creation time | About 30 seconds | 15+ minutes per estimate (with takeoffs) |
| Drafts the quote into Xero | Yes, native draft quote | Syncs invoices and purchase orders to Xero |
| Prices from | Your own Xero items, your own sell prices | Live supplier price files (Bunnings Trade, Bowens, Dahlsens) |
| Digital takeoffs from PDF plans | Left to your takeoff tools | Yes, measure areas, lengths, and counts from drawings |
| AI assistant | Voice recognition, trade slang, phrase memory | Blu: estimate generation, review, takeoff assist |
| Trade slang recognition | Yes, GPO, RCD, PRV, TMV and many more | Material search in supplier catalogues |
| GST auto-calculated | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | One all-inclusive, per-seat plan | Entry $169/mo, Pro $289/mo, Team $449/mo |
| Scheduling | Left to your other tools | Yes, project scheduling and Gantt charts |
| Invoicing | Raised in Xero | Built-in, syncs to Xero |
| Job costing | Left to Xero reporting | Yes, actual vs estimated cost tracking |
| Supplier price integration | Prices from Xero items | Live feeds from Bunnings Trade, Bowens, Dahlsens and more |
| Best for | Any trade, quoting from experience on site | Residential builders, estimating from plans |
| Mobile app | PWA on any phone, native apps in progress | Native iOS and Android |
Buildxact is the full estimating and project management platform for residential builders working from plans. FlowSpec is the specialist that does one thing, the spoken Xero quote, and does it fast. See the full FlowSpec comparison hub to line it up against other tools.
Quoting Speed
The clearest difference between these two tools is where a quote starts. Walk through the same deck build in each.
Both tools produce a solid quote. The difference is the starting point. Buildxact starts from the plan drawing and works out what materials are needed. FlowSpec starts from the tradesman who already knows and just wants the price on paper before a rival reaches the inbox.
Pricing Sources
A quote is only as fast as your pricing. Here is where the two tools draw their numbers from.
FlowSpec syncs your Xero items in as your price list, so every line in every quote carries your own sell price, the one you already set in Xero. When you adjust an item in Xero, the next quote picks up the new figure. The margin you put on a GPO or a length of cable is the margin that lands on the page, with the cost and markup maths kept inside Xero where you already manage it.
Buildxact connects directly to supplier price files from Bunnings Trade, Bowens, Dahlsens, and other Australian suppliers. You get live cost prices that update when the supplier changes them, and you apply your margin on top. For builders running large material orders, that live pricing keeps estimates accurate as suppliers update them. FlowSpec instead leans on the price list you already keep in Xero, so there is one place to update.
Many tradesmen spend 45+ minutes per quote after hours. Across a week that builds to 5+ hours of admin that stays on the tools instead.
The Core Difference
Two tools aimed at two jobs. Here is the honest read on each.
FlowSpec is a specialist quoting tool. It takes a spoken description of a job and turns it into a priced Xero draft quote, and it puts all its weight into that one move. It reads trade abbreviations like GPO, RCD, PRV, and TMV among many more, and it learns each user’s own phrasing over time. It prices each line from your own Xero items, calculates GST, matches or creates the client, and drafts the quote into Xero. The takeoffs, scheduling, and project management stay with the tools you already run for those.
Buildxact is the market-leading estimating and project management platform for Australian residential builders, trusted since 2014. It carries digital takeoffs from PDF plans, live supplier pricing, the Blu AI estimating assistant, job costing, scheduling, purchasing, and invoicing. It is built for the builder who works from architectural drawings and needs accurate material quantities before the frame goes up. Estimating there starts from the plan, with measured takeoffs feeding live supplier costs into a detailed, auditable estimate.
Buildxact is built for the builder who measures from plans and prices from supplier catalogues. FlowSpec is built for the tradesman who knows the job, says it out loud, and wants the price in Xero before the next call comes in. When your quoting comes from experience rather than drawings, the spoken quote earns its place.
Xero Integration
Both tools talk to Xero. The depth of that connection is where they part ways.
Xero sits at the centre of how FlowSpec works. Every quote FlowSpec makes is a Xero draft quote with the right line items, the matched or created contact, account codes, and tax types. Your Xero items sync in as your price list, so your prices come out of Xero and your quotes go straight back into Xero. One tap, clean data end to end, with your own sell prices the whole way through.
Buildxact connects to Xero to sync invoices and purchase orders into your accounting. Buildxact carries its own estimating, quoting, and invoicing, so Xero acts as the downstream accounting system for your bookkeeper. When Xero is already the home of your bookkeeping and you want the quote itself to land there as a native draft, FlowSpec keeps that path direct.
Fair’s Fair
Buildxact is a strong platform. When any of these describe your setup, it is likely the better fit.
You build houses or large renovations from architectural plans
When every project starts with a set of drawings, digital takeoffs from those plans drive your material quantities and costs. Buildxact is built around that workflow, measuring from PDFs and feeding measured quantities straight into the estimate. FlowSpec starts from your voice rather than a drawing.
You need live supplier pricing from Australian suppliers
Buildxact connects to price files from Bunnings Trade, Bowens, Dahlsens, and other suppliers, so your estimates use live cost prices that update when the supplier changes them. For material-heavy builds where accurate supplier costs drive margins, that integration earns its keep. FlowSpec prices from your own Xero items rather than supplier catalogues.
You want job costing and profitability tracking per project
Buildxact tracks actual costs against estimated costs throughout each project, so you see where margin is holding and where it slipped. For a builder running multiple houses, that visibility into project-level profitability is a Buildxact strength. FlowSpec handles the quoting step and leaves cost tracking to Xero and your project tools.
You want scheduling and purchasing in the same platform
Buildxact carries project scheduling and purchasing alongside estimating, so the materials from your estimate flow into purchase orders and the timeline links to your trades. For managing the full build lifecycle in one place, that integration reduces the tool count.
Buildxact is the market leader for Australian residential builders who estimate from plans. When quoting is the part that slows you down, when a faster quote wins the job and your evenings are going on quote admin, FlowSpec gets the spoken Xero quote done in about 30 seconds.
Pricing
Buildxact starts at $169 per month for its Entry plan. FlowSpec is a per-seat rate with everything in.
Unlimited quotes, voice input, Xero item sync, trade slang, and GST handling, every feature included.
See flowspec.com.au/pricing for the current rate.
Entry at $169/mo (estimating and takeoffs), Pro at $289/mo (2 users, full project management), Team at $449/mo (4 users). Annual plans save 15%.
14-day free trial available.
Buildxact delivers a deep platform for the price: takeoffs, live supplier pricing, scheduling, job costing, and AI estimating. FlowSpec is the specialist, and the price buys speed on the spoken Xero quote. Give back 5 hours a week of quoting admin and it pays for itself many times over.
The FlowSpec Fit
FlowSpec is purpose-built for one scenario: getting the quote out in about 30 seconds from site.
You quote from experience, straight from what you know
An electrician quoting a switchboard upgrade, a plumber quoting a hot water replacement, a carpenter quoting a pergola, a concreter quoting a driveway. You know what the job needs and what it costs. You just want the price on paper fast. FlowSpec is built for that: speak the job, get the Xero draft.
You run Xero and want quotes to land there
With Xero as your system of record for invoicing and bookkeeping, FlowSpec drafts quotes straight into Xero with the right account codes, contact, and tax types, priced from your own Xero items. One sync, one source of truth.
You want to quote from site rather than the office
Record a voice memo walking back to the ute and FlowSpec carries the rest: item matching, your own sell prices, GST, the Xero draft. The quote is done in about 30 seconds while the job is still fresh in your head.
You are a sole trader or small team across any trade
Buildxact is built for residential builders. FlowSpec works across every trade that quotes on Xero: electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, concreters, roofers, and more. A tool that gets quotes out fast keeps you on the tools instead of behind a screen.
You want your evenings back
Quote from the ute in about 30 seconds and keep the kitchen table for dinner. Every fitting, valve, length of cable, and hour of labour is captured from your voice memo and priced from your own Xero items.
Weighing up other tools too? See how the spoken Xero quote sits against FlowSpec vs Fergus, FlowSpec vs SimPRO, or browse the full comparison hub.
FAQ
Yes. Buildxact handles plan-based estimating, digital takeoffs, job costing, and project scheduling. FlowSpec handles the quick quote from site, the job you can price from experience straight from memory. Both connect to Xero, so your accounting stays in one place. Builders who do a mix of plan-based builds and smaller quoted jobs often use a tool for each.
They serve different quoting styles. Buildxact estimates from PDF plans with measured takeoffs and live supplier pricing, built for whole-of-house projects. FlowSpec takes a spoken description and drafts it into a priced Xero quote in about 30 seconds, built for the tradesman who knows the job and wants the price on paper fast. If your work centres on plan-based residential builds, Buildxact fits that workflow. If your quoting comes from experience and you want speed, FlowSpec fits that one.
Buildxact starts from a PDF plan: you upload the drawings, use digital takeoff tools to measure areas and lengths, and the system pulls materials and live supplier pricing into a detailed estimate. That process suits large residential projects where accurate material quantities drive the price. FlowSpec starts from your voice: describe the job in a 30-second memo and it matches each item to your own Xero price list, calculates GST, and drafts the quote straight into Xero. That process suits tradies who price from experience rather than plans.
FlowSpec focuses entirely on the spoken Xero quote. Digital takeoffs and plan measurement stay with Buildxact or a dedicated takeoff tool like Groundplan. For plan-based estimating with measured quantities from PDF drawings, Buildxact or a dedicated takeoff tool like Groundplan handles that work. FlowSpec handles the quoting step where you already know what the job needs and want the price drafted fast.
Buildxact is a full estimating and project management platform: digital takeoffs, live supplier pricing, job costing, scheduling, invoicing, and the Blu AI assistant, starting at $169 per month. FlowSpec is a specialist quoting tool at one per-seat plan with everything included. The price difference reflects the scope: Buildxact runs the whole project lifecycle for residential builders, while FlowSpec does one job deeply, the spoken Xero quote, and does it fast. See flowspec.com.au/pricing for the current FlowSpec rate.
Yes. FlowSpec drafts quotes straight into your Xero account, so a Xero subscription is part of the setup. Buildxact also integrates with Xero, syncing invoices and purchase orders into your accounting.
FlowSpec is the clear pick for trades who quote on Xero. Watch it turn a spoken job into a priced Xero draft in about 30 seconds.
Try the demo