Comparison
Cornerstone Contracts vs PlanHub
PlanHub is a US preconstruction marketplace and plan room for general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. Cornerstone is a Canadian, contractor-side tool that finds public tenders, scores them to your profile, and drafts the proposal.
Where PlanHub is strong
PlanHub is genuinely strong at what it does: a high-quality hosted plan room with in-browser takeoff and estimating, a large US subcontractor and supplier network, and well-reviewed, easy-to-use software. If you are a US GC collecting subcontractor bids, or a US sub or supplier hunting private commercial project leads, it is a credible choice.
Where Cornerstone fits better
PlanHub solves a different problem in a different country. It is US-only and built around GC-posted private and commercial projects — it does not aggregate Canadian public procurement (BC Bid, Alberta Purchasing Connection, MERX, SaskTenders, CanadaBuys), and it does not draft a proposal in response to an owner RFP. Cornerstone is Canadian-first and bid-side: it surfaces the public tenders that fit you, scores each one to your trade and region, and AI-drafts a compliant proposal. These are complementary categories, not the same tool.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Cornerstone | PlanHub |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Bid-side: Canadian contractors and subs responding to public tenders | US preconstruction marketplace: GCs, subs, and suppliers |
| Geographic scope | Canadian public procurement, federal + provincial + municipal | United States only |
| Canadian board coverage (BC Bid · APC · MERX · SaskTenders · CanadaBuys) | All five major boards + 30+ municipal portals | Not a Canadian procurement aggregator (mostly US private/commercial projects) |
| AI-driven match scoring | Per-user deterministic scoring against your trade profile | GC-posted project leads and sub invitations; no per-profile scoring |
| AI proposal drafting | AI drafts a Canadian-spec compliant proposal in minutes | No AI proposal drafting |
| Plan room + takeoff/estimating | Not offered — pairs with your estimating system of record | Yes — hosted plan room with in-browser takeoff and estimating (a real strength) |
| Subcontractor network | A tender finder and drafter, not a network | Large US subcontractor and supplier network |
| Headline pricing | Free, $49/mo Pro, custom Enterprise | Free for GCs; sub/supplier plans quote-based; paid takeoff/estimating add-ons |
| No-credit-card free tier | Free tier, no card | Free GC tier; sub/supplier free trial |
| Founder-led support | Founder reply within one business day | Standard SaaS support (well reviewed) |
If you are in the US collecting or chasing private commercial bids, PlanHub is built for that. If you are a Canadian contractor trying to find and win public tenders, that is the job Cornerstone does — and you can run both if your work spans the border.
Other comparisons: BiddingForGood (Bonfire) · GovWin (Deltek) · MERX · BuildingConnected (Autodesk) · ConstructConnect