7 Questions to Ask Before Buying AI Estimating Software
Sales demos for AI estimating software all look good. The sample job is clean, the photos are perfect and the draft lands in seconds. Your jobs are not like that. Before you sign anything, ask questions that expose how the tool behaves on a real loss with real gaps.
Here are seven worth asking every vendor. Where it helps, I note how Axiom, a provider of AI estimating software for restoration, answers in its own published materials, so you have a reference point.
1. What exactly comes out the other end?
This is the first question for a reason. If the result is a PDF or a view inside the vendor's portal, someone still has to re-key it. Ask for a native Xactimate file.
Reference: Axiom outputs a native .esx that opens directly in Xactimate and reprices on your own price list. Its wording is "Not a PDF, not a portal." Xactimate is a Verisk product, so make sure whatever you buy works with the version your team uses.
2. What does it need from my crews?
If the tool requires a new capture routine, adoption will be slow. Ask whether it reads what your crews already collect.
Reference: Axiom takes photos, measurements, floor plans and notes, plus job details like loss type and date of loss. Photos come from CompanyCam, Google Drive or DocuSketch shareable links, drag-and-drop or its iOS app. Measurements can be a 3D scan, an existing ESX, a 2D PDF or typed rooms.
3. What happens when the photos do not prove something?
This is the most revealing question. A tool that xactimate estimate guesses will put items in your estimate you cannot defend, or leave out items you did.
Reference: Axiom's scope assistant asks a question instead of guessing.
4. Who approves the estimate?
AI estimating software should produce drafts, not final files. Ask how review works and whether it is room by room.
Reference: In Axiom nothing is final until an estimator reviews and approves it room by room in its review workspace.
5. What job types does it cover?
A tool that only handles mitigation leaves you writing reconstruction by hand. Ask about the full claim.
Reference: Axiom covers mitigation, put-back and exterior job types.
6. What else does it do besides new estimates?
Much of an estimator's week is not new estimates. It is re-keying inherited PDFs and comparing carrier scopes for supplements.
Reference: Axiom has a PDF to Xactimate workflow that converts an existing estimate PDF into an ESX, and a Compare workflow that combines carrier and contractor estimates for line-by-line review.
7. How is it priced, and can I test it on my own job?
Ask whether you pay per seat, per estimate or by allowance, and what happens in a storm month. Then ask to test on a closed job of your own.
Reference: At the time of writing (October 2026), Axiom Starter is $899/month (15 estimates, 15 PDF-to-Xactimate conversions, 15 comparative estimates), Pro is $2,500/month (50 estimates, unlimited conversions and comparisons) and Enterprise is custom. All plans include unlimited users with no per-seat fees, and new accounts get one free PDF-to-ESX conversion.
Bonus: can the AI estimating software prove itself on my files?
Be wary of any vendor quoting a single general accuracy number. Accuracy depends on your photos, your losses and your pricing. The honest answer is "test it on your own jobs." Axiom does not publish a general accuracy figure, so the test is on you.
How to use these answers
Put every vendor's answers in one table. Then run the same closed job through each tool and have your lead estimator score the drafts. The tool that needs the least correction on your work is the right one, whatever the demo looked like.