UL 508A control panel quoting software compared: CostBook, PanelShopOS, QuotePlan, Spyke, ServiceCPQ and Nteli
We sell one of the options below, so read this with that in mind. Every tool is described by what its vendor publicly documents, and we’re specific about where ours is the wrong choice.
The shortlist
| Option | Best fit when | What it documents | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CostBook | You design first and want the BOM priced from your own price book, with nothing left off the quote. | EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical and Excel BOM import; your own price book; required lines (engineering, FAT, UL label, crating, freight) before a quote can go out; alerts when supplier prices move. Founding price $75/month for the first ten shops. | No code or SCCR checking claimed on its public pages: it checks that the quote is complete, not that the panel is right. |
| PanelShopOS | You want one system for the shop: quotes through shipping, SCCR on every job, UL label log, production board and a floor app for techs. | SCCR calculated from the BOM using a 57,000+ part catalog; production board blocks QC until SCCR is current; UL label log; shop floor app. From $79/month; series rating on the top plan. | Runs on a PC on your shop network rather than in the cloud. SCCR comes from the BOM, so it lands once the panel is designed, not at the RFQ. |
| QuotePlan (RutamSoft) | Process automation companies, panel makers and integrators who want estimation, inventory and projects in one platform. | A 1M+ SKU database; vendor price and stock parsing; manufacturer price lists; cloud deployment; CRM connections. | Code or SCCR checks not stated publicly. |
| Spyke Automation | RFQs arrive as drawings and specs and you want the BOM and quote drafted from them. | Reads PDFs, DWGs, BOMs and specs; uses your pricing, labor rules and component library. | Code or SCCR checks not stated publicly; pricing by demo. |
| ServiceCPQ | A panel, switchgear or MCC manufacturer that wants a full configure-price-quote system. | Component-level configuration with live component cost and assembly hours; claims UL 508A and IEC 61439 compliance and short-circuit withstand. | A CPQ implementation, with the setup effort that implies; confirm which checks run at quote time in a demo. |
| Spreadsheet | A small shop with one experienced estimator. | Whatever your estimator built. | The checks live in one person’s head. |
| Nteli | You want the panel checked at quote time: sized from the RFQ, a device list or the loads, with SCCR and NEC checks before the price goes out. | Motor current from NEC Table 430.250; main sized to NEC 430.24 and 409.20; SCCR against the available fault current and the main’s interrupting rating; NEMA type and cooling rules; submittal sheet with layout, one-line and BOM. Runs inside Claude. Free to use; paid only when an order is won through it. | Not shop-floor or production software. Switchgear and MCC-sized jobs go to your engineers for review. Prices are illustrative until your price book loads. |
Summarised from each vendor’s public website, November 4, 2026. Verify current scope and pricing with the vendor.
The one distinction that matters
Every tool on this list can price a panel. The question is when the panel gets checked. Most shops find the SCCR problem, the undersized main or the fan on a NEMA 4X door after the PO, during design or at inspection, when fixing it comes out of the margin you quoted.
A tool that checks the panel at the quote moves that discovery to the cheapest moment: before the price goes out, when the fix is a line on the quote instead of a change order.
A complete quote is not a correct one. The expensive mistakes aren’t the missing ferrules; they’re the 5 kA starters on a 22 kA service.
The demo test
Bring one real RFQ, names removed, and ask each vendor to quote it live. Then check:
- Fault current. Leave it out of the RFQ. Does the tool ask, or quietly assume?
- SCCR. Give it 22 kA available. Do 5 kA starters get fuse kits, and does the main’s interrupting rating change?
- Motor currents. Are full-load currents taken from NEC Table 430.250 at the actual supply voltage, and is the main sized from them?
- Enclosure. Ask for NEMA 4X with a hot ambient. Does it refuse a filtered fan and size the cooling?
- Sources. Can it show the code section or catalog page behind each size?
- Completeness. Engineering, FAT, the UL label, crating and freight all on the quote.
Any vendor, including us, should be able to run that on your RFQ. If your spreadsheet passes all six, you may not need any of these tools.
Where Nteli is the wrong choice
- You need to run the shop floor: time clocks, kitting, QC and a UL label log. PanelShopOS is built for that.
- You always design in EPLAN first and only need that BOM priced from your price book. CostBook is a direct fit.
- You build IEC 61439 switchgear and MCCs as your main line. A full CPQ like ServiceCPQ will cover more of it.
Where we fit: a UL 508A shop that quotes from RFQs and specs, where the costly errors are engineering errors, and where the checks shouldn’t live in one estimator’s head. More on the product: UL 508A control panel quoting software; on what to look for: the UL 508A quoting buying guide.
Run the demo test on your own RFQ.
Send one you quoted recently, names removed. You’ll get back what the engine produces; compare it with yours.