The Best Takeoff Software for Construction in 2026

STACK is a cloud-based construction takeoff and estimating software solution that allows users to quickly measure digital plans during the project estimating process. STACK is one of the most popular takeoff software products on the market. It is designed to work well for all major construction trades, including: general contractors, concrete contractors, home builders, interior finishers, landscape specialists, masons, roofers, and other specialty trades.

STACK has one of the best reputations with their customers of all takeoff and estimating software companies, sporting an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and high scores across all of the major software review sites.

STACK scored above or in line with other estimating products in every metric that we review. It’s hard to deny the powerful tools that STACK offers in their product. Furthermore, their transparent and fair pricing is refreshing to see. STACK is an easy choice as Best Overall Construction Takeoff Software. And because they offer a robust set of their core measurement tools in their free product, we also rated them Best Free Takeoff Software.

STACK’s remarkable takeoff solution is easy to pick up and fully available online from any PC, Mac, or iPad. Users can upload plans from Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive, or from their local device. STACK also integrates with a number of other products, including Procore, Buildertrend, and Dodge Construction Network.

STACK is also one of the best products for users who value on-the-go access and team collaboration features. As a cloud-based solution, STACK makes it easy to work on projects from any location or device. STACK also provides a centralized hub where teams can work together on projects. All updates and edits are shared with teammates immediately, so there is no need to worry about overwriting another team member’s progress.

Outside of integration and collaboration features, STACK has a full suite of capabilities designed to make the quantity takeoff process more efficient. The software uses powerful automation techniques, like auto-count, area measurement, and volume measurement, to quickly and accurately determine material quantities. Additionally, STACK offers a library of pre-built assemblies and items, reducing the need for repeating complex calculations.

When it comes to organization and reporting, STACK users can:

• Organize projects and pages quickly via the drag and drop interface
• Overlay multiple drawings to quickly identify differences between revised plans
• Save and compare alternate bids
• Quickly search through all plans using STACK’s powerful search feature to find what they’re looking for
• See detailed project cost reports and create custom reports
• Create detailed estimates and branded proposals
• Use the integrated bid calendar to see upcoming projects and deadlines and keep the entire team aligned

There are four different subscription tiers that range in price from $0 to $6,597+ per year. Features and number of users included vary between each pricing level so you can select the one right for your business.

Each of STACK’s subscription tiers is billed annually on a ‘per-user’ basis. The free version of STACK takes just seconds to get started with. The capabilities are slightly limited compared to the paid versions, but it is an impressive product nonetheless. STACK Free allows a maximum of two concurrent projects per account and only offers access to a given project for seven days. It is also limited to 10 takeoffs per project and excludes advanced tools like auto-count and data export. So once you’ve added a new project, you have seven days and a limited number of measurements to complete your takeoff tasks within STACK. Of course, you can have unlimited access to your projects by upgrading to any of the paid versions.

STACK’s paid options range from $2,999 per year up to $6,597 or more. The Start pricing tier includes access to all features for a single full-access user and unlimited view-only users. The Grow tier is for teams of up to three full-access users and also includes unlimited view-only users. The highest level Build tier is for four or more full-access users and unlimited view-only users.

Togal.AI has rapidly emerged as a massive disruptor in the construction tech space by focusing heavily on deep learning and automation. Designed for modern estimating teams who want to ditch the traditional “click-and-drag” process, Togal uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify, measure, and count architectural elements from digital plan sets in seconds. If your team works on large, repetitive commercial projects, Togal is built to save you hours of manual data entry.

Togal.AI is the bleeding edge of construction takeoff. While you still need an experienced estimator to review the AI’s work, its ability to auto-quantify plans and its built-in AI assistant make it the absolute best software on the market for teams prioritizing speed and automation.

Togal.AI is a modern, cloud-based platform that operates entirely in your web browser, meaning there is no heavy software to install and it runs perfectly on both Windows and Mac platforms. While it includes standard manual measurement tools (now enhanced with “Advanced Snapping” for complex geometries), the true draw of the software is its AI automation.

When you upload a set of plans, Togal can automatically name and organize the sheets using progressive loading, so you can start working on the first page while the rest of a massive set loads in the background. From there, hitting the “Togal Button” prompts the AI to scan the document, automatically categorizing and color-coding walls, areas, and counts based on the scope of work. It also features an AI-powered pattern search: simply draw a box around a specific symbol (like a specialty light fixture), and the software will scan the entire plan set to count every instance of it.

To get a better sense of the features and workflow, watch this demo of a Togal.AI team member doing a live takeoff:

Recent updates have made the platform even more powerful for commercial teams. For example, their “Repeating Groups” feature allows an estimator to take off a master unit (like one hotel room) and instantly apply those measurements to hundreds of identical spaces across the project. Togal has also heavily expanded its integrations, recently announcing a native partnership with the Ediphi preconstruction platform, allowing quantities to flow directly into estimates without spreadsheet copy-pasting.

One of its most unique features is Togal.CHAT. Leveraging large language models, this tool allows estimators to type questions directly to their blueprints and spec books. You can ask the chat to summarize specific material requirements, locate discrepancies, or draft a Request for Information (RFI) without manually reading through hundreds of pages of project specs.

Togal.AI operates on a subscription model and is priced as a premium, enterprise-grade tool. The standard Growth plan costs $299 per user, per month (billed annually at $3,588/year). This tier includes unlimited automated takeoffs, chat prompts, and external collaboration. For larger teams needing four or more licenses, Togal offers a Business tier with custom quote pricing that includes dedicated support, SSO, and volume discounts. While the upfront cost is steep compared to basic manual takeoff tools, high-volume GCs and commercial subcontractors often find that the hours saved on manual counting easily justify the investment.

Autodesk is a leading provider of software products for construction professionals and has successfully integrated its takeoff solution into its core ecosystem. Now known as Forma Takeoff, the product has earned positive reviews from users for the speed and accuracy it brings to the takeoff process.

For firms that already work with other Autodesk products, Forma Takeoff would be a seamless addition to construction workflows. And because the Autodesk Forma suite has been crafted to support the entire construction process from design to turnover, we recommend Forma Takeoff as Best for Enterprise Customers who need comprehensive solutions to handle numerous complex projects.

For over four decades, Autodesk has been a pioneer and leader in the development of software for building professionals behind products like AutoCAD and Revit. In its efforts to provide comprehensive, high-quality tools for construction businesses, Autodesk announced the addition of its Takeoff software in 2020 and launched it in 2021. The product is now known as Forma Takeoff and is part of Autodesk Forma, a cloud-based suite of products supporting projects through every stage of the preconstruction process.

As a cloud-based solution, Forma Takeoff also increases collaboration and transparency across the project and makes it easier to share data across project teams. All of the Autodesk Forma software uses a shared system for document management, Forma Data Management (formerly Autodesk Docs), which ensures that teams are working off of the same up-to-date information. Data from Forma Takeoff can also easily be integrated into other Autodesk solutions like Forma Build and Forma Design Collaboration.

One key selling point for Forma Takeoff is support for automated 2D and 3D takeoff in the same application. The product also allows for flexibility and customization in the models and formulas used to generate quantities. This eliminates the often cumbersome process of bringing together data from multiple applications and reduces risks of errors or duplication, allowing for more accurate bids.

Forma Takeoff advertises a price of approximately $108 per user per month ($1,290 per year) when billing annually or $185 per user per month when billing monthly. This places Forma Takeoff toward the higher end of cost for takeoff solutions, and it is additionally important to recognize that maximizing functionality from Forma Takeoff involves the use of other Autodesk products. Businesses can also call Autodesk directly about pricing across a whole project or company or for more flexible subscription options.

Following its 2016 merger into the ConstructConnect family, On Center’s On-Screen Takeoff (OST) now pairs its industry-standard estimating features with one of the largest preconstruction project networks available. With nearly 40 years of history under the On Center banner, OST remains a heavy-hitting tool specifically tailored to help commercial subcontractors handle complex takeoffs, adapt to frequent plan revisions, and scale their bidding volume.

ConstructConnect On-Screen Takeoff is a legacy powerhouse that still holds its ground as a top-tier solution for serious estimators. While it lacks the sleek interface of modern apps, its sheer processing power and depth of features easily secure its spot as the best option on the market for commercial subcontractors.

ConstructConnect’s flagship desktop solution, On-Screen Takeoff (OST), is a locally-installed powerhouse built for Windows machines. While cloud-based options are popular for lighter residential work, OST remains the go-to choice for commercial subcontractors who need advanced offline capabilities and the processing power to churn through massive commercial plan sets without lagging.

OST boasts an intelligent feature set designed to make complex commercial takeoffs fast and highly accurate. Subcontractors frequently dealing with architect addendums will appreciate features like revision overlays, which automatically highlight changes between plan versions. Additionally, optical character recognition (OCR) auto-counts, intelligent paste logic, and multi-condition takeoff capabilities allow estimators to rapidly adapt to project variations and drastically speed up their output.

OST also integrates effortlessly with ConstructConnect’s broader suite of tools. For a commercial sub, the ability to pull a project from the ConstructConnect lead network, quantify it in OST, and instantly push those quantities into Quick Bid to calculate exact labor and material costs creates a highly efficient “bid-to-build” pipeline.

While pricing for On-Screen Takeoff (OST) requires a custom quote from the sales team, industry data indicates that it sits at a premium price point. Licenses typically start around $3,600 for a one-time perpetual license or $1,800/year on a subscription model per user. Additionally, unlocking its full estimating integration requires purchasing Quick Bid, which adds upwards of $2,400 to the total cost. While this is significantly more expensive than modern, lightweight cloud options, OST’s robust feature set, reliability, and sheer processing power make it a standard, worthwhile investment for high-volume commercial estimating teams. Interested users can request a 14-day free trial and a custom demo to explore exact pricing options for their team.

Following its 2020 acquisition of estimating and takeoff company Esticom, Procore has expanded its product offerings to handle the entire preconstruction phase.

Procore is one of the top names in construction software, and its takeoff solution is an excellent addition to its portfolio of products. We recommend Procore as a runner-up on our list of top takeoff software due to its excellent user interface, built-in estimating and bidding features, and seamless integration with the rest of the Procore platform.

Procore combines takeoff and estimating into a single product so that users can move quickly from creating material counts to generating final estimates, and ultimately a final bid. Procore’s takeoff solution offers all the standard features that users would expect—including a large catalog of standard parts and assemblies, the ability to save custom parts and assemblies, AI-assisted auto-counts, and regularly updated rate tables—but perhaps its biggest benefit is its tight integration with the rest of the Procore ecosystem. Once an estimate is created, it can easily be turned into a customer-facing bid proposal, which once accepted, can be handed off directly to the project team.

Another benefit of Procore is the ability to add unlimited collaborators, which is included with every Procore subscription. The same goes for the company’s unlimited data guarantee—with extra storage included in your subscription you’ll never have to worry about running out of space for documents, data collection, or spreadsheets.

AGTEK, now part of the global technology group Hexagon, is the undisputed heavyweight champion of earthwork software. Unlike general-purpose takeoff tools built for architectural drawings (walls, doors, ceilings), AGTEK is strictly designed for sitework and civil infrastructure. It allows contractors to transform 2D PDFs, CAD files, or drone data into highly accurate 3D surface models to calculate precise cut-and-fill volumes, material quantities, and grading needs.

AGTEK is essentially a mandatory standard for serious earthwork and heavy civil contractors. While general contractors won’t have much use for it, dirt movers, pavers, and utility contractors will find its 3D modeling, cut-and-fill accuracy, and direct-to-machine integrations to be completely unparalleled in the construction tech space.

AGTEK’s core solution, Gradework, is built to handle the unique challenges of earthwork. Where architectural software counts items, Gradework calculates volumes, slopes, and subgrade materials. Estimators can import a variety of file types—from flat PDFs to rich CAD files and drone surveys—and use the software to build dynamic 3D models of both existing and proposed site conditions.

The platform’s strength lies in its ability to visualize the “dirt.” Gradework clearly identifies cut-and-fill areas with color-coded 3D maps, allowing estimators to calculate exact dirt volumes, identify haul routes, and balance the site to minimize the cost of exporting or importing soil. Its Underground and Materials modules complement this by allowing for in-depth takeoff of trenches, pipes, asphalt, and aggregate base layers.

In early 2026, AGTEK introduced Reveal Transform, an AI-assisted module designed to eliminate hours of manual PDF cleanup. Built specifically for heavy construction, this tool uses AI to quickly extract text, snap to linework, and reconstruct PDF plan sheets into CAD-like digital form, completely transforming the initial phase of heavy civil takeoff.

AGTEK bridges the gap between the bid and the dirt. The 3D models created during the takeoff phase don’t just sit in the office—they can be exported directly to heavy machinery for GPS machine control (like dozers and excavators) or pushed to their mobile apps (SmartDirt) so foremen can track real-time production, elevations, and drone topography out in the field.

Because AGTEK is an enterprise-level civil engineering tool, it sits at a premium price tier. A base subscription for Gradework starts at $650 per user, per month (billed annually). The cost will increase based on the system capacity you need and whether you add specialized modules like Underground, Materials, or the new Reveal tools. While the investment is significant, earthwork contractors consistently find that the software pays for itself by preventing just one miscalculated cut-and-fill estimation or saving days of expensive dirt-hauling.

While many tools are built for framing or concrete, Trimble AutoBid is designed exclusively for the complexities of mechanical, HVAC, piping, and plumbing (MEP) contractors. Its graphical takeoff module, AutoBid OnScreen, is tightly integrated with Trimble’s flagship estimating database, creating an ecosystem where your digital takeoff directly builds an incredibly detailed, database-driven cost estimate in real time. We also strongly recommend Trimble AutoBid on our estimating software guide.

For commercial MEP contractors who need to process dense, complex mechanical plans with speed and precision, AutoBid OnScreen offers the trade-specific depth required to capture every fitting accurately. It is arguably the most powerful solution on the market for piping and plumbing takeoff.

For a commercial plumbing or mechanical estimator, measuring a pipe run is only half the battle. They also have to account for the specific joints, hangers, and supports required to assemble that run. AutoBid OnScreen addresses this directly through its automated fitting generation.

When you define a route line with a mouse click—say, a 100-foot run of copper piping that turns a corner—the software’s intelligence uses predefined rulesets to automatically add the required pipe, the 90-degree elbow fitting, and the necessary hangers spaced at the correct intervals. This completely eliminates the tedious process of manually clicking and counting every individual coupling or hanger on a complex MEP plan.

Because AutoBid OnScreen is intrinsically linked to Trimble AutoBid’s estimating software, the moment a line is drawn, it is immediately quantified and priced using the system’s robust backend of industry-standard labor units (like MCAA and PHCC) and material pricing. This is particularly useful for value engineering. If an owner wants to know the cost difference between copper and CPVC, an estimator can duplicate the takeoff, swap the specification, and immediately view the updated cost impact without having to re-measure a single line.

Trimble does not publish standardized pricing for AutoBid online. Because it is a highly specialized, enterprise-grade tool, the software is sold on a subscription basis, and the final cost is determined via custom quote. Pricing will depend heavily on the specific trade version required, the number of licenses, and the level of implementation support your team needs to set up the database.

Countfire is an online takeoff software designed specifically for electrical contractors and estimators. Because it is built specifically with electrical estimators in mind, we recommend Countfire as the Best Electrical Takeoff Software.

Countfire is cloud-based and can be accessed from any Mac or Windows PC with a modern web browser. The product is simple to use, and its automated features improve both speed and accuracy for its users when counting objects. This short video highlights some of Countfire’s key features that make it so powerful:

The online interface is modern and intuitive. And because the product is browser-based, it works the same on both Mac and Windows. While it is best for electrical estimating and takeoff, Countfire has features that simplify any takeoff process, including linear and area measurements, automatic counting, and auto-count on revised documents. The company also provides dedicated support staff to its customers.

Pricing information about Countfire is not publicly available, but if you would like to try it out, Countfire offers a 7-day free trial for those who are not yet ready to commit. Once you start a trial, you can get connected with a member of the Countfire team for more information about cost.

PrebuiltML is a takeoff solution designed explicitly for framers, lumber yards, and material dealers. While they offer secondary tools for concrete and roofing, their core strength lies in translating complex architectural blueprints into highly accurate framing material lists. The company was founded in 2011 and is one of the smaller companies on this list. Nonetheless, they offer a strong takeoff product that is well-regarded by its users.

PrebuiltML is a powerful Windows-based takeoff software for professional tradesmen, general contractors, builders, framers, and dealers. With an affordable price and solid features suitable to most trades, PrebuiltML is also one of our Runner-Up picks for the best takeoff software.

PrebuiltML offers two versions of their takeoff product: 1) PrebuiltML PROtrade for professional trade users, and 2) PrebuiltML X for framers, builders, and dealers. Each product runs only on Windows operating systems, so Mac users should look elsewhere.

PROtrade is PrebuiltML’s solution designed for professionals with trade-specific needs. This version of their takeoff technology costs $30 per license per month. A key advantage of PROtrade is that users can generate comprehensive material quantity reports and export them to Excel, providing the trade-specific outputs they need without restrictive monthly volume limits. PrebuiltML includes preconfigured formulas and advanced 3D takeoff technology that makes it suitable for most trades.

PrebuiltML also offers two versions of the technology that they advertise to dealers, builders, and framers, which are known as PrebuiltML X2 and X3. In addition to the features available in PROtrade, PrebuiltML X includes additional features like a 3D viewer and access to an extensive database of construction products and pre-built assemblies. X2 costs $89.95 per month (or $75 per month when billed annually at $900) and includes up to 10GB of cloud storage and project tracking features for the team. X3 costs $109.95 per month (or $99 per month when billed annually at $1,188) and includes up to 100GB of storage and support for unlimited team members, along with more robust tracking and reporting tools.

Buildxact is designed specifically for the residential market—custom home builders, remodelers, and specialty trades. Rather than just offering a standalone takeoff tool, Buildxact provides an end-to-end platform where digital measurements flow seamlessly into estimates, quotes, dealer pricing, and eventually, job management and scheduling. It is built to replace the chaotic mix of paper plans, highlighters, and disconnected Excel spreadsheets that many residential builders still rely on.

For custom home builders and remodelers who want to stop jumping between three different apps to price a job, Buildxact is an excellent choice. It provides a clean, unified workflow where your takeoff directly builds your estimate, your quote, and your material orders—all without the overwhelming complexity of commercial software.

Buildxact operates entirely in the cloud, meaning you can pull up your plans and estimates on a desktop in the office or on a tablet out in the field. The digital takeoff tool itself is straightforward and visually clean. Users can quickly scale digital blueprints and use standard tools to measure linear footage for walls, calculate square footage for flooring, and drop pins to count fixtures.

Where the software truly shines is in its connectivity. In Buildxact, you don’t just measure a line and type that number into a separate spreadsheet. As you trace a wall, those measurements are instantly linked to your material costs. Buildxact integrates directly with participating material dealers, meaning you can pull live, localized pricing for lumber, drywall, and fixtures directly into your estimate as you measure.

The company also recently introduced Blu, an AI-powered assistant trained specifically on residential building data. Blu acts as a built-in copilot that can help auto-scale plans, measure items faster, and even review your final estimate to flag common mistakes or overlooked materials before you send the quote to a client. Once the quote is approved, those initial takeoff quantities form the basis of your project schedule and budget tracking.

Buildxact is priced via flat-rate monthly or annual subscriptions, avoiding the per-user pricing model that penalizes growing teams. The entry-level Foundation plan is $199/month (or $2,030 annually) and includes the core preconstruction tools: digital takeoff, estimating, and dealer pricing. For teams wanting to manage the actual build, the Pro plan at $399/month adds scheduling, job costing, change orders, and invoicing. A higher-tier Master plan is also available for larger teams needing advanced access controls.

PlanSwift is one of the most popular takeoff solutions on the market, offering a user-friendly and easy-to-learn interface, great features for a variety of trades, and seamless integration with Microsoft Excel. While PlanSwift does not offer a native application for Apple operating systems, the latest version has addressed previous limitations by introducing built-in cloud features for real-time collaboration and storage. These updates make PlanSwift one of the top choices out there for takeoff software.

Product reviews around the web indicate that PlanSwift offers strong customer support, and our interactions with PlanSwift representatives demonstrated the same. While we had positive experiences during interactions with PlanSwift’s team, it’s worth reaching out independently and making sure you’re comfortable with the level of service they provide.

PlanSwift takeoff is a great product that can fit the needs of general contractors and tradesmen alike. Because it is installed locally on a desktop, it doesn’t suffer from the browser lag that cloud-based tools experience when loading massive, multi-page commercial plan sets. We recognize PlanSwift as the Most Popular Locally-Installed Takeoff Software.

PlanSwift offers a strong suite of features, with important tools to import project plans, calculate material and labor totals, and create custom assemblies. They also include many custom features for different construction trades, including specific takeoff tools for general contractors, concrete, drywall, electrical, flooring, framing, decking contractors, HVAC, insulation, landscape, masonry, painting, and plumbing.

PlanSwift’s software includes both takeoff and estimating capabilities, which is enormously convenient for users. Most takeoff solutions can send or export takeoff data to use in separate estimating tools, but PlanSwift offers both technologies in one system, saving you the trouble of identifying and using two software solutions.

This Getting Started video from PlanSwift shows the process of starting a project within the tool and highlights takeoff and organization capabilities of the software, while giving a good feel for the user interface:

PlanSwift offers a free 14-day trial for users to test out the software without commitment. After the trial period, the software costs approximately $1,749 per year as an annual subscription. This fee includes full access to the software along with ongoing updates and customer support. Professional training sessions are also available for a one-time cost of roughly $300. All-in-all, the price of this tool is competitive for a comprehensive, industry-standard desktop system.

Bluebeam is an extensive tool designed to assist users throughout the design, takeoff, and bidding processes. Bluebeam is a popular takeoff and bidding software provider with an excellent reputation among its users.

Bluebeam is a great tool, and with applications designed specifically for Apple devices, they were an obvious choice for Best Markup and Document Control Takeoff Software.

Bluebeam’s software must be downloaded and installed on the device where it will be used. However, even though the tool requires a local installation, Bluebeam’s Studio feature allows for real-time collaboration between any team members with an internet connection.

Bluebeam Revu includes a number of features for users to assist in various aspects of the bidding process, including tools for design reviews, QA/QC, takeoffs, document management, drawing management, submittal review, RFI postings, punch process, project handover, and site logistics. While Bluebeam Revu is more versatile than some of the other products in this guide, its takeoff-specific features are less extensive than other products on this list. However, if you only need intermediate-level takeoff functionality, this software may be a good fit.

This video from Bluebeam gives a quick overview of how to do quantity takeoffs in Revu and highlights many of the software’s helpful features:

Whether the user needs all of the features or not, Bluebeam Revu is sold as a single product suite that includes all of its many functionalities. Because of this, Bluebeam Revu is more expensive than many takeoff-specific tools. However, users who are able to take advantage of Bluebeam Revu’s other features may still consider it a good value if it means having fewer other software solutions to deal with.

Bluebeam Revu is sold through three subscription tiers: Basics (approx. $240 per user/year), Core (approx. $300 per user/year), and Complete (approx. $400 per user/year). The Complete tier is recommended for estimators as it includes advanced takeoff features like Quantity Link for Excel. These subscription fees include access to Studio—its cloud-based collaboration tool—as well as software updates and access to Bluebeam University training resources at no additional cost. Bluebeam Revu also offers a 30-day trial, so you can take some time to figure out whether it makes sense for your business before you buy.

In addition to Windows, Bluebeam Revu has been available for both Mac and iOS in the past, but Bluebeam ended support for Mac in March of 2020 and new licenses are not being sold. Mobile access is provided through Bluebeam Cloud, which is included in all subscription tiers. While the legacy ‘Revu for iPad’ app was retired at the end of 2025, Bluebeam Cloud allows users to perform markups and simple measurements on-site. Furthermore, Bluebeam Cloud is now available for both iOS and Android devices, as well as via web browsers, expanding its accessibility beyond the Apple ecosystem.

Square Takeoff is a cloud-based product that automates the takeoff, estimating, and bid management processes. Because it natively pushes material quantities and estimates directly into Buildertrend, it has become the go-to choice for contractors already using the Buildertrend ecosystem.

As an online tool, Square Takeoff can be accessed from any device that has a web browser, which means that it works equally well on Windows, Mac, or mobile devices including iPads and iPhones. Users just need to log in from the Square Takeoff homepage to access their company’s files. Being cloud-based, Square Takeoff also has good tools for collaboration in real-time between team members in different locations.

Square Takeoff is great for both residential and commercial construction, and it is robust enough to work for general contractors, plumbers, roofers, and most other specialists. With an intuitive point-and-click interface, Square Takeoff makes counting and calculations for takeoff easy. Check out this video to get a deep demonstration of Square Takeoff’s capabilities:

Square Takeoff isn’t just a takeoff tool, as the name suggests. The product includes an integrated calendar and estimating tools to help users generate accurate estimates and generate winning bids. Square Takeoff is designed to integrate seamlessly with other tools like Excel, Google Maps, and Buildertrend project management software, which makes it a convenient option for managing your entire workflow. While Square Takeoff includes a materials database and labor cost estimates, it allows plenty of customization.

Square Takeoff offers a free 14-day trial, allowing potential Square Takeoff customers to test out all of the features available to paid users. For full access to Square Takeoff, customers can choose between a monthly subscription for $249 or an annual plan for $1,699. Even with the shift to a standard SaaS subscription model, Square Takeoff is priced very competitively compared to other professional-grade takeoff solutions.

eTakeoff Dimension is a construction takeoff solution flexible enough for use by all trades and general contractors. eTakeoff is a fairly small company, founded in 2003, and they offer a compelling product.

While eTakeoff’s lack of a cloud option is a drawback, eTakeoff remains a strong choice for Windows users. Additionally, its free option and competitive pricing for its paid tiers make eTakeoff our top pick for cheap takeoff software.

The software is Windows-based, meaning it must be installed on a Windows operating system, specifically Windows 10 or 11. So this product isn’t for Mac users, unless they install an emulator on their machine. While it is not a cloud-native application, teams can sync data across multiple workstations using a Client/Server configuration. If you share takeoff responsibilities with team members, you can coordinate edits through a shared database to ensure data consistency.

The interface is not as modern and sleek as other products on the market, but the user experience is quite comfortable and similar to that of Microsoft Excel.

As mentioned above, eTakeoff is designed to meet the needs of basically any construction trade or specialty. Specifically, they make features for ceilings, communications construction, concrete, electrical, flooring, framing, drywall, general contractors, independent estimators, landscaping, masonry, mechanical, painting, plumbing, roofing, rough carpentry, and steel.

eTakeoff has three different versions of its software—Basic (free), Advanced, and Premier—each suited for different needs and budgets.

eTakeoff Basic (the free takeoff version) includes many of the software’s key features, including basic takeoff functions and measurements like linear measurements, counts, areas, cutouts, and arcs. You also have the ability to view and print plans with the free product. Really, this tool is designed for the most basic takeoff and for sharing takeoff and plans with team members.

eTakeoff Advanced costs $795 per year for a subscription. eTakeoff Advanced is also a significant upgrade in features. Unlike in the free edition, users can create and save measurements and annotations, as well as organize them in layers or by color.

The most advanced version of the software offered is eTakeoff Premier, which costs $1,495 per year. This version includes the ability to add custom assemblies, which can significantly speed up the takeoff process for users who frequently work on similar projects. This version also includes more advanced pattern recognition technology for rapidly and automatically performing takeoff.