Questions
- Which takeoff and estimating solution should I choose?
- How do ConstructConnect Takeoff (web and desktop), PlanSwift, and On-Screen Takeoff with Quick Bid compare with each other?
Discussion
Although all of ConstructConnect’s takeoff and estimating products are powerful tools, each excels at some functions, but may not offer the best solution for others. Below is a comparison of the four takeoff and estimating products.
All our takeoff solutions provide estimators, project managers, and foreman features designed to improve takeoff speed, retain and organize data, and share projects with others. The matrix below helps you understand the major differences between the three takeoff products.
PlanSwift Viewer and On-Screen Takeoff PlanViewer are a minimalistic, plan-viewing and markup utilities, you can use to review a project before investing the time and resources to create full takeoff and an estimate. We don't include them in this article because they are not licensed products, nor do they have advanced takeoff and estimating capabilities.
ConstructConnect Takeoff (web app) is were all the new, exciting features are being introduced. Some may ‘trickle down” to On-Screen Takeoff and PlanSwift, but those products are not web-based so not every feature will make it there. ConstructConnect Takeoff (desktop app) is no longer in active development - it’s been replaced by the web app.
Legend
- ⭐ - Excels
- ✅ - Supports
- ❌ - Not Supported / Not Available
Feature Comparison
| Capability/Feature | ConstructConnect® Takeoff (web app) | On-Screen Takeoff® w/Quick Bid® Estimating | PlanSwift® Professional | Classic ConstructConnect® Takeoff (desktop app) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bid (Project, Job, Tender, Estimate, etc.) Creation | ||||
| Create Project/Bid/Project | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create Alternates and Change Orders | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Create Project Versions | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Organize Projects in or by Folders | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Use Takeoff BOOST™ Auto Name to update Sheet Names and Numbers | ⭐(f) | ⭐ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Use Takeoff BOOST’s Auto Scale to automatically scale pages | ⭐(f) | ⭐ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Use Takeoff BOOST’s Auto Link or Auto Bookmark to create inter-page links to details | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Takeoff and Measurements | ||||
| Use Takeoff BOOST’s AI-powered Auto Takeoff to automate linear, area, and count takeoff | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Use Takeoff BOOST’s AI-powered Auto Count to count virtually anything on your plans | ❌ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Use Multi-Condition Takeoff(patented) to speed up drawing measurements | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ⭐ |
| Measure (take off) Linears, Areas, and Counts | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ |
| Generate multiple quantity results based on takeoff measurements | ✅ (a) | ✅ (a) | ✅ | ⭐ |
| Save takeoff quantities | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View a Legend of takeoff results per page | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OCR-Based Auto Count | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Create and Save Conditions/Takeoff Items | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⭐ |
| Assign Takeoff to Layers and Areas | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Toggle Layers on and off to show/hide various takeoff objects | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Create Custom Layers | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Use Typical Takeoff to speed up takeoff process | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Use Zones to breakout takeoff quantities | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ (b) | ❌ |
| Custom Input Forms & Takeoff Tool Customization | ❌ | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Duplicate and Reassign Takeoff to Different Conditions | ✅ | ⭐ | ❌ | ⭐ |
| Use Advanced Pasting Controls to speed up the takeoff process | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ⭐ |
| Draw/Record with multiple Conditions/Takeoff Items at the same time | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ⭐ |
| Takeoff curved areas | ❌ | ❌ | ⭐ | ⭐ |
| Draw, Copy, and Paste Backouts (area deductions) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (b) | ❌ |
| Earthwork Pro Plugin for site work, excavating, etc. | ❌ | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Exports, Reports, and Pricing | ||||
| Price Materials and Labor | ❌(g) | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Use eQuotes to obtain up-to-date Material Pricing from vendors | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Price using built-in Worksheet | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Export takeoff results (and the estimate) to sharable file | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Export takeoff bid to create project in Quick Bid | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Export takeoff quantities to Excel or CSV | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Export priced Condition/Takeoff Item quantities to Excel or CSV | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Drag-and-Drop Assemblies and Parts onto takeoff | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Customize formulas | ❌ | ✅ | ⭐ | ✅ |
| Link takeoff results directly to Excel | ❌ | ✅ (c) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Link bid to work interactively with Quick Bid Estimating | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Generate bid reports for analysis | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Generate bid proposals and quotations | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Export to various Accounting packages | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ (b) | ❌ |
| Manage the project in Digital Production Control (DPC) | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Plan Organization | ||||
| Integration to access plans from ConstructConnect's Data Platform Projects | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ⭐ |
| Download plans from other planrooms | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ✅ |
| View plans in color | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View raster images (tiff, cal) | ✅(h) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View vector and CAD images (pdf, dwg, dwf, etc.) | ✅(h) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View photo images (jpg, png) | ✅(h) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Organize and match up drawing revisions | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ⭐ |
| Compare revisions using Overlay feature | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Compare multiple revisions using Overlay feature | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Annotation Tools | ||||
| Add text to the drawing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Using electronic ink to markup drawing | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Highlighter tool | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create Hot Links, Named Views, Bookmarks | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create Punch Lists and Punch Items | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Stamps annotation | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Attach a file directly to a Page | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Turn Image Legend on and off | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ungroup, move, or edit the Image Legend | ❌ | ⭐ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Collaboration | ||||
| Allow multiple estimators to work on takeoff concurrently | ⭐ | ✅ (d) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Allow employees within the organization to see each other's work | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Export and share bids with other users over the internet | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Share bids with users outside your organization | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Share bids between home office and field | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Data Access | ||||
| Set permissions | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Custom permissions | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Access data from MS Access or SQL Database | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Backup and restore information | N/A | ✅ | ✅ (e) | ❌ |
| Store and access your data in the Cloud | ⭐ | ✅ | ❌ | ⭐ |
| Onboarding | ||||
| Training Videos, Webinars, Online Help | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ |
| Custom training | ⭐ | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom training in Spanish | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| On-Site Classroom Training | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Unlimited Estimator Assistance (How Do I...?) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Sample takeoff projects | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sample estimating Items & Assemblies | ❌ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ❌ |
| Trade-specific Items and Assemblies | ❌ | ⭐ (b) | ✅ (b) | ❌ |
| Manufacturer Items and Assemblies | ❌ | ⭐ | ✅ (b) | ❌ |
Notes
- (a) You can define a maximum of 3 results
- (b) Optional Plugin or add on available (may require purchase)
- (c) You can link On-Screen Takeoff Condition Results to Excel
- (d) One user can work in On-Screen Takeoff and another other on the Quick Bid side, but not at the same time
- (e) See Backup your PlanSwift Jobs for details
- (f) Auto Name and Auto Scale run automatically when you add documents to a project
- (g) Users can export their takeoff quantities to Excel for pricing.
- (h) ConstructConnect Takeoff (web) supports PDF, TIF, and JPG files
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