PlanSwift Construction Estimating & Takeoff Software

Quickly becoming outdated

Pros

Reliability, selection of quantity tools. Takeoffs are fast and line items have a thorough list of modifiable attributes for custom templates.

Cons

Incompatibility with network drives and cloud drives. No ability for multiple users to survey the same set of prints at the same time. Updates are few and far between, and Excel plugins are weak and dysfunctional.

Planswift - there's more than meets the eye

Pros

At a basic level it's easy to use to do takeoffs.

There are some very advanced features to automate estimates by setting up complex templates that can then just be drag and dropped onto the drawing. There are also some specific tools like hip & valley, joists etc.

Cons

There is very little guidance on the advanced features. There are youtube videos but they're not particularly well structured. I haven't tried their own training as it's US based.

Good Quantity Takeoff Software

Pros

1. Easy to use and has a good tutorial to educate the user.
2. No Complex procedure or process in taking quantities.
3. The GUI is very user-friendly and everything is made easy to use with the mouse.

Cons

1. Attaining 100% accuracy in quantities is impossible due to user error (clicking on the center of an intersection is nearly impossible).
2. Price

My Favorite Takeoff Software

Great! Its helped to increase productivity with takeoffs!

Pros

Its easy to use, intuitive, and great for any estimator with very little experience.

Cons

Often times you cannot overlay drawings how you'd like.

PlanSwift Review

It makes takeoffs very easy which makes us more productive

Pros

I love how easy it makes plans to read and how fast takeoffs can be with this.

Cons

I didn't like how my computer will slow down and it bogs down with more takeoff items in it.

Always a Favorite

Pros

Planswift makes quantity take off much easier and more effective. The ability to create files and folders helps to keep your information sorted and organized.

Cons

I feel that their are many features offered in this program that I am most likely not utilizing. While I realize that there are most likely many tutorial options, it would be nice to have a way to see quickly the types of features available.

Good product some issues

Good product, just takes longer than expected to get going.

Pros

Planswift is fairly easy to use if you know how to take off a job already. It definitely saves you time with recording and keeping track of your counts.

Cons

Planswift doesn't make it easiest to edit distances. Also I have found it that some automatic settings for measuring distances are confusing.

Best takeoff software on the market!

This is the best software for anyone doing takeoffs as an estimator.

Pros

I love this take off software. I am able to do sf, lnft, roofs with the pitch, quantity, etc. and I can do them in different colors for ease.

Cons

I love everything about this product. I honestly have nothing bad to say about it except that when you try to have higher resolution uploads, it will sometimes stop the program.

Great floorplan markup and estimating tool

The customer service team was really helpful when we were trialling out the software and helped us adapt it to our specific needs. No more paper plans! And if a floor plan changes, it is easy to add or subtract items.

Pros

We used to mark up paper floor plans with pencils and highlighters. We were looking for a way to go digital in this area. We looked at a couple different software options, and Planswift was the winner.

We find the UI to be very intuitive. While we mainly just use the software to mark up items on floorplan, there are lots of other features, such as calculating areas and volumes and creating detailed estimates. There are a number of industry-specific plugins available to help you estimate (Siding, Concrete, Framing and Drywall, etc.)

You can import any floor plan, even something sketched on a piece of paper! We generally import pdfs, but I believe you can import CAD files or jpgs as well.

Cons

There is a bit of a learning curve to learn the software and get set up. However, once you have it tuned for your business, it easily saves hours of time every week.

Our Offices Preferred Takeoff Software

The best takeoff software we've tried.

Pros

Its easy to use and its very intuitive. We've tried few other takeoff software in the office and none are as efficient as planswift.

Cons

We have difficulty pushing things into and out of sage.

Cost effective takeoff

Pros

Planswift provides intuitive, easy to use features that make completing takeoffs simple, yet effective.

Cons

The inability to separate values on the estimating tab can be discouraging - this small inconvenience is easily corrected when transported to excel

PlanSwift for Architecta

Pros

It's really easy to use and you can do your estimates in very little time and with not that much effort by using PlanSwift.

Cons

The only complaint I have is that it takes about 2 hours on the phone for support to actually attend your call.

Estimating using PlanSwift

Pros

There were a few things that I enjoyed about this software, the ease of finding all of the tools you need to do a take off was very convenient. Also being able to do a take off then drop in the material you are needing and having the software do an estimate for you is also very convenient.

Cons

A con would be that sometimes when you upload a set of drawings they come in messed up, they will be upside down or aligned wrong. The drawings also tend to be uploaded without their sheet names.

PlanSwift claims to be the number 1 takeoff software. It's true!

I've been using this software for over 6 years now (back at version 8.0). I have customized the export to excel and created a fully automatic system where I use PlanSwift for the super fast take off features, then export it into my customized excel worksheet which makes everything instantly calculated the way I want it with instant and automatic reports (material order / P.O., field labor budget for the workers in the field, accounting report, financial evaluation of the bid... etc. ALL others will not allow me to do the same. PlanSwift stands alone in the BEST option.

Pros

Easy to learn. Dead on accurate. Super easy to navigate. Also... you can learn how to customize PlanSwift to give you the Export into Excel anyway you would like. No limitations. No other software has this feature.

PRICE: Seems high but remember... this is a ONE TIME PURCHASE (no annual fees). Saves a TON of money compared to others who charge an up front fee PLUS their annual fee .

Cons

I can't find anything wrong with this software. Everything others lack, PlanSwift has it included. Again... I haven't found another digital takeoff software that even comes close. I would recommend this one and let readers know you can buy with confidence.

Planswift Review

Pros

This is so much fun and enjoy to use, because its easy to navigate and user friendly. I can illustrate my project nicely and i put all my idea without any hassle.

Cons

Expensive but worth it. Some experienced slow to load, i don't know if its by y laptop or the software.

Best On Screen Take Off Software. Period.

Highly recommend Planswift to General Contractors and Specialty Contractors alike. Best On-Screen Take Off software available.

Pros

Ease of use, very user-friendly interface. Quickly rip takeoffs. Great reporting and customization capabilities.

Cons

One time fee may be expensive for some, but it is well worth the investment!

Reviewing PlanSwift

Pros

Their single click features is a very convenient, ease of use this app! This conserving my time to calculate and this app calculates automatically right.

Cons

This consist of many options, so if you're new to this you will consume time to figure it out. You need to watch their tutorials.

PlanSwift Review

Pros

I love using this software. My templates becomes great, I put all my ideas here clearly and detailed.

Cons

For beginners, need watch tutorial to make it easy. It takes time to become a pro of using it but I love it!

Good Software to use

Pros

Easy to use and it is also available for certain customizations as well. It is very accurate in to details which is good.

Cons

This product is a little bit pricey but that's all.

Estimating on Planswift for 3 years and still going!

This product has been a game-changer for our Finish estimating. It has helped us estimate painting and wallpapering to an incredible capacity, in comparison to traditional methods.

Pros

Great layout
Navigating through plan files is fluid
Never have lost progress, even with occasional crashes
Easy-to-use tools
Create custom equations
When takeoffs are finished, the estimating page is very easy to read and adjust

Cons

I little pricey for a software, but worth it
Lack of compatibility with QuickBooks
Large files may take a while to upload, may cause software to become unresponsive