Active Takeoff Software

Fast, accurate take offs. Saved a lot of manual time.

Pros

Easy to track the areas you've taken off. I like the tracking table of all the quantities. I like the custom scale as i often get documents without dimensions thus thus is perfect.

Cons

Printing to PDF is a bit clunky as I use parallels on MAC. Would be nice to be able to export table to XL and be able to input unit cost.... maybe you can. It would be good if you could easily go back and edit some units but it seems too hard, maybe i have not figured it out.

Take-off accuracy. SPEED!

Pros

The countless array of colors and hatches gives this product a tremendous amount of flexibility. Couple that with the awesome reports and estimating tools and you have a winner!

Cons

I have yet to find anything I dislike about the software. There have been 1 or 2 times where my scroll was slightly jerky but I attribute that to my computer, not the software.

Pros

Easy to use and understand. Has lots and lots of features plus it can really help speed up production if you spend the time to tailor it to your needs with their template system.

Cons

Only real flaw I have found is doing takeoffs on radius's can be challenging. Other than that the product runs smooth and does what you need when you need it!

easy of estimating on time and efficiently

Pros

by using active take-off myself and my team have saved a large amount of time in doing take offs for small to large projects which means we are able to send out for quoting at a faster rate than usual.

by using active take-off it takes away from miscounting any items on the plans and produces a table of quantities on the top of your plans, so when you're ready you can send it straight away to the client or wholesalers.

Cons

I cannot fault any feature on this programme.

it a great simple & easy programme to use and you can make it suit your needs.

Help out with the time consumption in comparison to a manual take off.

Pros

Every time that we have needed support the Active Takeoff support team has been there to answer our questions with a live technician. It sure feels good to know that there is still support out there without having to be on hold forever. They are working to make there product even more user friendly; I did not grow up using a computer, am old school, paper, pencil, eraser, calculator and arch. ruler, what it took days to do now takes hours. Thank you Active Takeoff, looking forward to your continual updates.

Cons

There is really nothing bad about this product. They are reprogramming some of the features that can allow us to identify the materials being used, but other than that, it is a great product for the value.

Pros

- Friendly user interface
- Easy to use
- Keep in order all the information.
- Export options to Excel, PDF, Image files, etc.
- Save time, money and paper.
- Reduce errors.

Cons

- Can't open a file created in other computers.
- Lack of tag options.
- Mark zone option should allow drawing different shapes like the area tool.
- Move items between layers are complicated. This should be more like Autocad when you select multiple objects and you want them in one layer, you just select the items and then the layer.

tried out the free trial of this and planswift and vu360. the most user firiendly and reliable one was without a doubt active takeoff. the price was half of other competitors and also the annual charge was half. the support is also friendly and reliable and gets back to you really quick. i bought a license about a year ago and getting ready to buy another one for a new estimator in the company.

Pros

USER FRIENDLY AND COST SAVER

Cons

EXPORTING TO EXCEL SOMETIMES MIXES THINGS OR OMITS THINGS

Not many companies offer the level of service that these guys do. Active takeoff is easy to use, easy to setup and makes tracking estimates effortless. I have used just about every piece of takeoff software out there and this program is by far the best.

Pros

Super easy to setup, tracks all of my takeoff and sort info exactly how I need it in reports.

Cons

Sharing takeoff files from one machine to the next isn't available yet, but I hear that's in the next update. Other than this...The software is flawless.

Advice to Others

If you're looking for takeoff software and have considered the other big names out there (sage, on center, planswift, mc2), have a look at Active takeoff....It makes construction estimating easy.

I've been an estimator using takeoff software for over 10 years and this is definitely the best value takeoff software out there. It's very easy to learn and will definitely increase your takeoff productivity.

Pros

Ease of use. The multiple page layout view is very useful as well.

Cons

I wish there was a separate linear tool that calculates surface area and volume without having to create an extension.

This software is so easy to use once you have it installed. With OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SUPPORT, they really assist when you need it! They are courteous, knowledgeable and respectful to us laymen users that do not know the in's and out's of programming. I am so thrilled that we selected this software over the others. FANTASTIC VALUE!

Pros

Relatively easy to use - I made my first set of counts with less than one hour of training

Cons

Didn't know about the knowledge base at first.

Advice to Others

You need to advertise more! We heard about you from a vendor and I am so glad we purchased this! Also - below I could not find our category. We are a manufacturer's sales rep agency for lighting manufacturers. We sell to electrical distributors and commercial homebuilders primarily.

I was in a panic this morning when my active takeoff wouldnt boot up, and I have sooo many bids due. Jiraud responded to my inquiry immediately, and had me up and running asap.
TOP NOTCH service. Thanks!

Picked up 85% of program in about a day. Saves me hours over the old school scaling.
Accuracy is also much better

Pros

Being able to layer drawings and areas for breakouts. Being able to color code different areas

Cons

needs more versatility for masonry. NO 12", 14" or 16" Block. Need Grout Calculations in Yards. Need to figure in splicing for rebar

I have been using Active Takeoff for a few months now & find it great to use. I think it is great value & easy to use. I did have a problem when I bought a new computer & transferred all my files over. Active Takeoff was not working but after contacting the support team I had an answer very quickly & it turned out to be an issue with the name of my user file nothing to do with the program Active Takeoff.

Pros

Great Price, Easy to load, User friendly.

Prior to using this software I was scaling and taking measures by hand which was extremely time consuming for me and difficult to get perfectly accurate. I tried other similar products but found them no good and so complicated it was not worth bothering. I then trialed this software and was amazed at how easy it was to use. Drawings that would have taken 2 to 3 days to measure by hand can now be measured quickly in minutes or hours which means I can provide quotations to clients much faster and more accurately. After the trial period came to an end purchasing the product was a no brainer. It has paid for itself after just one week of use.

Pros

Its quite intuitive making it easy to use from the get go but also has a level of depth to it once you become more established.

Its very good value for money when compared to other products on the market that are both harder to use and more expensive.

Cons

It would be nice to be able to change the currency used for estimations. This may be an option I have not learned yet.

Advice to Others

If you still do takeoffs by hand you need to download this software immediately it will save you countless hours.

I am new to the world of takeoffs. As a remodeling contractor I always thought takeoffs were for big commercial companies. The program is fun and intuitive. There are a few tricks and shortcuts that I am starting to incorporate. The estimating component is out there for me to learn. Other than a few frustrations with my lack of experience and the way I do thing vs the way the industry does them. I am adapting and enjoying the program very much.

Pros

It is easy and fun to use. It makes my estimates extremely accurate. It has all the functionality that I need in my residential remodeling business. My designer wants to use it but I am having too much fun to give it up.

Cons

There are some features that I have asked for that do not exist yet. I have figured out how to work around them so nothing bad to say. My understanding is that it is a little less flexible and powerful than some far more expensive software packages but I am perfectly OK with that.

Advice to Others

Use the help manual before you call for help. See if you can figure it out on your own first. Help is a phone call away and extremely helpful.

Overall speaking it's good and easy to use. And Jiraud is really willing to help and respond the email fair quickly. For me the software needs further customisation. I have been told can have the function I need in next version. Expecting the update to be finished soon.

Brilliant software package for completing take-off's and bills.

No more paper... No more printing... No more waste... Efficient and smart!

Many thanks to the chaps at Active TakeOff, especially Jiraud.

Great software, user friendly! and customer service get back within a day!!

Perfect for what we need, Saves us time, money and most of all stress.

Experimented with the free trial, bought the software two months ago and am doing over 400,000 square feet a month.

Like any software system, it's very capable and powerful. We find the areas of the software that work for us and use them daily, like 6 days/week.

I get stuck in the areas that I need for my take offs and haven't had time to explore the other features.

I have looked at EVERY system on the market, done trials and found Active Take Off to be easy the use and a good value to buy.

Rick Hutchinson