The On-Screen Takeoff alternative
that does the counting.
On-Screen Takeoff has been the desktop digital-takeoff standard for two decades, and it's genuinely good at what it does. But it's still a manual tool on a Windows machine — you do the measuring. Pilars does it for you, in the browser.
What On-Screen Takeoff is
On-Screen Takeoff (OST, from ConstructConnect) is a mature, deep digital takeoff application: you load plans on a Windows desktop and measure, count and trace by hand with a well-built set of tools, then push quantities to Quick Bid or your estimate. Estimators trust it because it's precise and they're fast in it. It is also, fundamentally, manual — the speed is in your hands and your highlighter, not the software's.
Where Pilars is different
Pilars automates the part OST leaves to you. It reads the full plan set and the spec book, counts and measures every element, reconciles schedules, flags code, and hands back confidence-scored quantities to review — in the browser, on any machine. You go from producing the takeoff to checking it.
| Capability | Pilars | On-Screen Takeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Fully automated takeoff | Yes | Manual measure & count |
| Runs in the browser (Mac too) | Yes | Windows desktop |
| Reads the spec book | Yes | No |
| Code-compliance flagging | Yes | No |
| Confidence score per quantity | Yes | No |
| Pricing | $100 per trade, per plan | Per-seat subscription |
Based on public documentation as of 2026. On-Screen Takeoff is a trademark of its owner; this is an independent comparison.
Questions estimators actually ask
Is Pilars a good replacement for On-Screen Takeoff?
If you want the takeoff produced for you rather than measured by hand, yes. OST is excellent manual digital takeoff; Pilars automates the counting and adds spec reading and code flagging. Some teams keep OST for ad-hoc measuring and use Pilars for the bulk takeoff.
Does Pilars run on Windows only, like OST?
No — Pilars is browser-based, so it runs on Mac, Windows or Chromebook with nothing to install. OST is a Windows desktop application.
Will my estimators lose the control they have in OST?
You still review and adjust every quantity — and each is sourced to the sheet — so you keep control of the number. What changes is you're verifying instead of tracing.
How does pricing compare?
Pilars is $100 per trade, per plan with no per-seat licenses. OST is a per-seat subscription.