Pilars vs On-Screen Takeoff.
On-Screen Takeoff has been on estimators' desks since the late 1980s, and a generation of drywall, ceiling and flooring estimators learned the trade in it. Pilars is a few decades younger and works on a different principle. This page is for the OST shop wondering whether an automated takeoff belongs next to it, or in place of it.
Pilars vs On-Screen Takeoff: how do they compare?
On-Screen Takeoff (OST) from ConstructConnect is a desktop takeoff program in which the estimator measures, counts and traces, now helped by Takeoff BOOST AI; its pricing is not public, so you get a quote, and there is a 14-day free trial. Pilars is browser-based automated takeoff priced at $300 per user per month, with one trade per user, unlimited takeoffs and monthly billing available. OST is the better choice for interior-trade estimators whose conditions and Quick Bid workflow are already built; Pilars is the better choice when you want the software to read the set and spec book first and leave you to review and adjust.
| Pilars | On-Screen Takeoff | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Automated AI takeoff with code-compliance flags | Desktop takeoff: measure, count, trace, Multi-Condition Takeoff, typical areas, overlays, with Takeoff BOOST AI |
| Who reads the drawings | The software reads every sheet and the spec book; the estimator reviews and edits | The estimator; Takeoff BOOST auto-counts repeating items, names pages and detects wall types |
| Platform | Browser on Windows, macOS or Chromebook | Installed desktop program, long sold for Windows |
| Pricing model | Per user; each user includes one trade, with unlimited takeoffs. Monthly or annual billing | Licensed by quote; varies with licensing options and business needs |
| Public price | $300 per user per month ($3,600 per user per year) | Pricing is not public; you get a quote. 14-day free trial |
| Estimating | Exports a takeoff summary and BOQ or Excel file | Takeoff only; pairs with Quick Bid for estimating |
| Best for | Subs and precon teams who want an automated first pass across 19 trades | Interior trades and commercial subs with an established OST and Quick Bid workflow |
Pricing reviewed 13 November 2026, based on public documentation as of Nov 2026. On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid and ConstructConnect are trademarks of their owner; this is an independent comparison written by Pilars. Ask the vendor for current terms and system requirements.
Why On-Screen Takeoff is still the standard for interiors
OST was first released in 1988 by On Center Software and has the longest history of any product in this category. That history shows in the details interior estimators care about. Multi-Condition Takeoff, which ConstructConnect describes as patented, lets one pass along a wall feed several conditions at once: the framing, the board on each side, the insulation, the finish. Typical areas let you take off one hotel room or one apartment unit and apply it across the floors that repeat it. Overlays show what an addendum changed without measuring the sheet again.
The pairing with Quick Bid matters as much as the measuring. Quantities move from OST conditions into a priced estimate in a workflow many commercial drywall, ceiling, paint and flooring contractors have run for twenty years. Their condition libraries, their production rates and their bid history all live there.
It is well regarded, too. ConstructConnect cites a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 148 reviews. And OST is not standing still: Takeoff BOOST, announced in April 2026 and available first in OST, adds automatic counting of repeating items, Auto Name for pages and wall-type detection.
The same job in each tool: a four-storey medical office
Take a drywall and ceilings bid on a four-storey medical office building, about 120 sheets with a finish schedule and a thick Division 09.
In On-Screen Takeoff
The estimator loads the set, names and scales the sheets (BOOST now helps with the naming), builds or imports conditions for each partition type, and starts tracing. Multi-condition takeoff means each wall is drawn once. Ceilings are taken off as areas by type. Floors two and three may share a typical layout. Wall-type detection can speed up the classification. The estimator reads the specifications separately and adjusts conditions to suit. Depending on the set and the person, that is days of skilled work, and at the end the estimator knows the building thoroughly.
In Pilars
The estimator uploads the same PDFs and the spec book. In minutes Pilars has read every sheet with the specifications, resolved the partition types and schedules across sheets, measured the walls and ceilings, and returned quantities that are confidence-scored and sourced to the sheet. Then the estimator's work begins: open the low-confidence items first, check the partition types against the wall legend, and correct what is wrong. Any detection can be changed. Reclassify a wall from one type to another, pull a ceiling boundary back to the soffit line, add a length that was missed, or overwrite a quantity, and the totals update.
The trade-off is plain. OST gives you a takeoff you built with your own hand. Pilars gives you a first pass you did not have to build and the same right to change every line of it. Which you prefer depends partly on temperament and mostly on how many bids are waiting behind this one.
Price and platform
There is no public OST price to set against Pilars. ConstructConnect says OST pricing varies based on licensing options and business needs, so the only reliable number is the one on your own quote or renewal. Figures quoted on other websites are estimates and we have not repeated them here.
What you can do is work out the Pilars side exactly and hold it against your quote. Pilars is $300 per user per month, and each user includes one trade with unlimited takeoffs. One estimator is $3,600 a year. A drywall sub with three estimators pays $900 a month, or $10,800 a year, and a five-estimator department pays $1,500 a month, or $18,000. Those figures do not move with the number of sets you bid, and billing can be monthly or annual. They do move with trades: an estimator who needs two Pilars trades is two users, so ask which trade covers your scopes before you count. If your OST quote for the same people comes in under your Pilars figure, OST is the cheaper tool for you, and you should say so to anyone selling you otherwise.
On platform, OST is an installed desktop program and Pilars runs in a browser with nothing to install, which also makes it usable on a Mac. ConstructConnect has its own browser option as well: ConstructConnect Takeoff, a separate cloud product with Takeoff BOOST that runs on Mac or Windows. Its pricing is not public either. If your goal is simply to get the ConstructConnect way of working onto a Mac, ask them about that product before you look elsewhere.
Where each one is the better choice
On-Screen Takeoff is the better choice if
- You estimate drywall, ceilings, paint or flooring and your conditions are already built
- Your estimate lives in Quick Bid and the hand-off from OST is how the shop runs
- Repeating units make typical areas do much of the work
- Your estimators want to draw the takeoff themselves, with AI as an assist
- You want a vendor with decades of history and a large pool of trained users
Pilars is the better choice if
- Takeoff hours, not pricing, are what limit the number of bids you get out
- You take off MEP, fire protection, concrete or steel as well as interiors: Pilars covers 19 trades from one upload
- You want the spec book read with the drawings, and code flags against IBC, NEC, IPC, IMC, ADA and NFPA
- You want a published price and the option of monthly billing
- Estimators and reviewers work on mixed hardware or away from the office
On accuracy, Pilars publishes one narrow result: 97.5% on duplex receptacle counts on a single real power plan, explained on the benchmark page. It is not an interiors test and OST is not part of what we can cite from it, so use your own drawings to judge.
Trying Pilars without disturbing an OST shop
Nobody should move an estimating department on the strength of a web page. A sensible trial looks like this. Choose a job you bid recently in OST, so the quantities are known and the award is already decided. Run the same set through the Pilars demo. Compare partition lengths by type and ceiling areas by type, and note where the two differ and which was right. Time the review. Then export the Pilars quantities and see how much handling they need before they fit the estimate you already use.
If the numbers hold up, the low-risk next step is to run Pilars alongside OST on live bids for a month, using Pilars for the first pass and OST for the checks you trust it for. The On-Screen Takeoff alternative page covers a full switch for shops that get that far.
Questions estimators actually ask
Is Pilars better than On-Screen Takeoff?
Pilars is better when you want the plan set and spec book read automatically and a first pass ready to review in minutes. On-Screen Takeoff is better for interior-trade estimators with established conditions and a Quick Bid workflow who prefer to draw the takeoff themselves.
How much does On-Screen Takeoff cost compared with Pilars?
On-Screen Takeoff pricing is not public; ConstructConnect provides a quote based on licensing options and business needs, with a 14-day free trial. Pilars costs $300 per user per month, or $3,600 a year, with one trade per user, unlimited takeoffs and monthly or annual billing.
Does On-Screen Takeoff have AI now?
Yes. On-Screen Takeoff includes Takeoff BOOST, announced in April 2026, which auto-counts repeating items, names pages and detects wall types. Pilars differs by reading the whole set and spec book and returning a complete first pass for the estimator to review and edit.
Can I change a Pilars takeoff the way I would adjust conditions in OST?
Yes. Pilars runs the takeoff automatically, and the estimator can then open any detection to reclassify a wall type, add or remove an item, adjust a boundary or change a quantity, with totals updating.
We are a drywall contractor with four estimators on OST and Quick Bid. Should we switch to Pilars?
A drywall contractor with a working On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid setup should not switch on a comparison page alone. Run a recently bid job through the Pilars demo, compare quantities and review time, and consider using Pilars for the first pass alongside OST before changing anything.
Does On-Screen Takeoff or Pilars run on a Mac?
On-Screen Takeoff is an installed desktop program long sold for Windows, and ConstructConnect offers a separate browser product, ConstructConnect Takeoff, that runs on Mac. Pilars runs in the browser on macOS with nothing to install.
Does Pilars include estimating like OST with Quick Bid?
No. Pilars returns a takeoff summary and a BOQ or Excel export that you price in your own estimating system. On-Screen Takeoff is also takeoff only and relies on Quick Bid for estimating.