Takeoff software
pricing, honestly.
Most vendors hide their prices behind a "request a quote" form. We pulled the published and reported numbers into one table so you can see what takeoff software actually costs before anyone gets you on a sales call.
What takeoff software really costs
Pricing in this space is deliberately murky. Some tools publish a clean annual number; others quote you only after a discovery call, then anchor high. The table below collects the published or reported list prices we could find as of mid-2026. Treat it as a starting point for your own conversations, not gospel — and read the note underneath before you quote any of it back to a vendor.
| Tool | Pricing model | Reported price | Auto takeoff? |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlanSwift | Per seat / yr | ~$1,749 per user / yr | No — manual |
| STACK | Per seat / yr (tiered) | ~$2,599–$3,588 / yr | No — manual |
| Bluebeam Revu | Per seat / yr | ~$260–$440 / yr | Markup, not takeoff |
| Togal.AI | Per seat / mo | ~$299 / mo per user | Yes — AI |
| Square Takeoff | Per seat / yr | ~$800 per user / yr | Mostly manual |
| Easy Takeoffs | Per seat / yr | ~$399 / yr | Manual |
| Beam AI | Custom / credits | Custom, per-project credits | Yes — AI |
| Kreo | Per seat / mo | ~$125+ / mo | Yes — AI |
| Pilars | Per trade, no seats | $100 per trade / plan | Yes — AI |
Figures above are published or reported pricing as of mid-2026 and are approximate. Vendors change prices, run promotions, and quote regional and volume discounts that aren't listed here. Verify the current number with each vendor before you budget. "Auto takeoff?" reflects whether the core product produces quantities for you or mainly gives you faster manual measuring tools.
Per-seat vs per-project vs per-trade
The sticker price matters less than the pricing model, because the model decides how the cost behaves as your team and your bid volume grow. There are three you'll run into.
Per seat
You pay for every named user. It's the most common model — PlanSwift, STACK, Square, Easy Takeoffs and the AI tools Togal and Kreo all charge this way. The trap is obvious once you've lived it: every estimator you hire adds another full license, so the tool that was affordable at one user becomes a real line item at five. Seasonal help and occasional reviewers cost you the same as a full-time estimator.
Per project / credits
You pay for each set you run, often as prepaid credits — Beam AI leans this way. It looks cheap when you're slow, but it taxes exactly the thing you want to do more of: bid. A busy month becomes an expensive month, and you end up rationing takeoffs to protect a budget, which is backwards.
Per trade
You pay for the trades you actually bid, and the whole team works under that — no seat counting. This is how Pilars prices: $100 per trade per plan. A solo estimator and a five-person precon group pay the same for electrical, because the cost tracks the work you do, not the people doing it.
Why the model wins
Run the math on your real team, not the headline. A four-estimator shop on a $2,600/seat tool is past $10,000 a year before a single hidden cost. The same shop bidding three trades on a per-trade plan is a small fraction of that. The cheapest sticker rarely produces the cheapest outcome — see our takeoff ROI breakdown.
The costs nobody quotes you
The line on the invoice is rarely the whole bill. When you compare tools, price these too, because they're where "affordable" software quietly stops being affordable.
- Training and ramp. Manual desktop tools have a real learning curve. Budget the days an estimator spends getting fluent — and the slower, shakier bids while they do.
- Plugins and add-ons. Some platforms gate spec features, assemblies, or integrations behind extra modules. The base price gets you in the door; the useful parts cost more.
- Annual lock-in. Many tools are sold as a yearly commitment billed up front. If it doesn't fit your trade in month two, you're still paying through month twelve.
- Per-machine and OS tax. Desktop licenses are tied to Windows machines. Add a Mac estimator, or someone working from home, and you're buying hardware or workarounds to use software you already paid for.
- The hours. The biggest hidden cost on any manual tool is the estimator's time tracing. Cheap software that still makes you trace every fixture by hand isn't cheap — it just moves the cost off the invoice and onto your payroll.
What $100 per trade includes
We price flat on purpose, so there's nothing to discover on a call. For $100 per trade per plan, you get the whole thing — not a stripped base tier:
- Automated takeoff. Pilars reads the drawings and produces quantities; you review instead of trace. That's the hours back, not minutes.
- Spec and code reading. It pulls scope out of the spec book and flags code items, the place bids usually leak.
- No seat fees. Add estimators, reviewers, or seasonal help at no extra cost. The price is the trade, not the people.
- Excel export. Quantities drop straight into your estimating workflow — no re-keying.
- Cloud, any machine. Windows, Mac, home, office. Nothing to install, always current.
Want the full breakdown and which trades are live? It's all on the pricing page — no form, no wait.
When the expensive tools are worth it
Being honest about price means being honest about value, too. The pricier platforms aren't a rip-off for everyone. If your estimators are already fluent in PlanSwift or STACK and your workflow is built around them, the switching cost is real, and "good enough and familiar" beats "better and unfamiliar" mid-bid-season. Bluebeam stays in nearly every shop because it does far more than takeoff — it's a markup and collaboration tool first, and its sub-$500 price reflects that it isn't doing the quantities for you. Tools deep in one niche can be worth their premium if that niche is your entire business.
What you shouldn't pay a premium for is a manual tool dressed up as modern, or per-seat pricing that punishes a team you're trying to grow. If a tool still makes you trace everything by hand, you're paying software prices for a faster ruler. The right test isn't the cheapest sticker — it's the lowest cost per finished, accurate, defensible takeoff, run on your plans. Line up two or three finalists, compare them, and price your own time honestly. Most of the time the per-trade number wins, and we're happy to let you check that on a real set.
Pricing questions estimators ask
How much does takeoff software cost?
It ranges enormously. Desktop tools like PlanSwift run around $1,749 per user per year. Cloud platforms like STACK sit between roughly $2,599 and $3,588 a year. AI-first tools vary from about $125 a month (Kreo) to $299 a month per user (Togal.AI). Pilars charges $100 per trade per plan with no per-seat fees. Always confirm current numbers with each vendor, since they change and are often quote-only.
What is the cheapest AI takeoff software?
Among genuinely AI-driven tools, Pilars is among the lowest at $100 per trade per plan with no seat charges, so a whole team can use one trade for a flat fee. Kreo starts around $125 a month. The cheapest absolute price isn't always the cheapest outcome — what matters is cost per finished, accurate takeoff.
Is free takeoff software any good?
Free tools are usually manual measurement utilities — you still trace everything by hand. They're fine for the occasional small job, but on real bid volume the hours you spend tracing cost far more than software ever would. Free is rarely the cheapest path once you price your own time. We dig into this on the free takeoff software page.
Per-seat or per-trade pricing — which is cheaper?
It depends on your team. Per-seat pricing multiplies with every estimator you add, so it punishes growth. Per-trade pricing is flat regardless of headcount, so a three-person team pays the same as one person. For any team bigger than a single estimator, per-trade is almost always cheaper.
What does Pilars cost?
Pilars is $100 per trade per plan. There are no per-seat licenses, no per-project credits, and no separate plugin fees. You pick the trades you bid, and the whole team works under that, with automated takeoff, spec reading, and Excel export included.