Answer
Is there free construction takeoff software?
Yes, with caveats worth knowing. Most established takeoff tools are paid per seat, with free trials that expire: published examples as of July 2026 include PlanSwift at $2,000 per year, STACK from $249 per user per month, and Kreo from $35 to $175 per user per month. Quoting.ai Takeoff takes a different path: manual takeoffs on the real-time collaborative canvas are free on every trade, upload a set in the browser and measure, count, and mark up with your team. AI counting is the paid layer, live for Division 8 doors and windows, priced per organization with unlimited users.
What does free actually mean at Quoting.ai Takeoff?
The canvas is free: upload a drawing set in the browser and do your takeoff manually, on any trade, with your whole team working the same set in real time. Measuring, counting, markup, and collaboration are not paywalled, and there is no per-seat meter running, because a shared canvas that charges per invite punishes exactly the behavior it exists for.
AI counting is the paid layer: today it reads full sets for Division 8 doors and windows, extracts the schedule, counts symbols, and runs the 4 Eyes omission check. Paid pricing is per organization, unlimited users, with bands for monthly set volume. Exact free-tier boundaries are being finalized and the pricing page states them plainly as they land.
How do the paid tools compare?
The incumbents are honest about being paid products: PlanSwift publishes $2,000 per year, STACK publishes $249 to $299 per user per month, Kreo publishes $35 to $175 per user per month, and Bluebeam Revu runs $260 to $590 per user per year with fundamentally manual takeoff. Free trials are common; free tools you can stay on are rare. If your desk needs multi-trade estimating with cost databases today, those tools earn their price. If what you need is a collaborative canvas to do the takeoff itself, that part should not cost money, and here it does not.
Related questions
Is the free canvas a trial?
No. Manual takeoff on the canvas is free, not time-boxed. The paid product is AI counting, and you can prove that on your own set before committing.
Why give the canvas away?
Because adoption should not need a purchase order. Teams that do takeoffs together on the canvas see exactly where AI counting saves them hours, and that honesty converts better than a gated demo.
See it on your own work
Distributors: two steps and a kickoff call. Estimators: upload a plan on a live trade. Either way, the product proves it or it does not.