Takeoff and drawings
A cheaper PlanSwift alternative for small contractors
PlanSwift is on-screen takeoff software. Estimators drop assemblies on a drawing, roll up quantities, and usually push the result into Excel. It is good at that one job, and it is priced like a specialist seat: published 2026 lists put the first seat around $1,700 to $3,000 a year.
A five-to-thirty person contractor rarely has a person who only takes off plans. The same owner measures on Monday, checks the rack on Tuesday, and invoices on Friday. TrueScope is the lite takeoff: scale, trace, count, then the quantity is already a proposal line, a stock check, and a bill of materials. No Windows dongle, no second program for the rest of the job.
Relative cost for a small crew
PlanSwift
Specialist software
TrueScope
$20 / full user
Longer bar means a heavier bill. TrueScope stays at $20. Confirm the other price on the vendor site.
Apps on a typical week
PlanSwift plus
- Shop BOM
- Inventory
- Field
- Invoice
One subscription
TrueScope
Takeoff, shop, field, and books
Fit for a small contractor
PlanSwiftTrueScope
Works on a Mac
Works on a phone
One app for the whole shop
More details
What PlanSwift is built to do
PlanSwift is a desktop takeoff product with assemblies and Excel in its bones. It assumes an estimating workstation. It does not dispatch a technician, receive a purchase order, or hold retainage.
- Large assembly libraries maintained by a full-time estimator
- Excel-centric exports that still need a human to retype into the shop system
- A per-seat desktop license that stays at the office computer
The lighter version for a small contractor
TrueScope takeoff is the everyday version: multi-page PDF calibration, polygons, linear runs, and counts, with a one-click rollup into a bill of quantities. You do not pay for an estimating suite so you can measure a tenant-improvement set twice a week.
PlanSwift is only the quantity. Shops that fabricate what they estimate, or service companies that also bid plans, end up with PlanSwift plus an inventory tool plus a field app. TrueScope is those packages in one subscription, and you can turn off the modules a pure service crew does not use.
PlanSwift is a desktop program. TrueScope opens on a Mac in the office and on a tablet in the field, including a plan view you can share on site. Weak signal does not block the bid: the device keeps the change and syncs later.
PlanSwift is commonly listed around $1,700 to $3,000 for the first seat per year. TrueScope includes takeoff for $20 per full user per month. Prices change. Check the vendor before you buy.
PlanSwift and TrueScope side by side
Job it covers
PlanSwift. Quantity takeoff and assemblies
TrueScope. Takeoff through proposal, BOM, stock, field, and billing
Computer
PlanSwift. Windows desktop seat
TrueScope. Mac, PC, Linux, tablet, phone browser
Assemblies
PlanSwift. Deep libraries for professional estimators
TrueScope. Catalog items and BOMs a small shop can maintain
Handoff
PlanSwift. Usually Excel or another system
TrueScope. Same database as purchasing and work orders
Cost
PlanSwift. Specialist annual seat
TrueScope. $20 per full user, all modules on
TrueScope features that cover this work
- Visual takeoffs
The PlanSwift-shaped job: measure the sheet and price it.
- Inventory
See if the measured material is already on the shelf.
- Shop BOM
Send the takeoff into routing instead of rebuilding it in a spreadsheet.
When PlanSwift is still the right call
Keep PlanSwift if a specialist estimating team depends on a large assembly library and Excel reports you already trust. Move when the license sits on one PC and the shop still retypes every quantity.
Questions small contractors ask
What is a PlanSwift alternative that runs on a Mac?
TrueScope takeoff is browser-based, so a Mac, a PC, or a tablet can open the same plan. Measurements tie to your catalog instead of a desktop file on one machine.
Is TrueScope as deep as PlanSwift assemblies?
No. PlanSwift is deeper for a dedicated estimating department. TrueScope is the simpler takeoff a small contractor uses when the quantity has to become a work order and a purchase, not a bigger spreadsheet.
Does the cheaper plan leave takeoff out?
No. Every full user gets takeoff, manufacturing, projects, inventory, field service, and bookkeeping. There is no takeoff upcharge.
$20 a full user. Every module.
Field contributors are $5. Mac, phone, and offline included.
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PlanSwift is a trademark of its owner. TrueScope is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Bars show a relative picture for a small crew, not a live quote.