Plan. Swift. Takeoff - does what it says on the tin
March 18, 2016
Plan. Swift. Takeoff - does what it says on the tin
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with PlanSwift Takeoff
I've looked at quite a few takeoff packages, but settled on PlanSwift for a) value for money, b) compatibility with Excel. I provide takeoffs for contractors across many trades, and for main contractors, and all have been impressed with he accuracy and the marked up drawings showing what's been measured enables them to easily identify variations. As I have many clients operating with different internal management software the fact that PlanSwift is so compatible with Excel means I can provide schedules in whatever format works best for them. From my own perspective, I can measure jobs in a few hours that would have taken me 2-3 days using the old school scale rule and takeoff sheets. Productivity has increased dramatically, I have virtually zero paperwork cluttering my desk where in past I would have stacks of drawings and specs. I have had a few problems in my time using it, but the customer service department has been brilliant. Being in very different timezone has it's drawbacks, but if I email them my issue at the end of the day I will have a reply in my inbox the next morning.
- Great interface with other software. Excel reports make it a breeze for my clients to interface with their own management software.
- Easy to set up different components and pricing structures. Time spent setting these up properly will save hundreds of hours down the line.
- Very simple to learn, with videos to walk you through each task.
- There are some great plug-ins, but you only get them for free if you pay the annual "maintenance" fee of $200.
- All of the preset items are in imperial measurements, Hey America - the rest of the world is metric. please come join us in this century!
- Licence is only good for 1 machine at a time (unless you purchase multiples). It's a bit annoying having remove it from my desktop when I want to take my tablet to visit a client. A licence that's good for 1x desktop and 1x tablet/portable would be great.
- Has paid for itself in next to no time. Not only can I produce takeoffs in a fraction of the time, but I'm always discovering new building products to add to the library.
- The minor drawback is the time required to set up your library of items in the first instance, like any new software, but once you get over that little hump you'll be laughing.
- CostX and Bluebeam Revu
CostX was far too expensive. Vue360 doesn't have the functionality. Bluebeam Revu wasn't very intuitive and was all too hard to get it do what I needed. It was good for document control, but not very good for estimating.