PlanSwift alternatives in 2026, and when PlanSwift is still the right buy
PlanSwift is installed Windows takeoff software with point-and-click measuring and drag-and-drop assemblies, sold per seat per year. If a trained estimator measures on a Windows PC every week, it is probably still the right buy.
Look elsewhere when you work on a Mac, want a browser tool, or bid too rarely to carry an annual seat. STACK and Togal.AI are cloud tools priced per user. Portravo prices one reviewed bid at a time, with a person confirming every quantity before it is priced.
Portravo publishes this page and is one of the options on it. Facts about other products come from their own public pages, linked beside each claim and checked . No measured speed or accuracy claim is made here.
Stay with PlanSwift when
- A trained estimator wants to point and click to measure on PDF, CAD or image plans.
- You build your own material, labor and waste assemblies and want them under your control.
- Your bid lives in Excel or another estimating system, which PlanSwift sends it to.
- Your estimators work on 64-bit Windows, which PlanSwift requires.
- You need trade coverage Portravo does not have, or priced HVAC equipment.
Look at alternatives when
- You work on a Mac. PlanSwift's requirements say it cannot be installed directly on a Mac; it needs Boot Camp or a Windows virtual machine.
- You bid a few jobs a month, and an annual per-seat license sits unused between busy weeks.
- You want quantities priced and a customer PDF out the door without building an assembly library first.
Alternatives to PlanSwift
Listed by workflow fit, not ranked. Each one is better than the others for a different kind of bid.
Option 1
Portravo (publisher of this page)
Upload a plan-set PDF (up to 50MB). Portravo drafts a quantity list with the source sheet and a note on each line. Nothing is priced until you confirm or edit the line. Confirmed lines use available local material prices or a labeled Portravo benchmark fallback, with a source and as-of date on each material line, then your labor rate card, overhead and margin, and an Excel export for you plus a PDF for the customer.
Fits when: You bid from a browser between site visits, want a reviewable first pass instead of measuring every item yourself, and want a published per-takeoff price with no seat.
Check first: No on-screen measuring tools: you correct quantities in the line list, not by drawing on the sheet. PDF only. One user's bid at a time, not a shared estimating workspace. Trades are general contracting, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC / mechanical, drywall, concrete and roofing; HVAC equipment such as furnaces and condensers is not priced. Start with your U.S. ZIP code. Local material prices are used where available; unmatched materials use an authored benchmark fallback, with regional adjustments labeled as indexed. Confirm supplier pricing before you bid.
Option 2
STACK
A cloud takeoff and estimating workspace. Measure area, linear, arc, pitched, count and volume quantities on plan sheets and build estimates from pre-built or custom libraries. STACK also lists an AI Takeoff feature for door and window counts, room square footage and wall lengths.
Fits when: Several people need to work plans, takeoffs and estimates in one cloud workspace, or you want direct measurement plus an AI first pass. STACK lists a free plan (1 active project a month, 50 measurements per project); paid Takeoff & Estimate is Premium at $299 or Pro at $349 per user per month, billed annually on 12-month terms.
Check first: Which features the free plan and each paid plan include, and the per-user cost for everyone who needs access.
Option 3
Togal.AI
Cloud-based takeoff and estimating that runs in a browser. Its AI detects, measures, counts, classifies and compares quantities on construction documents, and its plan search finds every instance of something you draw a box around.
Fits when: You want AI to do most of the measuring across larger plan sets and a team reviews the result in the browser. Growth is listed at $299 a month per user, billed yearly; Business, for 4 or more users, is custom.
Check first: Togal.AI does not list a free trial on its pricing page; getting started goes through booking a demo.
PlanSwift and Portravo, side by side
Scroll the table sideways to read both columns and the sources.
| Decision | PlanSwift | Portravo |
|---|---|---|
| How quantities are made | Point and click to measure on PDF, CAD or image plans. PlanSwift home page | AI drafts the quantity list from your PDF. You confirm, edit or reject each line; there are no drawing tools. |
| From quantity to price | Drop in material, labor and waste assemblies as you measure, then send the bid to Excel or your estimating system. PlanSwift home page | Confirmed lines use available local material prices or labeled benchmark fallbacks, plus your labor rate card. Set overhead and margin, then export Excel and a customer PDF. |
| Where it runs | Installed on 64-bit Windows only, with Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise recommended. No native Mac version. PlanSwift system requirements | In the browser. PDF plans only. |
| List price, checked November 12, 2026 | Essential $2,000 a year and Core $3,000 a year, each for 1 seat; additional seats are discounted. 14-day free trial, no credit card. PlanSwift pricing page | $75 per takeoff (one trade on one project; bought takeoffs do not expire), $149 for the whole job (every trade on one project; counts as 3 takeoffs on a plan), or Starter at $199 a month for 5 takeoffs, Pro at $399 for 15 and Trade at $699 for 30. The first takeoff has a 14-day money-back guarantee. No seats. |
Portravo facts come from its published workflow, current pricing, and worked estimate example. Vendor plans and prices change; confirm them before you buy.
Questions
- How much does PlanSwift cost?
- PlanSwift's pricing page lists Essential at $2,000 a year and Core at $3,000 a year, each for one seat, with discounted additional seats and a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card. Check the page for what each plan includes.
- Is there a PlanSwift alternative for Mac?
- PlanSwift's system requirements say it runs only on 64-bit Windows and cannot be installed directly on a Mac without Boot Camp or a Windows virtual machine. STACK and Togal.AI are cloud-based, and Portravo runs in a web browser.
- Does Portravo measure on the plans like PlanSwift?
- No. Portravo has no on-screen measuring tools. It drafts quantities from the PDF, links each line to the sheet it was read from, and you correct them in a list. If you need to click and measure on the sheet, PlanSwift, STACK or On-Screen Takeoff fit better.
- Is Portravo cheaper than PlanSwift?
- It depends on how often you bid. Portravo is $75 per takeoff with no seat, or $199 a month for 5 takeoffs. PlanSwift is an annual per-seat license that covers every takeoff the seat holder does. Compare against your real bid count.
Run one fair trial.
- Pick one representative plan set and write down the trades and exclusions before any tool opens it.
- Run it through PlanSwift and the alternative you are considering. Check uncertain quantities, unit conversions and one current supplier quote in both.
- Compare the line-item evidence, how revisions are handled, the time you spent, and what the customer actually receives.
Get a second opinion
Portravo wrote this page. To check it, ask an assistant the same question yourself. The links open a new chat with exactly this question and nothing else:
How does PlanSwift compare with Portravo for construction takeoff and estimating for a small contractor?