FootingTakeoff

Comparison · Updated August 2026

Concrete estimating software in 2026, compared.

We build FootingTakeoff, so read our verdicts knowing that. This page is about the estimating and bidding stage — turning measured quantities into a priced bid — which is a different job from the takeoff stage. The table below is straight: every platform here estimates concrete competently. The real question is how much of the estimate you want the software to own.

Software Scope What it does Output Pricing (published, 2026) Best fit
PlanSwift Takeoff + estimating Point-and-click takeoff with cost items attached to measurements Quantities and priced estimates Paid license per user (published) Estimators who want takeoff and pricing in one desktop tool
STACK Takeoff + estimating, cloud Cloud takeoff with estimating and proposals; AI assist features Quantities, estimates, proposals Free limited tier; paid plans ~$2,600+/yr (published) Growing GC/sub teams wanting cloud collaboration
ConstructConnect (On-Screen Takeoff / Quick Bid) Takeoff + bidding + leads Takeoff, bid assembly, and access to a project/bid network Bids and proposals Quote-based (published) Commercial estimators bidding many projects
Clear Estimates Estimating + proposals Cost database and templates to build residential estimates and proposals Priced estimates and client proposals Subscription per user (published) Remodelers and residential builders who want a cost database
Buildxact Estimating + job management Takeoff, estimating, quoting, and job costing for builders Quotes, estimates, job budgets Subscription per user (published) Custom home builders and remodelers running whole jobs
Contractor Foreman All-in-one management + estimating Estimating inside a broader project-management suite Estimates, invoices, project records Subscription, lower-cost tiers (published) Small contractors wanting one tool for the whole business
Togal.AI / Beam AI / Kreo AI takeoff feeding estimates AI measures the plan; you review and push quantities to an estimate Quantities into estimates Togal ~$199–299/user/mo; Kreo ~$35–175/user/mo; Beam quote-based (published) Commercial concrete estimators cutting measurement time
FootingTakeoff Footing takeoff → invoice Automatically measures footing runs, counts pads and piers, applies your rates Linear feet, pad/pier counts, invoice line items at your $/LF and $/pad Free early access Footing subs billing by the linear foot

Takeoff, estimating, bidding: which stage do you actually need?

"Estimating software" gets used for four different stages of the same job. Knowing which stage is your bottleneck tells you which tool to buy — and whether you need a suite at all.

Stage The question it answers The work Typical tools
Takeoff How much is there? Measure quantities off the plan — linear feet, areas, volumes, counts Dedicated takeoff tools, or the takeoff module of an estimating suite
Estimating What will it cost me to build? Apply labor, material, and equipment costs to the quantities using a cost database or assemblies Estimating software with a cost database (Clear Estimates, Buildxact, PlanSwift)
Bidding / quoting What do I charge, and how do I present it? Add markup and overhead, format a proposal, submit the bid Estimating/bidding suites, bid networks (ConstructConnect), proposal templates
Invoicing How do I bill the finished work? Turn agreed quantities and rates into an invoice line by line Estimating suites, accounting tools, or (for footings) FootingTakeoff

How much does concrete estimating software cost?

Published 2026 pricing spans a wide range because the products do different amounts of work. Cloud AI takeoff tools run roughly $35–$300 per user per month (Kreo, Togal.AI); STACK publishes paid plans from around $2,600 per year; desktop and enterprise suites (PlanSwift, ConstructConnect) are license- or quote-based; all-in-one management tools (Contractor Foreman, Buildxact) sit at lower monthly subscriptions. Pricing changes often and depends on which modules you take — confirm the current number with each vendor before buying. FootingTakeoff is free during early access.

Do footing subcontractors need estimating software?

Usually not a full suite. A footing sub bills from a short list of numbers — total linear feet of footing, the count of pads and piers, and fixed unit rates — so a platform built around a full cost database and multi-trade assemblies is more setup than the work needs. The bottleneck for a footing sub is the takeoff and the invoice, not the pricing database.

If you estimate many trades or full jobs: a suite (PlanSwift, STACK, Buildxact, ConstructConnect) earns its keep — one tool from takeoff to proposal. If you are a footing sub: you need the footing runs measured and an invoice at your rates, which is exactly what FootingTakeoff does — it measures the runs, counts the pads and piers, applies your $/LF and $/pad rates, and returns invoice line items with every measurement drawn on the plan so you can verify it before you send it.

Pricing shown is from each vendor's published pages as of August 2026 and changes often — confirm with the vendor before buying.

FAQ

What is the best concrete estimating software?
There is no single best — it depends on how much of the estimate you want the software to own. For full residential estimating with a cost database and proposals, Clear Estimates and Buildxact are common choices; for commercial takeoff-plus-bidding, PlanSwift, STACK, and ConstructConnect dominate; for cutting measurement time with AI, Togal.AI, Beam AI, and Kreo lead. A footing subcontractor who only needs linear feet, pad counts, and an invoice at their own rates does not need a full estimating suite at all.
What is the difference between takeoff software and estimating software?
Takeoff software measures quantities off a plan — how many linear feet, square feet, cubic yards, or units there are. Estimating software applies costs to those quantities using a cost database to produce a priced estimate, and usually adds proposals and bidding. Many products do both, but they are two different jobs: takeoff answers how much is there, estimating answers what it will cost. A footing sub often needs only the takeoff plus their own fixed rates.
How much does concrete estimating software cost in 2026?
Published pricing in 2026 ranges from lower-cost all-in-one subscriptions to enterprise platforms. Cloud AI takeoff tools run roughly $35 to $300 per user per month (Kreo, Togal.AI), STACK publishes paid plans starting around $2,600 per year, and desktop and enterprise suites like PlanSwift and ConstructConnect are license- or quote-based. Prices change often and vary by modules, so confirm current pricing with each vendor. FootingTakeoff is free during early access.
Do footing subcontractors need concrete estimating software?
Usually not a full suite. A footing subcontractor bills from a small set of numbers — total linear feet of footing, the count of pads and piers, and fixed unit rates — so a general estimating platform with a full cost database is more tool than the job needs. The bottleneck for a footing sub is the takeoff and the invoice, not a cost database, which is exactly the gap FootingTakeoff is built for.
Can I use estimating software just for concrete and footings?
Yes. General estimating platforms handle concrete as one of many trades, and you can build a concrete-only estimate in any of them. The trade-off is setup: you configure the cost items, assemblies, and templates yourself. For footing work specifically, a purpose-built tool that already knows linear feet, pads, piers, and your rates removes that setup.
Is there AI concrete estimating software?
AI has entered the takeoff stage first: Togal.AI, Beam AI, and Kreo use AI to detect and measure elements on plans, and STACK adds AI assist features. These tools speed up the measurement, then feed the quantities into an estimate you review and price. FootingTakeoff applies the same idea narrowly — it reads footing plans automatically and returns measured quantities plus an invoice — rather than trying to estimate every trade.

Footing sub? Skip the estimating suite.

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