The four kinds of free
- A free trial. You get the full product for a set time or a set number of jobs. Then you pay or you stop.
- A free plan. You keep it, but with limits: one user, a few projects, or no export.
- A PDF viewer with measuring tools. You can set a scale and measure a length or an area. It does not keep a quantity list for you.
- A spreadsheet. You count on paper or on the screen and type the numbers in.
When free is enough
Free tools suit a contractor who bids a few small jobs a month. A spreadsheet and a PDF viewer can carry a short takeoff. The cost is your time and the risk of a missed item, not a software fee.
What you give up
- A record. A free tool rarely saves which sheet each number came from.
- The spec. A measuring tool does not read the specification.
- Checks. No one compares the schedule, the plan and the spec for you.
- Support. A free plan seldom comes with a person to call.
How to use a free trial well
- Pick a job you already bid, so you know the right answer.
- Run the same bid packet through the trial.
- Compare the result with your own takeoff, line by line.
- Look at what it missed and what it found that you missed.
Is Takeoff Tool free?
No. Takeoff Tool costs $2,500 per seat per month, as a flat fee. It has a trial: 15 days free. Contractors in a trade that is not open yet can join as founding contractors and use it free for three months while we build that trade with them.
AI and takeoff software · Updated 11 Nov 2026