On-Screen Takeoff practically invented digital takeoff — in use since 1995, deep multi-condition workflows, a loyal base in the commercial interior trades. It's also Windows-only, converts your drawings to TIFF, sells estimating as a separate product, and won't publish a price. Here's the honest side-by-side.
| July 2026 | Groundwork Takeoff | On-Screen Takeoff (ConstructConnect) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Annual, per seat | $590 — everything included | Quote-only; third-party estimates ~$995 standalone, ~$1,850 with Quick Bid |
| Public pricing | ✓ On the website | ✗ Talk to sales — G2 flags it 18–34% above category average |
| Monthly option | ✓ $59/mo | ✗ 12-month terms enforced |
| Perpetual license | ✓ $2,500 + optional $295/yr maintenance | ✗ Subscription with maintenance |
| Renewal terms | ✓ No lock-in on monthly | ✗ Auto-renews; written cancellation 30 days prior (per BBB/Trustpilot complaints) |
| AI takeoff | ✓ Included on every seat | ✗ Takeoff Boost is a paid add-on requiring active maintenance |
| Platforms | ||
| Windows native | ✓ Modern native app (Tauri) | ✓ Legacy .NET desktop |
| Mac native | ✓ Incl. Apple Silicon | ✗ No Mac, no Apple Silicon path |
| iPad | ✓ Home-screen app | ✗ |
| Browser access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Works offline | ✓ Offline-first, 14-day grace | ✓ Desktop app |
| Takeoff & estimating | ||
| Multi-condition takeoff | ✓ 6 modes incl. Volume & Dimension chains | ✓ Genuinely deep |
| Native PDF engine | ✓ Direct PDF, compression, PDF/A | ✗ Converts drawings to TIFF |
| Built-in estimating | ✓ Assemblies + live estimate grid included | ✗ Requires separate Quick Bid purchase |
| Plan compare / overlay | ✓ Live-canvas diff + blend, auto-align | ✓ Plan overlay |
| Stability on large bids | ✓ Native rendering | Reviewers report database crashes and bog-downs on large bids |
| Collaboration & extras | ||
| Real-time multi-user | ✓ CRDT co-editing included | ✗ File-based sharing |
| Markup depth (clouds, stamps, tool chest) | ✓ + revision log, legends, signatures | Takeoff-focused annotation |
| Supplier pricing network | ✗ Materials catalog instead | ✓ eQuotes via Quick Bid |
| OCR | ✓ Included | Limited |
On-Screen Takeoff pricing is not published; estimates from third-party listings and G2 pricing flags (July 2026). Product details from constructconnect.com/products/on-screen-takeoff. Usability, crash, and support complaints from Capterra reviews (capterra.com, On-Screen Takeoff listing, ~155 reviews, 4.3/5) and TrustRadius. Renewal and cancellation complaints from the ConstructConnect BBB profile (bbb.org) and Trustpilot (trustpilot.com/review/www.constructconnect.com).
OST has a 30-year track record — the first digital takeoff software, in use since 1995 — and it shows in the good ways too: deep multi-condition takeoff, a proven plan overlay, and real strength in commercial interior trades like drywall and walls & ceilings. Paired with Quick Bid and eQuotes supplier pricing, the full ConstructConnect workflow is genuinely deep, and its loyal users know every corner of it.
But if you're starting fresh — or tired of TIFF conversion, Windows-only installs, quote-only pricing, and estimating sold as a second product — Groundwork gives you the whole takeoff-to-estimate pipeline in one modern app, with the price printed right on the website.

Import your plan sets and be measuring in the first five minutes. 7 days free, no credit card, no sales call.