Intuitiveness / Initial Learning Curve – 9/10

Quick 5 Minute review on PlanSwift Estimating Software. PlanSwift software is specifically designed for, but not limited to the construction industry. We have been positively impacting the construction software industry for the last 8 years.

Planswift Software Reviews

Planswift makes it very easy to do a basic takeoff. The ribbon menu at the top displays all the buttons you need to start. Starting a New job, adding pages and setting the scale is really simple. The three basic conditions – Count, Liner and Area are all displayed on the home tab. Click to start and double click to end. To restart you need to hover to the right of the condition and click the button that appears.

Software Capability – 9/10

The software has in built, powerful features and templates. It can also be customized to do a lot. You can add multiple items to a single condition and do complex calculations within the software. If done right you might not even need excel!

Ease of Customization – 6.5/10

Planswift can be customized, but not necessarily by you. Unlike basic takeoffs, making a custom template has a steep learning curve. But paying money can solve your problems (and hence the decent rating). There is a plugin store which you can use to buy templates for your specific trade(s). You can also pay someone to help you out. You will still need to learn how to use the template, but that is true for any software.

Ease of Collaboration – 5.5/10

Working in teams is not easy with Planswift. You cannot copy takeoffs from one Planswift file to another. Sharing the file is quite easy, but sometimes there is trouble while overwriting the same jobs. You should always check if the original job conditions have all been deleted and replaced with new ones. However, its popularity is high and if you are looking at outsourcing estimates it is easy to find someone who uses the software.

Price – $999 + $199 optional yearly maintenance

Best Suited for…

Planswift is great for estimating residential projects and small to mid size commercial projects. However beyond a point, it starts getting slow. Also, you cannot copy a Planswift takeoff from one file to another which makes working in teams a bit more challenging. There is also no easy way to separate the same takeoff condition for different units / areas. This means you have to create a whole set of new conditions for each unit / area. Then you have make sure to multiply it correctly in excel. For bigger projects I would On Screen takeoff which I have also reviewed.

Planswift Software Reviews Pc Magazine

As always, if there is a specialized software available then, it is always good to check it out. For example for Flooring contractors I would recommend a specialized flooring estimating software.

Software Review by Nishant Agarwal
Senior Estimator at Advance Informatics
nishant@cadinformatics.com

The benefits of PlanSwift are, you can generate estimates and costing fast, plus it is easy to use. Here are more details:

Generate estimates fast

PlanSwift helps you come up with accurate estimates fast using drag-and-drop and point-and-click tools. You can easily isolate portions or areas of a digitized blueprint or sort relevant items to measure costing and requirements. Areas like walls, ceilings, footings, partitions, studs, floor areas, fixtures, fittings, and headers can be selected individually or as a group based on what you want to calculate or measure. The software automatically generates measurements such as areas and volumes to help you arrive at accurate estimates. This way, you’re assured that your costing always provides you with a healthy margin.

Estimate costing fast and more accurately

PlanSwift makes it easy to cost in all necessary items in your estimates with the use of templates. The templates feature assemblies, materials, and parts that go into standard areas, for example, flooring and ceiling, so you can quickly finish a takeoff or estimate for regular construction projects. The templates allow you to identify fast the quantity, requirements, and cost of parts and the project as a whole. The templates also automatically calculate the estimates including markup, wastage, labor, and equipment with the use of rules and drag-and-drop tools.

Planswift Software Reviews Complaints

Templates can be customized

Planswift Estimating Software Reviews

The templates are designed to help you speed up estimates and takeoffs, but they can also be configured for special projects. For instance, a template can be customized to consider a uniquely shaped floor area. After configuring the area, the template can automatically calculate the requirements and costing, providing you still a faster and more accurate way to submit estimates.