PlanSwift, Bluebeam, CostX and Modou: what does each do with your drawings?

What takeoff software does

Takeoff is the work of taking quantities from drawings: square metres of facade, running metres of skirting, numbers of window frames. Some programs let you measure on screen yourself, others read the documents and work it out for you. Some also add a price, others stop at the quantity.

That last difference matters more than any feature list. It decides whether a package replaces your own estimating program or sits next to it.

PlanSwift: measuring and pricing in one program

PlanSwift calls itself takeoff and estimating software. You measure areas, lengths and counts on the plan and price the work in the same program.¹ The files the page names are PDF, CAD and images. The page we read says nothing about 3D or BIM.

For automation PlanSwift has Takeoff BOOST, with Auto Takeoff, Auto Count, Auto Scale and Auto Bookmark among others. Auto Takeoff comes with the most expensive plan.² It costs $2,000 (Essential) or $3,000 (Core) a year for 1 seat, with a 14 day free trial. The page names no currency and no VAT basis.²

Bluebeam Revu: marking up and measuring PDFs

Bluebeam is first of all PDF software, and takeoff is a measuring function within it. It measures lengths, areas and volumes, and also depth, radius, wall area, angle or arc, cutouts and custom counts. According to the vendor that works on 2D and 3D PDFs.³

The data goes to Excel, and with Quantity Link you connect totals from several PDFs to worksheets. The page we read does not mention a cost database of its own. Bluebeam is part of the Nemetschek Group.³

Prices are Basics $260, Core $330 and Complete $440 per user a year, billed annually. Basics measures length and area only. Quantity Link with Excel is in Complete.⁴

RIB CostX: takeoff, estimating and reporting

RIB calls CostX an all-in-one solution for takeoff, estimating and reporting. The old Exactal page redirects to RIB.⁵ It takes quantities from scans, PDF and CAD files and does 3D takeoff from BIM files. Which formats exactly, such as IFC, Revit or DWG, is not on the page.

Workbooks are live-linked to the drawings and to a cost database of its own. RIB also names revisions, reports, an embodied carbon calculation and a comparison of subcontractors (not in the USA). There is no price on the page. You choose between a standalone or network licence and CostX Cloud as a subscription.⁵

Modou: reading the whole package and working it out

We write this part ourselves, so read it as what a vendor says about itself. Where the other three programs let you measure, Modou starts by reading the whole package: the specification as PDF or DOCX, drawings as PDF, schedules in XLSX or CSV, and IFC2x3, IFC4, DXF and DWG. DWG drawings are measured from their lines too. Modou does not read Revit files (.rvt), so export them to PDF or IFC first.⁶

What comes next, Modou does itself. It measures the quantities from the drawings, with the document, page and revision next to every figure, so you can check and adjust each measurement on the drawing. It flags where specification, drawings and model contradict each other and also works out the items nobody draws, such as flashings, reveals and fixings.⁶

Then Modou estimates. For each item it builds up material, labour and equipment with your own norms and rates, adds overhead, risk and profit, and arrives at a selling price. You check every assumption and approve it, or change it with a reason. If you would rather price in another package, you get Excel and CSV files, and CUF XML as a pilot.⁶ One project is free, no credit card. After that a quote made to measure follows. There is no price list.⁷

Everything side by side

Not stated means it is not on the page we read. It does not mean the program cannot do it. Sources are at the bottom.

What it costs, and why you cannot just compare the numbers

On the pages we read, PlanSwift costs $2,000 or $3,000 a year and Bluebeam $260 to $440 per user a year. CostX states no price. These are the vendors' own figures, they can change, and they are not a total price for your company.

Do not put them next to Modou without thinking, either. With the first three you buy a program in which you measure yourself. With Modou you have the package read, measured and estimated, and we price that to measure after a free first project.

Which fits which question?

Do you prefer to measure on the drawing yourself and turn it straight into a budget? Then PlanSwift and CostX say they do exactly that. Do you want to mark up and measure PDFs and put the totals in Excel? That is what Bluebeam writes about itself.

Do you want the whole package read, measured and estimated, with a source for every figure and only your check as the work? That is what Modou is for. They do not exclude each other: if you prefer working in your own package, Modou gives you Excel and CSV to read in.

What we did not do

We have not tested the programs ourselves. Everything above comes from the vendors' own pages, read on 6 November 2026.

We also quote no star ratings. G2 and Capterra would not let us read their pages, and we do not repeat a score we have not seen. Is something no longer right? Tell us and we will change it.

Read also

• Estimating software compared: Ibis, Kraan, 4PS and Syntess

Sources

1. PlanSwift, home page: planswift.com, retrieved 6 November 2026
2. PlanSwift, pricing: planswift.com, retrieved 6 November 2026
3. Bluebeam, takeoff: bluebeam.com, retrieved 6 November 2026
4. Bluebeam, pricing: bluebeam.com, retrieved 6 November 2026
5. RIB Software, CostX: rib-software.com, retrieved 6 November 2026
6. Modou, frequently asked questions: modou.io, retrieved 6 November 2026
7. Modou, pricing: modou.io, retrieved 6 November 2026