# On-Screen Takeoff Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is On-Screen Takeoff the right Takeoff solution for you? Explore 155 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/121585/On-Screen-Takeoff/reviews --- On-Screen Takeoff 4.3 (155) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/121585/On-Screen-Takeoff/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of On-Screen Takeoff Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AM Aditya M Civil DesignerCivil Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “It has been a great tool for general estimating.“ April 25, 2021 CV Chris V Senior Project ManagerConstruction, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Learning how to import your blueprints into the software was a little tricky at first.“ April 30, 2025 Brent B Estimator Construction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Overall, it is feature heavy and a great step forward from classic estimating.“ August 7, 2020 AM Aditya M Civil DesignerCivil Engineering, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “This software does not support Building Information Modelling (BIM).“ April 25, 2021 NW Nick W VP of SalesConstruction, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I have used various takeoff tools and this product has always been the best.“ March 30, 2021 Brent B Estimator Construction, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Sometimes the databases can crash, losing hours of work.“ August 7, 2020 MS Muhammad S Landscape DesignerArchitecture & Planning, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “OST is a very easy to use tool to do take offs with and what we like most about it is :“ August 7, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 155 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use VR Verified Reviewer Project Manager/Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SR at Homeco" August 15, 2018 4.0 Plans colored for field operations for easier understanding Pros Multiple colors, and listing features. Cons No cut feature. The back-out feature is not as helpful as a scissors type feature Review Source Brent B. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best estimating software in the industry" August 7, 2020 5.0 I use on-screen takeoff daily as an estimator. Overall, it is feature heavy and a great step forward from classic estimating. Pros The scaling feature allows you to easily get a proper scale with just one measurement on the prints. Cons Sometimes the databases can crash, losing hours of work. Another feature I wish it had was preconstructed conditions so you wouldn't have to build them. Review Source DB David B. Chief Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Outdated" November 20, 2018 3.0 Pros OnScreen Takeoff Typical Groups works well - I don't know any other software that has this function. Very helpful for apartment takeoffs. Cons Software has become outdated. OnCenter is very slow to respond to problems with their software. Several problems discussed with their technical department are known, but they state that in their opinion these issues, some of which can actually result in incorrect bids, are not critical enough to warrant repair. I suggest being extremely careful when using OnScreen and QuickBid interactively. Note that Windows 10 has more issues that older versions of Windows - Oncenter is not keeping up. DON'T GET A NEW COMUTER! OnCenter is not keeping up with innovation that other software companies. Adding notes is cumbersome - in OnScreen they get in the way of doing takeoffs. In QuickBid they easily become buried in the bid and get missed. Adding drawing numbers and names function in OnScreen Takeoff does not work well. Revising drawings to TIFF is outdated. Programs do not work well interactively and also bog down on large bids. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Estimator & Project Manager Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great estimating tool" September 24, 2018 4.0 Easy to record and keep takeoff and pass to other colleagues, if needed. Pros Ease of use and the ability to record and track every takeoff. Cons The software is a little pricy compared to competitors such as Bluebeam, but worth the extra. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Application Support Engineer Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A standard in the Construction industry" August 13, 2019 4.0 Overall good experience. Construction companies typically have to use different pieces of software that do similar things when working with joint ventures and contractors, but OST is one of the most used pieces of estimating software. From an administrative side, the licensing system is a little clunky if you are hosting your own license server. This is not uncommon though. Pros Many useful features, Quick and accurate general estimating tools, Good support. Cons It takes some "use time" to get a hang of all the features and functions OST comes with. Alternatives considered [Sage Construction Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/154874/Sage-Construction-Suite/)[PlanSwift](https://www.capterra.com/p/70808/PlanSwift/) Reason for choosing On-Screen Takeoff It seemed more comprehensive, for the price. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Estimator Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "LOVE IT!" May 28, 2019 5.0 Pros I use this product everyday, it is the simply the best when doing take off's on something that does not have a scale. The custom scale aspect is the best part and time saver! It saves time from me having to walk jobs, I simply put it in On-Screen and do that take off. It gives me the correct square footage and cost of what the job will. Very user friendly! Cons None, once you learn it, it is probably the easiest tool to use in your arsenal! Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Project Consultant Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "On-screen takeoff is fairly simple to use and allows you to create a takeoff quickly." June 18, 2018 4.0 Fairly simple takeoffs and easy to present the data. Pros Simple to set a scale and create a takeoff. The ease of use make the learning curve easy to overcome. The printable reports make presenting the data simple and professional. Cons On-screen, while simple, can sometimes be limited in capability. The tools are there to educate yourself in the software but it still takes time to learn all of the capabilities. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Project Engineer Real Estate Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I literally learn to use it within minutes." February 27, 2018 5.0 Pros The software is so easy to use. Within a few minutes of playing and figuring out the tools I was able to accomplish a take off. Review Source Response from ConstructConnect February 27, 2018 Thank you for the feedback! We are glad you were able to get up and running quickly. Don't hesitate to reach out to our world class customer support team, or use our "Ask an Estimator" training service should you run into a challenge you cannot solve. We're here to help you be successful. VR Verified Reviewer Senior Project Consultant Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Modern-Day Tracing Paper" September 6, 2018 3.0 The software is at least a decade out of date when compared to any other industry standard take-off software. Its clunky, non-intuitive, terrible UI and converts any drawings to .TIFF picture files. The exporting of take-offs is an arduous process, no in-software costing solution. It can't handle any BIM files. Its the modern day equivalent to taking off by hand with tracing paper; there's no interaction with the drawing, you're simply drawing shapes over the top of an image. Pros The only pro to this software is the marking-up of drawings Cons Inability to interact with drawings and a terrible UI. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Office Administrator Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Shop Drawings and Field Prints" January 15, 2019 4.0 Pros I love that this software offers instructional videos. I just recently started using this at my job, and it's been so easy to learn - with help from the videos. Cons I haven't found anything yet I don't like. Been using it about 5 months, and still learning. Review Source KO Kellie O. Estimator Building Materials Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "It may have it's weaknesses, but overall it's great!" December 7, 2016 4.0 I began using On-Screen On-Center Take-off is Feb. 2016. Overall the program is great. Its fairly simple to import and manage drawings, create conditions, and quantify areas. I am sure there are many features which I fail to use to their potential, but learning to make the system work of me and the types of take-offs I perform was quick. There is very little learning curve, and if you have any questions their Customer Support Tools are incredible. I enter a question and typically receive a call from a person within hours. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. The program has its weaknesses. One huge weakness is it's tolerance. When using the measure tool the tolerance is to the nearest inch. There is no way to adjust this, which can mean rejection of material and a lot of jobsite labor in our particular field (Stone). Also, exporting to excel could be clearer, but overall it's pretty helpful. Pros Ability to create various types of conditions, in various types of materials, in various areas, and being able to calculate various types of information from one condition (sq. of one side & top & total lf, Average tile count & overall sf, etc.). Ability to import various file types, PDF, AutoCAD, etc. Ability to export to Excel. Ability to label conditions & include conditions legends, creating a helpful Take-off maps for bids. Cons Inability to tighten tolerances. Inability to label linear conditions. Inability to increase the size of the font on condition labels. Excel Export could be much cleaner. Inabiliy to create non-grid tile layouts. Review Source SS Shelby S. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using OST we are able to perform take offs much quicker than using a ruler or than digitize(ing). " June 5, 2017 5.0 Can probably do triple the amount of estimating than before. Pros Ease of use and how easy it is to review work. Being able to assign different take offs to different area's makes breaking out bids for alternates very easy. Cons I would like to be able to "crop" or cut all take offs to assign them into an area. For example, if the portion of a building becomes an alternate after the takeoff was performed. I would like to slice each take off to break out each area. Right now you can select multiple takeoffs and reassign but if you select say a wall that was one take off but you want it to be cut in half you have to delete it and redo the takeoff. Review Source LP Luke P. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best takeoff software on the market today" April 28, 2017 5.0 Before buying I compared this, E-Takeoff, Planswift, and Bluebeam takeoffs. This was hands down the best option. Pros Easy and intuitive to use. Some examples are- same copy paste functions as every other windows program, bulk copy (multiple takeoffs), fast plan loading, and a user interface that flows nicely. Cons Somewhat complicated to learn, the overall process makes sense, but you need to follow the steps to the letter. Review Source JL John L. President & C.E.O. Utilities Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Poor customer service." February 9, 2017 2.0 I have been an On-Screen Takeoff user since 2008. The program is well designed, but the company has made the program non-macintosh user-friendly. I used the program in a Virtual Environment without issue for 8 years, and then OST stopped allowing the program to be utilized in a virtual environment (Parallels Desktop). They now require you to have a Windows Machine running License Manager (at all times) to utilize their product. Simply unacceptable. They have no regard for their Customer. Pros The product is well designed and easy to use (except for the what is necessary to run the program on a virtual environment). Cons Cannot run the program in a Virtual Environment. Review Source BW Ben W. President Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "OCS-Software Angle Specialists" September 14, 2015 1.0 Pros The product does well for estimating and has some glitches that you can work around if you have been running it long enough. On Center Software, However is basically working an angle that will chew you up and spit you out! Just like the other reviewer mentioned. You have to keep pouring $$$ into support. We own 3 subscriptions (2 OST and 1 QB) of this product, each subscription cost thousands. Each year you have to pay over $$$$$ for each sub subscription you own just for maintenance. But here is the best part, If you miss a year or 2 of maintenance you have to go back and back pay the years you didn't pay! (I wonder if they hired an old IRS agent as the controller?) Wow! Isn't that a great way to gain customer loyalty! Now just like the manager of the tech support told me, "If you go for a while without taking support, you will eventually have to buy new subscriptions/software, it all ends up to be the same amount of money".. Oh did I forget? If you don't buy your maintenance at the beginning of the calendar year, say 3rd quarter, better get your wallet out again for January! You think they could maybe sell you blocks of time for tech support, get creative, anything? Anything other than coming after a tradesman's pocketbook so hurtfully. I'm disgusted! Consumers, If your looking for estimating software look somewhere else. Its 2015! Everyone makes it! I'm no longer an OCS ADVOCATE! Cons Nothing to like about dealing with OCS. Remember it takes a long time to get a customer but imagine what it takes to get them back. Review Source GL Gabriel L. Project Manager & Estimator Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "On-Screen Takeoff review Electrical" August 15, 2018 5.0 My daily use of the software has made me appreciate the ease of use and reliability of the product. I can trust the software to provide me with accurate counts and footage for my electrical estimating. Pros The easy use of the software, plus any questions are easily linked to a video showing you your answer. If the answer is not available online, a simple phone call to great customer service will provide direction and resolution of any questions or problems. Cons Currently I have had no complaints with the software, it works great! Review Source AM ANGELA M. Admin Assistant Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Data overload" September 5, 2019 4.0 I use this product because it's the product of choice within my company, however, I prefer to print the blank take off form and fill it in manually because there is just so much data on the program. Pros This is the software of choice by our Project Managers & Estimators it is very thorough and holds a lot of data. It gives the bottom line as well as a detailed breakdown of costs. Cons I feel like there is data overload with this program. It has the options to input so much data it's almost overkill. It becomes a bit overwhelming when looking through all the info and the "extra" info takes longer to perform the take off on a project. Review Source AC Angelo C. Director of Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great program; been using it since 2003 and convinced the current company I work for to implement." May 23, 2017 4.0 Pros I like being able to organize areas and zones as well as share takeoff packages with associates who estimate different divisions. Cons I HATE having to rename pages one at a time that are combined; your competition has this feature that does it automatically (and its much cheaper)-you guys should have had this a long time ago. If this feature does exist in OST; please contact me to cure my stupidity. Review Source JL Jeff L. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software" August 14, 2018 5.0 Able to take off content with easy and speed. Love it. Pros Very intuitive. Customer support is top notch. Features are helpful. Love the areas sort. Cons Text editing is bulky. Image legend is good but it is sorted under the group setting in what appears to be a random sort. Toggling between files and image takes too long i think (could be internal sever related). Review Source LS Lindsey S. Assistant Project Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for Estimators " July 26, 2018 5.0 Pros This program is great paired with on screen takeoff. The two programs can be linked together to keep track of your bids. Your materials, labor, etc. all can be tracked within this program. Cons There are a lot of functions in this program and it can be extremely confusing if you do not take the time to learn it properly. Review Source RG Ray G. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very positive experience with the program and support" May 23, 2017 5.0 Pros menu driven and easy to follow. Every time I have a problem and call support I get a good response and the problems solved. Cons arc feature when doing areas. The program does not support arc creation by pinpointing the arc intersects when doing area, we have to plot points along the circumference. Review Source BB Brandon B. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Review of OST" August 20, 2018 5.0 Excellent tool for accurate compilation of quantities from pdf's. I highly recommend this to high volume estimators such as myself! Pros Ease of Use, Speed and Accuracy for Estimating Purposes Cons Updates and changes from previous versions of the software I've used took a little bit for me to get used to. Review Source JR Jay R. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Estimating with OST " August 17, 2018 5.0 Overall, my experience with OST has been great. We are able to get through take-offs quickly. Pros What I like most about OST is how easily one can load plans and keep track of all jobs. Cons What I like least about OST is that you can't modify a take-off until you remove the attachments. Review Source BF Brandon F. Estimator Commercial Real Estate Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "An Easy to Use Takeoff Software" January 26, 2017 5.0 I have been using On-Screen Takeoff for several years now and I really enjoy using it. It is easy to set up conditions and perform the takeoff. I enjoy that you can break your takeoff out by areas and you can even create folders for the different areas of the takeoff. This works well for breaking out by CSI, or whichever WBS you may use. Also, OST can store data in Access databases that can be set to backup on a schedule. I personally like how quickly I can bring my drawings into the software and how quickly they load once in the program. Overall I have been using OST for several years now and I would recommend it to the construction professional. Pros Ease of use Ability to create libraries of commonly used conditions Customer support Fast Loading Ability to transfer data to other estimating software Ability to export to excel Ability to share entire takeoff file with other professionals Cons Cannot currently import an excel document with conditions to create a library Cannot trace drawing lines automatically Review Source mR mike R. estimator Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "estimator" August 14, 2018 5.0 Pros compatibility, ease of use, great tools for detailed takeoffs Cons scrolling issues, condition properties window highlights style first in lieu of name. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Takeoff](https://www.capterra.com/takeoff-software/)[Construction Estimating](https://www.capterra.com/construction-estimating-software/)