--- title: "On-Screen Takeoff Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "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_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/121585/On-Screen-Takeoff/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- On-Screen Takeoff 4.3 (153) [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 October 19th, 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 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 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. “This software is extremely intuitive, easy to use, and accurate. “ March 30, 2021 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 153 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Verified Reviewer Estimator & Project Manager Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Great estimating tool" September 25, 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 ME Marvin E. Estimator - Project Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "The Best Estimating Software" January 21, 2025 5.0 I have been using this software for almost five years, and it's been the correct tool to get the work done, bids have been awarded, and the results have been great. Software is easy to use and with the right training and knowledge, which is very well provided, we can provide accurate budgets for our customers. Pros What I like most about On-Screen Takeoff is its capability to work on server level, that has allowed the team to work more efficiently and share information, and review projects, all in the same place. Cons Although this is optional, but we got the Takeoff Boost, but personally, I haven't used it a lot, I prefer to do the job manually because of different reasons. Review Source R Reviewer Chief Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Outdated" November 24, 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 R Reviewer Project Estimator Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Great Takeoff Software" May 11, 2018 5.0 Great software if you need to do professional quantity takeoffs Pros This product offers you a lot of options to structure your takeoff: - Conditions: This is the main structure to organize your takeoff. Fully customizable, conditions can be used as a CSI-Code structure. - Layers: Similar to CAD-Software, you can create layers (even as Master layers which will be available for all projects) and assign a layer to each takeoff. Turning layers on/off helps you to work with multiple takeoffs on one drawing. - Zones: Creating zones (and organize them on a separate layer) helps to split your takeoff according to the zones - fully automated! - Takeoffs: Each takeoff can have up to three different quantities - whatever you need. Takeoff description: each takeoff (condition) has a name as well as a field for notes where you can put a full description of your item. - Multi-takeoff: This is an outstanding feature, saving a lot of time: mark several conditions (takeoff-items) and do your takeoff: the takeoff will be done for each of the simultaneously! - Second window: the program allows you to open a second window, to have another drawing (details etc.) open while you work on your first drawing. - Overlay: changes in drawings can made visible by using the new drawing as an overlay on top of the old drawing: you will automatically see, what changed. There are much more pros and features available than any other takeoff software. This is the great thing about a software that is a takeoff software and nothing else: the software does not pretend to be an estimating software and by focusing on takeoff, the software does a great job. Online descriptions are available for almost every issue you might run in. Cons The software is missing only one feature: to assign a different condition to a specific takeoff is not available (up to now). Review Source R Reviewer Sr. Preconstruction Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Preferred over Plan Swift" August 21, 2018 5.0 I work in multi-family construction and need to be able to do quick conceptual estimates and the later detailed estimates that require more takeoff. I've been using OST for the takeoff for the last 11 years. I love it. Pros OST is easy to get up and running. It's intuitive and user friendly. I was recently introduced to PlanSwift - a competitor to OST and it was overly complicated. It was hard to figure out how to go in and just take the SF of a room. With OST it's a breeze to take a simple measurement or do more extensive takeoff without needing an owners manual or even a tutorial. Cons Is the difficulty in naming sheets that are imported in. It's cumbersome and time consuming. It also makes it hard to relink to a different folder location. The high cost for a single license is prohibitive to the freelance estimator and forces us to use alternative programs that aren't as efficient. I wish there was a way to make it cheaper for sole proprietorship businesses in the construction industry. Review Source R Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "The best estimating software in the industry" August 14, 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 Mario P. Managing Member Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Works well Easy to use" August 21, 2018 5.0 Allows drawing takeoffs to be completed very quickly. Pros Captures take off data which is easily inserted into excel for you to use in a standard spreadsheet. Cons It is not truly backwards compatible. Newer takeoff data will not work in an older version of the software. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Application Support Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A standard in the Construction industry" August 14, 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. Review Source Verified Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "LOVE IT!" May 29, 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 Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "On-screen takeoff is fairly simple to use and allows you to create a takeoff quickly." June 20, 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 R Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Been using QB since 03 started using OST in 14, CAN NOT imagine going back to ole manual method!" May 31, 2017 5.0 Pros In OST it is possible to become very creative in how you make conditions, it allows you to build your take-offs in a manner that makes sense to you, and you are able to constantly refine and make adjustments to the way you do things, which allows for faster take-offs. And the progression just continues. Also the tech team that comes with the subscription cannot be beat, those people are the best software fix my stuff in a heartbeat group...period paragraph no more conversation about it!!! Cons Sometimes the General Exceptions box pops up and when it closes it resets some of my preferences, however its very simple to readjust and be moving again. Review Source R Reviewer Project Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Accurate and easy to use" September 19, 2017 5.0 The ability to quickly and accurately develop complete estimates for our clients. Pros The accuracy and ease of use to get started has been great and then once you get into it you realize that there is so much more to the program and that you are only scratching the surface of what the software can do. Cons The feeling that if I only had more time to commit to explore the software I would be able to do so much more with it. Review Source Kristen S. Project Manager Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Great Estimating Program!" January 18, 2018 5.0 Keep up the good work On Screen! I would like to see more added features and additional updates more than just once or twice a year. Pros This program is also... easy to learn, easy to use, easy to train on! All that you need to complete accurate takeoffs for bidding is available in one software package! Purchase this product, you will not be disappointed! Intelligent paste function is awesome and great to use for repetitive items. Cons I would more colors to differentiate areas when I am doing take offs and more overlays should be possible. There are always so many plans and revisions and only allowing one overlay makes it difficult at times to provide an accurate takeoff without doing the work twice. Review Source R Reviewer VP of Sales Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Essential Construction Takeoff tool" April 1, 2021 5.0 Overall, we are using OST as our primary estimating takeoff solution. Our team has enjoyed its use. Pros This software is extremely intuitive, easy to use, and accurate. I have used various takeoff tools and this product has always been the best. Cons I wish the software came preloaded with takeoff items rather than having to create them or buy a database of items. Review Source R Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "The On-Center Suite is very easy to use and versatile." May 23, 2017 5.0 Fast and accurate take-offs and estimates. Pros The take-off and estimating software is much simpler to use and faster than other software I have used. This allows me to bid more jobs while maintaining a high level of accuracy. Cons The shortfall of this software in my opinion is that it doesn't have a native accounting companion. Other software suites offer an accounting component built-in which is a great way to tie your whole company together. The export functions are not quite good enough to accomplish that. Review Source R Reviewer Vice President Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Our full office functions on OST and we enjoy it thoroughly!" May 23, 2017 4.0 easy take offs Pros We like most that it is pretty user-friendly and easy to train on. The Customer Support has been amazing every time we've called. Cons Conversions can at times be slow and renaming pages is very difficult compared to other products we have used. Review Source R Reviewer Admin Services Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "OST Fair Product" January 17, 2019 3.0 Overall the program is good and is sufficient for what we need to do. However, it would be more beneficial to us once we are able to operate the software off a cloud based platform. Pros I like that the baseline version of the software is fairly simple to use and is a good basic takeoff software. It's nice that you can share licenses among users for those whom may not be in it consistently. Cons The software is not cloud based. We are limited on usage on our server due to the level in which the software is capable of connecting to our primary takeoff software. They say they will be cloud based soon. Review Source R Reviewer Manager/Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "On-Screen Takeoff for Estimators" September 1, 2016 4.0 I use it almost everyday of the week for all my 2D takeoff. Roadwork's paving, kerbing (curbing), stormwater, sewer and water reticulation takeoffs just to name a few. Very easy to use once you set up some basic library items. It also has the capability of downloading directly into my Estimating Software. Pros Ease of use - lengths, areas - or both at the same time. Cons Needs a better custom scale box - the one it has is "clunky". Review Source R Reviewer President Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "my experience is that this helps me do a more accurate takeoff " June 1, 2017 5.0 It takes the place of me having to have an estimator. The support is very helpful. Pros the flexability of being able to copy pages and do different things that helps me be able to look at different pricing Cons When taking off walls I build my assemblies in notes. I would like to see this to be able to go into quick bid and my assembly be there. Review Source R Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "OST new feature to change page names, needs a lot of work just takes forever about 10 minutes to change name in 35 pages and after is finish is not even right." February 8, 2019 3.0 thinking of possible move to Planswift Pros i been using it for ten years OST Takeoff and Quick bid it seems to work fine but i just require substantial time to synchronize both products Cons to expensive and you have to use quick bid to complement the product, data does not work seamlessly with Masterbuilders 100 Review Source R Reviewer Project Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "OST is very helpful!!" August 17, 2018 5.0 Pros I honestly could not be as productive working as a metal framing & GWB subcontractor without this software! The ease of use and saving capabilities is very helpful in projects we bid & manage. Cons Not very many cons at all, possibly just leaning to use it takes a bit of time. Review Source R Reviewer Civil Designer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Great for Construction Contractors!" April 27, 2021 4.0 I have used OST for residential and commercial construction projects. It has been a great tool for general estimating. However, whenever I had projects which are very specialized, this software did not help much. for example mechanical/electrical station construction. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to start in estimating and costing. Pros The ease of use for this software is one of the important features that it has. You do not need to have all the technical knowledge regarding estimating for using this. It has been great software for all kinds of estimates. I can manage my drawings, create multiple layers, and group the quantities within few clicks to get perfect quantities. It is very fast, does not require much of a space on hard drive and works perfectly! Cons This software does not support Building Information Modelling (BIM). You can only get the quantities from this software. It does not identify CAD files and does not have a smart algorithm to identify the elements. You have to click, drag and set everything up manually. It does not do automated quantity recognition. Review Source R Reviewer Estimator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "On Screen Review" August 21, 2018 5.0 I use On Screen every day performing concrete estimating. On Screen allows me to move swiftly through my take offs saving valuable time. Pros That you can dump directly into a spreadsheet Cons needs to be a little easier to simply write words or notes on the drawings. Review Source R Reviewer Vice President Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Alex's Review" March 26, 2020 4.0 My experience has been good with On-Screen Takeoff. This program has made my job much easier and more accurate. Everyone with On Center has been very kind in helping me gain the knowledge to use the program to the best of my abilities. Pros The software made estimating much easier do to portability. Everything is very easy to navigate on the software after going through the recommended training. Cons I would like to see the program implement a better system to count angles of duct such as 45 and 90 degree angles. As of right now i have been using a circle and putting it into the middle of these angles. I'd like to see the program improve by coloring the entire piece of the duct. Review Source R Reviewer Owner / President Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "OST - Commercial Level Estimating" August 17, 2018 5.0 Pros The ease, accuracy and time saving elements come to mind first. Cons For my company and level of use, its a bit pricey. 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