# PrebuiltML Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is PrebuiltML the right Takeoff solution for you? Explore 54 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/133330/PrebuiltML/reviews --- PrebuiltML 4.6 (54) 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 PrebuiltML Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.8 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 54 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use BG Brian G. Sales Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using Prebuilt puts more money in your pocket." April 16, 2019 5.0 The biggest benefit of this software is it make me more money! Pros Easy to learn . I'm 55 years old and have problems learning new technology. The guys at Prebuilt were able to train me in a few short months. There support has been amazing. Cons There are a few minor things I would change but overall no complaints . Review Source JC Joseph C. Estimator Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Estima Review " February 26, 2019 5.0 I think the Estima Estimating Software is a First Class estimating platform, and I have worked with other estimating programs in the past for years. The learning curve, from not knowing a thing about the program's software to becoming productive is short in the big picture. Pros The number of "looks" you can print out. Your template system available is great. Cons Building the wall assemblies, previously programs build the assemblies before takeoff begins. With Estima you build the assembly as you do the takeoff.... No big deal, you get used to that the more Reps you take. Review Source KS Kevin S. Construction Used the software for: ### "Use product to complete EWP Take-Off's and Design Layout drawings." October 15, 2014 3.5 Pros I like the ease of use to quickly complete a take-off. I also like how materials are linked. Making changes/revisions are fast and it updates easily and quickly. Finally, I like the preset selections for items like hangers/connectors based on products used. Cons The file sizes are too large (typically averaging 10MB and up) when only importing 3-4 PDF trace images. Review Source MB Mark B. Estimator/Designer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Creates a nice presentation for takeoffs." March 17, 2017 5.0 The software is continually improving and adding more features. Being able to create color coded takeoffs makes a nice description of material, usage, and placement. Tech support is very prompt in responding to questions and/or issues. That's invaluable in my opinion for a software company to provide. Pros The visibility and location of materials utilized for the takeoff. Cons I'd like to be able to remove items never used from the material list as well as be able to code some items for ease of transferring to a pricing software. Review Source BS Brad S. Outside Sales Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good I enjoy the software in general" June 28, 2017 4.0 Pros I enjoy the ability to quickly make changes to lumber estimates and print out detailed reports quickly. Cons There needs to be an undo function to correct mistakes. Every software I have ever used has an undo function except this, and it can be frustrating. Review Source EM Ed M. Design Used the software for: ### "Estima is easy to use but still need lots of improvement." October 17, 2014 4.0 Pros 1\. I like the easy setup to start a job, like inputing job data and scaling, and manipulating tif or png file format background. 2. Using containers to input materials in a wide area of the plan is very convenient, though it still needs improvement when inputing small item accessories, like hangers and blockings. 3. Generating a material list is fast and easy. The different view list options are very convenient. 4. The option to be able to create different list of products, different levels, and application is very convenient. 5. Being able to create bookmarks is great. 6. I also like the option to be able to copy and paste a large amount or the entire product input on a plan. 7. Flashing objects on the plan is excellent. Cons 1\. The work becomes slow in working big projects. 2. Product labels get tight, and they crowd over one another. It would be very helpful if the user had the tool to detach labels and was able to manipulate its location and orientation (vertical or horizontal) 3. Creating and editing text is easy, but there is no option to resize already created text box. Review Source AK Andrew K. Outside Sales Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The new and ever improving Estima Software" March 21, 2015 4.5 Pros They are always making it better. I started on the Planswift version. It was very difficult to use. Weyerhausauer has made many improvements to their product. This has made it very user-friendly. I love using this product! Cons The newer version, without the Planswift, is better, but tends to crash if I'm not working at the office. I can't understand how it knows I'm not there, but it does. But I'm not an IT guy either. I hope they can get that bug fixed. Review Source SS Shawn S. Construction Used the software for: ### "I use Estima on a daily basis." October 15, 2014 4.5 Pros I like that you can quickly generate a take-off or material list based off of any imported PDF drawing at any scale. The recent upgrades to adjust document skew and rotation have been very helpful. Cons I dislike the features. There are a number of features or improvements that would make Estima even better. The ability to copy and paste between .pedb files would be a big help with long term productivity. I'd like better functionality between versions also. Sometimes importing older versions into the current version creates a lot of problems to the point where the take-off has to be re-drawn. Being able to export to a CAD file would also be a nice feature. We often use Estima as a preliminary design tool and then use CAD as a final design tool. Adding the ability to assign shortcut keys would be a great improvement as well. Review Source CG Charles G. EWP Technician Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "PreBuilt is okay" November 19, 2018 4.0 Overall PrebuiltML is okay. it was a little difficult to pickup on. but after watching the videos it became very simple and I have started using it for work designing floor systems. although some things need to be added, like a UNDO BUTTON.. it is still good Pros what I like about this software is the ease of use (within the given abilities). Putting in most plans and doing a floor layout for work is very simple usually. Cons NO UNDO. I mean come on, this is one of my biggest issues with Prebuilt. I just do not see the logic in not having one. Also dynamic input similar to autocad would be great! so that way if a drawing can not be scaled, we can set the page to whatever scale, and draw. Review Source DS Daniel S. Owner Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "PrebuiltML is an excellent product with an even better customer support. They go above and beyond." September 2, 2017 4.0 Great presentation and communication to clients. Pros I like the view port and engine for navigating project plans. Very fast and intuitive. Many other features are impressive like the obvious take off portion and color coding along with the custom functionality of creating categories and products. Lots of flexibility to customize quickly. Cons I wish there was an undo button and I wish it was available on Mac. This being said the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons. Review Source eR eric R. Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great software" March 20, 2017 5.0 The support staff immediately responded and was very helpful. I switched from oncenter software to prebuilt and have been very happy Pros It is very efficient for completing a takeoff along with the info it provides when you are done Cons Some of the tables have an over powering amount of information- it is easy to get lost on what you are looking at. I've had a hard time tracking down products because I was in the wrong location (mostly hangers). I understand why it is broken out though I find myself scrolling though the application lists a lot trying to figure out what is the right product Review Source RA Rimi A. Freelance designer Architecture & Planning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Excellent method to price and estimate project costs " November 28, 2018 4.0 Pros Availability of product lists and materials pricing at any given time. Scalability of the software to meet our projects whether they are small builds or larger proposed commercial designs. Cons So far only issue is working with interface to draw or create our projects to be used for the pricing up stage. Support is excellent so so far no issues that are major. Review Source RP Rich P. Construction Used the software for: ### "Great Product for all Estimating" October 22, 2014 4.5 Pros I like the fact that lists are compiled for me. Once I learned to link walls, the program essentially thinks for you. All products have been accounted for when doing an estimate. Cons I dislike not being able to link drywall with my linear wall measurements. Review Source AM Alex M. Vice President Building Materials Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "We have thoroughly enjoyed this software and the efficiency it has brought to our organization." March 5, 2018 5.0 Increased productivity and the ability to adjust waste factors down to a formulaic level versus shooting from the hip. Pros The ability to make accurate changes on the fly as the customer's project evolves and the generation of roofing and flooring layouts to avoid confusion. Cons There are some elements that should be shown in pc count (under a specific dimension) vs linear feet. For instance plate length and ridge. Review Source BF Brian F. Construction Used the software for: ### "prebuilt - review" September 17, 2014 5.0 Pros It's extremely user-friendly. Cons I would like to have more control over presets. (i.e. to be able to make a preset with multiple areas and also be able to make an area preset with only one edge with a material). Review Source AS Abel S. Outside Sales Representative Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great product + excellent customer service = PrebuiltML" March 21, 2015 4.0 Pros The software is accurate and makes takeoffs more time-efficient, while gaining customer confidence. Cons There are a few quirks in the software that need to be improved to make it perfect, but the customer service team is responsive and the development team is addressing them one by one in their updates. There's not much that I don't like about this product. Review Source DN David N. Construction Used the software for: ### "Structural Frame Designer" October 15, 2014 5.0 Pros I like the simplicity of input and the great output. Cons I cannot say that I have anything negative to say about this software or its vendor. Review Source RM Ray M. Used the software for: ### "Prebuilt excels at quick accurate takeoffs" April 11, 2017 5.0 I use Prebuilt for EWP takeoffs. It has cut my takeoff time for a large MF project down from 4-5 days to just 1 or 2 days. Easy to use and great support team. Review Source PS Pete S. Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Very powerful software program in terms of simplicity and being customizable for different sectors" February 8, 2018 5.0 Ease of use Pros Prebuilt ML allows me to perform estimation tasks for my insulation company paperless and from any location. What I like best is I can set up each project in it's own folder, and always have access to it. Also, It eliminates the expense of copying or printing full-size blueprints. The cost savings in this alone is enormous, and helps increase net profit. Also, Prebuilt generates automatic quantity reports and piece counts based on product categories input by the end user. This eliminates the need to write notes on other paper and keep them organized and stored. The material reports can be exported to Excel or saved as PDF's. Also, I am able to make e-mailable crops and notes on the drawings should questions or discussion points arise. These items really add up to save time on any project, weather it's 3 or 300 sheets of drawings. Also, Prebuilt's customer support team has been an an incredible asset over the last few years. Customer rep and his team have always gone above and beyond in answering questions during setup and when an issue arises. I would call my computer skills better than average, however the layout of the software is such that anyone with beginning to intermediate skills can use Prebuilt without difficulty. Customers and contractors are always shocked when I show them this software for the first time. It makes a great sales tool as it generates exact quantities while eliminating the potential for human input errors. Cons Probably the single-most challenge in using Prebuilt is the need to input and scale each needed. sheet. This does take time, however it only needs to be done once. Once input, scales are automatically saved, and can be drawn on immediately. I find it goes pretty fast, and sometimes it helps identify measurement errors on especially hand drawn sheets. You can also add new sheets and delete new sheets as needed. Also, You can place un-needed sheets in a separate folder to reduce visual clutter in the file. Review Source EK Elizabeth K. Estimator Building Materials Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Take off software for framing, exterior trim, roofing, siding, & decks" March 15, 2023 5.0 Good tech support and knowledgebase Pros On screen digitizerComponent & system (pack) organizationNotes featurePOS import Cons POS SKU implementationMapping SKU's (item codes) is a lot of work manually instead of an import file scenario... Alternatives considered [PlanSwift](https://www.capterra.com/p/70808/PlanSwift/) Reason for choosing PrebuiltML POS integration & support service Review Source JG Jason G. Corporate Estimator Used the software for: ### "Best Takeoff Software Around!!" December 1, 2014 5.0 I have been working in this profession for 12+ years and have worked with 2 other estimating software programs, and have had numerous demos of others. This takeoff software is by far superior to any other I have seen or worked with. As a former builder, I am most impressed by the way I can easily create layouts to convey "exactly" how the material is anticipated to be used. This allows the customer to ensure that the material has actually been accounted for by the estimator, and basically has a diagram of how to put the building together. As an estimator, I appreciate the ease of use. I like being able to do everything electronically over the drawings that are provided to us. I can add notes for myself or for the customer, and control what is seen. I can highlight information that is pertinent to the takeoff. I can perform measurements. All of this can be done without printing out the drawing, so it is all saved right in my computer. Thus saving us plotter paper, ink and space in my office for the hundreds of prints that used to accumulate. The customer service experience is excellent!! Any issues are immediately addressed. The available online videos can virtually walk you through about anything you try to achieve. Probably the most impressive thing is, they listen to ideas that users give. As a dedicated 40+ hours per week user I'll often think of enhancements that may improve the software. In my past software experiences I'd be told that the ideas would be passed onto development and it may take a year or so before they'd be incorporated into a release. Many of the ideas I have suggested for this software are available in just a few months after suggesting. There seems to be a release every few months, and I am always excited to find out what is new. This a great tool for sales! Being able to efficiently perform the takeoff, show that the material has been accounted for and present any issues in the design or material discrepancies, to our customer allows us to make a great impression and at the same time helps make sure that our customer is comparing "apples to apples", or that they're clearly able to see what our competition has simply left out or not addressed. There is simply nothing I'd rather be using! I already have the best there is!! Review Source DH Danielle H. Construction Used the software for: ### "Great software" August 16, 2014 4.5 Pros I am an estimator, and I use this software all day, five days a week. I started using it when it was first released. When I started, I was taught by another estimator, and he taught me to do everything the way he does his takeoffs. By watching the different videos, attending the online demos, and talking with customer support, I have figured out completely different ways to complete my takeoffs. What has impressed me the most is that you can put as little effort into learning the software as you want to. If you just want a point and click software that will give you square footage, linear footage, etc., you can do that. But if you want to use it like we do - importing stocking lengths, preferences, notes, and layout colors, or creating customized templates for each lumber yard and builder we work with - you can do that, too. Customer service is great. I always get a response to my questions within the hour, and usually within a few minutes. Lastly, the thing I think is most important is that the software developers work hand-in-hand on a daily basis with framers and contractors. The software reflects that. It's easy enough to use that you can pick it up once a month and do fine. It's complex enough that you can use it every day and still find ways to cut down on time and increase accuracy. Cons One of the things that I like best about the software, its flexibility, is also one of the pitfalls. It can do so much that sometimes it feels a little overwhelming. Once you start looking under the hood (stocking lengths, preferences, etc.), you realize how much is actually there. Thankfully, you don't have to take advantage of all that stuff if you don't want to. You can always ignore it if you just want really simple takeoff software. Review Source SC Sheldon C. Owner Construction Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Hard to imagine a better support staff with this great product." June 21, 2016 5.0 I was a Carpenter, Framing & General Contractor for over 47 years, always did my own estimating & material lists. Starting doing lumber lists for my lumber yard 3 years ago, and been using PrebuiltML X for almost a year now, and sure wish I started sooner. I researched several other takeoff products prior to choosing Prebuilt, the leasing option allows you to use it without big investment up front, and they extended the trial period to me for over a month. Couldn't be more pleased with my choice. Pros This software has so much flexibility in it, that you can find all kinds of ways to accomplish your lists the way you want, I did. The more you use it the more you see and learn different ways to do the work. Constantly finding ways to improve efficiency & methods . The updates with improvements and added features often include your wish lists & always useful. Updates seem to be released every few months. The lists provided and trail of information to answer questions later are all there with ease of access. On top of a great product is the service and support that comes with it. I can't imagine a support service any better, just ain't possible. This staff is as good as it gets, and I have spoken with several of them many times. Robbie is always helpful and quickly follows up with answers not at hand for him then, and always a pleasure talking to him and the other guys. I rate this support team as 6 of 5 in all ways. Cons There are no cons to this product & support staff. whatever additional features & improvements can be made they are working on it, and listening to us as customers with our wants. Review Source JH Josh H. Used the software for: ### "The New Side of Takeoff Software" August 11, 2014 5.0 Pros: I began using PrebuiltML when it was first released. The software was truly amazing and has become better than ever before in the months since its release. As a full-time construction takeoff producer, I could not be happier with the firepower that PrebuiltML puts in the hands of a producer. Something that I have really liked about PrebuiltML is that the software engineers are always talking with full-time takeoff producers. It's not a software company that does not know the industry of their product. There is always that practical approach to everything in regards to real world material takeoffs, which are sometimes complex and messy. Also, something that stands out above other takeoff software, is PrebuiltML's flexibility. There is a way to do nearly everything. Profiles can be set or imported/exported and stored for a certain builder/customer. Each month or so, there is a new release, typically with new features. You might be a full-time takeoff producer, dealing with hardware, siding, rebar, trim, insulation, drywall, roofing, etc, and PrebuiltML will do the job. If you do general SF/LF takeoffs from time to time, PrebuiltML is perfect for that as well. All in all, I am very pleased with PrebuiltML, and having used another big name Takeoff software out there previously before I began using PrebuiltML, I would not go back to the former. Cons: I have not really found anything with the product or vendor that I didn't like. Overall: If you are looking into buying software for doing takeoffs, whether this software or any other, ask yourself if the software is right for the job at hand. I have worked with software before that, in my opinion, was not adequate and required far too many work arounds. Also, is the software you are looking at overkill? If software takes you several months to learn, it is possible that you are using a Ferrari with tons of bells and whistles when what you need is a 4x4 to get the job done quickly and done right? PrebuiltML can be learned easily in a month if the user does takeoffs fairly frequently. Review Source JH Josh H. Design Used the software for: ### "The New Side of Takeoff Software" July 15, 2014 4.5 Pros I began using PrebuiltML when it was first released. The software was truly amazing and has become better than ever before in the months since its release. As a full-time construction takeoff producer, I could not be happier with the firepower that PrebuiltML puts in the hands of a producer. Something that I have really liked about PrebuiltML is that the software engineers are always talking with full-time takeoff producers. It's not a software company that does not know the industry of their product. There is always that practical approach to everything in regards to real world material takeoffs, which are sometimes complex and messy. Also, something that stands out above other takeoff software, is PrebuiltML's flexibility. There is a way to do nearly everything. Profiles can be set or imported/exported and stored for a certain builder/customer. Each month or so, there is a new release, typically with new features. You might be a full-time takeoff producer, dealing with hardware, siding, rebar, trim, insulation, drywall, roofing, etc, and PrebuiltML will do the job. If you do general SF/LF takeoffs from time to time, PrebuiltML is perfect for that as well. All in all, I am very pleased with PrebuiltML, and having used another big name Takeoff software out there previously before I began using PrebuiltML, I would not go back to the former. Cons I have not really found anything with the product or vendor that I didn't like. Review Source Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.