PlanSwift alternative for UK builders: EstiMate vs PlanSwift

PlanSwift is a dedicated desktop take-off and estimating tool from ConstructConnect, with AI auto-counting on its entry plan and an AI first-pass take-off on the plan above. If you're a trade estimator who sits at a Windows PC measuring drawings all day, and you price in a spreadsheet anyway, it does that job.

If you're a UK builder who wants to measure a drawing on a laptop, a Mac or an iPad, then go from quantities to a quote, contract and invoice in pounds, with VAT and CIS handled, EstiMate is the better fit. Pro does AI take-off from architect PDFs for £39.99 a month per business.

PlanSwift lives on a Windows PC. Your quotes get written wherever you are at 9pm. That's the difference in a sentence.

PlanSwift vs EstiMate in one table

Feature	PlanSwift	EstiMate Pro
Runs on	Windows only	Any browser, plus iPhone app
Price	$2,000 to $3,000 a seat a year	£39.99 a month per business
Pound pricing	None found	Yes
Trial	14 days, no card	Free plan; Pro trial on upgrade
AI take-off	Auto Count, Auto Scale, AI first pass	Reads PDFs, shows source sheet
Output	Estimate, exports to Excel	Quote link, contract, invoices
UK VAT and CIS	Not found	Yes

Prices checked October 2026 on PlanSwift pricing and EstiMate pricing. "Not found" means we searched PlanSwift's published material in October 2026 and didn't find it.

Windows only, in a Mac and iPad world

PlanSwift's own system requirements say it runs on Windows, and Mac users need Boot Camp or Parallels (PlanSwift system requirements). That's fine if your estimating happens at one desk. It's less fine if you price in the evening on a MacBook, or want to check a quantity on site from an iPad while the client's standing next to you.

EstiMate runs in the browser on desktop, iPhone, iPad and Android, and as an iPhone app. On Pro, the AI quote writer can work from the drawings, a walk-round voice note and site photos together, so what you saw on the survey and what the architect drew end up in the same job.

Dollars per seat vs pounds per business

PlanSwift's plans, from its pricing page:

Essential: $2,000 a year, one seat. AI Auto Count and Auto Scale, plus priority support.
Core: $3,000 a year, one seat. The full Takeoff BOOST, including an AI first-pass take-off.

We found no pound pricing, so you'd be paying in dollars at whatever the exchange rate is on the day.

Illustrative sums for a year, using the listed prices (PlanSwift's are in US dollars and we couldn't find a VAT basis; EstiMate's are what you pay, with a VAT receipt):

One estimator on Core: $3,000.
Two seats on Core: $3,000 × 2 = $6,000.
EstiMate Pro: £39.99 × 12 = £479.88 for the business, on one login.

To be precise about that last one: Pro is priced per business, with one login. If two people need their own logins with roles, that's EstiMate Corp, from £249 a month (£249 × 12 = £2,988 a year).

The Excel handoff

PlanSwift's estimating exports to Excel (PlanSwift features). For plenty of estimators that's the point: the spreadsheet is where the pricing lives. For a builder it means the job leaves the take-off tool and the real work starts somewhere else. Building the quote. Sending it. Chasing it. Writing the contract. Pricing the variations when the client changes their mind about the bifolds.

In EstiMate Pro the quantities stay with the job:

The AI quote writer drafts scope, materials with quantities and prices, labour packages and a programme, using your day rates and quote history. You review and edit everything.
Quote memory records every material price, labour package and margin, and autocomplete suggests your last price for any item.
The quote link goes to the client, who can accept, decline, pick optional extras or ask for amendments.
The accepted quote becomes the contract, signed online.

More on AI construction estimating, and on presenting the quote itself in our guide to creating a professional quote.

Because the estimate lives with the job, you can also see what the job really cost against what you priced. Pro adds cost control and purchase orders; see construction job costing. That's the number that tells you whether your take-offs are any good.

What PlanSwift does well, and who it suits

Fair's fair:

It's a dedicated take-off tool, with AI Auto Count and Auto Scale on Essential and an AI first-pass take-off on Core.
You can try it for 14 days without a card.
It has a decent review base: 4.3 from 396 reviews on Capterra.

The recurring complaints on Capterra are worth knowing. Support can be slow or hard to reach. There's a steep learning curve and limited document compatibility. And one reviewer says perpetual licences bought in 2017 stopped being supported in 2025, forcing a move to subscription (PlanSwift reviews on Capterra).

Who PlanSwift suits: estimators and trade contractors who measure drawings all day on Windows, price in Excel, and don't need the tool to send quotes or invoices.

Who EstiMate suits better: UK builders who do their own take-offs as part of pricing a job, work across devices, and want one app from quote to accounts. If you're weighing several take-off tools, our best AI take-off software roundup covers Togal, Kreo and Bluebeam as well.

How to switch

Finish any live estimates in PlanSwift. Don't change tools halfway through a tender.
Export the estimates you want to keep to Excel, as you normally would.
Open a free EstiMate account and set up your day rates and the items you use most.
If you have old quotes as PDFs or in paper quote books, upgrade to Pro and import them with AI, so quote memory starts with your own prices.
Run your next drawing set through Pro's AI take-off, and check it against a quick manual measure for the first few jobs.
Check your PlanSwift renewal date before the next annual payment goes out.

With your next set of drawings in hand, start free and try it.