If you want a PlanSwift alternative you buy once, MeasureSet is a Windows app that measures plan PDFs to scale (length, area, one-click rooms, counts, deductions) and exports per-sheet and per-set totals to Excel, CSV, or a marked-up PDF, offline. It costs about twice what the cheapest one-time takeoff tools do and is not an estimating suite, so if you price inside the takeoff tool, look at Takeoff Field Tools or stay with PlanSwift.
PlanSwift is a takeoff and estimating program sold on annual plans. Many small trade contractors use only the measuring half: open the PDF, set the scale, trace rooms and runs, count fixtures, then do the pricing in their own spreadsheet. For that job, a yearly plan can feel like a lot. Here is what the one-time options actually offer, with their prices.
Measure plan PDFs to scale and send the totals to Excel, on your PC.
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What is the short answer?
- Stay with PlanSwift if you build estimates from assemblies inside the takeoff tool, or want AI tools such as Auto Takeoff.
- Pick Takeoff Field Tools if you want takeoff and estimating in one Windows program for a one-time $79.
- Pick PolyPDF if you work on both Mac and Windows; $74.95 once covers up to three computers.
- Pick Excalibur View if you are one person and want a free desktop takeoff app.
- Pick Project Blueprint if you are on a Mac.
- Pick MeasureSet if you price in Excel and want room-click areas, wall area from a height, volume from a depth, sloped roof area, waste, door and window deductions, and per-sheet and per-set totals, on Windows, with nothing uploaded.
What does PlanSwift cost, and what do you get?
According to PlanSwift’s pricing page, there are two annual plans, each for one seat with discounts for more seats: PlanSwift Essential at $2,000 a year and PlanSwift Core at $3,000 a year. Both include takeoff and estimating in one tool with pre-built assemblies for your trade, updates, priority support, and training. Core adds the full Takeoff BOOST suite, including Auto Takeoff. There is a 14-day free trial with no card on file. PlanSwift answers the “do I own it” question directly: Essential and Core are annual plans.
That is a lot of software. If you use it, the price can be fair. If you only measure, it is a lot to pay every year.
How do the one-time alternatives compare?
Facts about other tools come from their own sites, checked on 17 October 2026.
| Tool | Price | Platform | Computers | Estimating built in | Export | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeasureSet | One-time; regular US list price $149.99 in the Microsoft Store | Windows | Per Microsoft Store license | No, measuring and totals only | .xlsx (Marks and Totals sheets), .csv, marked-up PDF | 15-day free trial |
| Takeoff Field Tools | $79 once | Windows | One user, two PCs | Yes, assemblies, costs, proposals | Proposals and workbooks | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| PolyPDF Pro | $74.95 once | Mac and Windows | Up to 3 computers | Not stated | Worksheet export | Free tier with up to 3 measurements |
| Excalibur View | Free for one person; Office $250 a seat, paid once | Not compared here | Not compared here | Not compared here | Excel, CSV, PDF | Free |
| Project Blueprint | US$79 one-off (US$19 for the first 100 Founder customers) | macOS 14 or later | Two Macs | Not stated | CSV | 14-day trial |
| PlanSwift (for reference) | $2,000 or $3,000 a year per seat | Not compared here | One seat per plan | Yes, with assemblies | Not compared here | 14-day free trial |
Sources: PlanSwift pricing, Takeoff Field Tools, PolyPDF, Excalibur, Project Blueprint.
Why does MeasureSet cost more than the cheapest one-time tools?
It does, and it is worth saying plainly. At its regular price of $149.99, MeasureSet costs about twice what Takeoff Field Tools ($79) or PolyPDF Pro ($74.95) cost, and Excalibur View is free for one person. Takeoff Field Tools also includes estimating, which MeasureSet does not.
So what does the extra money buy? Not more features across the board. It buys a specific set of measuring tools aimed at finish trades who price in Excel:
- One click per room. The room tool adds a closed room’s floor area from one click inside it, wall to wall where walls are drawn filled. Shift+click measures only the open floor.
- Label properties that carry. Give a label a height for wall area, a depth for volume, a roof slope for sloped area, or a waste percent, and every mark with that label follows.
- Deductions. Doors and windows deducted from a wall keep their own height.
- Totals by sheet and set. Every label totals per sheet and for the whole project, ready for the bid.
- Revision compare. Open a revised PDF and it is blended with the sheet: red only on this sheet, blue only on the revision.
- Privacy. No account, no upload, no telemetry, and no network calls. It refuses to save over any plan PDF open in the session.
If those match how you work, the price difference may be worth it over a few bids. If they do not, the cheaper tools are the better buy, and we would rather you pick one of them than regret MeasureSet. The 15-day trial exists so you can find out on your own plans.
Open a real plan set in the 15-day trial and export the totals to Excel.
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How do I do a takeoff in MeasureSet?
- Open the plans. Choose Open, then PDF plan, and pick the set. The Sheets list shows each page’s size and whether it is calibrated.
- Set the scale. Choose Calibrate, click both ends of a printed dimension, and type its length, such as 40’-0”. Or pick a standard scale for a full-size sheet. Check a second dimension with the segment tool.
- Measure. Type a label such as Carpet or Walls under Next mark, then click inside rooms, trace runs, outline areas, or count items.
- Add properties. Give the label a height, depth, roof slope, or waste in the inspector, and tick Deduct from the total for openings.
- Export. Choose Excel workbook (.xlsx), CSV (.csv), or Marked-up plan (.pdf). Save the project to reopen it later.
For the method, see how to do a takeoff from PDF plans, how to set the scale on a PDF drawing, and calculating flooring square footage from plans.
What will MeasureSet not do?
- Estimate. It is a takeoff ruler, not an estimating suite: no assemblies, no cost database, and no cloud collaboration. Your spreadsheet does the pricing.
- Find symbols. Counts are clicks. It does not search the drawing for symbols.
- Open non-PDF files. Drawings in other formats need to be saved as PDF first.
- Handle mixed scales on one sheet. Each sheet has one scale.
- Draw arcs. There is no circle or arc tool, and points snap to other marks’ corners, not the drawing’s lines.
- Run on a Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a PlanSwift alternative with a one-time purchase?
Yes. MeasureSet, Takeoff Field Tools, PolyPDF Pro, Excalibur View (Office tier), and Project Blueprint are all sold once rather than yearly. PlanSwift’s Essential and Core are annual plans.
What is the cheapest PlanSwift alternative?
Excalibur View is free for one person. Among paid one-time tools, PolyPDF Pro is $74.95 and Takeoff Field Tools is $79. MeasureSet costs more, at a regular $149.99.
Does MeasureSet do estimating?
No. It measures and totals quantities. Export to Excel and price there, or choose Takeoff Field Tools or PlanSwift for estimating built in.
Can MeasureSet export to Excel?
Yes. It writes an .xlsx with a Marks sheet and a Totals sheet, plus CSV and a marked-up PDF with a totals page.
Can MeasureSet compare plan revisions?
Yes. Open a revised PDF to blend it with the sheet. It pairs sheets by number and assumes the revision is drawn in the same place on a sheet of the same shape.
Do my plans get uploaded?
No. MeasureSet makes no network calls and has no account.
Try MeasureSet
MeasureSet is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, and the Store runs a 15-day free trial with the full app. Open a real plan PDF, set the scale, check one dimension you know, click into a few rooms, and export the totals to Excel. See our overview of one-time purchase takeoff software, or go to the MeasureSet product page.
Try it on your next plan set during the 15-day free trial.
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PlanSwift is a trademark of its owner. Microsoft, Windows, and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. MeasureSet is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Last updated 17 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.