Cubit Estimating vs OpenTakeoff
Cubit Estimating
buildsoft.com.auOpenTakeoff
opentakeoff.kentucky-ai.comSide by side
| Figure | Cubit Estimating | OpenTakeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | A$14.17/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 3 |
| Spec score · Construction Takeoff Software | 9.0 (#5) | 8.6 (#11) |
| Documentation depth | The Help Center lists 189 how-to articles, 25 installation articles and 52 cloud guides. | The repository provides separate user and agent manuals, an MCP reference, changelog, feature map, wiki and contributor guidance. |
| Headquarters | Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia | Shelbyville, Kentucky, United States |
| Intended users | The maker describes the product for estimators, quantity surveyors, builders, and contractors, including teams handling complex multi-trade projects. | The privacy policy says the service is intended for construction professionals and developers, not children under 13. |
| Purpose | Cubit Estimating combines construction takeoff and estimating in one view, with estimates updating as measurements are made. | OpenTakeoff is a construction takeoff engine for measuring quantities from building plans, with a browser canvas for people and an MCP server for AI agents. |
| What it does | Cubit Estimating combines construction quantity takeoff and estimating in one view so measurements update estimates immediately. | OpenTakeoff measures construction-plan quantities for human estimators in a browser canvas and for AI agents through MCP. |
Plans
Cubit Estimating
- AI EstimatingA$20 a month
- AI Estimating add-onA$20 a month
- Cubit Estimating StandardA$170 a year
- Cubit Estimating StandardA$170 a month
- Cubit Estimating ProfessionalA$226 a month
- Cubit Estimating ProfessionalA$226 a year
- Cubit Estimating EnterpriseA$255 a year
- Cubit Estimating EnterpriseA$255 a month
- Cloud SetupPriced on request
- Cubit Estimating CloudPriced on request
In their own words
Cubit Estimating
Cubit Estimating combines construction takeoff and estimating in a view where estimates update as measurements are made. It accepts takeoff from PDF, DWG and DXF CAD, IFC BIM and standard image files. Enterprise supports IFC BIM quantity extraction, volume calculation and revision management, along with Shared Job Access for simultaneous work on an estimate and controls for assigned trades. Users can generate bills of quantities, trade breakdowns and cost analyses in PDF or Excel, then customize and brand reports. Integrations include Xero, Microsoft Excel, MudShark, BuilderTREND, Cubit Select and LiveCosts. The AI Estimating add-on automates repetitive takeoff work and is available with any edition. Buildsoft offers Windows installation and managed cloud access; it states cloud infrastructure maximum uptime of 99.95%. The cloud-hosted option uses encryption, firewalls and regular backups. Pricing is listed from 167 AUD/user/mo (annual), with a 14-day trial that includes Enterprise features and the AI Estimating module. Subscriptions have a minimum 12-month term, and each includes access to Australian-based technical support.
OpenTakeoff
OpenTakeoff measures quantities from building plans through a browser canvas for people and an MCP server for AI agents. Its browser app opens PDF, PNG, JPEG and ZIP plan files, processing them locally without an account or plan upload. Measurements include square feet, square yards, linear feet and each, with waste-adjusted order quantities, supporting-material lists and roll-goods cuts. Exports include CSV, Excel, JSON, PDF and DXF. Drawing OCR is supported. The MCP server runs through `npx -y opentakeoff-mcp` and works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and other stdio MCP clients; agent measurements need a person’s approval in the browser canvas. The default workspace keeps plans, measurements, annotations, materials and project settings in browser storage on the device. Optional connections include Google Drive, Microsoft 365, configured AI providers and a scanned-schedule service that can send a selected image to Google Gemini. OpenTakeoff is free, with no account required, and Apache-2.0 licensed. It runs on web, Linux, macOS and Windows, with an API and self-hosting options. One-Click Area is temporarily gated, and the default MCP build does not register room-detection verbs.