OpenTakeoff vs TakeCost
OpenTakeoff
opentakeoff.kentucky-ai.com
TakeCost
takecost.comSide by side
| Figure | OpenTakeoff | TakeCost |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · Construction Takeoff Software | 8.6 (#11) | 8.1 (#14) |
| Headquarters | Shelbyville, Kentucky, United States | Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada |
| Intended users | The privacy policy says the service is intended for construction professionals and developers, not children under 13. | The maker presents TakeCost for general contractors, builders, subcontractors, and architects and designers who estimate construction work. |
| Purpose | 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. | TakeCost is a digital construction takeoff and estimating tool for uploading plans, measuring materials, building estimates, and creating proposals. |
| Support | Users can contact Michael Edlin by email or open a support issue; the policy notes that GitHub issues are public. | Support is available through help desk tickets, live chat, email, and phone; the Accelerated plan includes priority support. |
Plans
In their own words
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.