Takeoff and estimating software: 2026 comparison for residential contractors

Most takeoff software stops… at the takeoff. After that, labour, general conditions, overhead, profit and taxes happen in Excel, and the schedule in another program you pay for separately. Three tools, three copies of the same numbers, to redo every time the drawings change.

KOR links takeoff, estimate, schedule and tasks in one tool, in English and French, in the browser. Here's how it compares with the software a residential contractor in Canada will likely look at.

At a glance

	KOR	PlanSwift	Bluebeam Revu	STACK	Togal.AI	Buildxact	e-Plans
PDF takeoff	✓ Sheet names and scales detected	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes, AI-assisted	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Full estimate (labour, general conditions, taxes)	✓ Included, GST / QST / HST	Prices on materials; the rest often in Excel	✗ Quantities to Excel	✓ Labour, markup, sales tax	✗ Excel export or partner program	✓ Labour, markup, taxes	With L'Estimateur Général (L'Essentiel plan)
Schedule included	✓ Gantt, links, critical path	✗ No	✗ No	✗ Not in the takeoff plan	✗ No	Pro plan only	✗ Not documented
Durations calculated from quantities	✓ Quantity ÷ production rate	✗ No	✗ No	✗ No	✗ No	Not documented	✗ Not documented
Tasks assigned to the team	✓ Yes, linked to activities	✗ Not documented	✗ Not documented	✗ Not documented	✗ Not documented	Not documented	✗ Not documented
Mac, tablet, browser	✓ Browser, installable	✗ Windows only	Revu: Windows; Mac: web or iOS version	✓ Browser	✓ Browser	✓ Browser	✗ Windows (installed)
French interface	✓ English and French	✗ Not documented	Revu 21 (not the web version)	✗ Not documented	✗ Not documented	✗ Not documented	✓ Yes
Users included	✓ 3	One licence per seat	Per user	Per user	Per user	Not documented	Not documented
Starting price	✓ CA$69 / month for 3	US$1,750–2,000 / year per seat	US$260 / user / year (Basics)	Limited free plan; paid from US$249–299 / user / month	US$299 / user / month, billed yearly	$169 / month billed yearly (Foundation)	From CA$99 / month
Free trial	✓ 14 days, no credit card	✓ 14 days	✓ 14 days	✓ 7 days of Pro, then limited free	✓ 14 days	✓ 14 days	✓ 30 or 60 days (by page)

The real cost for a team of 3

An estimator, a project manager and a superintendent: here's what takeoff + estimate + schedule costs for one year. For tools without scheduling, we add Microsoft Project Plan 3 (the plan with critical path and baselines), at US$30 per user per month. Amounts are calculated from published prices; currencies are the vendors' own, with no conversion.

For 3 users, per month	KOR	PlanSwift + Microsoft Project	STACK + Microsoft Project	Togal.AI + Microsoft Project
Takeoff	✓ Included	≈ US$440–500	US$747–897	US$897
Estimate	✓ Included	Excel (often already paid for)	✓ Included	Excel or partner program
Schedule	✓ Included	US$90	US$90	US$90
Tasks	✓ Included	✗ No	✗ No	✗ No
Total	CA$69 / month (CA$39 at the founder price)	≈ US$530–590 / month	US$837–987 / month	US$987 / month

The first 19 companies to subscribe to KOR pay CA$39 a month, for as long as they stay subscribed. Each additional user is CA$10 a month.

Why KOR

The estimate is included, not an add-on

Takeoff quantities flow straight into the estimate. Starter templates (2x6 wall, drywall, insulation, roofing, concrete…) calculate materials with formulas in plain words that you can edit. Separate material and labour prices, a company price book, general conditions always at the top (staff, site trailer, dumpster, permits), overhead, profit and contingency.

A schedule linked to quantities

KOR proposes a starting schedule from your takeoff: one activity per trade and per section, in construction order, with a calculated duration (quantity ÷ your crews' production rate). When quantities change, KOR suggests the new duration without forcing anything. Gantt chart, finish-to-start, start-to-start and finish-to-finish links, critical path, milestones, baseline.

Tasks for the whole team

Permits to apply for, orders to place, site visits: tasks are assigned to a person, with a due date that can follow an activity in the schedule. If the activity moves, the task follows.

Exports ready to send

Estimates to Excel (with real formulas, recalculated if you change a price) and PDF, with your company's logo and contact details. A full version by trade, a material list for your supplier, or a client version with one amount per trade.

Built for Québec and Canada

Interface, templates, formulas and exports in English or French, each person's choice. GST and QST, or HST depending on the job site's province. Québec statutory holidays and the CCQ construction holiday in the schedule. Concrete in m³, roof pitch in x/12, studs named by length (2x6 × 9'). On Windows, Mac or tablet, nothing to install.

The others in one line

PlanSwift: a proven takeoff tool backed by ConstructConnect, with reusable assemblies; Windows only.
Bluebeam Revu: the reference for reading, marking up and comparing PDF drawings as a team; Revu 21 is available in French.
STACK: online takeoff and estimating, with a free plan to try it out; scheduling isn't in the takeoff plan.
Togal.AI: AI-assisted takeoff (automatic room and area detection), for teams that already have a pricing tool.
Buildxact: built for residential builders, from estimating to job management; scheduling starts at the Pro plan ($339 / month billed yearly on the Canadian site).
e-Plans: a Québec product, in French, from a team of estimators; takeoff on Windows, linked to the same publisher's L'Estimateur Général.

To be fair: these products have been around longer than KOR, and some have more integrations or AI auto-takeoff. KOR's edge is everything that comes after the takeoff, in one place, for a whole team.

What's next: from preconstruction to handover

KOR doesn't stop at the bid. Two modules are in preparation:

Bid management: invite your subcontractors by trade, receive and compare their prices, and carry the winning price into the estimate.
Project management: follow the job once the contract is signed.

The goal: link every step of construction, from preconstruction to completion, in one tool with the same data.

Try it on a real project

The 14-day free trial needs no credit card and includes an example project that's already measured, priced and scheduled. Best test: redo a project you've already estimated and compare the time spent, from drawings to schedule.