Choosing software, 29 October 2026
Best takeoff software for small UK firms
For a small UK firm, the best takeoff software depends on how many drawings you price. Adobe Acrobat's measure tool covers the odd job. Bluebeam Revu, from £264 a user a year as of October 2026, is the standard for regular PDF takeoffs. Kreo and Countfire add AI that measures and counts for you. If takeoffs feed a quote, check it connects to your pricing.
What does takeoff software do?
It measures quantities from drawings: lengths, areas, perimeters, counts and volumes. You set the scale, trace or click, and the software records each measurement against the sheet. Better tools group measurements into a list you can price, and some count symbols such as sockets or downlights across a whole drawing set.
It doesn't price the job. You still apply your own rates, waste and labour outputs, ideally laid out as a bill of quantities. If you're new to drawings, start with how to read construction drawings for pricing and how to measure PDF drawings.
About 10 of the 28 firms we spoke to on sales calls this year tender or want to. Several paid a QS or couldn't read drawings. One young roofer, running six people in Buckinghamshire, told us plainly: "I don't know how to read drawings."
Which takeoff tools suit a small UK firm?
Prices and terms from each vendor's page as of October 2026.
| Tool | Price | Measures | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat (paid) | Check Adobe's pricing | Distance, perimeter, area at a set scale | Occasional takeoffs |
| Bluebeam Revu | Basics £264, Core £330, Complete £438, Max £588 a user a year | Basics: length and area. Core adds perimeter, count, angle, volume | Regular PDF takeoffs, most trades |
| Kreo | Essential £80, Pro £125, Business £210 a user a month, billed annually, ex VAT | Pro adds AI takeoff, symbol counting, scale detection | Builders and fit-out firms wanting AI measuring |
| Countfire | Price on request; 7-day trial | Automated takeoffs and counts | Electrical, fire alarm, mechanical |
| Groundplan | Price not shown; 7-day trial, no lock-in | Online takeoff, count assist | Trades using Fergus or Simpro |
Adobe Acrobat. The measure tool does distance, perimeter and area. Right-click the tool and use Change Scale Ratio and Precision to set the scale. The free Reader can measure only if whoever made the PDF enabled it. Fine for a loft conversion a month.
Bluebeam Revu. The tool most main contractors and QSs use, so drawings and markups pass back and forth easily. Bluebeam's UK page shows prices per user, billed annually, tax-inclusive. Basics lacks perimeter and count, so most estimators need Core. Complete adds Quantity Link to Excel. A banner on the page showed a different Basics figure in dollars, so confirm the price at checkout.
Kreo. Cloud takeoff priced in pounds, billed annually per user. Essential has no AI. Pro adds one-click areas and lines, auto symbol counting, AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows, and scale detection. 7-day trial.
Countfire. Built for electrical and mechanical contractors: lighting, fire alarm, sprinklers, data. Takeoff through to a priced bid. Needs a work email to trial.
Groundplan. Online takeoff with integrations into Fergus and Simpro, so a takeoff can become a quote in your job software. Groundplan's pricing page didn't show prices when we checked; email them.
Does takeoff software pay for itself?
Usually, if you price more than a tender a month. Compare the yearly cost with the hours saved and the QS fees you stop paying.
Payback for a firm pricing two tenders a month
Owner-estimator measuring by hand on paper and a scale rule, 6 hours a tender.
| Hours measuring a year6 hours × 2 tenders × 12 | 144 hours |
| Hours with a takeoff tool, assuming half144 ÷ 2 | 72 hours |
| Time saved144 − 72 | 72 hours |
| Value of time saved72 × £45 | £3,240 |
| Bluebeam Core, one user, ex VAT£330 ÷ 1.2 | £275 |
| Kreo Pro, one user£125 × 12 | £1,500 |
| Left after Bluebeam Core£3,240 − £275 | £2,965 |
| Left after Kreo Pro£3,240 − £1,500 | £1,740 |
The other comparison is a QS. If a QS charges, say, £1,200 plus VAT to price a single tender, one lost tender costs more than a year of most takeoff tools. If you tender often, a tool and your own time is usually cheaper than a QS for each tender. See do you still need a QS? and the real cost of tendering.
Which type of takeoff tool fits you?
Set the scale from a known dimension and check it. Upgrade when you're measuring every week.
All three count symbols. Countfire is built for M&E; Bluebeam Core counts manually with markups.
Check every AI measurement against the drawing before pricing.
It does lengths, areas, perimeters and counts, and it's what your main contractors use.
How do you test takeoff software on a trial?
Use a drawing you've already priced, so you know the right answer. Most trials are 7 to 14 days, so pick the test before you start.
Pretty much bang on.
He checked an AI take-off of roof timbers against his quantity surveyor's figures. That's the right habit: compare against a known answer before you rely on any tool. A Limerick and Cork roofing firm we spoke to had a board coverage figure corrected from 0.75 to 1.44 m² per board during a check; a wrong coverage rate nearly doubles the board count.
What about AI takeoff and estimating together?
Several tools now measure and price in one go. The benefit is speed: a set of drawings becomes a priced bill in hours instead of days. The risk is trusting quantities you haven't checked. Treat any AI takeoff as a first draft, and keep a list of which drawing each quantity came from. See AI take-off from drawings and quantity take-off in the UK.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
Nexley reads PDF drawings you send over WhatsApp or email, measures them and builds a bill of quantities priced from your own rates, with each line referenced to the drawing it came from. You check the quantities and approve the price before anything goes to the client.
Common questions
How is Nexley different from a job management app?
A job app is a better filing system: it holds your jobs, and you still do the quoting, invoicing and chasing. Nexley does that work. Five AI assistants draft your quotes, invoices, supplier orders, replies and tenders overnight from your own prices and your Xero, and you approve each one in WhatsApp. It's the office help you'd otherwise hire, for £799 a month against about £2,358 a month for a full-time admin.
Is there free takeoff software in the UK?
Adobe Acrobat Reader can measure only if the PDF's creator enabled measuring. Paid Acrobat measures distance, perimeter and area. Most dedicated tools offer a 7 to 14-day free trial rather than a free plan.
Is Bluebeam worth it for a small contractor?
If you price drawings every week, usually yes. Core, at £330 a user a year as of October 2026, adds counts and perimeters that Basics lacks. Many main contractors use it, which helps when sharing markups.
How accurate is AI takeoff?
Accurate enough to save time, never accurate enough to skip checking. Test it on a drawing you've already priced and check scale, areas and counts before you rely on it.
What's the difference between takeoff and estimating software?
Takeoff measures quantities from drawings. Estimating software applies rates, labour and margin to those quantities to give a price. Some tools do both. See the construction estimating software guide.
Sources
- Bluebeam UK: pricing
- Kreo: pricing
- Countfire: start a trial
- Groundplan: pricing
- Adobe: grids, guides and measurements in PDFs
- Fergus: estimating software and Groundplan integration
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Choosing software
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