On-Screen Takeoff® Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® easy to use, appreciating its fast takeoff process and responsive support team. (46 mentions)

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® to be easy to use, with accurate measurements and helpful customization features. (15 mentions)

Users value the organization capabilities of On-Screen Takeoff®, which streamline their estimating process during hectic periods. (9 mentions)

Users appreciate the responsive customer support of On-Screen Takeoff®, which significantly enhances their overall experience. (8 mentions)

Users find the ease of learning with On-Screen Takeoff® enhances their estimating efficiency and clarity. (7 mentions)

Users express frustration over missing features like easy bid copying and inadequate AI integration, impacting usability and efficiency. (10 mentions)

Users find the slow performance of On-Screen Takeoff® frustrating, especially when handling large project volumes. (6 mentions)

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® to be not user-friendly, struggling with its complex interface and lack of intuitive features. (5 mentions)

Users often face bugs and connectivity issues with On-Screen Takeoff®, hindering efficiency and workflow stability. (4 mentions)

Users find the difficult learning curve of On-Screen Takeoff® a barrier to effectively utilizing its features. (4 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of On-Screen Takeoff®

1. Ease of Use

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® easy to use, appreciating its fast takeoff process and responsive support team.

See 46 mentions

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Rafee N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Powerful Takeoff Tools and Seamless File Sharing"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

The variety of tools and conditions in OST are very useful to make an accurate takeoff, which then helps in creating an accurate estimate. Also the ea

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Easy to Use, great features"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I like how easy is it to use, I like how its link to Quick Bids, and I love how easy is to navigate through the drawings with the Hot Links feature.

2. Simple

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® to be easy to use, with accurate measurements and helpful customization features.

See 15 mentions

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Jackson T.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Project Advocates On-Screen Review"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

- keeps the quantity survey relatively simple, tool bars and windows are easily organized and clean, not too many bells and whistles - customer suppo

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.5/5

"Quick Net SF & my Projections Are Great, Still Waiting on Floor Finish Boost functions and more."

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Either Manually operated or using " Boost " it Provides Quick Net SF for projecting final material values, which can help secure good pricing from sup

3. Organization

Users value the organization capabilities of On-Screen Takeoff®, which streamline their estimating process during hectic periods.

See 9 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.5/5

"Organized and Efficient, But Occasional Crashes"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I use On-Screen Takeoff® for estimating and it helps determine how many things will be needed for a project. I like how organized it is, which helps m

Jackson T.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Project Advocates On-Screen Review"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

- keeps the quantity survey relatively simple, tool bars and windows are easily organized and clean, not too many bells and whistles - customer suppo

4. Customer Support

Users appreciate the responsive customer support of On-Screen Takeoff®, which significantly enhances their overall experience.

See 8 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Jackson T.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Project Advocates On-Screen Review"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

- keeps the quantity survey relatively simple, tool bars and windows are easily organized and clean, not too many bells and whistles - customer suppo

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"AutoName Saves Time and Boost Adds Speed"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Using AutoName feature saves times and inputs the complete sheet name and sheet number in a very short time. The option to use the Boost feature whic

5. Ease of Learning

Users find the ease of learning with On-Screen Takeoff® enhances their estimating efficiency and clarity.

See 7 mentions

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Vinny Q.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Feature-Rich and Powerful Tool for Precision Takeoffs"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I appreciate how raw and feature-rich OST is. I enjoy that nothing is overly simplified, and there is a genuine learning curve to the app. This means

Taim Bilal A.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2.5/5

"new subscription looks good"

What do you like about On-Screen Takeoff®?

easy to manage. i am new to this and lt looks like it is an easy to use bids app

5 Cons or Disadvantages of On-Screen Takeoff®

1. Missing Features

Users express frustration over missing features like easy bid copying and inadequate AI integration, impacting usability and efficiency.

See 10 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Easy to Use, Reliable, and Keeps My Estimates on Time"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I do not like how theirs not enough needs to be like BEAMAI

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.5/5

"Quick Net SF & my Projections Are Great, Still Waiting on Floor Finish Boost functions and more."

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

There are No "Floor Finish Plan" Boost functions yet. :( Does not work on elevation Plans :( Boost Cannot read and create conditions from schedul

2. Slow Performance

Users find the slow performance of On-Screen Takeoff® frustrating, especially when handling large project volumes.

See 6 mentions

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Vinny Q.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Feature-Rich and Powerful Tool for Precision Takeoffs"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

One aspect I dislike is that the program is quite heavy, so it needs a computer that's better than average to run smoothly. I also find the occasional

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.5/5

"Organized and Efficient, But Occasional Crashes"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

It usually crashes at times, especially when I try to go through pages too fast on a drawing. It tends to freeze and then crash.

3. Not User-Friendly

Users find On-Screen Takeoff® to be not user-friendly, struggling with its complex interface and lack of intuitive features.

See 5 mentions

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McKenzie L.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Exceptionally Organized and Flexible Takeoff Solution"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

One aspect I find frustrating about On-Screen Takeoff® is that its navigation feels more restricted than in tools like Bluebeam, particularly when try

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2.5/5

"Great Layering Features, But Lacks Multi-Sheet Viewing and Ipad Compatibility"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

That you can't split screen or view more than one sheet at a time. It is also a little clunky, like I don't know of any keyboard shortcuts that would

4. Bugs

Users often face bugs and connectivity issues with On-Screen Takeoff®, hindering efficiency and workflow stability.

See 4 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"OST Makes Takeoffs Much Easier Than Hand Drawing."

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Takeoff Boost. The takeoff boose does not work well.

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Accurate, Fast, and Backed by Excellent Support"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Sometimes the project will disconnect randomly between OST and QB, and it doesn't notify you so you keep doing take-off. Then it won't let you reconne

5. Difficult Learning

Users find the difficult learning curve of On-Screen Takeoff® a barrier to effectively utilizing its features.

See 4 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Revolutionized Our Estimating with Speed, Accuracy, and Seamless Collaboration"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

While On-Screen Takeoff (OST) offers many advantages, there are areas where it could be improved to enhance user experience and efficiency. One common

Eileen A.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"User-Friendly and Reliable with Effortless Data Management"

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Can be a bit difficult to first learn and navigate. User friendliness may very.

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Christopher E.

Project Manager

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

11/19/2019

"OST - Simple and Effective"

5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

What I like about OST is that it is so effective and simple that we can start any employee using it. Uploading and converting plans is simple, PDF viewing is nice, and I highly recommend turning on full screen crosshair to align things across an entire plan. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Managing servers for multiple people to use is not the greatest. Also required to buy a license manager. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Construction

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

12/6/2019

"Love using this software for estimating!"

4.5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

The ease of conducting takeoff and having the ability to share my projects with coworkers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

The software can be expensive per user, but it is worth the cost. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Construction

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/22/2019

"Quick efficient takeoffs"

5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I like the conditions you can set. I think being able to turn off and on the the different layers so you don’t have to look at multiple takeoffs at once. It keeps it organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I wish that OST would get more specific with lumber takeoffs. I would like the program to breakout the number of studs, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Cody O.

Estimator

Design

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

12/3/2018

"On-Screen Takeoff"

5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I like the large range of tools that help with takeoff Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

I haven't found any major issues. I'm usually able to do everything I need. When I sort my takeoff by area and type, it breaks up my quantities by type first, but I wish I had the option to break them up by area first, then type. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Construction

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

9/8/2019

"Good estimating tool"

5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Easy to use and least complicated!!!!!!! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Needs easy export file option!!!!!!!!!!! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

7/29/2019

"OST is does the job"

3.5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

The ability to group takeoff counts together is the best feature. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

The PDF quality when using as a background is too low of resolution. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Construction

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

11/24/2018

"Good program for general construction estimating, lacks some helpful tools"

3/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

On-Screen Takeoff (OST) is a very smooth program to operate. Whether you are looking at a 1000 page set of construction drawings, or a 2 page napkin sketch, the interface and view of your workspace is smooth. Even when you are deep into a takeoff with markups, area takeoffs, counts and other notes littering your workspace, the software can keep up with you as you zoom, pan and jump page to page. Some competitors cannot say the same. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Some of the tools come up a little short. Why can't there be some simple geometric tools to aid in markups or area takeoffs? There should also be a little bit more customization in the markup tools. It's not clear what some of the tools do, or how they would be useful to a user. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering On-Screen Takeoff®:

If you are just getting into the program and have the opportunity to jump into or view a project previously completed by a coworker, it might be a good idea to poke around their project to see how they utilized some of tools available on OST. Additionally, if you have a program like BlueBeam, it helps to load your drawings in BlueBeam first to rename, resize, recolor or make any modifications to your PDF before loading into OST. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is On-Screen Takeoff® solving and how is that benefiting you?

We use On-Screen Takeoff to put together estimates, budgets and run take-offs in the construction industry. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Owen B.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

6/5/2018

"easy to use program to do simple takeoffs "

3/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

the Thing i like best about On-Screen Takeoff is that it is so easy to use. when I was first introduced to the program about a year ago it only took me a few hours to get the hang of the program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

one thing i do not like about On-Screen is how the PDF uploads into the program. It uploads in black and white and almost seems grainy. If you have to do takeoffs on different regions indicated by different colors, when the PDF uploaded into On-Screen it is very hard to see the different sections. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Divyanshu P.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2/14/2018

"The best takeoff software in the market."

4.5/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

This is the best takeoff software on the market despite high pricing. It is very user-friendly and the way this software is designed is simply amazing. There is no problem while doing take-offs because of an immense number of features and detailing provided to you. I have tried various other take-off software but this is the best. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

Slightly high on pricing but I can not really complain about it knowing the features and amazing software I get to use. Nothing I like dislike about it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering On-Screen Takeoff®:

If you can afford it, go for it. Best take-off software in the market. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is On-Screen Takeoff® solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use on-screen takeoff for everyday use such as performing takeoffs, using project management tools and much more. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Bryan W.

Project IT Specialist

Construction

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

11/14/2017

"Awesome building construction calculator!"

4/5

What do you like best about On-Screen Takeoff®?

On-Screen is great at helping us calculate needed supplies for construction projects, to the point we use this software almost exclusively for this purpose! It has lots of tools in place to make the often monotonous counting go faster, and still be accurate. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about On-Screen Takeoff®?

As I sit here and write this, I honestly really can't think of anything except it's time consuming; but when considering the accuracy it gives versus doing a take-off by hand, it's well worth it! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering On-Screen Takeoff®:

If you're looking for something more accurate that performing a take-off by hand, check out this software! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is On-Screen Takeoff® solving and how is that benefiting you?

On-Screen is our almost-exclusive tool used to calculate supplies needed for construction projects. It's accuracy is more spot-on than performing a take-off by hand, and well worth the investment! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.