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Construction · head to head

AutoCAD vs On-Screen Takeoff

AutoCAD logo

AutoCAD

Construction

Computer-aided design and drafting software

From
$2095/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
On-Screen Takeoff logo

On-Screen Takeoff

Construction

Digital quantity takeoff from drawings, now subscription only and bundled rather than sold alone

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AutoCAD expensive subscription model with annual price increases of 5-8% and multi-year commitment premiums of 8-18%; On-Screen Takeoff perpetual licensing is no longer offered on current releases, so long-standing users who paid once now face a recurring annual cost they never budgeted, and staying on an old version means no support for newer PDF formats
  • They diverge on capability: AutoCAD covers 2D and 3D CAD, On-Screen Takeoff covers Drawing takeoff.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AutoCAD and On-Screen Takeoff actually diverge.

Attributes where AutoCAD and On-Screen Takeoff differ
AttributeAutoCADOn-Screen Takeoff
Starting price$2095/yearOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWindows, macOS, WebWindows
Founded1982Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Construction).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AutoCAD

  • 2D and 3D CAD
  • Technical drawing
  • Precision modeling
  • Documentation tools
  • Autodesk ecosystem
  • Microsoft Office
  • Revit
  • 3ds Max

Only in On-Screen Takeoff

  • Drawing takeoff
  • Revision overlay
  • Condition libraries
  • Automatic scaling
  • Bid zones and phases
  • Quick Bid handoff
  • Excel export

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AutoCAD

  • Architectural drawingsnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Engineering designnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Technical documentationnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Construction plansnot On-Screen Takeoff

On-Screen Takeoff

  • A drywall contractor measuring wall area and openings across a 300 sheet set where manual takeoff would take a weeknot AutoCAD
  • An estimator who receives a late addendum and needs to know which rooms changed rather than re-measuring the whole floornot AutoCAD
  • A flooring subcontractor maintaining reusable conditions with waste factors so quantities and material orders stay consistent between estimatorsnot AutoCAD
  • A trade contractor that wants takeoff quantities split by phase so progress billing matches the way work is actually releasednot AutoCAD

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AutoCAD

  • Expensive subscription model with annual price increases of 5-8% and multi-year commitment premiums of 8-18%
  • Desktop-centric design, limited cloud-native collaboration features
  • No perpetual license option, subscription required for continued use

On-Screen Takeoff

  • Perpetual licensing is no longer offered on current releases, so long-standing users who paid once now face a recurring annual cost they never budgeted, and staying on an old version means no support for newer PDF formats
  • ConstructConnect does not publish a price, and the product is increasingly sold inside a bundle with lead data and estimating, so buyers who want takeoff alone often find the quote priced around a package they do not need
  • It is Windows desktop only, with no macOS version and no meaningful browser or tablet workflow, which rules it out for firms standardised on Apple hardware
  • The interface has changed little in years and estimators coming from browser-based tools find the condition setup and layer management slow to learn, so onboarding a new estimator takes longer than the software cost would suggest
  • ConstructConnect sells lead data, takeoff and estimating as a portfolio and has consolidated several acquired products, so a buyer committing to On-Screen Takeoff should ask directly where it sits against the newer cloud takeoff products in the same portfolio

Pricing, plan by plan

AutoCAD

$2095/year

No published plan breakdown. See the AutoCAD review.

On-Screen Takeoff

On request
  • On-Screen Takeoff$undefined/year
    • Annual subscription per seat on version 4 and later
    • Sold increasingly as part of a ConstructConnect takeoff and estimating bundle
    • Perpetual licensing not offered on current releases

Which should you pick?

Choose AutoCAD if

  • You need 2d and 3d cad.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Web.
  • You also want technical drawing.
AutoCAD review

Choose On-Screen Takeoff if

  • You need drawing takeoff.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want revision overlay.
On-Screen Takeoff review

Questions people ask

Is AutoCAD or On-Screen Takeoff better?
Neither clearly leads. AutoCAD starts at $2095/year and On-Screen Takeoff at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AutoCAD or On-Screen Takeoff?
AutoCAD starts at $2095/year and On-Screen Takeoff at On request.
Does AutoCAD or On-Screen Takeoff run on more platforms?
AutoCAD runs on Windows, macOS, Web. On-Screen Takeoff runs on Windows.
What is AutoCAD best used for?
AutoCAD is most often used for architectural drawings, engineering design, technical documentation, construction plans. Of those, architectural drawings and engineering design are not what On-Screen Takeoff is typically brought in for.
What can AutoCAD do that On-Screen Takeoff cannot?
AutoCAD covers 2D and 3D CAD, Technical drawing, Precision modeling, Documentation tools. On-Screen Takeoff covers Drawing takeoff, Revision overlay, Condition libraries, Automatic scaling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AutoCAD: What is AutoCAD's subscription pricing?

AutoCAD 2027 costs $2,095 annually for a single Named User subscription, $235 monthly, or $1,865 yearly. AutoCAD LT costs $500 annually. Prices have been increasing 5-8% annually.

Source
On-Screen Takeoff: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

No. Current releases are annual subscription. Older perpetual licences continue to run but do not receive updates.

AutoCAD: Is AutoCAD available for free?

AutoCAD is only available through subscription. However, eligible students can get AutoCAD free for one year with a .edu email address through the Autodesk Education License program.

On-Screen Takeoff: Is it sold separately from Quick Bid?

It can be, but ConstructConnect increasingly quotes it as part of a takeoff and estimating package. Ask explicitly for standalone pricing if that is what you want.

On-Screen Takeoff: Does it run on a Mac?

Not natively. It is a Windows application and Mac users run it under virtualisation, which is unsupported in practice for large drawing sets.

On-Screen Takeoff: Will it read a scanned drawing?

Yes, but measurement accuracy on a scanned raster set depends entirely on the scan quality and on setting scale from a verified dimension.

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