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Construction · head to head

Clearstory vs Togal.AI

Clearstory logo

Clearstory

Construction

Digital change order and time and materials tag exchange between subcontractors and general contractors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Togal.AI logo

Togal.AI

Construction

Automated drawing takeoff that measures and labels spaces without manual tracing

From
$299/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Clearstory value depends on the counterparty using it, so a subcontractor whose general contractors have not adopted it ends up running the digital process and the emailed one at the same time.; Togal.AI annual billing is mandatory at $299 per user per month, so an estimating team that ramps up and down for bid seasons pays a full year for seats it uses intermittently.
  • They diverge on capability: Clearstory covers Digital time and materials tags, Togal.AI covers Automatic space detection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clearstory and Togal.AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Clearstory and Togal.AI differ
AttributeClearstoryTogal.AI
Starting priceOn request$299/month
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

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 Clearstory

  • Digital time and materials tags
  • Review and signature routing
  • Change order log
  • Cost exposure reporting
  • Field mobile capture
  • Document export

Only in Togal.AI

  • Automatic space detection
  • Drawing comparison
  • Natural language search
  • Automated counts
  • Excel export
  • Plan set management
  • Team sharing

What people use each for

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

Clearstory

  • A speciality subcontractor that regularly performs extra work and struggles to get tags signednot Togal.AI
  • A general contractor tired of receiving a stack of disputed tags at project closeoutnot Togal.AI
  • A project team that needs the value of pending extras visible during the job rather than after itnot Togal.AI
  • A contractor standardising change documentation across trades on a large projectnot Togal.AI

Togal.AI

  • A commercial general contractor bidding repetitive multifamily or hospitality floor plates where room-by-room area takeoff dominates the effortnot Clearstory
  • An estimating team that needs to requantify quickly when an architect issues a revised set two days before a bidnot Clearstory
  • A finishes subcontractor pricing flooring, paint and ceiling areas across hundreds of roomsnot Clearstory
  • A preconstruction group producing early order-of-magnitude budgets from schematic plans before a full estimate is justifiednot Clearstory

Where each one falls short

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

Clearstory

  • Value depends on the counterparty using it, so a subcontractor whose general contractors have not adopted it ends up running the digital process and the emailed one at the same time.
  • It documents extra work but does not settle it; a general contractor determined not to pay is not persuaded by better paperwork, only better positioned to be argued with.
  • Field staff have to complete tags properly for the record to hold up, and the discipline required is the same discipline that was failing on paper.
  • Poor connectivity in basements, plant rooms and lift shafts is exactly where extra work gets documented, so offline reliability needs testing before rollout rather than after.
  • It overlaps with change management already present in Procore and similar platforms, so buyers must be clear about which system holds the authoritative log or they will maintain two.

Togal.AI

  • Annual billing is mandatory at $299 per user per month, so an estimating team that ramps up and down for bid seasons pays a full year for seats it uses intermittently.
  • Detection is tuned to architectural floor plans and space-based quantities; civil, structural detail and MEP riser takeoff still need a conventional tool, so most firms end up paying for two.
  • Automatically generated quantities still require estimator review before they enter a bid, so the saving is in tracing time rather than in checking time, and firms that skip the check are exposed on a hard-money bid.
  • The company spun out of a single general contractor, and drawing conventions that differ from that firm's typical project types produce weaker detection until the set is cleaned up.
  • It is a takeoff tool, not an estimating system, so pricing, rate build-up and bid assembly still happen elsewhere and the Excel handoff is the seam where errors get introduced.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clearstory

On request
  • Clearstory$undefined/year
    • Digital time and materials tags
    • Change order log
    • Mobile field capture

Togal.AI

$299/month
  • Growth$299/month
    • One or two licences
    • Unlimited AI takeoffs
    • Drawing comparison and search
  • Business$undefined/year
    • Three or more licences
    • Quoted by the vendor
    • Team administration and shared takeoffs

Which should you pick?

Choose Clearstory if

  • You need digital time and materials tags.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want review and signature routing.
Clearstory review

Choose Togal.AI if

  • You need automatic space detection.
  • You also want drawing comparison.
Togal.AI review

Questions people ask

Is Clearstory or Togal.AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Clearstory starts at On request and Togal.AI at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clearstory or Togal.AI?
Clearstory starts at On request and Togal.AI at $299/month.
Does Clearstory or Togal.AI run on more platforms?
Clearstory runs on Web, iOS, Android. Togal.AI runs on Web.
What is Clearstory best used for?
Clearstory is most often used for a speciality subcontractor that regularly performs extra work and struggles to get tags signed, a general contractor tired of receiving a stack of disputed tags at project closeout, a project team that needs the value of pending extras visible during the job rather than after it, a contractor standardising change documentation across trades on a large project. Of those, a speciality subcontractor that regularly performs extra work and struggles to get tags signed and a general contractor tired of receiving a stack of disputed tags at project closeout are not what Togal.AI is typically brought in for.
What can Clearstory do that Togal.AI cannot?
Clearstory covers Digital time and materials tags, Review and signature routing, Change order log, Cost exposure reporting. Togal.AI covers Automatic space detection, Drawing comparison, Natural language search, Automated counts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clearstory: Is Clearstory for subcontractors or general contractors?

Both, because the workflow crosses between them. The subcontractor originates the tag, the general contractor reviews it, and adoption works best when the general contractor mandates it.

Togal.AI: What does Togal.AI cost?

$299 per user per month billed annually for one or two licences. Three or more users are quoted individually.

Clearstory: Does it replace change management in Procore?

It can, for time and materials tags and the change order log, but you must decide which system is authoritative. Running both without that decision creates reconciliation work.

Togal.AI: Can I pay monthly?

No. The published Growth plan requires annual billing.

Clearstory: What happens on sites without signal?

Tags are captured on the device and synchronised later. Test that path with photographs attached before relying on it.

Togal.AI: Does it replace an estimating system?

No. It produces quantities. Rates, markup and bid assembly still happen in your estimating software or a spreadsheet.

Togal.AI: Who owns the drawings and takeoffs I upload?

You do, and quantities export to Excel, but check the contract for how uploaded drawing sets are retained and whether they inform model training.

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