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Construction · head to head

Knowify vs On-Screen Takeoff

Knowify logo

Knowify

Construction

Construction and field service management integrated with QuickBooks

From
$99/month
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: Knowify additional users cost $29/month per person across all plans; 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
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Knowify and On-Screen Takeoff differ
AttributeKnowifyOn-Screen Takeoff
Starting price$99/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWindows

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 Knowify

Nothing recorded that On-Screen Takeoff does not also cover.

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.

Knowify

  • Bidding fixed-price and AIA jobs with team managementnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Tracking labor and materials costs to project phasesnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Real-time dispatching and payment processing for crewsnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • Managing change orders and invoicing across projectsnot 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 Knowify
  • An estimator who receives a late addendum and needs to know which rooms changed rather than re-measuring the whole floornot Knowify
  • A flooring subcontractor maintaining reusable conditions with waste factors so quantities and material orders stay consistent between estimatorsnot Knowify
  • A trade contractor that wants takeoff quantities split by phase so progress billing matches the way work is actually releasednot Knowify

Where each one falls short

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

Knowify

  • Additional users cost $29/month per person across all plans
  • Monthly billing costs 50% more than annual billing

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

Knowify

$99/month
  • Core$99/month
    • 1 user
    • Bid, execute, and invoice for fixed-price and AIA jobs
  • Advanced$329/month
    • 10 users
    • Project management
    • Job costing tools
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited inventory
    • Custom pricing

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 Knowify if

Nothing in the data separates Knowify from On-Screen Takeoff on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Knowify 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 Knowify or On-Screen Takeoff better?
Neither clearly leads. Knowify starts at $99/month 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, Knowify or On-Screen Takeoff?
Knowify starts at $99/month and On-Screen Takeoff at On request.
Does Knowify or On-Screen Takeoff run on more platforms?
Knowify runs on Web. On-Screen Takeoff runs on Windows.
What is Knowify best used for?
Knowify is most often used for bidding fixed-price and aia jobs with team management, tracking labor and materials costs to project phases, real-time dispatching and payment processing for crews, managing change orders and invoicing across projects. Of those, bidding fixed-price and aia jobs with team management and tracking labor and materials costs to project phases are not what On-Screen Takeoff is typically brought in for.
What can Knowify do that On-Screen Takeoff cannot?
On-Screen Takeoff covers Drawing takeoff, Revision overlay, Condition libraries, Automatic scaling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Knowify: How much does Knowify cost?

Knowify Core plan starts at $99/month for annual billing (or $149/month for monthly billing) and includes 1 user. The Advanced plan costs $329/month annually ($399/month monthly) and includes 10 users.

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.

Knowify: What is the cost per additional user on Knowify?

Additional users cost $29/month across all plans whether on Core or Advanced.

Source
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.

Knowify: Does Knowify have a free trial?

A free trial is available for both Core and Advanced plans before requiring a paid subscription.

Source
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.

Knowify: What add-on features are available on Knowify?

Service Pro ($99/month annually), Live Equipment Tracking ($25/vehicle/month annually), AI Dashcams ($25/dashcam annually), and Tool Tracking ($99/month) are available as paid add-ons.

Source
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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