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Construction · head to head

ALICE Technologies vs On-Screen Takeoff

ALICE Technologies logo

ALICE Technologies

Construction

Generative construction scheduling that produces and compares millions of build sequences

From
On request
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: ALICE Technologies the output is only as good as the recipes, and building accurate recipes is specialist modelling work most contractors cannot staff, so engagements depend on ALICE or a consultant doing it, which turns software into a services contract.; 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: ALICE Technologies covers Generative scheduling, 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 ALICE Technologies and On-Screen Takeoff actually diverge.

Attributes where ALICE Technologies and On-Screen Takeoff differ
AttributeALICE TechnologiesOn-Screen Takeoff
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWindows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 ALICE Technologies

  • Generative scheduling
  • Recipe modelling
  • Optioneering
  • Schedule recovery
  • Resource levelling
  • 4D visualisation
  • P6 and MS Project import
  • Scenario comparison reports

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.

ALICE Technologies

  • A data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers itnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • A contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committingnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • A bid team wanting to submit a shorter programme than competitors while proving to the client that the resource profile is achievable rather than optimisticnot On-Screen Takeoff
  • A delay claim where the contractor must demonstrate to a client or adjudicator what the schedule would have looked like without a specific disruptionnot 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 ALICE Technologies
  • An estimator who receives a late addendum and needs to know which rooms changed rather than re-measuring the whole floornot ALICE Technologies
  • A flooring subcontractor maintaining reusable conditions with waste factors so quantities and material orders stay consistent between estimatorsnot ALICE Technologies
  • A trade contractor that wants takeoff quantities split by phase so progress billing matches the way work is actually releasednot ALICE Technologies

Where each one falls short

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

ALICE Technologies

  • The output is only as good as the recipes, and building accurate recipes is specialist modelling work most contractors cannot staff, so engagements depend on ALICE or a consultant doing it, which turns software into a services contract.
  • Pricing is quoted per project or programme with no published rates, so the tool is effectively unavailable to anyone who cannot justify a bespoke enterprise negotiation.
  • It only pays back on projects where float has a high monetary value; on a mid-size commercial building the modelling effort exceeds the schedule saving, which is why the customer list skews to data centres, energy and heavy civils.
  • A generated schedule still has to be accepted by superintendents and subcontractors who did not build it, and adoption failures are usually social rather than technical: the field runs the plan it believes in.
  • The 2026 McKinsey alliance pushes distribution towards consulting-led engagements, which raises the effective cost of entry and makes the direct-purchase path less certain for a contractor that just wants a licence.

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

ALICE Technologies

On request
  • ALICE$undefined/year
    • Quoted per project or per programme
    • Generative scheduling and optioneering
    • Recipe modelling support

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 ALICE Technologies if

  • You need generative scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want recipe modelling.
ALICE Technologies 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 ALICE Technologies or On-Screen Takeoff better?
Neither clearly leads. ALICE Technologies starts at On request 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, ALICE Technologies or On-Screen Takeoff?
ALICE Technologies starts at On request and On-Screen Takeoff at On request.
Does ALICE Technologies or On-Screen Takeoff run on more platforms?
ALICE Technologies runs on Web, Windows. On-Screen Takeoff runs on Windows.
What is ALICE Technologies best used for?
ALICE Technologies is most often used for a data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers it, a contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committing, a bid team wanting to submit a shorter programme than competitors while proving to the client that the resource profile is achievable rather than optimistic, a delay claim where the contractor must demonstrate to a client or adjudicator what the schedule would have looked like without a specific disruption. Of those, a data centre programme where six months of earlier energisation is worth more than the entire construction management budget, and the owner wants evidence that a proposed sequence change actually delivers it and a contractor facing liquidated damages that must decide between a second shift, a second crane and resequencing, and needs the cost and duration consequence of each before committing are not what On-Screen Takeoff is typically brought in for.
What can ALICE Technologies do that On-Screen Takeoff cannot?
ALICE Technologies covers Generative scheduling, Recipe modelling, Optioneering, Schedule recovery. On-Screen Takeoff covers Drawing takeoff, Revision overlay, Condition libraries, Automatic scaling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ALICE Technologies: What does ALICE actually produce?

A set of alternative construction sequences generated from your constraints, scored on duration, cost and resource use, so you can choose rather than accept one plan.

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.

ALICE Technologies: Does it replace Primavera P6?

No. It imports from and exports to P6. P6 remains the contractual schedule of record on most projects.

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.

ALICE Technologies: Is the company still operating?

Yes. ALICE is active as of 2026 and announced an alliance with McKinsey in April 2026 to deliver AI scheduling to McKinsey clients.

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.

ALICE Technologies: How much does it cost?

Not published. It is quoted per project or programme and typically includes modelling and onboarding services.

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.

ALICE Technologies: What size project justifies it?

Projects where a week of schedule has a large monetary value: data centres, energy, industrial and major infrastructure. It is hard to justify on standard commercial building work.

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