RIB CostXvs
PlanSwift
PlanSwift: A cheaper 2D-only takeoff tool for contractors who do not need bills of quantities or BIM measurement
RIB CostX
2D and BIM quantity takeoff with live-linked estimating workbooks for quantity surveyors and estimators
As of 1 September 2026, RIB CostX's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. A takeoff and estimating package built around workbooks that update automatically when the drawing measurement changes. Softwr lists it under Construction. RIB CostX is made by RIB Software (Schneider Electric), available on Windows.
Overview
What RIB CostX does
RIB CostX measures quantities from 2D drawings (PDF, DWG, image) and from 3D and BIM models (IFC, Revit), then feeds those quantities into spreadsheet-style workbooks that stay linked to the measurement. Change a dimension or swap a drawing revision and the rates and totals recalculate rather than requiring a re-entry. It also produces the formatted bills of quantities and cost plans that quantity surveyors are contractually obliged to issue. The live link between takeoff and workbook is the whole argument for the product. In practice the value shows up at drawing revision: CostX can compare two revisions of the same drawing and highlight what changed, so an estimator re-measures the delta rather than the whole sheet. For a contractor bidding on a job that reissues drawings three times during the tender period, that is the difference between a submitted bid and a missed deadline. Buyers are quantity surveyors, cost consultants and contractor estimating departments, concentrated in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and South Africa, where the bill of quantities is the standard commercial instrument. The trade-off is that CostX is a specialist tool with a real learning curve and no published pricing, and RIB now sits inside Schneider Electric, which has been steering the group towards its wider construction cloud rather than towards standalone desktop estimating.
What people use it for
- A quantity surveying practice that must issue a formatted bill of quantities under NRM or SMM7 and cannot do so from a generic takeoff tool
- A contractor tendering a job where the client reissues drawings mid-tender, needing revision comparison so only changed areas are remeasured
- An estimating department moving from paper and Excel to model-based measurement while keeping the same rate library and bill structure
- A cost consultant producing early-stage elemental cost plans from partial models, then refining the same workbook as design detail arrives
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about RIB CostX.
- Pricing is not published anywhere and is quoted per package and per seat through regional resellers, so two firms of similar size routinely pay materially different rates for the same configuration.
- It is Windows desktop software with heavy graphics demands; there is no meaningful macOS or browser option, which rules it out for practices standardised on Apple hardware.
- The learning curve is steep enough that firms typically budget formal training, and an estimator productive in a rival tool takes weeks rather than days to reach the same output here.
- RIB is owned by Schneider Electric, whose strategic interest is the wider RIB construction cloud, so a buyer choosing CostX today is betting on continued investment in a desktop estimating product inside a group focused elsewhere.
- BIM takeoff is only as good as the model, and on projects where the model is modelled for coordination rather than measurement the automatic quantities need enough manual checking that the time saving largely disappears.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of RIB CostX
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- RIB CostXvsSTACK Construction Technologies
STACK Construction Technologies: A browser-based takeoff and estimating platform with published pricing and no Windows requirement
- RIB CostXvsBluebeam Revu
Bluebeam Revu: If the requirement is really PDF measurement and markup rather than a linked estimating workbook
Pricing
What RIB CostX costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
CostX Quantify
On request
- 2D and BIM takeoff
- Measurement export
- No integrated estimating workbook
CostX Core
On request
- Takeoff plus live-linked workbooks
- Rate libraries
- Standard reporting
CostX Complete
On request
- Full BIM takeoff
- Advanced workbooks and bills of quantities
- Subcontractor comparison
- Multi-user and enterprise options
Capabilities
Features
2D drawing takeoff
Measure areas, lengths and counts directly on PDF, DWG and scanned drawings with scale calibration
BIM and 3D takeoff
Extract quantities from IFC and Revit models with the model visible alongside the workbook
Live-linked workbooks
Spreadsheet rates and totals recalculate automatically when the underlying measurement changes
Drawing revision comparison
Overlay two drawing revisions and highlight changed geometry so only the delta is remeasured
Bill of quantities production
Generate standard-method bills and cost plans in the formats quantity surveyors must issue
Rate libraries
Maintain reusable rate and resource libraries across projects and offices
Subcontractor comparison
Build and compare trade packages side by side within the estimate
CostX Viewer
Share the measured model and workbook with parties who do not hold a full licence
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does RIB CostX cost?
RIB does not publish prices. It is quoted per package (Quantify, Core or Complete) and per seat, usually through a regional reseller.
Is a perpetual licence available?
RIB has historically offered both perpetual and subscription licensing, with subscription now the default push. Ask explicitly, because the perpetual option is not advertised.
Does it do BIM takeoff or just 2D?
Both. Complete handles IFC and Revit models; Quantify and Core differ in workbook capability rather than measurement.
Who is it for?
Quantity surveyors and estimators in markets that use bills of quantities: UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and South Africa above all.
Can we open estimates without a licence?
A free CostX Viewer lets others open and inspect measured drawings and workbooks without a full seat.
Keep looking
Where to go from RIB CostX
- RIB CostX alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- RIB CostX pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- RIB CostX badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Construction softwareThe full category
- Best Construction softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Construction software for
Compare RIB CostX with
- PlanSwift
- STACK Construction Technologies
- Bluebeam Revu
- Cubit Estimating
- On-Screen Takeoff
- Togal.AI
- HCSS HeavyBid
- Dalux
- HCSS
- Buildots
- Autodesk Revit
- B2W Estimate
- Assignar
- Billd
- Bridgit Bravo
- Builderbox
- Buildots
- B2W Estimate
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for RIB CostX, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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