What PlanSwift offers in 2026
| Plan | Listed price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 for 14 days | Full Core features, no card required |
| Essential | $2,000 per year, 1 seat | Takeoff and estimating, pre-built assemblies, Auto Count, Auto Scale, Auto Bookmark |
| Core | $3,000 per year, 1 seat | Adds Auto Takeoff, a first-pass takeoff for areas, lengths and counts |
PlanSwift lists export to Excel, CSV, PDF, XML and HTML, and a Live Excel Link. Older guidance that "every device is a click" in PlanSwift is out of date; Auto Count now handles repeated symbols, with the estimator confirming results.
Set up the job
Import the electrical PDFs and set scale on each page (Auto Scale can propose it), verifying with a known dimension. Name pages by sheet number so exported quantities reference sheets. Create folders by system (power, lighting, fire alarm, low voltage) and by floor or area before you start; it makes export and review far easier.
Counts for devices and fixtures
Use count items for receptacles, switches, fixtures by type, data outlets and fire alarm devices, named to match the drawing legend. Consistent naming across jobs lets you reuse templates and compare jobs. When using Auto Count, review each result for:
- Symbol variants that look alike: GFCI, weather-resistant, USB, dedicated circuits, emergency fixtures.
- Symbols in legends, details and keyed notes that should not be counted.
- Overlap between enlarged plans and floor plans.
Segments for runs
Use linear items for conduit and wire runs, homeruns and feeders, with drop lengths added per point where your method calls for it. Keep feeders separate from branch runs so they price at the right labor unit. See the conduit takeoff guide for drops, supports and fittings.
Assemblies
Assemblies attach material and labor to a takeoff item. Build them from your own standards and the job spec; an assembly error repeats on every count.
On a floor with 180 duplex counts, a box or ring left out of the assembly means 180 missing boxes. Check assemblies against the spec on every new job type.
Export and price
Export by folder and sheet, or price inside PlanSwift. Keep the takeoff file as the record: it is the trace from priced quantities back to drawings.
Quality checks before export
- Scale verified on every page, including enlarged plans and details.
- Fixture counts by type matched against the fixture schedule.
- Panel schedule circuits compared with homeruns on plan.
- No items left on a misc or unnamed folder.
- Feeder lengths sanity-checked against the one-line and riser.
- Branch and feeder lengths include vertical allowances.
Handling addenda
Overlay or compare revised sheets with the originals, list every changed area, and update only the affected counts and runs. Record the addendum number on each changed item so the export shows which quantities moved.
Template your jobs
Save a job template with standard folders, count items and assemblies so every estimator starts from the same structure. Naming drift between estimators splits totals and makes historical comparisons useless.
Where time still goes
- Reviewing auto-counted symbols and fixing variants.
- Reconciling plans against schedules and one-lines, which a counting tool does not do for you.
- Re-checking after addenda.
Where RenderDraw fits
RenderDraw is an AI takeoff and visual CPQ tool. It proposes counts and runs against the legend, links every row to its sheet and location, flags plan and schedule conflicts, and queues uncertain items for review. Some teams use it alongside their existing takeoff tool, others instead of manual counting. Compare it on your own drawings with a free sample takeoff.
