The PlanSwift alternative built around Excel.
PlanSwift and BidScreen XL both measure quantity takeoffs from PDF, DWG, JPG, and TIFF drawings. Only BidScreen XL puts the quantities inside Microsoft Excel as live formulas, on the workbook your team already uses. BidScreen XL is $400 a year or $750 perpetual. PlanSwift is sold as a $1,749 per seat per year subscription; ConstructConnect retired the PlanSwift perpetual license for new customers.
BidScreen XL vs PlanSwift
| Dimension | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $400 / yr lease | $1,749 / yr subscription |
| Perpetual license | $750 one time | Retired for new customers |
| Where measurements live | In your Excel workbook | PlanSwift's canvas, exported to Excel |
| Drawing formats | PDF, DWG, DXF, TIF | PDF, DWG, JPG, TIFF |
| OS support | Windows 10 / 11 with Excel | Windows 10 / 11 |
| Free trial | 14 days | Trial available |
| Years in market | 35 | Released 2007 by Tech Unlimited; acquired by ConstructConnect |
| Phone + email support | Included (US, M-F business hours) | Included |
The case for BidScreen XL
Teams that move from PlanSwift to BidScreen XL cite three reasons most often.
Cost. PlanSwift is now a $1,749 per seat per year subscription; BidScreen XL is $400 a year, or $750 perpetual with $150 a year Full Serve after year 1. Over five years on 5 seats the gap is about $37,000.
Ownership. ConstructConnect retired the PlanSwift perpetual license for new customers in recent years. BidScreen XL is one of the few takeoff products still sold as a true perpetual seat. The seat keeps working in year five whether or not the maintenance is renewed.
Workflow. PlanSwift exports to Excel, but the export is a snapshot. If a drawing scope or unit price changes mid-bid, the estimator goes back to PlanSwift, re-runs the takeoff, and re-exports. BidScreen XL skips that loop because the quantity is already a formula in the cell.
Every dimension, side by side
Measurement
| Feature | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Areas, lengths, counts | Yes | Yes |
| Auto symbol count | Yes | Yes |
| Quantities as Excel formulas | Yes | No, exports values to Excel |
File formats
| Feature | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | |
| DWG | Yes | Yes |
| DXF | Yes | Not explicitly advertised |
| TIF / TIFF | Yes | Yes |
| JPG raster | Indirect (convert to PDF first) | Yes |
Workflow
| Feature | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas is Excel | Yes | No (own takeoff canvas) |
| Bid template stays in Excel | Yes | Template lives in PlanSwift, exports to Excel |
| Drag and drop assemblies | Manual (Excel formulas) | Yes (assembly libraries and trade plugins) |
Pricing
| Feature | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost per seat | $400 / yr lease | $1,749 / yr subscription |
| Perpetual option for new customers | $750 one time | Retired |
| Year 1 vs year 5 cost (1 seat) | $750 / $1,350 | $1,749 / $8,745 |
Support
| Feature | BidScreen XL | PlanSwift |
|---|---|---|
| Phone + email support | Yes (US, M-F business hours) | Yes |
| Years in business | 35 | PlanSwift since 2007; ConstructConnect-owned |
Five-year cost of ownership
5 seats over 5 years
Save $36,975 with VertigraphBidScreen XL: 5 perpetual at $750 each, plus $150 per seat per year Full Serve after year 1 ($3,750 + $3,000 = $6,750). PlanSwift: 5 seats at $1,749 per year for 5 years ($43,725). Perpetual PlanSwift is no longer sold to new customers; existing perpetual holders pay a separate maintenance arrangement.
When PlanSwift is actually the right choice
PlanSwift's purpose-built takeoff grid is genuinely useful when the bid is a takeoff-only deliverable that you hand off to a separate estimator who lives in Excel.
PlanSwift's assembly libraries, where one click adds rebar, footings, and forms together with labor and waste factors, are more developed than what BidScreen XL ships with out of the box. Teams that lean heavily on prebuilt assemblies will feel that gap.
Switching from PlanSwift to BidScreen XL
How to migrate
- Install BidScreen XL as an Excel add-in. The ribbon tab appears in Excel after restart.
- Open your current bid workbook unchanged.
- If your PlanSwift assemblies are not too complex, recreate them as named ranges or simple formulas in Excel.
- Open a recent bid PDF in BidScreen XL.
- Trace one assembly and verify the quantity matches your PlanSwift takeoff for the same area.
- Run a parallel bid on one project to validate before moving the rest of the team.
- When confident, retire the PlanSwift subscription at the next renewal cycle.
Frequently asked
Will BidScreen XL handle the same drawing formats as PlanSwift?
Yes for PDF, DWG, and TIF, which covers most bid drawing sets. PlanSwift advertises JPG raster as a primary format; BidScreen XL handles raster via a convert-to-PDF step.
Is there a way to migrate PlanSwift assemblies into BidScreen XL?
Not as a direct import. Most assemblies are simple enough to recreate as a few Excel formulas in your bid template. Complex multi-trade assemblies are usually faster to rebuild than to migrate.
What does the math look like for 1 seat over 10 years?
BidScreen XL perpetual: $750 plus $150 per year Full Serve after year 1, for a 10 year total of $2,100. PlanSwift subscription: $1,749 per year for 10 years, $17,490. About $15,000 saved per seat over 10 years.
I already own a PlanSwift perpetual license. Should I switch?
Probably not in a hurry. ConstructConnect retired new perpetual sales, but existing perpetual customers can keep running their installed version. Switch when the maintenance arrangement becomes uneconomic or when the version stops getting updates you need.
Does BidScreen XL include free updates?
Year 1 of Full Serve is included with every perpetual purchase, which covers free updates, US phone and email support, scheduled web training, and every release shipped that year. After year 1, Full Serve renews at $150 a year per seat.
Try BidScreen XL free for 14 days.
No credit card, no setup call. Download the installer, pick a job, run the takeoff. If it fits the way you bid, keep it.