Best roofing takeoff software in 2026, free and paid
Takeoff tools split three ways: plan-based, roofing quote tools and imagery measuring. Here is what PlanSwift, Bluebeam, STACK, QuoteCore+ and RoofStruct each work from.
Disclosure RoofStruct makes a competing product. Vendor details come from each vendor's own pages and are dated in the text.
The right roofing takeoff software depends on what you measure from. If your jobs arrive as PDF plan sets, a plan-based tool such as PlanSwift, Bluebeam or STACK fits; if you want plans, pricing and the quote in one roofing tool, QuoteCore+ is built for that; if there are no plans and you're bidding a re-roof from the street, you need a tool that measures from satellite imagery, which is where RoofStruct sits.
How we compared. We compared these tools from each vendor's own published pages, checked October 2026. We did not run side-by-side accuracy tests. RoofStruct makes one of these tools.
What takeoff software actually does
A takeoff turns a drawing or an image into quantities: squares of field shingle, lineal feet of ridge, hip, valley, rake and eave, counts of pipe boots and vents. Estimating then puts a price on those quantities. Some tools stop at the quantities, some carry them into a priced quote, and some go on to the material order.
The split that matters for a roofer is the source:
- Plans. New construction and commercial bids come with a plan set. You calibrate the scale on the PDF and trace. The plan's roof plan is flat, so you apply pitch yourself unless the tool does it for you.
- Imagery. Re-roofs and storm work rarely come with plans. You measure the roof from above, on satellite imagery or your own drone or phone photo, and pitch is set per facet.
A shop that does both usually ends up with two tools. That isn't waste; it's two different inputs.
Plan-based takeoff: PlanSwift, Bluebeam and STACK
These three are general construction takeoff tools. None of them is roofing-only, and all of them work from drawings you already have.
PlanSwift
PlanSwift measures areas, lengths and counts by clicking on plans, and its pages list PDF, JPG, TIFF and CAD files (PlanSwift pricing page, Oct 2026). It pairs takeoff with estimating through pre-built assemblies, and roofing isn't one of the named trades on its trade menu (Oct 2026). Pricing is annual per seat: PlanSwift Essential is $2,000 a year for 1 seat, and PlanSwift Core is $3,000 a year for 1 seat, adding its Auto Takeoff tool. There's a 14-day free trial with no card (PlanSwift pricing page, Oct 2026).
Fits: an estimator who bids plan sets every week across several scopes and wants takeoff and estimating in one desktop tool.
Bluebeam
Bluebeam Revu is a PDF markup and document tool that measures. Every plan includes Revu for Windows desktop plus web and mobile access. The entry Basics plan measures length and area but not perimeter; Core adds perimeters, counts and angles; Complete adds Quantity Link to Excel. Prices are per user, billed annually: Basics $260, Core $330, Complete $440 and Max $590, the last marked as an introductory price (Bluebeam pricing page, Oct 2026).
Fits: a commercial roofer already living in PDFs, marking up submittals and sharing drawings with a GC, who wants takeoff inside the same tool. For roof work, note that eave and rake runs are perimeter measurements, which start at Core.
STACK
STACK is cloud-based takeoff and estimating with proposals. Its pricing page lists Takeoff & Estimate from $299 per user per month, Build & Operate from $49 per user per month, and the full platform from $348 per user per month. STACK says it offers a free version of Takeoff & Estimate, and a two-week trial for Build & Operate (STACK pricing page, Oct 2026).
Fits: a team that wants takeoff, estimates and proposals in a browser, shared across estimators, with field tools available later.
A roofing quote tool: QuoteCore+
QuoteCore+ is built for roofing first. Its digital takeoff starts from a plan you upload, a PNG, JPG or multi-page PDF, which you trace by hand or with its Roof Scan Assist, which picks out roof areas, ridges, hips, valleys and barges for you to review. Pitch, waste and quantities flow into a priced quote, with material ordering and invoicing in the same workflow. Its own feature page says the takeoff builder works from 2D plans and does not pull satellite imagery or order aerial reports; you can type in measurements from another source (QuoteCore+ digital roof takeoff page, Oct 2026).
Pricing is built in a configurator from your workload and the add-ons you pick. The pricing page lists current configurations from US$29 to US$259 per month, says there is no full-app trial, offers an interactive demo and free browser tools instead, and lists a one-time Done For You Setup from US$499 (QuoteCore+ pricing page, Oct 2026).
Fits: a roofing contractor who gets plans or sketches and wants measurement, pricing and the customer quote connected without retyping.
Imagery measuring: RoofStruct
RoofStruct starts where there are no plans. You measure the roof yourself on satellite imagery or your own drone or phone photo, in minutes: trace the facets, set pitch, label each edge. Free gives you free, unlimited self-serve measuring and PDF reports, no card, and the Cost & Takeoff worksheet. The worksheet prices the measured quantities at your own rates and shows total job cost, net profit and break-even per square.
Pro is $69/month. It adds the Material Order Builder, which fills a supplier order from the same measurement, and branded Good / Better / Best estimates with e-signature. If you'd rather not trace the roof, done-for-you reports are $14 residential and $29 commercial, measured by a technician from high-resolution satellite imagery and checked by a second one. They're usually delivered within 4 hours (turnaround can vary with volume and complexity).
RoofStruct doesn't import PDF plan sets for scaled takeoff. If your work is plan-based, one of the tools above fits that job better.
Fits: re-roof and repair contractors who bid from the address, measure a lot of roofs they won't win, and want the takeoff to carry into the order.
The five tools side by side
| Tool | Works from | How you pay (Oct 2026) | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlanSwift | PDF, image and CAD plans | Annual per seat, $2,000 or $3,000; 14-day trial | Multi-trade plan bids |
| Bluebeam | PDF drawings | Annual per user, $260 to $590 | PDF-heavy commercial work |
| STACK | Plans in the browser | From $299 per user per month for takeoff; free version listed | Shared cloud takeoff and proposals |
| QuoteCore+ | Uploaded roof plans and drawings | Configured monthly, US$29 to US$259 | Plan-to-quote roofing workflow |
| RoofStruct | Satellite imagery, drone or phone photo | Free self-serve; Pro $69/month; reports $14/$29 | Re-roof bids from the address |
Prices and terms from each vendor's own pages, checked Oct 2026; they change often.
Where you trip
- Flat area as roof area. A plan's roof plan shows horizontal projection. Multiply by the pitch factor before you order: a 2,400 sq ft footprint at 6/12 (factor 1.118) is 2,683 sq ft, or 26.8 squares before waste. Miss that and you're short almost 3 squares.
- Buying perimeter twice. Eave, rake and ridge are lineal runs. Make sure the tier or setup you buy measures perimeter, not just area.
- Two sources, one job. If the plans say one thing and the roof on the imagery says another (an added porch, a garage that was never built), the roof wins. Re-roof the house that's there.
- Software total, no hand check. Run one roof you know by hand before trusting any tool's total. Our guide to free roof estimating software walks that math through.
- Paying for capacity you don't use. An annual per-seat licence makes sense at a plan set a week. At one a month, the per-bid cost climbs fast: $3,000 a year over 12 bids is $250 a bid before your time.
Which one to pick
Start from your last 20 bids. Count how many came with plans. If most did, pick among PlanSwift, Bluebeam, STACK and QuoteCore+ by price model and how much of the quote you want in the same tool. If most didn't, you need imagery measuring first, and a plan tool only for the jobs that bring one. For the measuring side of that decision, our roundup of roof measurement software compares the imagery and report tools on their own terms.
FAQ
What is roofing takeoff software?
Software that turns plans or imagery into roofing quantities: squares, lineal feet of each edge type and counts of accessories. Some tools then price those quantities into an estimate or a material order.
Is there free roofing takeoff software?
STACK says it offers a free version of its Takeoff & Estimate product, and PlanSwift offers a 14-day trial (vendor pricing pages, Oct 2026). QuoteCore+ lists free browser tools but no full-app trial. RoofStruct's free plan covers unlimited self-serve measuring, the PDF report and the Cost & Takeoff worksheet, with no card.
Can I do a roof takeoff without plans?
Yes, by measuring from overhead imagery. On RoofStruct you trace the roof on satellite imagery or your own drone or phone photo and set the pitch per facet. The plan-based tools here expect a drawing to measure.
Do plan-based takeoff tools account for roof pitch?
A roof plan is drawn flat, so the area you trace is horizontal. Check whether your tool applies a pitch factor per plane; if not, multiply by it yourself before ordering.
Sources
Checked Oct 2026:
- QuoteCore+ pricing page: configured monthly price range, trial policy, Done For You Setup.
- QuoteCore+ digital roof takeoff page: supported plan files, Roof Scan Assist, what the takeoff builder does not do.
- PlanSwift pricing page: Essential and Core annual prices, free trial, supported plan types.
- PlanSwift homepage: point-and-click takeoff on PDF, CAD and image files, trade list.
- Bluebeam pricing page: Basics, Core, Complete and Max prices and measurement tools by plan.
- STACK pricing page: plan prices, free version and trial.