Notch vs Autodesk Build

No sheet counts. No second subscription.

Autodesk Build bills by how many sheets you touch and keeps takeoff in a separate paid product. Notch is one tool for markup, measure, and compare - with no meter running on your drawing set.

The short version

Autodesk Build - now Forma Build, after the fourth rename in eight years - is a serious field platform, and if your firm is standardized on Revit, the ecosystem pull is real. But the drawing work comes with two catches. First, the billing meter: sheet-tier plans count every sheet you can access, across every project, revisions included - Autodesk's own forums are full of users burning through tiers faster than expected. Second, the split: markup lives in Build, real takeoff lives in Forma Takeoff, a separate subscription. Getting both runs well past $2,000 per user per year at list.

Notch is one tool with one meter that doesn't exist. Markup, calibrated takeoff with Excel export, and true revision compare - free on 3 drawings, then $240 a year per editor for unlimited drawings, every revision included. If you're one of the PlanGrid faithful still deciding where to land, this is the lighter option.

Side by side

FeatureNotchAutodesk Build
Pricing
Billing meter on sheetsNoneSheet tiers, revisions count
Markup and takeoff in one productTakeoff is a separate SKU
Paid plan$240/yr per editor~$800–1,400/yr + Takeoff ~$1,250/yr
Public pricingMostly “contact sales”
Free plan with the full editor3 drawings
The work
Markup toolkit with trade libraries & stampsStandard field set
Calibrated takeoff - length, area, volume, countSeparate product
Takeoff export to ExcelVia Forma Takeoff
Revision compare you can mark upView-only compare
Auto sheet indexing (numbers, titles, scales)AI, on Pro
RFIs, submittals, cost, schedule

Autodesk pricing and feature details verified August 2026 from autodesk.com and Autodesk's documentation; Autodesk's packaging is mid-transition after the 2026 Forma rebrand, so check current figures before quoting. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@notch.build and we'll fix it.

The sheet meter

Build's entry tiers cap the sheets you can access - and the count is cumulative across every project you're on, with every revision counted. A 550-sheet plan sounds like plenty until addenda and re-issues land; Autodesk's own help docs spell out the math, and its forums carry the complaints.

Notch doesn't meter sheets. Upload the whole set, every revision, on every project - the paid plan is unlimited drawings, and version history on every document is included, not counted.

One tool, not two subscriptions

In Autodesk's lineup, marking up a drawing and measuring it for pricing are different products. Build gives you field measurements; real quantity takeoff means adding Forma Takeoff at roughly $1,250 per user per year on top of Build itself.

In Notch they're the same editor. Cloud a detail, then measure it - lengths, areas, volumes, counts - and export the quantities to Excel. Compare works the same way: overlay two revisions and keep working, where Build's compare view is look-but-don't-touch.

If you came from PlanGrid

PlanGrid was bought in 2018, folded into Build, and closed to new customers - it still runs, but development stopped years ago and there's no automated migration to its successor. What made it loved was speed and simplicity in the field, and its successor is neither simple nor cheap.

Notch is closer in spirit to what you signed up for: open the set in a browser, mark it up, share a link. Try it on a real drawing set free - if it doesn't feel lighter, you've lost nothing.

When Autodesk Build is the right choice

Autodesk's platform earns its keep in the right shop:

  • Your firm runs on Revit and the Autodesk ecosystem - model coordination and design collaboration matter as much as sheets.
  • You need the full field platform: RFIs, submittals, forms, cost, and schedule in one system with offline mobile apps.
  • You're managing document control at GC scale, where Build's auto-indexing and versioning across huge sets shine.
FAQ

Common questions

Is Notch a PlanGrid replacement?

For drawing work - viewing, markup, measuring, sharing - yes, and it keeps PlanGrid's spirit: fast, simple, in the browser. Notch doesn't do PlanGrid's field workflows like RFIs and punch lists; if you need those, you're choosing a platform, not a drawing tool.

How does Notch's pricing compare?

Notch is free on 3 drawings with every tool included, then $240 a year per editor - no sheet tiers, no separate takeoff product. Autodesk's markup-plus-takeoff combination runs past $2,000 per user per year at list prices.

Do revisions count against anything in Notch?

No. Version history on every document is included on every plan. Upload every issue of every sheet - compare needs them there anyway.

Autodesk Build or Forma Build - which is it?

Same product. Autodesk renamed Construction Cloud to Forma in March 2026, so Autodesk Build is now Forma Build. Everything on this page applies to both names.

Leave the desktop behind. Keep the capability.

Free on up to 3 drawings · No credit card required