Share a link, not a database file
On-Screen Takeoff is the heavyweight estimator's tool - powerful, Windows-bound, and priced by sales call. Notch does calibrated takeoff in the browser, opens with a link, and posts its price.
The short version
On-Screen Takeoff has depth nothing in its class matches - multi-condition takeoff, typical areas, condition databases feeding Quick Bid. Commercial estimating departments run on it for good reason. They also live with its terms: a Windows desktop install, takeoff databases on local drives, one person per takeoff at a time, weeks of learning curve, and pricing you only discover by talking to sales.
Notch trades that depth for daylight. Calibrated lengths, areas, volumes, and counts in the browser on any machine; quantities organized by trade and exported to Excel; the takeoff living with the drawing, where a link opens it for anyone. Free on 3 drawings, $240 a year per editor - the price is right there.
Side by side
On-Screen Takeoff details verified August 2026 from constructconnect.com; OST pricing is quote-only, so the figures above are customer-reported ranges. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@notch.build and we'll fix it.
A takeoff your whole team can open
An OST takeoff is a database on a Windows machine or a network share. One estimator works it at a time; sharing means exporting or walking over; and reviewers on that database's crash history have long memories.
In Notch the takeoff lives with the drawing in the cloud. Two people can work the same set, a view link shows the PM the quantities without an account, and version history keeps every issue of every sheet underneath the measurements.
Depth you use, or depth you pay for
OST's power tools - one trace filling a room's floor, paint, and base at once; typical areas repeating across a floor; conditions flowing into Quick Bid - are real, and for a commercial estimating department they're the whole point. They're also why onboarding takes weeks and the seat costs what it costs.
Most takeoff work is simpler than that: calibrate, measure, organize by trade, export, price. Notch does that part in the browser, learnable in an afternoon, and leaves the pricing to the spreadsheet or estimating system you already run.
You shouldn't need a sales call to learn a price
ConstructConnect quotes OST privately; customers report somewhere between $1,500 and $3,000+ per seat per year depending on the bundle, with the AI add-on extra. You find out where you land after the demo.
Notch's price is on the pricing page: free on 3 drawings, full editor included; $240 a year or $24 a month per editor after that; viewers free forever. No demo required - though the free plan is a standing one.
When On-Screen Takeoff is the right choice
OST holds its ground when estimating is the department:
- You bid commercial work at volume - multi-condition takeoff and typicals genuinely multiply an estimator's output.
- Your pricing runs through Quick Bid and condition databases built over years.
- You're invested in the ConstructConnect ecosystem for bid leads and plan rooms.
Common questions
Is Notch a replacement for On-Screen Takeoff?
For straightforward takeoff - calibrate, measure, export, price - yes, with none of the install, learning curve, or seat cost. For multi-condition takeoff and Quick Bid estimating, no; that depth is OST's reason to exist.
Can two estimators work the same takeoff in Notch?
Yes. Takeoffs live in the cloud with the drawing, so your team works the same set from different machines - no database files, no check-outs.
What does Notch cost, and why is OST's price hidden?
Notch is public: free on 3 drawings, then $240 a year or $24 a month per editor. OST is quoted per deal; customers report $1,500–3,000+ per seat per year. You'd have to ask them why.
Does Notch run on the machines I already have?
Yes - anything with a browser. Mac, Windows, or a tablet at the site, with nothing to install and nothing for IT to maintain.
Leave the desktop behind. Keep the capability.
Free on up to 3 drawings · No credit card required