Paid vs Free Construction Estimating Software – Which Is Best for You?

What is free construction estimating software? 

Construction estimating software has been around for decades, and free solutions have now arrived on the market. These solutions can help you estimate materials, labour and equipment costs and speed up your bid process, saving you time and money.  

Free construction estimating software is often a limited or ‘freemium’ version of paid for software. This means that while basic functionality is available, features that you may find necessary or useful for your business are locked behind a paywall.  

Other free solutions may be open-source, meaning that they are maintained by the software community rather than a for-profit organisation. Open-source solutions can be well built, feature-rich, and accessible, with good community support. However, product support is potluck and can be unreliable, prone to change, or even non-existent. Software bugs can sometimes take years to be fixed.  

Any integration with your systems or customisation to your processes through open-source software will need in-house development which can be very expensive and time-consuming.  

What can free construction estimating software do? 

Free construction estimating software can help you automate many of the time-consuming elements of the estimating process, like takeoff, creating a bill of quantities, and putting together client quotes.  

Free solutions often have basic estimating functionality like basic item libraries, templates, and measurement tools. However more advanced functionality, like 3D takeoff, online enquiries and reporting tools are frequently only available in paid versions.  

Every solution is different. It is worth comparing the features and functionality of free construction estimating software if that is the route you choose.  

Be aware, however, that many solutions advertised as ‘free’ are actually 30-day free trials and require you to purchase the full licence to continue using beyond the trial period.

What is the best free construction estimating software? 

Here is a list of the top 3 free construction estimating software solutions. Many of the search results for free construction estimating software return free trials for 15 or 30 days, which is not truly ‘free’ software. The solutions listed below are free solutions and are not time limited by a ‘free trial’.  

ESTIMATE by Wanhive  

Estimate by Wanhive is a free, open-source construction estimating tool that is supported by the user and developer community.  The main features are: 

• Supplier and client database 
• Generation of cost sheets and bill of quantities 
• Analysis of subcontractor and vendor quotes 
• Web-based interface 
• No user limits 

Methvin Free 

Methvin Free is online construction management and estimating software which comes with the following features for their free package. Methvin also offer paid versions of this software with more features and fewer restrictions. 

• Online estimating 
• Gantt scheduler 
• 2D takeoff tool 
• One free app for a single user 
• Collaboration with 1 user only 

Stack Free Account 

Stack offers a free account as a trial. The free account isn’t time limited but offers a reduced feature set to their paid versions. Features of Stack include the following but bear in mind these are limited in the free version.  

• 2D takeoff tool 
• Online estimating 
• Client quote and proposal 
• Template library 

The Table below compares the top 3 free construction estimating software solutions for functionality, scalability, support, and ease of use.  

Paid vs free construction estimating software 

There are significant differences between free and paid-for construction estimating software. While free solutions have the advantage of saving money on licences, paid versions often include a greater selection and quality of features, better support and the ability to scale as you grow.  

Paid-for solutions often include multiple user licences for the product depending on the package you choose. This means that you’re not limited to just one login, and it’s hassle free to bring new staff on board and using the software.  

For free versions of paid software such as Methvin Free and Stack Free Trial, the user limits are often just one person. This is designed to encourage you to buy their paid packages. The exception to this is free open-source software such as ESTIMATE by Wanhive, which allows unlimited licences.  

One of the biggest differences between paid-for and free construction estimating software is their product functionality and ease of use. Paid-for products for the most part have the money to develop the most advanced features, maintain development and ensure that they are user-friendly to encourage user adoption.  

While open-source software can be feature rich, it often lags behind in functionality due to lack of resources, and may not have the most modern or intuitive design.

Best paid construction estimating software 

There is much larger selection of paid construction estimating software than there are free solutions, with a wider range of differences in functionality. Below is a selection of some of the best paid construction estimating software solutions. 
 

Access ConQuest 

Access ConQuest is an easy-to-use, fully-featured construction estimating software solution, chosen by over 900 UK-based contractors. This cost estimating software for the construction sector helps you to gain control over your bid and pricing estimates to improve the accuracy and speed of the construction tender process. Key features include: 

• Bills of quantities generation 
• 2D & 3D On screen takeoff 
• 10 million+ item library of customisable items 
• Online enquiries 

• Advanced reporting 
• Quote comparisons 
• Cloud hosting 
• Multiple users 
• Dedicated support 

Learn more about Access ConQuest > 

Procore 

Procore is an online construction takeoff and estimating software solution to quickly perform quantity takeoffs, estimates and professional proposals. Key features include: 

• Bills of Quantities generation 

• 2D On screen takeoff 
• Templates and library of items 
• Advanced reporting 
• Cloud hosting 
• Multiple users 
• Dedicated support 

Causeway 

Causeway Estimating is construction estimating software, designed to let main contractors and subcontractors manage the bid and tender process much more efficiently and effectively. Key features include:  

• Bills of quantities generation 
• 2D & 3D on screen takeoff 
• Templates and library of items 
• BIM Measure 
• Advanced reporting 
• Cloud hosting 
• Multiple users 
• Dedicated support 

Which construction estimating software is best for me? 

If you’re a one-man band dealing with small projects, a small contractor with only one estimator pricing up relatively simple projects, or a small firm with limited budget but large development resource, free software may be best for you. 

Solutions such as Methvin Free or Stack Free Trial may be your best free option if you value more professional support and the option to upgrade to paid in the future. Otherwise, if you’re looking for more functionality and scalability in your free solution and aren’t as concerned about support, an open-source alternative such as ESTIMATE by Wanhive may be the answer.  

For everyone else, a paid solution will almost certainly be your best option. Paid solutions have significantly more features which will be essential for larger and more complex projects and will save you more time and money. Paid solutions have multiple user licences and dedicated support, meaning that any issues with the software can be resolved quickly and you can grow your organisation worry-free.  

In addition, if you’re handling projects of more than £1 million, choosing the best paid construction estimating software is essential, as you won’t get the necessary features, support, or time and money savings from free versions, or by continuing to use Excel.  

Need more information? why not explore our construction estimation software solutions or get in touch to speak to one of our construction experts.