CivilTrace vs PlanSwift for Civil Takeoff: Pros and Cons

Q: Does CivilTrace do cut and fill?

No. CivilTrace does not model existing and proposed surfaces, so it has no cut-and-fill volumes. It covers utilities, erosion control, paving, demolition and foundations, including trench excavation, box excavation for structures, and dig and haul for footings. For mass grading, keep your earthwork software.

Side by side

The same civil set, two different tools.

PlanSwift is a general takeoff tool with estimating built in. CivilTrace is a civil takeoff tool with the contractor math built in. That difference shows up on every row below.

For civil takeoff	PlanSwift	CivilTrace
Built for	Takeoff and estimating for every trade, from drywall to site work, with trade starter packs sold separately.	Civil and sitework takeoff for estimators, built by an earthwork contractor for its own team.
Measuring a pipe run	Point-and-click linear takeoff, one click per point. Single-Click Takeoff applies the same takeoff across multi-condition plans.	Follow Line: one click measures the run to the next structure, stops at matchlines, bridges symbols drawn over the line and ignores profile grids.
Reading the callout	Size, material and slope live on the item or assembly you pick before you measure.	Read Callout fills size, material and slope from 300 LF - 18" RCP @ 0.40%. Rim and invert labels set depth.
Finding the rest	Auto Count finds matching symbols across the set. Auto Takeoff proposes a first pass of areas, lengths and counts (Core plan).	Find like this proposes every line drawn in the same style across all sheets. A count dropped near SSMH-4 or FH picks its type from the label.
Item library	Parts and assembly libraries you build, plus optional starter packs by trade. No civil pack is listed; EarthWork Pro is the site work plugin.	9,400+ civil items by system, material and size. Search 8" pvc or 8x8x6 wye; right-click to add a missing size.
Trench, bedding and haul	Assemblies and custom formulas you set up, or the EarthWork Pro plugin for trenching.	Built in per run with your own constants: trench width by pipe size, bedding, tons, waste, swell, truck loads and box excavation for structures.
Cut and fill	EarthWork Pro plugin (sold separately): digitize contours or spot elevations and triangulate. Needs TIF images; volumes are not calculated on PDF pages.	Not offered. CivilTrace covers trench, box and footing excavation, not mass grading.
Concrete and foundations	Area and volume takeoff with concrete assemblies you build or buy in the Concrete Starter Pack.	Concrete with waste, rebar by lb/CY, forms, dig and haul from footing dimensions and elevations.
Pricing the bid	Built in. Material and labor assemblies update costs as you measure, with labor unit libraries and bid proposals.	Not built in. Quantities and production hours go to Excel, CSV or JSON for your estimating system.
Excel	Live Excel Link updates connected cells as the takeoff changes. Exports to PDF, Excel, CSV, XML and HTML.	Excel workbook, production workbook with live formulas and a CSV bid-item list, all from the same calculator as the on-screen totals.
Plan files	PDF, DWG, DXF, JPG, TIFF and PLN. Multi-scale pages and revision overlay.	Vector PDF plan sets. Scanned sheets open and are measured with manual Trace.
AI	Takeoff BOOST: Auto Takeoff, Auto Count, Auto Scale and Auto Bookmark. PlanSwift calls it "a head start, not a finished bid."	None. CivilTrace reads the line work and text in the PDF and shows every result for you to confirm. Nothing leaves your PC.
Review and markup	Annotations and markups, reports to PDF.	Review PDF with selectable, unflattened markups and a layer per scope that opens in Bluebeam Revu. Revu measurements import as items.
Where your data lives	Local, network or cloud storage. An unrestricted internet connection is required for activation, updates and help.	On your PC only. No cloud, no telemetry. Offline for up to 14 days between license check-ins.
Platform	Windows 10 and 11 desktop. No Mac install; PlanSwift is tested on native Windows only.	Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. macOS planned.
Support and training	US phone support on weekdays, classroom training, training videos and a user guide. Essential includes 2 hours of 1-on-1 training.	Email support from the people who build it. A Copy support details button in the app gathers what they need.
Trial	14 days, every feature, no credit card.	7 days, key issued on the spot. Measure and save; exports and reports unlock with a plan.
Licensing	Annual, per seat: Essential $2,000 a year, Core $3,000 a year, discounted additional seats. No monthly or perpetual plan is listed.	$79 a month, $780 a year or $4,000 once. Two computers per license.

PlanSwift details come from planswift.com and the PlanSwift support site, read on 12 October 2026. Plans, plugins and prices change, so check planswift.com. PlanSwift is a trademark of its owner, which is not affiliated with CivilTrace. Comparing against Bluebeam instead? See CivilTrace vs Bluebeam.

Pros and cons

What each one gets right, and where it costs you.

Both lists come from the vendors' own pages. Nothing here is a knock on either tool; they are built for different jobs.

PlanSwift pros

Every trade in one app. PlanSwift says it serves 18-plus trades and more than 41,000 estimators. If you bid drywall on Monday and site work on Tuesday, it covers both.
Estimating built in. Material and labor assemblies price the takeoff as you measure, with labor unit libraries, custom formulas and bid proposals.
Live Excel Link. Connected cells update as the takeoff changes, and you can start takeoffs from Excel.
Takeoff BOOST AI. Auto Count, Auto Scale and Auto Bookmark on every plan; full Auto Takeoff on Core.
More file types. DWG and DXF open directly, alongside PDF and images. Multi-scale pages and revision overlay are built in.
A big support organization. Weekday US phone support, classroom training, a video library and a 14-day full-feature trial.

PlanSwift cons

Civil is a plugin, not the point. Site work gets EarthWork Pro, sold separately. There is no civil item library in the box; pipe sizes, materials and trench rules are yours to build as assemblies.
Click per point. A long storm run is measured point by point, and reading the callout beside it is not on PlanSwift's feature list; the size and material come from the item you picked first.
Earthwork needs TIF. EarthWork Pro cannot calculate volumes on PDF pages; plans are converted to TIF before digitizing contours or spot elevations.
Annual seats only. $2,000 or $3,000 a year per seat, with no monthly or perpetual option listed. Additional seats are discounted but still annual.
Online by design. An unrestricted internet connection is required for activation, updates and the help files.
Windows only, like us. No Mac install; Boot Camp or Parallels is untested by the vendor.

CivilTrace pros

One click per run. Follow Line measures a pipe run to the next structure, chains dashed CAD exports, bridges symbols drawn over the line and stops at matchlines.
The callout is read for you. Size, material, slope, rim and invert come off the sheet and into the item, shown for you to confirm.
9,400+ civil items ready. By system, material and size, with the trench, bedding, tons, waste, swell, truck load and box excavation math built in per run.
Exports that agree. Excel workbook, production workbook, CSV bid items, review PDF for Bluebeam and seven more, all from the same calculator.
Your plans stay on your PC. No cloud, no telemetry, no AI service. Offline for up to 14 days between check-ins.
Priced for one estimator. $79 a month, $780 a year or $4,000 once, and each license covers two computers.

CivilTrace cons

Civil only. Utilities, erosion control, paving, demolition and foundations. MEP, framing, finishes and roofing are not covered.
No pricing inside. CivilTrace stops at quantities and production hours. Costs are applied in Excel or your estimating system.
No cut and fill. No surface modeling, so mass grading stays in your earthwork software.
Vector PDFs first. DWG and DXF do not open directly, and scanned sheets are measured by hand with Trace.
Email support, small team. No phone line or classroom training yet. You reach the people who wrote it, but by email.
Windows only, for now. macOS is planned but not shipped.

Credit where it's due

When PlanSwift is the better buy.

Plenty of estimators should stay on PlanSwift. It's the right call when:

You bid more than civil

A general contractor or a multi-trade shop needs one takeoff tool for everything. PlanSwift's trade packs and assemblies cover work CivilTrace will never touch.

The estimate lives in the takeoff

If you price as you measure, with labor units and material costs on every assembly, PlanSwift's estimating workspace is the product. CivilTrace hands quantities off instead.

You need cut and fill in the same app

With EarthWork Pro, PlanSwift digitizes contours and spot elevations for volumes. CivilTrace has no surface model.

Where CivilTrace pays off

When the civil takeoff is the slow part.

The gap opens on real civil sets: long utility runs, dozens of callouts, and the math that follows every one of them.

Long utility runs

One click per run instead of a click per bend. Dashed CAD exports chain into one run, symbols drawn over the line are bridged, and runs stop at matchlines so nothing is doubled.

Callouts become quantities

Size, material, slope, rim and invert come off the sheet and into the item. Nothing is picked from a list first or typed in afterwards.

The math is already set up

Trench width by pipe size, bedding, tons, swell, truck loads, concrete with waste and production hours come out per run with your constants, with no assemblies to build first.

Switching

What changes, and what doesn't.

The keyboard

F Follow Line, P Trace, S Count, A Area, T Read Callout, and the F8 edge-following AGTEK users know. Ctrl+K searches every command.

Your assemblies

You don't rebuild them. The library ships with 9,400+ civil items, and trench, bedding, haul and concrete rules are editable defaults, per run, per system or per project.

Your estimate

It stays where it is. CivilTrace writes the Excel workbook, the production workbook and a CSV bid-item list that HCSS, B2W, Procore or a spreadsheet can take in.

Your license

Monthly, annual or perpetual, two computers per license, offline for up to 14 days at a time. Start with the free 7-day trial on your own plan set.

FAQ

PlanSwift questions, answered.

Is CivilTrace a replacement for PlanSwift?

For civil takeoff, yes: measuring, counting, the civil item library and the trench, concrete and production math all live in CivilTrace. For pricing the bid with assemblies, or for trades outside civil, no. PlanSwift is a takeoff and estimating tool for every trade; CivilTrace is a takeoff tool for civil scopes that hands quantities to whatever prices your bid.

How do the prices compare?

PlanSwift's pricing page lists two annual plans: Essential at $2,000 a year and Core at $3,000 a year, each for one seat, with discounted pricing for additional seats and no monthly or perpetual option listed. CivilTrace is $79 a month, $780 a year, or $4,000 once for the 1.x license with an optional $400 a year for support and updates. Each CivilTrace license runs on two computers.

Does PlanSwift do pipe and trench takeoff?

PlanSwift measures linear runs by clicking each point and can run trench and pipe math through assemblies and custom formulas you set up. The EarthWork Pro plugin, sold separately, adds trenching, cut and fill and spot-elevation tools. CivilTrace measures a run from one click, reads the callout for size, material and slope, and runs the trench, bedding, tons and haul math per run with no setup.

Does CivilTrace do cut and fill?

No. CivilTrace doesn't model existing and proposed surfaces, so it has no cut-and-fill volumes. It covers utilities, erosion control, paving, demolition and foundations, including trench excavation, box excavation for structures, and dig and haul for footings. For mass grading, keep your earthwork software.

Can I bring in a takeoff I already started in PlanSwift?

Not directly. CivilTrace imports Bluebeam Revu measurements, but there's no PlanSwift import. Open the same PDF set in CivilTrace and let Follow Line and Find like this measure the civil runs again; on a utility sheet that's usually faster than re-clicking.

Can I try CivilTrace next to PlanSwift on the same set?

Yes. Enter your email in the Free trial card under Pricing and your 7-day key appears right away. Open a set you've already taken off in PlanSwift and compare the pipe lengths, counts and areas. The trial measures and saves; exports and reports unlock with a plan.

Try it on your next civil bid

CivilTrace for Windows

Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. One-click installer, about 160 MB. Free for 7 days with a trial key (measure and view; exports unlock with a plan), then $79 a month, $780 a year or $4,000 once.

Download for Windows Get a trial key

The download starts right away. File: CivilTrace-Setup-x64.exe. Every feature, scope and export is on the home page.