On-Screen Takeoff (OST) is a well-known takeoff tool that a generation of estimators learned on, but that many landscape contractors are now ready to move on from.
On the core manual takeoff job, Bobyard and OST might look similar, but they don’t operate the same way. In this Bobyard vs On-Screen Takeoff comparison, we’ll break down what each tool does, what you’re paying for, and how to figure out which is right for your business.
Bobyard vs. On-Screen Takeoff: 3 factors to help you choose your takeoff solution
The fastest read on how the two tools stack up:
|
On-Screen Takeoff (OST) |
Bobyard |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Windows-only desktop takeoff software |
Cloud-based landscape takeoff + estimating platform |
|
AI |
Takeoff Boost (paid add-on, interior trades, run caps) |
AI trained per trade, included in base price, unlimited runs |
|
Estimating |
Takeoff only (syncs to Quick Bid or exports to Excel) |
Takeoff + estimating combined in one platform |
|
Platform |
Windows desktop only (no Mac, no browser, no tablet) |
Browser-based (Mac, Windows, tablet, any modern browser) |
|
Pricing |
~$15/user/month + separate Takeoff Boost subscription |
Premium subscription, AI included; flat fee for enterprise |
|
Revisions |
Immediate |
Immediate |
|
Built for |
Every construction trade (MEP, drywall, framing, landscape) |
Landscaping, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), paving, finishes, flooring |
|
Best for |
Solo estimators, multi-trade generalists, low bid volume |
Teams scaling bid volume with multiple estimators |
A takeoff is the process of measuring quantities from a set of construction drawings (e.g., counting plants, measuring hardscape square footage, etc) to drive your estimate amounts, and ultimately your bid.
Many estimators do this by hand, reading through plan sheets and manually counting or measuring. It’s time-consuming, error-prone, and unscalable as bid volume increases.
Takeoff software like Bobyard uses AI trained specifically on trade-specific construction plans to automate counts, measurements, and calculations from blueprints and drawings, resulting in faster, more accurate takeoffs.
Evaluating other tools? Check out our other comparisons:
OST has been around since the late 1990s. Its longevity and familiarity make it a popular option with:
Where it stops working is in the landscape industry, specifically.
OST’s biggest gaps show up in the workflow around the core takeoff loop.
ConstructConnect launched Takeoff Boost in 2023 as OST’s AI layer.
The AI was trained on floor plans for interior building work. It scans plans to give area, linear, and count measurements, primarily for walls, ceilings, floor areas, and interior counts.
General contractors and interior subs; trades like walls, ceilings, and plumbing.
Critically, Takeoff Boost doesn’t run on site plans, which is what most landscape work actually lives on.
Separate subscription on top of OST, separate license key, with run caps unless you’re on Premium Maintenance Plan. The AI was bolted on in 2023 and sold as an upgrade.
Bottom line: Takeoff Boost is a real AI product for interior building work. On a landscape plan set, it wasn’t built for your drawings.
Bobyard is AI takeoff and estimating software first built specifically for landscape contractors, and now expanding to more trades across MEP, paving, and flooring and finishes. Developed with computer vision, Bobyard's AI is trained specifically on trade-specific construction drawings across thousands of real plan sets. Bobyard allows you to upload construction drawings to automatically extract quantities: plants, hardscape, irrigation, linear measurements, and more. Your estimators stay in control of the process, but with little manual intervention.
OST represents where takeoff software started, but Bobyard represents where landscape estimating is going. Three structural differences drive the difference.
Bobyard’s AI is trained on real plans across each individual trade. It also runs on aerial imagery for maintenance takeoffs. It understands and reads plansets the way estimators and contractors do, instead of being a generic LLM or too generic for any specific trade. OST’s Takeoff Boost is trained on floor plans and runs on walls, ceilings, and floor areas. It is not applicable for every trade.
Bobyard handles takeoff, estimating, AI quantities, bulk material upload, and a plan-set chatbot inside a single browser-based platform. OST is takeoff only, so quantities still need to move into Quick Bid, Excel, or another estimating tool, with Takeoff Boost as a separate AI subscription. Bobyard means fewer licenses, logins, and places for information to get lost or outdated.
Bobyard runs in any modern browser, on any device. OST is a Windows-only desktop install. That difference compounds the moment you have more than one estimator, anyone on a Mac, or anyone working outside a corporate desktop setup.
“This is literally the future of estimating in landscaping, and it’s time to get on board.” — John Barrett, Chopper Landscaping
OST’s public starting price is around $15 per user per month, with Takeoff Boost as a separate subscription on top. Bobyard is a premium subscription priced for serious commercial bid volume, and is more expensive than OST's per-seat cost, with AI included, unlimited runs, and no separate license keys.
The per-seat number isn’t the comparison that matters. Here's how Bobyard customers justify the price.
Mid-market contractors don’t lose work because they can’t build it. They lose work because they can’t bid it fast enough. Faster turnaround means responding to more RFPs, getting in front of GCs and developers earlier, and pursuing opportunities that used to get passed on because estimating capacity was full. Every bid not submitted is revenue left on the table.
Bobyard customers consistently report 50–70% time savings on takeoff work. Some report 80-90%. Flip that into a budget-meeting question: what would you pay to make each estimator 50% more efficient?
If an estimator earns around $70,000 a year, ten percent of that is $7,000 per estimator. For a three-estimator team, $21,000 a year for a 50% productivity gain. Compare that to hiring a fourth estimator: another $70–90K, plus benefits, recruiting, and six months of ramp. Bobyard is the cheaper capacity move.
A team bidding 70 jobs a month on a manual tool can push that to 140 on Bobyard without adding an estimator, a pattern we’ve seen repeatedly with mid-market customers. Double the bids, same team. Even at a flat close rate, that’s double the revenue pipeline.
An OST workflow isn’t one subscription; it’s a stack. OST for measuring, Takeoff Boost as an add-on for AI, Quick Bid or Excel for actually building the bid. Each piece is a separate license, a separate workflow, and another set of training hours. Bobyard collapses that stack into one platform: takeoff, estimating, AI quantities, and material lists in the same place. The real cost of a multi-tool setup is rarely just the line items.
Bobyard’s math works for landscape contractors where bid volume and team efficiency matter more than per-seat cost:
If estimating capacity is what’s capping how many bids the team can put out, Bobyard is the cheaper way to scale than another headcount.
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Is Bobyard a replacement for On-Screen Takeoff?
Yes. Bobyard does everything OST does for manual takeoff (lines, areas, counts, overlays, symbols), plus per-trade-trained AI and estimating in one cloud platform.
Can I use Bobyard on a Mac?
Yes. Bobyard is fully browser-based. OST is Windows-only desktop software.
How is Bobyard’s AI different from OST’s Takeoff Boost?
Takeoff Boost is trained on interior building drawings: walls, ceilings, floor areas. Bobyard’s AI is trained on all different types of trade drawings to be applicable across each different trade, and also handles aerial imagery for maintenance takeoffs.
Can I migrate my existing OST takeoffs into Bobyard?
We recommend starting new projects in Bobyard rather than backfilling OST files. Our onboarding team can help run Bobyard’s AI on previous jobs to benchmark output.
What if I’m also comparing AI-only tools or outsourced services?
See our comparisons of Bobyard vs Beam AI and Bobyard vs Takeoff Monkey.