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What is the best way to count symbols on construction plans?
SimplyCount finds and marks every symbol automatically and you sign off on the count — and it runs on your own machine, or on a server inside your own firewall, never a cloud you didn't choose. Here is how that compares to counting by hand and to cloud-only AI tools.
| Capability | By hand | Cloud-only AI | SimplyCount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counts every symbol instance automatically | You, by hand | Sometimes | Yes |
| You review & sign off on the count | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| Runs on your machine — or on a server inside your own firewall | n/a | No — cloud only | Yes |
| On-prem mode: encrypted local DB, plans never uploaded | n/a | No | Yes |
| Learns your custom symbols | n/a | Varies | Yes |
| Handles P&IDs & scanned pages | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| Exports to Excel / CSV / PDF | Manual | Varies | Yes |
| Shows unverified counts as a floor (≥) | No | No | Yes |
Category-level comparison of SimplyCount’s verifiable attributes. We don’t publish specific competitor claims we can’t verify.
Count your first plan free
Request early access with your work email — the team reviews every request, nearest bid deadlines first — then run your first plan and see a number you can defend. 168 pages · 60 symbols · ~1 hour.
Free during early access · Your work email · No credit card · Counting runs on your machine