SimplyCount
SimplyCount

SimplyCount vs On-Screen Takeoff: Automatic Counting vs On-Screen Clicking

Tools like On-Screen Takeoff (on-screen manual takeoff software) moved the tally from paper to screen, a real improvement that still leaves the counting itself on you: you find each symbol, you click each symbol. SimplyCount moves the next step. The engine finds and marks every instance across the whole plan set, and your job becomes review (accept or reject each symbol's detections) instead of hunting.

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Windows 10/11 · 16 GB RAM minimum · no GPU required. Full requirements

When estimators compare SimplyCount to On-Screen Takeoff, the difference is where the counting, and the trust in the count, lives. SimplyCount finds and marks every symbol automatically, then puts a person in the loop: you review each symbol's detections and unverified counts show as a floor (≥), never dressed up as a total. It runs entirely on your own machine, so your drawings and IP never upload to anyone's cloud; most tools force everything through theirs. And it learns your custom symbols so the next job is faster than the last.

Why it's hard by hand

On-screen clicking is still counting, sheet by sheet, symbol by symbol.

Click-count speed caps at your attention span, and fatigue shows up in the total.

The markup file proves you clicked, not that you found every instance.

How SimplyCount handles it

What you get

  • Automatic symbol detection across the whole plan set, not manual clicking.

  • You review each symbol's detections and accept or reject them; unverified counts show as a floor (≥).

  • SimplyCount runs on your own machine: counting is local, plan sets are never uploaded, and results live in an encrypted local database inside your firewall. The license is checked once, at app launch, over HTTPS; after that, counting runs fully offline; a fully offline build with no license check is available for air-gapped environments at negotiated pricing, and firms that want one shared install can run SimplyCount on a server inside their own firewall.

  • Self-learning: teach a symbol once and count it on every future job.

  • Exports to Excel, CSV and PDF. SimplyCount's published run is 53 unique symbols across 21 pages in 11 minutes, including review, on a laptop CPU with no GPU. How we measured it.

11 min
53 symbols · 21 pages · 11 minutes on a laptop CPU, no GPU, including review
100%
of detections you review & sign off. You bid, not the model
0
uploads during counting; it runs on your own machine
Watch it count

Drag the line. See every symbol get found.

A real plan sheet. Slide to reveal what SimplyCount marks.

A plan sheet before counting The same sheet with every symbol detected and marked Your planCounted
12 are live: tap to review

Example: a real plan sheet.

Questions

Common questions

How is SimplyCount different from On-Screen Takeoff?
SimplyCount finds and marks every symbol automatically, then puts a person in the loop: you review each symbol's detections, and unverified counts show as a floor (≥), never dressed up as a total. You also get a tool that runs on your own machine, and your drawings never leave it.
What does SimplyCount cost compared to On-Screen Takeoff?
For On-Screen Takeoff pricing, check their site; we don't quote other products' numbers. SimplyCount is free during early access (full features, no credit card); when early access ends, Pro is a paid subscription whose price is published on the pricing page before checkout opens, so you always see the number before you pay.
Can we keep everything inside our network?
Your plan sets, yes: detection runs locally, results sit in an encrypted local database, and there is no upload step. SimplyCount checks its licence once, when the app launches. That check needs an internet connection and carries licence state only, never your drawings; after launch, counting runs fully offline. For environments that cannot allow any outbound connection, a fully offline build with no licence check is available at negotiated pricing; see the system requirements page.
How fast is it, really?
SimplyCount's published run is 53 unique symbols across 21 pages in 11 minutes, including review, on a laptop CPU with no GPU. Most sheets go from open plans to a draft count in minutes.
Can it learn our custom or non-standard symbols?
Yes. SimplyCount is self-learning: teach it a symbol once from your own legend and it counts that symbol on every future job, getting more accurate the more you use it.
Keep exploring

Related

Electrical →Receptacles (Outlets) →Estimating Departments →an Excel tally →

On-Screen Takeoff is a trademark of its respective owner. SimplyCount is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by them; the name is used only to identify the product being compared. Product details reflect our understanding at publication; check their site for current specifics.

Never manually count another symbol

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. 53 symbols · 21 pages · 11 minutes.

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Free during early access · Your work email · No credit card · Counting runs on your machine

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