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 benchmark is 60 unique symbols across 168 pages in about an hour, including review — roughly 168× faster than counting by hand. How we measured it.
168×
faster than hand-counting — 168 pages, 60 symbols, in about an hour
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 Every symbol on this sheet — found & marked
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 — 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 — 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 benchmark is 60 unique symbols across 168 pages in about an hour — roughly 168× faster than counting by hand. 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. 168 pages · 60 symbols · ~1 hour.

Request Early Access

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

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