Plumbing and HVAC Estimating Software: Takeoff Tools and Flat-Rate Books by Price

Plumbing estimating software prices a job before you quote it, either by measuring pipe and fittings on drawings or by picking repairs from a flat-rate book. HVAC estimating software does the same for duct, equipment and service calls.

What splits these tools is the work you price. New construction and replacement bids start from plans, so they need takeoff: FastEST, QuoteSoft, McCormick, PlanSwift and STACK measure from drawings and price the quantities. A service call is priced at the door, which is what a flat-rate book such as Flat Rate Plus Online is for. TurboBid sits between them, with flat-rate assemblies for service calls beside its bid database (help article).

These are estimating and takeoff tools, priced per estimator seat. The scheduling and dispatch software on our HVAC software and plumbing software pages is a different product, for running jobs once they are sold.

HVAC and plumbing estimating software prices compared

Estimating software prices, ordered by the first-year cost for 3 estimators

Vendor in cost order	How it is sold	Starting price per seat	First year 3 estimators	Each later year 3 estimators	Who it suits (our summary)
1 Flat Rate Plus Online	Subscription, flat price; Subscription, per seat	No monthly fee Published	$1,260 in the first year, billed annually Published Sources disagree on Premium Plus	The same as the first year	HVAC service shops that want a ready-made flat-rate book covering residential and light commercial repair, maintenance and replacement work.
2 PlanSwift	Subscription, per seat	$2,000 a year for 1 seat, billed annually Published	$5,000 in the first year, billed annually Published Sources disagree on PlanSwift Essential	The same as the first year	HVAC and plumbing estimators bidding from drawings, who measure duct and pipe runs and count fixtures and equipment, then price them with their own assemblies and formulas.
3 TurboBid	Subscription, per seat; Perpetual license + yearly maintenance	$135 per seat a month, billed monthly Published Sources disagree	$5,235 in the first year, one-time license Published on One-Time Purchase	$1,050 a year Published optional maintenance	Small plumbing shops that quote both new work and service calls, since the assembly database has separate flat-rate assemblies for service work.
4 STACK	Subscription, per seat	$299 per seat a month, billed annually Published	$10,764 in the first year, billed annually Published on Premium	The same as the first year	Plumbing estimators who count fixtures and measure pipe runs on plans and want symbol counting to find sinks, toilets and other fixtures across a plan set.
5 FastEST	Lease to own, per seat; Perpetual license + yearly maintenance; Price on request	$250 per seat a month, billed monthly Published	Not published	Not published	Commercial plumbing and mechanical contractors bidding piping work from plans, with a large plumbing and piping catalog that carries labor units for each item (FastEST's own; MCAA and PHCC sets cost extra).
6 McCormick	Price on request	Not published	Not published	Not published	Plumbing and mechanical estimators bidding commercial, industrial or municipal piping work who want plumbing items and assemblies ready to use, with McCormick's own labor units preloaded and MCAA or PHCC units as an option.
7 QuoteSoft	Price on request	Not published	Not published	Not published	Commercial plumbing and mechanical piping contractors who want labor hours and material cost visible for each item during takeoff, with specification-driven pipe, valve, fitting and hanger selection.

How each cost is worked out: for one, three and eight estimators, one seat each (a concurrent seat can serve more than one estimator, but we cost one per estimator). No source states a typical estimating team, so these sizes are our convention. A subscription costs 12 times its monthly price for those seats, the same each year. A license bought once costs its price for those seats plus a year's maintenance in the first year, unless the vendor says the first year is included; each later year costs the maintenance. Required one-off fees, such as a setup fee, are added to the first year when their price is published; a cost that leaves one out because its price is not published says so. Optional services, such as training, are not included. We rank on the first-year cost because a license is the product, not a fee. That plan may not include every feature you need.

Flat Rate Plus Online Forever Free is not costed: its seat limit is not published.

Starting price is the lowest plan price on the billing term the vendor's pricing page shows first. "Who it suits" is our summary of the vendor's own material. The bar under each published first-year cost shows it against the highest one in the column; it measures cost, not quality.

Notes on these figures

1. Flat Rate Plus Online Premium Plus: Sources disagree. The annual price shown is the yearly figure printed on the plan card. The same card also advertises months free, and the page's FAQ says the annual plan charges for ten months; neither matches the printed yearly figure. (source: flatratesoftware.com/software-pricing)
2. PlanSwift PlanSwift Essential: Sources disagree. PlanSwift's pages can be read two ways for teams, either the lower seat price on every seat once two or more are bought, or only on seats after the first. The figure here uses the second, higher reading. (sources: planswift.com/checkout/core, planswift.com/features, planswift.com/pricing)
3. TurboBid Monthly Subscription: Sources disagree. TurboBid's help center article on pricing gives a lower monthly price; the figure on its store page is used. (sources: support.turbobid.com/support/solutions/articles/9000003014-…, turbobid.com/products/turbobid-electrical-estimatin…)

Each row is costed on the plan the cost method picks for three seats, which can be one you would not choose. STACK’s is Premium, which is takeoff only; estimating, its regional cost library and proposals come with Pro, at $349 per seat a month, billed annually (published price) (pricing page). FastEST publishes prices for one computer, and asks teams that share the software to call for its enterprise licensing (pricing page), so it has a figure for one estimator but not for three. Flat Rate Plus Online’s free plan does not say how many people can use it, so the team figures use Premium Plus, at $50 per seat a month, billed monthly (published price).

The tools in brief

What one, three or eight estimators pay

Costs are worked out as described under the first cost table.

First-year and later-year cost for one, three and eight estimators

Vendor	1 estimator One estimator	3 estimators Estimating team	8 estimators Large department
Flat Rate Plus Online	$420 in the first year Published Sources disagree Premium Plus, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$1,260 in the first year Published Sources disagree Premium Plus, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$3,360 in the first year Published Sources disagree Premium Plus, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year
PlanSwift	$2,000 in the first year Published PlanSwift Essential, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$5,000 in the first year Published Sources disagree PlanSwift Essential, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$12,500 in the first year Published Sources disagree PlanSwift Essential, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year
TurboBid	$1,745 in the first year Published One-Time Purchase, one-time license Each later year: $350 a year Published (optional maintenance)	$5,235 in the first year Published One-Time Purchase, one-time license Each later year: $1,050 a year Published (optional maintenance)	$13,960 in the first year Published One-Time Purchase, one-time license Each later year: $2,800 a year Published (optional maintenance)
STACK	$3,588 in the first year Published Premium, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$10,764 in the first year Published Premium, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year	$28,704 in the first year Published Premium, billed annually Each later year: the same as the first year
FastEST	$3,000 in the first year Published Lease Option, billed monthly Each later year: the same until the license is owned after 36 payments	Not published	Not published
McCormick	Not published	Not published	Not published
QuoteSoft	Not published	Not published	Not published

Flat Rate Plus Online Forever Free is not costed: its seat limit is not published.

No required one-off fees stated: Flat Rate Plus Online, PlanSwift, TurboBid, STACK and FastEST.

Each figure uses one plan per vendor, the one that costs least in the first year once required setup fees are counted. For TurboBid that is the license you keep; for FastEST it is the monthly lease, and FastEST also sells a license you keep. TurboBid’s one-time purchase includes six months of upgrades and support, then an optional support plan (help article). FastEST’s purchase includes the first year of maintenance, which is optional after that (pricing page). So the first year of owning costs a buyer the license, and later years cost only whatever support they choose to keep. A single estimator who expects to use the software for several years should price both options.

PlanSwift’s figures for three and eight seats use the first-seat price plus PlanSwift’s separate price for each further seat, the reading its features table supports (features page); the note under the table gives the other reading. PlanSwift also asks teams of ten or more seats to contact sales (pricing page).

Takeoff and bid tools, or a flat-rate book

The tools on this page answer two different questions. A takeoff tool asks how much pipe, duct and labor a set of drawings holds. A flat-rate book asks what to charge for a repair someone is looking at on site.

Bidding new construction and replacement from drawings

A mechanical contractor bidding a building, or a plumber bidding a new subdivision, starts from PDF or CAD plans. FastEST, QuoteSoft, McCormick, PlanSwift and STACK all take off from drawings on screen and price the quantities with assemblies. Their own pages describe commercial and industrial work: FastEST’s software is for commercial mechanical and HVAC specialty contractors (about page), QuoteSoft names mechanical, commercial plumbing, process piping and ductwork contractors (products page), and McCormick lists commercial, industrial and municipal plumbing, along with residential estimating (plumbing page). PlanSwift and STACK are sold to many trades, with HVAC and plumbing pages among them.

Pricing service calls from a flat-rate book

A residential service call usually comes with no drawings to measure. Whoever is on the call needs a price for replacing a water heater or a capacitor before starting, from a book the office has set. Flat Rate Plus Online sells that book on its own: custom books on both plans, and ready-made HVAC/R and plumbing books at a price per trade (pricing page). Its HVAC book covers residential and commercial service, maintenance and replacement work up to about 25 tons (HVAC page). Its proposals offer tiered options with estimated monthly financing and an e-signature (release notes).

A shop that does some of each

TurboBid keeps standard assemblies for bid work and flat-rate assemblies, which it says are typically used for service calls or small remodel jobs (help article). A small plumbing shop that bids the occasional new house and runs service calls the rest of the week could price both from one database. If most of your quoting happens at the customer’s door, your field service software may already hold a price book: FieldEdge lists pricebook and flat-rate pricing on every plan (pricing page), and ServiceTitan lists a pricebook in every package (pricing page). Our FieldEdge pricing and ServiceTitan pricing pages set out what each publishes.

HVAC duct and plumbing pipe takeoff: what each tool measures

The trade catalog and labor units decide how much setup a tool needs before your first bid. A tool with a duct and fitting catalog and labor units already loaded can price a run as soon as it is measured; a general takeoff tool needs your own items and labor first.

Sheet metal ductwork. FastDUCT’s catalog holds over 250,000 HVAC items, and its specs generate liner, joints and hangers as duct is taken off, with rectangular duct convertible to round for an alternate price (FastDUCT page). QuoteSoft Duct estimates rectangular, round and oval duct and lets the estimator change gauge, joint, seam and hanger during takeoff (duct page). PlanSwift and STACK measure duct runs and count fittings, then price them with assemblies; neither plan page describes a built-in labor-hour database (PlanSwift features, STACK pricing page).

Plumbing and mechanical piping. QuoteSoft Pipe shows labor hours and material cost for each item as it is taken off, from a database of over 110,000 items, and adds pipe between fittings automatically; its labor comes preloaded, with MCAA and PHCC labor tables listed as options (pipe page). FastPIPE’s catalog holds over 150,000 plumbing and mechanical items (FastPIPE page); every FastEST system comes with FastEST’s own labor rates, and PHCC, MCAA and SMACNA rate sets cost extra (pricing page). McCormick preloads plumbing labor units, with MCAA or PHCC units as an option (plumbing page). STACK’s plumbing page counts fixtures by symbol and measures pipe lengths (plumbing page).

Refrigeration. QuoteSoft sells an Ammonia Pipe Refrigeration Module for QuoteSoft Pipe, with valves, assemblies and templates for ammonia systems (refrigeration page); its price is not published.

Models as well as drawings. QuoteSoft’s Full License imports material lists from AutoCAD and Revit MEP models (license types page). PlanSwift and McCormick open DWG and DXF drawings for measuring on screen (PlanSwift features, McCormick overview). PlanSwift describes no import of model quantities, and McCormick’s plumbing page lists BIM integration without saying what it reads (plumbing page).

Is there an HVAC or plumbing estimating app for a tablet or phone?

Takeoff from drawings is desk work, done on a screen big enough for a full sheet, so the real question is whether a technician or salesperson can price a job away from the office. The tools answer it differently.

STACK and Flat Rate Plus Online say they work on mobile devices. STACK’s FAQ lists tablets and phones alongside Mac and PC (FAQ), since everything runs in the browser. Flat Rate Plus Online lets a technician show the customer flat-rate prices on a phone, tablet or any computer, with several options laid out like a shopping cart, or print the book for the truck (home page). For residential service quoting at the door, that is the format that fits.

The rest are Windows software. FastEST’s published prices are for a stand-alone deployment on a single PC or tablet (pricing page), and the finished bid goes through Excel. PlanSwift is an installed Windows program with no Mac version (features page), and TurboBid needs Windows too (computer requirements). QuoteSoft’s requirements name business and professional editions of Windows and rule out Home editions and Macs (system requirements). McCormick says it does not support tablets, smartphones or other devices on its hosted version (hosted requirements), so it stays at the estimator’s desk.

License with maintenance, or a subscription

Some of these tools sell a license you keep, which changes what the second and third years cost.

• Bought outright. QuoteSoft sells perpetual licenses, one per workstation, and requires a maintenance contract for at least the first twelve months. Renewal is described as optional, but a license whose maintenance lapses is suspended until the missed maintenance is paid (license terms). FastEST and TurboBid sell a license you keep alongside a monthly option, as the cost section above describes.
• Bought or leased. FastEST’s lease becomes ownership in time. Its terms: The purchase option is a one-time license with the first year of maintenance included; maintenance is optional after that. The lease option is billed monthly, is described as non-binding, and the license is owned outright after thirty-six payments. Every option carries a sixty-day money-back guarantee, and the license agreement separately allows a full refund if the agreement is declined at installation. 56 53
• Subscription only. PlanSwift’s Essential and Core are annual plans that include updates, support and training for the year (pricing page). McCormick says its hosted and on-premise versions run on the same subscription model (blog post). Flat Rate Plus Online’s Premium Plus is billed monthly, or yearly paid up front (pricing page). STACK’s terms: Every Takeoff and Estimate subscription is a fixed twelve-month term, paid up front at a lower rate or in monthly installments that do not shorten the commitment. It renews automatically for another twelve months unless canceled thirty days before the term ends, renewal is charged at the prices then in effect, and no refunds are given on termination. 50 51

Before buying a license, ask what the maintenance covers. FastEST’s brings material pricing updates, catalog updates and phone support (pricing page), so letting it lapse leaves your material prices to age.

Does the estimate reach your field service software?

Once a bid is won, the estimate’s items and labor have to reach whatever runs the job. Where a vendor’s pages name no link to a field service product, plan on exporting the estimate as a file or keying it in again. What the vendors do describe:

• Flat Rate Plus Online links to Aptora’s own Aptora 360 or Total Office Manager on Premium Plus for $29 a month, billing term not stated (published price), and syncs customers, items and invoices with QuickBooks Online for $100 a month, billing term not stated (published price; sources disagree) (pricing page).
• STACK has announced a partnership with BuildOps, a field service platform for commercial contractors, without saying how estimates pass to it (announcement). It exports material and labor estimates to QuickBooks Online or Desktop (QuickBooks Online page, QuickBooks Desktop page).
• McCormick passes project budgets and cost codes to Foundation’s own accounting software once a job is awarded (Foundation page).
• QuoteSoft sends estimates to Spectrum by Dexter + Chaney through its Esti-Link module (partners page).
• FastEST and PlanSwift export to Excel, CSV, XML and other files, naming no accounting or field service product (FastPIPE page, PlanSwift features).

The field service suites those estimates would feed are compared on our price index, with every plan and its yearly cost.

Free plans and trials

Here is what each vendor offers before you pay.

• Flat Rate Plus Online: There is no time-limited trial. The Forever Free plan needs no credit card and does not expire. 2
• PlanSwift: A free trial of the full Core plan, including every AI tool, with no credit card required and no automatic charge when it ends. 23 20
• STACK: A free account gives Pro features for a short trial, then stays free with tight limits on projects, plan pages and measurements until the buyer upgrades; users can be added without charge on the free account. 50 45
• TurboBid: A free 14-day trial of the Windows software can be downloaded. Because of the trial, TurboBid says it does not give refunds on purchases. 36 41
• McCormick: No free trial is advertised. McCormick's site offers live demos booked through a request form instead. 65 59
• QuoteSoft: after you register for a trial, its scheduling team contacts you to book installation, then hands-on training during the trial; the page does not say how long it lasts or whether it is charged (trial page).
• FastEST offers a money-back guarantee rather than a trial, as its terms above say.

Questions to settle with each vendor before you pay

Some of these vendors’ own pages disagree with each other, or stop short of what a buyer needs to know. These are the points worth getting answered in writing.

TurboBid. The setup fee shows on the store page for the electrical subscription (store page); confirm whether the plumbing subscription carries it too. Before paying for TurboCloud, ask your supply house for a price file, which TurboBid says many supply houses provide free (home page).

PlanSwift. Its license agreement describes fees billed monthly to a card, while the pricing page and order forms show a yearly price (EULA, pricing page). Ask how you will be invoiced and how renewal works, since neither sets out renewal or cancellation notice. Ask as well how much one-to-one training your plan carries: the Core order form and the personalized training page describe it differently (Core order form, training page).

STACK. Its terms let it raise fees once a year, subject to any cap in your order form (terms of use). Since the term renews on its own, ask for that cap before you sign.

FastEST. FastPIPE can take material prices from Ferguson, Harrison or Allpriser as well as FastEST’s own pricing service (pricing page). Ask which feed your distributor supports, and what that outside service charges.

QuoteSoft. Its license terms mention payment plans (license terms); ask what they are. Get the yearly maintenance price for each workstation quoted with the license, because a lapsed license is reactivated only once the missed maintenance is paid.

McCormick. Its implementation runs over several months with a dedicated specialist, and its blog gives no fee for it (implementation post). Ask whether that work is in the subscription or billed on top.

Flat Rate Plus Online. The card and the FAQ describe the annual Premium Plus price differently, as the note under the price table explains, so ask which amount you will be charged. Its add-ons are priced by the month for the whole company, and the page does not say whether an annual subscriber pays them monthly. Fees paid for a ready-made trade book are non-refundable (terms of service), so check that it covers the repairs you sell first.

How we chose and ordered these tools

What drives the cost of HVAC and plumbing estimating software

Seats and computers. TurboBid, PlanSwift and STACK charge per estimator seat, while FastEST’s published prices are for one computer and QuoteSoft licenses each workstation (FastEST pricing page, QuoteSoft license terms). TurboBid’s license covers one person, and sharing a database between estimators means a license for each and a local network you set up yourself (help article). STACK includes unlimited view-only seats on both plans, which helps a firm where managers only review bids (pricing page).

Several estimators on one job. A department that splits a large bid between estimators needs them working in the same job or database, and the tools handle it in different ways. STACK says team members can collaborate on a project, on site or remotely (electrical page), and McCormick that a team can work on the same project documents at once (electrical page). QuoteSoft sells extra licenses so several people can work in one job together (license types page). FastEST’s shared use sits in its enterprise licensing, which scales to many users on one file server (FastPIPE page) and is priced only on a call. PlanSwift jobs and templates can be shared through network storage, though its pages do not describe two estimators in one estimate (features page).

Trade content. The catalog and labor units are often sold apart from the program. FastEST charges extra for PHCC, MCAA and SMACNA labor rates (pricing page). PlanSwift’s HVAC and plumbing pages point to the Division 23 and Division 22 assemblies in its paid General Contractor Starter Pack (HVAC page, plumbing page). TurboBid’s second trade database costs extra, and keeping its material prices current takes TurboCloud, at $99 per seat a month, billed monthly (published price), or a supplier price feed (home page, help article). QuoteSoft’s live material prices need a separate supplier subscription (pipe page).

Setup and training. TurboBid’s subscription page for its electrical edition adds a setup fee, $350 per seat one-off (published price; sources disagree), refunded if you later buy the license (store page). PlanSwift’s two-day classroom course is $1,595 per seat one-off (published price) (training page). The commercial systems sold through sales, McCormick and QuoteSoft, describe onboarding or classroom training without a published price.

What the price leaves out. Every figure on this page is the software alone. Your own item list, labor factors and markups take time to build whichever tool you choose, and the methodology explains how the seat costs above are worked out.