SimplyCount
SimplyCount

SimplyCount vs On-Screen Takeoff: A Faster Way to Count Symbols — On-Prem or Cloud

If you're weighing SimplyCount against On-Screen Takeoff (on-screen manual takeoff software), here's what SimplyCount does differently: it finds and marks every symbol automatically, on-prem or in the cloud, and you review every detection before it lands in a bid.

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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 every detection and unverified counts show as a floor (≥), never dressed up as a total. You choose the deployment: run it entirely on-prem so your drawings and IP never upload to anyone's cloud, or use SimplyCount's own hosted cloud — most tools force one or the other. And it learns your custom symbols so the next job is faster than the last.

Why it's hard by hand

On-screen manual takeoff software still leaves the counting — or the trust in the count — on you.

Cloud-only tools force your drawings onto their servers — with no on-prem option if IT says no.

An AI number you can't inspect is one you can't defend in a bid.

How SimplyCount handles it

What you get

  • Automatic symbol detection across the whole plan set — not manual clicking.
  • You review and sign off on every detection; unverified counts show as a floor (≥).
  • Deploy it your way: run SimplyCount fully on-prem — encrypted local database inside your firewall, air-gap-capable, nothing uploaded — or as a hosted cloud solution with nothing to install. Two supported modes; you pick the one your shop needs.
  • 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 — roughly 168× faster than counting by hand.
faster than hand-counting — 168 pages, 60 symbols, in about an hour
of detections you review & sign off — you bid, not the model
reclaimable industry-wide with better document workflows
Watch it count

Drag the line. See every symbol get found.

A real electrical panel sheet — slide to reveal what SimplyCount marks.

An electrical panel sheet before counting The same sheet with every symbol detected and marked Your planCounted Every symbol on this sheet — found & marked
Example: an electrical panel sheet.
Questions

Common questions

Can SimplyCount count on-screen takeoff automatically?
Yes. Point at the symbol from your own legend and SimplyCount finds and marks every instance across the whole plan set, then lets you review and sign off on the total before it lands in a bid.
Can we keep everything inside our network?
Yes — that's the on-prem/offline mode: detection runs locally, results sit in an encrypted local database, there's no upload step, and you can run it with the network cable pulled, inside your firewall, air-gapped. Prefer zero install? Run the hosted cloud mode instead. You choose per your security needs.
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) →Electrical Estimators →an Excel tally →

Never manually count another symbol

Start free — run your first plan and see a number you can defend. 168 pages · 60 symbols · ~1 hour.

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No credit card · On-prem or cloud — your choice

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