Bluebeam, PlanSwift, CostX, Cubit — all excellent at takeoff. But the BoQ still gets rebuilt by hand in Excel, every project. Finorly makes the BoQ the output, not a side-effect of your measurement tool.
Most tools on the market were built to measure areas, lengths, and counts from PDFs or DWGs. A BoQ is a different artefact — standard-mapped items, descriptions, units, and quantities structured for pricing. Finorly starts there.
Bluebeam, PlanSwift, CostX, Cubit — all excellent at what they do.
A drawing goes in, a standard-mapped BoQ comes out.
Every BoQ, every project, the same loop. It’s not a product — it’s a process you repeat by hand. That’s where the hours go.
Takeoff software. Scale, layers, tags.
Quantities to Excel.
Structure, descriptions, units, standard mapping — by hand.
Hunt for missed items.
Every project, every time.
Measure → export → rebuild → check → fix.
That’s not software — it’s a process you repeat every time. The tool changes. The rebuild step doesn’t.
Measure → export → rebuild removed → check → fix.
Finorly removes the rebuild step. The BoQ comes out of the drawing, structured to your chosen standard. You still check and fix — because you’re the QS.
Read the rows, not the columns. Each tool is good at what it was designed for.
| Finorly BoQ | Excel / manual | Bluebeam Revu | PlanSwift | CostX | Cubit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 · Primary purpose | ||||||
| Built for | BoQ generationdrawing → standard BoQ | Everything & nothing — flexible but unstructured | PDF markup & measurement | Digital takeoff | Takeoff & 5D estimating | Takeoff & estimating |
| Output artefact | Structured BoQthe BoQ is the output | Spreadsheet (your structure) | Annotated PDF + quantities | Quantities to Excel | Priced bill / estimate | Priced bill / estimate |
| 02 · Inputs & standards | ||||||
| Input formats | PDF · DWG · DXF · ZIP | Any (manual entry) | PDF (native) | PDF · image · DWG* | PDF · DWG · BIM* | PDF · DWG · BIM* |
| Standards built-in | NRM2 · POMI · CESMM4 · SMM7mapped on generation | None — you build it | None | User-built templates | User-built templates | User-built templates |
| 03 · Speed & onboarding | ||||||
| Time to first BoQ | Minutesupload → review → export | Hours → days | Hours (takeoff only) | Hours (takeoff only) | Hours → days | Hours → days |
| Learning curve | Low — one flow | High — methodology | Medium | Medium | High — training common | Medium–High |
| Install | Browser — nothing to install | Excel | Desktop app | Desktop (Windows) | Desktop (Windows) | Desktop (Windows) |
| 04 · Pricing | ||||||
| How you pay | Free tier + credits on generationeditor & exports free | Free (Excel license) | Per-user license / subs | Per-seat subscription | Per-seat license (high) | Per-seat subscription |
| Cost of one BoQ | ~€1–€4 per BoQ3–9 credits · editor free | Hours of your time | License + hours of your time | License + hours of your time | License + hours of your time | License + hours of your time |
| 05 · Collaboration & exports | ||||||
| Exports | XLSX · CSV · PDF | XLSX | PDF · CSV | XLSX | XLSX · PDF · bespoke | XLSX · PDF · bespoke |
| Team / sharing | Shared workspace (Pro/Business) | File-based | Studio sessions | File-based | Shared drives | Shared drives |
A realistic, unhurried workflow — not a benchmark. Your mileage will vary with drawing complexity and standard.
Every tool has a job. Here’s where we’re honestly not the best fit — yet, or by design. If any of these describe your workflow, another tool will serve you better.
no fake AI claims · no feature stuffing
These are the cases where another tool is the right answer.
The best comparison is the one you run on your own work. 10 free credits on signup. No card, no setup, no training.