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. Free includes 5 credits each month. No card, no setup, no training.