The product
What is DimSum Takeoff?
Desktop software for construction plan markup, takeoff and estimating. You load a PDF plan set, mark it up, measure lengths, areas and counts on it, and those measurements drive parts, the lines of your materials list, through formulas you control.
Who makes it?
Planbase Estimating LLC, in Kansas City, Missouri. DimSum is Planbase's first product. About Planbase.
Can I buy it now?
Not yet. DimSum is pre-1.0 and in private testing, with no public release date. Beta members hear first. Join the beta.
Who is it for?
Contractors and building material dealers who estimate from PDF plan sets. It was designed around lumber-yard estimating desks first, and it works for any trade.
Is it good for plan markup on its own?
Yes. Dimension Lines, highlights, text, notes, clouds and stamps, page tools, Overlay and Align, and Marked-Up Plan printing. Many estimators will use it for markup as much as for takeoff. Plan markup.
Does it run on Mac or Linux?
Test builds run on Windows. macOS and Linux versions are built from the same code and will be verified before 1.0.
What files can it open?
PDF plan sets, plus image scans.
Does it use AI to do the takeoff?
No, and there are no plans to. Every quantity comes from something an estimator drew and can check.
Does it do pricing?
It doesn't impose a pricing model. Every part has cost fields that you fill or drive with your own formulas, and you can add any cost properties you track.
Can I open my reports in Excel?
Yes, through CSV. Reports export as PDF and CSV, and Excel opens the CSV. Material lists import as CSV, which you can save from Excel.
Price and license
How much will it cost?
$600 a year for your Workspace and first estimator, $400 a year for each additional estimator. Every seat gets every feature. Pricing details.
Is there an Enterprise plan?
For larger companies, yes: a better rate per seat and company-admin controls, such as holding updates for the whole Workspace. It's the same one edition of the software. Talk to us.
Is there a free trial?
Yes: 14 days, every feature, no payment details. Reports exported during the trial carry a small watermark.
Do I need an account?
Yes, from the commercial release. DimSum runs signed in to your Planbase account, which is how your license, seat and machines are tracked.
Can I use it on my desktop and my laptop?
Yes. Each seat can be active on 2 machines at once.
Do I need to be online?
Only now and then. DimSum works 30 days between check-ins, and it tells you each time it opens whether it's online. Nothing syncs while it's offline.
Who can add seats?
Only the Workspace admin: the single user, or whoever runs the company account.
What happens if I stop paying?
Your work isn't held hostage. Use "Download all my data" and every file you own is unlocked for viewing.
How do updates work?
They're included while your license is active and arrive automatically, with Stable and Beta channels. They install when you restart or close, never in the middle of a job. Critical fixes are required within a few days.
Files and switching
Where are my jobs stored?
On your own computer or network, in a folder per job. Your data.
Can two estimators work on the same job?
One person edits a job at a time; others see who has it. Sharing and cloud sync come with accounts.
Can I send a job to someone?
With accounts, a Share button sends it to a person or to your Workspace. A copied file won't open for someone it wasn't shared with.
Can I import jobs from my current program?
No. Other programs' job and template files don't import. A switching plan.
Where are the docs?
At docs.planbaseestimating.com: how to use each tool, written alongside the software.