An Easy PDF Takeoff alternative when counts take all day

Easy PDF Takeoff is a lightweight Windows app for measuring PDF plans¹. Areas, lengths, perimeters and counts are free, and an optional $200 one-time license unlocks a custom item toolbox, Excel and PDF exports and extra markup tools¹³. You place the counts yourself¹². AmpCount replaces those clicks on electrical sets: it reads the legend, finds every device and fixture on every sheet by its drawn shape, lists the marks it isn't sure about and checks the fixture schedule. It costs $149 a month for up to 3 people.

Get started See the comparison

Written by Agustín Policano, founder of AmpCount. Facts about Easy PDF Takeoff come from EasyPDFTakeoff's public pages, checked November 3, 2026. Sources at the end.

What Easy PDF Takeoff is

EasyPDFTakeoff (version 2.1.1) is a Windows desktop application built for small businesses, independent subcontractors and estimators who want simple on-screen takeoff without a subscription¹. It measures across single or multi-page PDF sets¹ and includes free PDF utilities to split, merge and extract pages⁵. Its makers have since launched TrueScope Business Apps, a separate multi-user product¹.

AmpCount vs Easy PDF Takeoff at a glance

	AmpCount	Easy PDF Takeoff
What it is	Electrical takeoff for commercial contractors. Counts devices and fixtures on vector PDF plans.	Simple PDF measuring and takeoff for any trade: areas, lengths, perimeters and counts¹.
How counts start	Reads the legend, then matches every symbol on every sheet by its drawn geometry. No clicking to start.	Counts on PDF plans. No automatic symbol counting is described¹².
Uncertain symbols	Anything not an exact match is marked uncertain and stays out of the count until you confirm it.	Every count is placed by the user¹².
Fixture schedule check	Checks counts against the fixture schedule and shows the sheet with the difference.	Not described on EasyPDFTakeoff's site¹².
Price	$149 a month or $1,490 a year, published. Up to 3 people, no sheet limits.	Free core tools. Optional $200 one-time license; license sales are final¹³.
Billing	Monthly or yearly. Cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days.	No subscription¹.
Runs on	Browser, on Windows or Mac.	Windows desktop¹.
Export	Excel, CSV and an estimating sheet with your item codes per drawing.	Excel and PDF exports with the paid license¹.

Prices as listed on November 3, 2026. Check the vendor for a current quote.

To see Easy PDF Takeoff next to the rest of the field, the electrical estimating software guide lists 14 tools with their published prices, and the electrical takeoff software guide explains the four ways software counts a plan set.

Where Easy PDF Takeoff is strong

Genuinely free for everyday measuring and counting, with no subscription¹.
Measures areas, lengths and perimeters as well as counts, for any trade¹.
Light and fast on PDF plan sets, according to its developer¹.
A one-time license instead of a recurring fee if you want exports and templates¹³.

Where AmpCount is different

No clicking per device

In Easy PDF Takeoff each count is a click¹². AmpCount reads the legend and finds each device and fixture by the shape it's drawn with, across all sheets.

Rotations and mirrors handled

A receptacle drawn on a vertical wall is the same symbol turned 90 degrees. AmpCount matches every rotation and mirror of a legend symbol, so you don't have to spot them by eye on each sheet.

Every number is checkable

Confirmed, dismissed and uncertain marks are kept apart, and each count links back to its marks on the sheet.

Browser, team, monthly or yearly

$149 a month or $1,490 a year for up to 3 people sharing bids and a symbol library, on Windows or Mac.

The matching is plain geometry, step by step, as shown in how AmpCount works. A vision model helps read titles, legends and schedules but never confirms a mark or counts, as the AI electrical takeoff guide explains.

Where the time goes counting by hand

A manual count tool replaces the highlighter, the paper set and the paper takeoff sheet, which is a real step up. The work is still one click per device: every duplex, GFCI, switch and fixture on every sheet, one device type at a time, then a second pass to make sure nothing was missed and a tally against the fixture schedule.

AmpCount does the clicking for you. It reads the legend, counts the whole set in one pass and hands you two things to check: marks that weren't an exact match, and fixture types whose totals don't match the schedule.

What it costs

Easy PDF Takeoff costs nothing for measuring and counting, and $200 once if you want the toolbox and exports, as of November 3, 2026¹³. For a solo estimator on small jobs, that's hard to beat, especially next to one of the free electrical estimating programs for the pricing side.

AmpCount is $149 a month for up to 3 people, or $1,490 a year on the yearly plan, so it only makes sense if the hours matter: an estimator's afternoon of clicking devices becomes a short review. Our ROI calculator lets you put your own bids and hours in.

Run the numbers for your shop

Moving electrical counts off manual clicks

Start from the vector PDF set you already open in Easy PDF Takeoff.
Upload it to AmpCount. It reads the legend and counts every sheet.
Check the short list of uncertain marks instead of re-clicking the sheets.
Export counts per drawing to Excel or the estimating sheet for your commercial estimating software.
Keep Easy PDF Takeoff open for conduit lengths and areas.

Pricing the counts by hand for now? The electrical estimate template and the electrical estimate calculator take quantities straight from the export.

Before you switch

Count how many hours a typical bid spends on device and fixture counts, out of the full electrical bidding process.
Confirm the PDFs you measure in Easy PDF Takeoff are vector files exported from CAD, not scans.
Pick a bid you clicked through by hand and check whether AmpCount reaches the same totals.
Keep Easy PDF Takeoff for lengths and areas if it works for you.

Choose Easy PDF Takeoff if

You bid small jobs, mostly measure lengths and areas, and want a tool that costs nothing. The roundup of no-cost takeoff tools lists others in the same class.
You work alone on a Windows PC and don't need shared projects.

Choose AmpCount if

You bid commercial electrical work and clicking every receptacle and fixture is the slow part.
You tally fixtures against the schedule by hand today and want that done for you.
Your team of up to 3 needs the same bids and symbol library, on Windows or Mac.

Get started, $149/mo

Cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days if it doesn't fit your plans.

Questions

Is Easy PDF Takeoff free?

Yes, for measuring areas, lengths, perimeters and counts on PDF plans, according to its site as of November 3, 2026¹. An optional one-time license, $200 at checkout, unlocks the custom item toolbox, Excel and PDF exports and advanced markup¹³. License sales are final¹³, so try the free version first.

Is Easy PDF Takeoff the same as Easy Takeoffs?

No. Easy Takeoffs is a separate, browser-based product at easytakeoffs.com⁴. This page compares Easy PDF Takeoff, the Windows app at easypdftakeoff.com.

Does Easy PDF Takeoff count symbols automatically?

Its site and version history describe count takeoffs but no automatic symbol counting¹², so each device is counted by hand. AmpCount counts every legend symbol on every sheet on its own.

Can AmpCount replace Easy PDF Takeoff completely?

Not if you measure. Easy PDF Takeoff handles areas, lengths and perimeters¹; AmpCount only counts devices and fixtures. Many estimators keep a measuring tool such as Bluebeam Revu for conduit runs and use AmpCount for counts.

Does AmpCount run on a Mac?

Yes. Easy PDF Takeoff is a Windows desktop application¹; AmpCount opens in a web browser, Mac included.

Other comparisons

Guides and calculators

Sources

Easy PDF Takeoff is a trademark of EasyPDFTakeoff. AmpCount is not affiliated with EasyPDFTakeoff. If something here is out of date, email support@ampcount.com and we'll fix it.