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About Countfire
True automated electrical takeoff software that actually works. Save time, money and increase accuracy. Start your FREE TRIAL today.
The ease of integration, no software to install locally.
There is no 'back' button to help you correct mistakes - you have to rely on not saving changes which is not ideal.
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Filter reviews (216)
Amazing Software - Would definitely recommend!!
Comments: Great, efficient, time saver!!
Pros:
Easy & straightforward to use. Great user interface. Reliable automated counting (if drawings are half decent!)
Cons:
Copying symbol selection over to new drawings & also reviewing later revisions of drawings does not always work as it should with no real explanation as to why apart from it being something related to the drawing
Countfire Response
2 years ago
Thanks Kelly - appreciate you leaving this review! Really glad to hear you're getting on with Countfire so well. You're correct, copying symbols doesn't always work. Occasionally the revised drawings have been created slightly differently - there are usually 2 reasons why Countfire will not automatically find matches: 1 - The drawings have been converted to an image, removing the drawing layers - which means the symbols are not selectable 2 - When the original drawing was revised the symbols have been drawn differently or changed (i.e. the make-up of the symbols has different - for example the shape of a light fitting has changed).
Billy Banyard - Barrie Beard LTD
Comments: Very positive and likely to use the software going forward as opposed to others
Pros:
Count fires auto count across multiple drawing has sped up the take off procedure, enabling us to spend more time estimating and putting costs to things than counting.
Cons:
Measure facility on things such as containment drawing. Its not a dislike but similar to other software (plan swift)
Countfire Response
11 months ago
Thanks for the amazing review Billy! It's awesome to hear how auto counting symbols across multiple drawings is speeding up your takeoff process, giving you extra time to focus on estimating and costing. We have a feature request for "Improvements to measuring containment", you can add your vote by clicking 'Give feedback' on the orange button at the bottom right corner of Countfire.
Great quality product
Pros:
The ability to select 1 symbol and count fire counts all of them.
Cons:
Either the loading time or the fact that sometimes it messes up the background and believes it is not background. Though I understand this is probably due to the drawings rather than countfire.
Countfire Response
last year
Many thanks for your review Brody. Absolutely – when selecting your symbols Countfire searches for matches across all drawings in your discipline. When backgrounds aren't automatically hidden we have a number of options you can use by clicking the down arrow next to the background button. This allows you to: Customise – select parts of the drawing to hide with the default settings of your background. Restore defaults – return to Countfire's standard background settings. Restart – removes all background settings and allows you to start from scratch.
Countfire Review
Comments: It is very easy to use and reduces time spent doing takeoffs.
Pros:
How easy it is to use. How much time is saved
Cons:
I do not like the new way of editing symbols.
Countfire Response
3 months ago
Thank you for the great review Orla. Love to hear you're finding Countfire easy to use! We've recently made some changes to the selection editor window to improve your customisation options – I'd recommend jumping on a quick training session to run through the new features. Just send us a message on the orange button in the bottom right hand corner of the app and we can arrange a time that works for you.
Alternatives Considered:
Game changing!
Comments: Fantastic!!Been using countfire for 4 years now and its made estimating a lot less laborious
Pros:
The constant improvements and the ease of accurate take offs! Countfire team are always looking for ways to improve the software and take on customer feedback very well!Its also a massive bonus for my business model that all take offs can be done online and no need for a printer! Enables the company to operate from anywhere very easily..
Cons:
A live catalogue of materials would complete this software. It would cut down time going out to get live prices on materials.
Countfire Response
last year
Game changing – Awesome! Thanks Josh You're spot on 👍. At Countfire we work on 2 week cycles, releasing hundreds of platform enhancements each year. Great to hear you're also benefitting from being able to log in and operate from anywhere. It would definitely be useful to have access to a live catalogue of materials. We have a feature request for this – your vote has already been added to it. Brilliant that you've been onboard for 4 years – looking forward to continuing our journey together!
Users Review of Countfire
Comments: I have been using Countfire for 8 years and is the best counting and measuring software on the market by far. Ease of use.
Pros:
Countfire has been developed specifically for take off from PDF drawings. The ease of take from PDF drawings and the export in Excel. The ability to create zones that match the tender breakdown/CSA. The exceptional level and speed of support is second to none.
Cons:
The estimating package need a lot of work to be used by major M&E companies. The left hand margin and contents are fixed. This needs to be flexible to move and change fonts etc. Can be slow for take with the background on. (Sometimes the background need to stay)
Countfire Response
10 months ago
Best counting and measuring software on the market by far – love it! Thanks Merv. You're spot on – Countfire has been designed by Estimators for Estimators with loads of features to help improve the speed and accuracy of your takeoffs. Our support is something we're really proud of. From online training sessions to our in-app live chat, we do our best to make sure all of our users get the most out of the software. Thanks for the feedback on the Estimating side of the software. We've recently added the ability to add prelims to your estimates and produce custom reports to suit your requirements. If you'd like to take a look, just let us know and we can set up a quick video call.
Great customer service and overall product
Comments: It did not take me long to get used to the controls and like mentioned customer service again is unmatched.
Pros:
Biggest pro is the customer service!! any queries I have are dealt with extremely fast. Product wise the ease of use and time saved in my job is invaluable.
Cons:
I think the biggest con is the lack of ability to change/swap items into different groups. Its not a massive deal its just more time consuming without that ability.
Countfire Response
4 months ago
"Biggest pro is the customer service" – love it Dan! Our support is something we're super proud of – we provide free online training sessions and an in-app live chat to answer any questions and help you get the most out of the software. Awesome to hear you're finding Countfire easy to use and it's saving you time. You are able to move headings between groups however you're not currently able to move measurements between your headings though I can definitely see how this could be useful – we have a feature request for it. You can add your vote by searching 'Move measurements between headings' at the 'Give feedback' section on our orange support button in-app.
Countfire has helped our business
Comments: Countfire has been a valuable addition to our workflow. It streamlines the takeoff process, saving time and improving accuracy. The software is user-friendly, and the learning curve is minimal, which allowed our team to integrate it quickly into our projects.
Pros:
It is really easy to use and speeds up our efficientcy dramatically.
Cons:
You move or change where you want the menu boxes.
Countfire Response
4 months ago
Speeds up efficiency dramatically – love it Joshua! Our technical team are constantly working to release hundreds of product enhancements each year. For any enhancements affecting your workflows in-app, we provide full tutorials on the new features – keep an eye out for our messages, banners and emails, or we're also happy to jump on a quick training session to run through it, just send us a message via the orange button in-app. Great to hear you've found Countfire user-friendly with a minimal learning curve. Our support team are on hand, from our live chat to online training sessions, to make sure you can get up to speed quickly and get the most out of the software.
Countfire Review
Comments: Staff are very helpful and professional, they always have time to explain things and help out. Overall experience is exceptional
Pros:
The time it saves, counting and measuring drawings. Being able to separate PDF documents into individual pages.
Cons:
There is not much to dislike about Countfire. If anything, cost of having additional users added.
Countfire Response
5 months ago
Awesome review – thanks Helen! With Countfire, each user needs their own licence so we can make sure each user is offered the right support for them and to help avoid any costly mistakes. We're really proud of our support. It's super important to us that every user can get the most out of the software. If you ever have any questions about Countfire, just send us a message on the orange button in the bottom right hand corner of the app.
Commercial Manager
Comments: Generally very good and I have been using it on and off for the last 8 years.
Pros:
The speed in which we can turn around our take offs.
Cons:
The costs of the product. Sometimes the speed in which drawings are available when loading them onto the system. But that is probably down to the size of some of the drawings more than an reflection of the system.
Countfire Response
5 months ago
Thanks for the review Sean Great to hear you're improving the speed of turning around your takeoffs! Appreciate the cost of estimating software can seem high however Countfire helps you save money by allowing you to complete your takeoffs quicker and more accurately. When you upload drawings, they go through a preparing stage to get them ready to work on. Preparing can take up to 10 minutes depending on the complexity of the drawing however the majority of drawings prepare much quicker. If you're finding your drawings are slow to prepare, I'd recommend sending us a message on the orange button in the bottom right hand corner of the app. We can take a look and see if there's anything we can do to help.
Alternatives Considered:
CountFire Automated Take-Off Software
Comments: I could not be more pleased with CounFire. It is fast, accurate, easy to use, and has cut my time to perform a take-off by a factor of 10. Some may question a factor of 10, but try it and see that drawing symbols when counted on one drawing are also counted on all other drawings within the project drawing package automatically. Orientation is not an issue, and items not picked up are easily identified and added to the correct symbol list. Check drawings are also supplied as part of the final report to assure all errors have been resolved.
Pros:
CountFire being a cloud based service gets you up and running quickly. CountFire Sales is there to get you started and introduce you to Technical Assistance and Training. The On-Line Help function is integral to the CountFire Platform allowing you to be able to function seamlessly as you work on projects. I can count drawing elements or make extremely accurate measurements in one tenth of the time I did manually without the cost of drawing reproduction. The Final Reports are perfectly formatted in MSExcel and ready for Bill of Material development.
Cons:
I am still looking for a Con. I thought that since CountFire is in Great Britain that communications might be hampered by five, (5) time zones, but this was not the case. CountFire was there 24X7 to solve my self-inflicted start-up issues.
FMS Review
Comments: I've had a great experience overall. I use it daily.
Pros:
it speeds up my take offs on a daily basis.
Cons:
sometimes it doesn't pick up some symbols
Countfire Response
last year
Thanks for the great review Kalvin! Awesome to hear Countfire is speeding up your takeoffs on a daily basis. Sometimes, symbols may look the same but they've been drawn differently when the drawings were created. All you need to do to count these symbols, is make an additional selection under the same heading.
Countfire for mechanical users
Comments: The take off package is great and saves times and money on printing endless amounts of drawings. And also great service and very helpful.
Pros:
the main reason for using this is take off package which is very helpful and saves time at tender stage.
Cons:
Estimate side seems a bit over complicated for new users.
Countfire Response
last year
Great review Wesley, amazing news that you find Countfire helpful for mechanical users. Really glad to hear Countfire's been useful during the tender stage– saving you time as well as money! Our support team would be more than happy to help you get to grips with our estimating tool. Please do reach out by using the orange button in-app. The estimating tool will allow you to work faster and increase accuracy.
Countfire Review
Pros:
Productivity, lets me get a quote together so much quicker!
Cons:
Not many cons at all, the only thing i can think of is the tab down the side possibly could be extended to see more counts/measure when scrolling up and down.
Countfire Response
11 months ago
What a great review – thanks Adam! Being able to extend the sidebar to see more count / measure headings would definitely be helpful – we have a feature request for the "ability to customise the sidebar". You can view our feature requests and add your vote on the orange button at the bottom right hand corner of Countfire.
Countfire Review - 11/08/2023
Pros:
I really enjoy the fact that it can save so much time! Once you highlight a symbol on one drawing, that symbol will automatically be highlighted on the next, it is such a time saver! It is also very easy to use! After a 1 hour training session, I was confident to get started!
Cons:
As we specialise in fire alarms, it is often that we need to design fire alarm systems for buildings, and we also amend predesigned designs as they're not compliant. It would be great if you can add a feature that can remove a symbol, and replace it with something else. That way, we as a business could do the whole takeoff process for every system on countfire!
Countfire Response
last year
Awesome review – thanks Alex! It's great to hear you're saving so much time. You're spot on – Countfire automatically looks for matches for your selections across all drawings in your discipline reducing the repetitive work involved with completing your takeoff manually. Our support is something we're super proud of. As well as training sessions, which are always available not just when you first sign up, you can also access our live chat and help centre via the orange button in the bottom right hand corner of the app. It would definitely be helpful to be able to make amendments to your drawings to make sure the design is compliant – I've added your vote to our feature request for the ability to "add your own custom count symbols" and created a new feature request for the "ability to remove symbols".
Countfire
Comments: Very good experience so far with a lot of support. Quite expensive cost wise.
Pros:
Easy to use for take offs and counts same symbols over multiple drawings in one go.
Cons:
Symbol recognition doesn't work properly sometimes.
Countfire Response
last year
Thanks for the review Rytis. Great that you're finding Countfire easy to use. Sometimes when the drawings are created the symbols can look the same but have been drawn slightly differently – Countfire doesn't automatically include slightly different symbols when you make your selection to aid the accuracy of your takeoff. All you need to do is make an additional selection of the different symbol and Countfire will automatically search for matches across all of your drawings for that selection too.
A great time saver
Pros:
Countfire works very well as quick take off tool when producing estimates, it saves a lot of time when working through large quantities of drawings, you only need to make small adjustments to the search criteria as opposed to going through every drawing and taking off by hand.
Cons:
There are some limitations in what you can and cant do, with some updates from the suggested features it would become a far more competent tool for a designer estimator like myself - in particular different shaped coverage indicators and a larger choice of symbols and colour choices would massively improve the usability of countfire.
Countfire Response
last year
Thanks for the review Sam! Great to hear you're saving time using Countfire. You're spot on – when you make a selection on one drawing, Countfire automatically looks for matches across all of the drawings in your discipline. When users make suggestions on features they'd like to see in the software, we track these with feature requests. We have feature requests for different shaped coverage areas, more colour options for your symbols and the ability to add custom symbols – you've already added your vote 👍
Time Saving Application
Comments: This lowers the rate of human error, whilst also saving on printing paper. Very quick turn around too :-)
Pros:
I love the ability to join drawings, this is useful on Drawing updates, Split Drawings. I have also found a use for System Modifications too.
Cons:
When I have to Manually Count, I find the dots placed can flood the drawing making it hard to ensure you have covered everything, when toggling the tabs, this equally leaves questioning.
Countfire Response
last year
Great to hear you're managing to save time Nicholas! Our Floor plan, Overlay and Compare features are really handy for handling layouts split over multiple drawings, checking compatibility between services and handling revised drawings. If you don't have any linear measures on your drawings, you can control the size of the manual points by changing the scale on the drawing in the measure tab. You can also hide the points you've already counted using the check box next to each measure heading to make it easier to complete the rest of your takeoff. It's awesome that you're benefitting from lowering the rate of human error and saving on printing paper on your takeoffs too.
Countfire Review
Comments: It has been a great use so far, saves time greatly and eliminates the needs for printing and doing takeoffs manually
Pros:
It saves an incredible amount of time when doing takeoffs and the other features make it much easier to complete many time consuming tasks. Also the countfire team shows you all of the ins and outs so you always know what you are doing.
Cons:
No negatives at this time.
Countfire Response
2 years ago
Thanks for the review Luke! Awesome to hear Countfire is saving you an incredible amount of time and making it easier to complete tasks. You're spot on – our support team are on hand to provide training and live support to make sure you're confident using Countfire and getting the most out of the software. No negatives at this time – brilliant! If you do come across anything, we always like to receive feedback from our customers. You can submit feedback using the orange support button in-app. It's great that you're benefitting from not having to print and store your drawings too. All of your projects are stored in your account so they're ready for you to dive back in as and when you need to.
Gloster MEP & Countfire
Comments: We have massively reduced printing output with Countfire, as well as increased speed with take offs over various disciplines.
Pros:
As a Team, we find this tool very useful collectively as we can help each other, assist in various ways and find the output of the take off/marked up drawings symbol checks very useful.
Cons:
In some areas, perhaps an ability to 'copy & paste' information, words etc could be useful.
Great piece of Software
Comments: Overall experience is very good, helps a lot when trying to put a quick price together at early stages.
Pros:
I had been meaning to try Countfire for some time now and I am glad I finally did so. It's extremely easy to use and the customer support is second to none, they assist you all the way, to a point that if you ask for a feature that they don't have yet, they add it to their suggestion box with your vote. So I'm assuming that once they have enough votes for a certain feature request they will develop it.
Cons:
not much to dislike really, my only suggestion would be a slightly more affordable subscription cost for users that don't have lots of projects to do each month.
Best Estimating Takeoff Software
Comments: I've only been using it for a month or so but it has been very nice. The support team is phenomenal. They are very good at fixing any problems you might face. There is also a feature request page that you can request new features and everyone can vote on them and then the Countfire team will work on implementing that feature. The Countfire team is very active and always looking for new ways to make the experience better.
Pros:
Features that I like the best: The Support: User Interface: I really like the clean simple user interface. It looks very nice and up to date unlike a lot of the competition. Autocount: In comparison to other software such as Livecount, Planswift, Bluebeam, eTakeoff, etc. Countfire is by far faster. I've used Livecount & Planswift the most. Countfire can do in 2 seconds what Livecount & Planswift takes 3 minutes to do. I can select a fixture type to autocount and it will find every fixture with extreme accuracy on every plan page in 2 seconds or less (Tested with a plan set of 120+ pages) Background Hide: Countfire has the ability to hide the background on a drawing. This is very useful when you have a messy plan set or when all the furniture and details are on the same page as the electrical. You can toggle it on and off. You can also define what is a part of the background and it will hide it. This makes it so much easier to see only the electrical stuff. Hide Counted Symbols. (Only works for symbols counted with autocount). This is a feature that most of the estimating takeoff software has but this does it in a much different way. It will actually hide the symbols that have been counted not just the digitizer count itself. This allows you to toggle off everything that has been counted and now you can see what hasn't been. This only works on the symbols that are counted with autocount. You can still hide the manual digitizer counts but it won't hide the symbol.
Cons:
The estimating side isn't as advanced as some of the other competitors but they are currently working on a big update that will fix most of that.
What did we do before this software?
Pros:
We use solely for the count of off drawings for tendering projects, this has saved immense time for even some of the largest projects, we are able to add additional points and measure accurately to check the designs were supplied. We are then able to provide the spreadsheet produced with our tender with a comprehensive list of where the information came from.
Cons:
If the drawings are not made correctly then the software does struggle to read all symbols this though probably is more down to the original document than Countfire problem,
Countfire Response
2 years ago
Thank you for the great review! Pleased to hear using the software is saving you loads of time. In terms of the software struggling to read all the symbols, that's usually down the way the original drawing was created, yes. We tend to find it's a fairly unusual thing to run into, however, we've also got a number of ways we can step in and help. If you run into it again, please fire us a quick message in-app and one of the Support team will take a look at your project and likely have you sorted in no time.
Mechanical take Offs
Comments: I have found using Countfire really helpful as it is more accurate than printing and marking drawings and also i believe faster
Pros:
I have found that even though it is mainly for the electrical trade i have adapted it with the help of the Countfire Team to mechanical use
Cons:
Nothing. It has suited all my needs and assists in my day to day works
Countfire Response
2 years ago
Thanks so much for your kind review Mark. Yes, although it's not specifically designed for the mechanical trade, Countfire is flexible and you can adapt it to your way of working. It's great you've found using Countfire really helpful and more accurate than printing and marking drawings. I agree, it's definitely faster too as you don't have to worry about adding up your measurements or losing your place if you're interrupted - Countfire keeps a track of all that for you. Once you've finished your takeoff you also get a set of marked up drawings and a spreadsheet splitting out your quantities.
One Year In Review
Comments:
The system is very easy to use which makes the familiarisation process quire easy.
With any new software you have to familiarise yourself with the peculiarities of the system and work with it to get the best from it which is what we have found with Countfire.
The first thing you notice is the speed and responsiveness of the auto count system which is so much better than other systems we have tried.
We have found Countfire to suit our business needs but there are improvements to be made and hopefully we will see this product develop further.
Pros:
Easy to use, fast, useful for auto counting from certain revised drawings such as lighting. Demarcation of drawings is a good feature.
Cons:
There is no 'back' button to help you correct mistakes - you have to rely on not saving changes which is not ideal. Recognition of different orientation of symbols is limited to 90 degrees only - expanding this would be useful. Typical small power symbol auto count can be time consuming because of how symbols are recognised by the system, this makes the auto count process unreliable particularly across multiple drawings - a manual count often becomes the best option which defeats the object.
