MyQS vs CostX
Automatic measurement in a browser vs manual takeoff on a Windows desktop. The honest comparison for UK estimators and QSs.
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The same destination. Two very different journeys.
MyQS — Automatic Takeoff To Priced Bill
Measures the drawing for you, prices it as you go
- One-click Measure Floor Plan — rooms traced wall to wall
- Room names and printed dims read from the sheet
- Repeating groups — measure one unit, stamp the rest
- Priced NRM BoQ with a built-in UK rate library
- Runs in the browser on Mac, Windows and iPad
- Photo, voice and text quoting in 60 seconds
- CDM 2015 documents — RAMS, H&S Plan, COSHH
- Published pricing from £20/month, free plan to start
CostX — Professional Desktop Estimating
The PQS industry workhorse for manual takeoff and workbooks
- Live-linked estimating workbooks
- BIM / model takeoff from Revit and IFC
- NRM and CESMM structured bills
- Revision comparison
- Trusted standard in PQS practices
- Manual click-by-click 2D measurement
- Windows desktop only
- Quote-only pricing, no public trial
- No photo quoting or CDM documents
Many QSs run both — CostX for BIM tender workbooks, MyQS for fast measured, priced work from 2D drawings.
Published plans vs a sales conversation.
| MyQS | CostX | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever — 1 quote/monthWinner | No public trial |
| Entry price | £20/month (Pay as you go)Winner | Quote-only — contact sales |
| Pricing published openly | All plans on the websiteWinner | No published pricing |
| Time to start measuring | Minutes — sign up in a browserWinner | Sales process, install, training |
| Platforms | Any modern browserWinner | Windows desktop |
| Rate content included | UK rate library built inWinner | Rate libraries loaded separately |
CostX (RIB CostX) sells via quotation; no public price list is published. Correct as of August 2026.
Choose the right tool for your practice.
Produce formal tender BoQs from BIM models
Run a PQS practice standardised on CostX workbooks
Need CESMM civils bills alongside NRM
Have trained CostX staff and Windows infrastructure
Prefer a desktop tool managed by your IT team
Measure from 2D drawings and PDFs, not BIM models
Want rooms measured automatically, not clicked out
Need the bill priced the moment measurement finishes
Work on Mac, iPad or anywhere a browser runs
Want published pricing and a free plan to try today
Need quoting and CDM documents in the same tool
What each platform actually does.
| Feature | MyQS | CostX |
|---|---|---|
| Takeoff | ||
| Automatic room measurement | One click traces every room wall to wall | Manual click-by-click measurement |
| Room names read from the drawing | Names and printed dims from the sheet itself | Typed in manually |
| Repeating groups | Measure one unit, stamp it across floors | Re-measure or copy manually |
| Runs in the browser, any device | Mac, Windows, iPad — nothing to install | Windows desktop application |
| Drawing revision compare | Vector diff with affected-measurement flags | Revision comparison |
| BIM / 3D model takeoff (IFC, Revit) | 2D drawings and PDFs | Model-based quantities |
| Time to first measured room | Minutes from sign-up | Licensed install and training first |
| Estimating & Bills | ||
| Priced Bill of Quantities | Priced with UK rates as you measure | Workbooks priced from rate libraries |
| UK rate library included | Thousands of UK rates + your own | Bring or buy your own rate data |
| NRM-structured output | NRM-structured BoQ export | NRM / CESMM workbooks |
| Measurement-to-bill audit trail | Jump from BoQ line to the drawing | Live-linked workbooks |
| Photo / voice / text quoting | Priced quote in 60 seconds | Not available |
| Branded client documents | PDF, Word, Excel with your branding | Report writer output |
| Client portal | No login needed | Not available |
| Buying & Running It | ||
| Public pricing | All plans published — £20 to £149/month | Quote-only, contact sales |
| Free plan or instant trial | Free forever plan, no card | No public trial |
| Works without IT setup | Browser only | Windows install, licence management |
| CDM 2015 H&S documents | RAMS, H&S Plan, Method Statement, COSHH | Not available |
Common questions
CostX (RIB CostX) is professional desktop estimating software used by quantity surveying practices — measurement is manual, click by click, feeding live-linked estimating workbooks on Windows. MyQS is browser-based and measures for you: one click traces every room on the drawing, names them from the sheet, and prices them into an NRM-structured Bill of Quantities with a UK rate library built in. CostX is a powerful manual instrument for specialists; MyQS automates the same journey from drawing to priced bill.
No. As of 2026, CostX measurement on 2D drawings is manual on-screen takeoff — you click out each area, length and count yourself. Its automation strengths are elsewhere: extracting quantities from BIM models (Revit, IFC) via model maps. MyQS measures 2D drawings automatically — rooms are traced wall to wall in one click, with names and printed dimensions read from the sheet.
CostX does not publish pricing — plans are quote-only through its sales team, and there is no public free trial. MyQS publishes everything: £20/month Pay as you go up to £149/month Pro, with a free forever plan and no card needed to start. You can be measuring a drawing in MyQS in the time it takes to fill in a CostX contact form.
For some workflows, yes. CostX is entrenched in PQS practices for good reasons: BIM model takeoff, deeply structured NRM and CESMM workbooks, and a mature audit trail between measurement and bill. If your practice produces formal tender documentation from BIM models at scale, CostX remains the specialist tool. If you measure from 2D drawings and PDFs and want the bill priced the moment measurement finishes — on any device, at a published price — MyQS gets you there dramatically faster.
Yes. MyQS runs entirely in the browser, so it works on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPad with nothing to install. CostX is a Windows desktop application — Mac users typically need a Windows virtual machine or a hosted desktop to run it.
Measure it in one click, priced as you go.
No sales call, no install. Start free in the browser today.
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