PlanGrid alternative
PlanGrid's gone. Here's a way out that fits a small firm.
PlanGrid is closed to new customers — Autodesk folded it into Autodesk Build. Build is a genuinely powerful platform, but it's built for larger GCs and priced like it (roughly $1,600 per user per year as of mid-2026).
If your team mostly opens a drawing, marks it up, and needs every markup tracked to resolution, Annotably does that one loop simply — in any browser, with clients and subs free to invite, for a fraction of an enterprise seat.
Short version:if you need full construction PM, Autodesk Build is the heir to PlanGrid. If you mainly need markup and issue tracking, you don't have to buy the whole platform to get it.
What actually happened to PlanGrid
PlanGrid was one of the tools that made “drawings on a tablet, issues pinned to the sheet” normal on the jobsite. Autodesk acquired it, and over time moved its capabilities into Autodesk Build. New customers can't sign up for PlanGrid anymore; existing accounts have been steered toward Build.
So if you're searching for a “PlanGrid alternative,” you're usually in one of two spots:
- • You used PlanGridand don't love being moved onto a bigger, pricier platform you didn't choose.
- • You went looking for PlanGrid and found the door closed, and Autodesk Build quoting enterprise numbers for what you thought was a simple drawing-markup app.
Either way, the question is the same: do you need the whole platform, or do you need the part of PlanGrid you actually used every day?
At a glance
Annotably next to Autodesk Build — PlanGrid's successor. A fair side-by-side.
| Annotably | Autodesk Build (ex-PlanGrid) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small AEC teams marking up drawings and tracking issues | Larger GCs needing full construction project management |
| Markup → tracked issue (owner, status, thread) | Built around it | Yes — inside a much bigger platform |
| Pin-as-issue on the exact spot, any zoom | The core mechanic | Supported (pin-to-plan) |
| Free guests (clients, subs, consultants) | Invite anyone, no seat | Some collaborator access; per-seat at the core |
| Runs on | Any browser — Mac, Windows, iPad | Web + mobile apps |
| Full PM (RFIs, submittals, cost, scheduling) | Not our thing | Comprehensive |
| Setup | Open a browser, upload a PDF | Onboarding, often a sales process |
| Pricing | Free tier, then from $12/seat/mo | ~$1,600/user/yr (mid-2026) |
| Your data | Export to PDF/CSV anytime — no lock-in | Tied to the Autodesk contract |
Prices are rounded and reflect public info as of mid-2026 — Autodesk pricing is often quoted through sales and changes, so confirm on their site before you commit.
These aren't the same size of tool.
We want to be straight about this. Autodesk Build is a real construction management platform: RFIs, submittals, cost, schedule, sheet management, and yes, issues pinned to plans. For a large GC running complex jobs, that breadth earns its price.
Annotably is deliberately one thing: a markup should never just sit there. Drop a pin on the drawing and it becomes an issue — someone owns it, it has a status, and the whole conversation lives right on the spot, at any zoom. Filter what's open by status, owner, or sheet, then export a clean punch list.
So the real question isn't “which is better.” It's “how much tool do you actually need?” If the honest answer is “mostly markup and issue tracking,” paying for a full PM platform is the same trap small firms hit with Bluebeam — buying a sledgehammer for a job that needs a hammer.
What the switch actually changes
Price, for the job you're doing
PlanGrid's old plans ran roughly $39–$119 per user per month. Autodesk Build commonly lands around $1,600 per user per year as of mid-2026 — and usually through a sales conversation, not a checkout page.
Annotably starts free for your whole team and moves to about $12/seat/moas you grow, with clients and subs always free to invite. The pitch isn't only “cheaper” — it's full-team issue tracking for a fraction of an enterprise seat, without leaving anyone out.
Onboarding, not a rollout
Standing up a full PM platform is a project in itself — configuration, training, getting the whole team to adopt it. Small firms tell us that's often the part that quietly kills these tools.
Annotably is open-a-browser-and-go. Upload a PDF, drop a pin, invite a teammate — most people are productive in their first session. Less to learn means more of your team actually uses it.
Free guests instead of more seats
Per-seat pricing is exactly what made small firms grumble about PlanGrid, and the move to Build doesn't make that better. Annotably invites clients, consultants, and subs as guests for free. Bring in the person who'll actually fix the thing, not only the people you could afford to license.
Where Autodesk Build genuinely wins
If you're a larger contractor who needs end-to-end project management — RFIs, submittals, cost control, scheduling, and a connected document trail across a big team — Autodesk Build is built for exactly that, and it's good at it. The integration with the rest of Autodesk Construction Cloud (and the wider Autodesk ecosystem) is real value if you live in that world.
Annotably doesn't do any of that, and isn't trying to. We're a markup-and-issue-tracking tool. If your work genuinely needs the breadth, keep Build — you won't be happier on something smaller.
Who Annotably is best for
- • Small architecture, engineering, and construction firms (2–50 people).
- • Teams who mostly mark up drawings and need every issue owned and closed.
- • Ex-PlanGrid users who don't want an enterprise platform or its price.
- • Anyone who needs to loop in clients and subs without buying them seats.
- • Mac, iPad, and mixed-hardware teams.
Who Autodesk Build is best for
- • Larger general contractors running complex, multi-team jobs.
- • Teams who need RFIs, submittals, cost, and scheduling in one platform.
- • Firms already invested in Autodesk Construction Cloud.
- • Anyone whose work truly uses the full breadth — it's a strong platform for them.
Switching is low-risk
- Start free, today. No credit card, no install, no sales call. Upload a PDF and drop a pin in about two minutes.
- Bring your drawings as they are. Annotably works on PDF — the way drawing sets already get shared. Upload a full multi-page set and pin issues on any sheet.
- Invite your team and guests free. See whether it sticks on a real project before you spend a thing.
- No lock-in, ever.Export your issues and punch lists to PDF or CSV whenever you like. The point of leaving one enterprise contract isn't to land in another.
Comparing more tools? Our candid roundup of drawing-markup tools by use case covers the wider field, and here's how we compare to Fieldwire if field task management is on your list.
Frequently asked questions
Is PlanGrid still available?
Not to new customers. Autodesk closed PlanGrid to new sign-ups and folded its features into Autodesk Build, the construction module of Autodesk Construction Cloud. Existing PlanGrid accounts have been transitioning to Build. If you're shopping today, you're really choosing between Autodesk Build and a separate tool.
What replaced PlanGrid?
Autodesk Build. It's a capable, full-featured construction management platform — RFIs, submittals, sheets, issues, cost — aimed at larger general contractors. It's powerful, and priced to match: roughly $1,600 per user per year as of mid-2026. For a small firm that mostly marks up drawings and tracks issues, that's a lot of platform (and budget) for the job.
How much did PlanGrid cost, and what does the replacement cost?
PlanGrid's published plans ran roughly $39–$119 per user per month before it closed. Autodesk Build is sold by subscription — commonly around $1,600 per user per year as of mid-2026, often through a sales conversation rather than self-serve. Annotably starts free for your whole team and moves to about $12/seat/mo as you grow, with clients and subs always free to invite. Prices drift, so check the latest before you commit.
Is Annotably a full replacement for PlanGrid or Autodesk Build?
For the core loop most small teams used PlanGrid for — open a drawing, mark it up, turn the markup into a tracked issue, and close it out — yes. For full project management (RFIs, submittals, cost, scheduling across a large GC), no. Autodesk Build is better at that breadth, and we'll happily say so. Annotably is the focused, friendlier-priced option for teams who mainly need markup and issue tracking.
Can clients and subcontractors use Annotably without paying?
Yes. Invite anyone as a guest to view drawings and comment, free. Per-seat platforms make every participant a paid seat, which pushes small firms to leave people out. Free guests is one of the reasons teams switch.
Will I be locked in if I switch?
No. Annotably works on PDF, so you upload your drawing sets directly. Whatever you create — issues, punch lists — exports to PDF or CSV anytime. The whole point of leaving an enterprise contract is not to land in another one.
A small-firm-priced way out of the platform shuffle.
Upload a PDF, drop a pin, invite a teammate — about two minutes, free while we're in beta, no credit card. Early firms (first 100 firms) lock in founder pricing — 50% off, for life. See pricing →