Searching for a Field Service App? A Guide to ArcSite and Its Top Alternatives

If you're in the market for a new field service application, you know how crowded the landscape is. You’re looking for a tool that can help you win more bids, streamline your work, and present a professional image to your clients. The goal is to find the perfect fit for your specific needs, whether you're in construction, home services, or another field-based industry.

This guide will compare some of the top platforms, including ArcSite, to help you make an informed decision.

ArcSite: Precision Drawing, Professional Proposals, Field Inspection and Data Collection

Before we dive into the alternatives, let's establish a benchmark. ArcSite is a specialized platform that excels at creating precise, professional CAD drawings directly on-site. It's built for professionals who need accuracy and detail in their plans and takeoffs. From there, it allows you to generate winning proposals and even handle invoicing. It’s a powerful tool for contractors who value precision and a seamless design-to-proposal workflow.

The Competitive Landscape: ArcSite vs. 7 Other Platforms

How does ArcSite stack up against other popular field service and construction software? Let's break it down.

*FSM = Field Service Management (scheduling, dispatching, etc.)

A Closer Look at the Alternatives

1. Jobber & Housecall Pro

These platforms are excellent all-in-one solutions for home service businesses. Their strengths lie in scheduling, dispatching, CRM, and invoicing. If your primary need is managing a large volume of jobs and a mobile workforce, they are fantastic options. However, they lack the sophisticated, CAD-based drawing and precise takeoff capabilities that are at the core of ArcSite. For businesses where detailed site plans are crucial, ArcSite offers a clear advantage.

2. Bluebeam & PlanSwift

Bluebeam is popular for PDF markup and collaboration on construction plans.

PlanSwift is a powerful, desktop-based software focused purely on digital takeoffs.

Both are highly respected tools for estimators working from existing plans. The key difference is that ArcSite is designed for mobile, on-site drawing from scratch. It empowers you to create the plan and the takeoff simultaneously in the field, a flexibility the others don't offer.

Bluebeam is takeoff-first, drawing-second.

• You mark up existing PDFs (plans, site drawings, exports from CAD).
• Measurements (lengths, areas, counts) can be linked to quantities, formulas, and totals.
• But you are not creating a live drawing where geometry drives the takeoff.
• If you redraw or adjust scope, you usually need to edit or redo markups to keep quantities accurate.

Reality:
Bluebeam calculates from annotations, not from a true drawing model.

PlanSwift is also takeoff-centric, not drawing-centric.

• You trace over plans to generate measurements and quantities.
• It supports assemblies, formulas, and pricing.
• Like Bluebeam, it assumes a static plan as the source of truth.
• If scope changes, quantities don’t automatically reflow unless you retrace or reassign items.

Reality:
PlanSwift measures what you trace, not what you design.

What this means in practice

• Bluebeam & PlanSwift are excellent when:
  • You already have finished plans
  • Estimating is done in the office
  • Scope changes are infrequent
• They fall short when:
  • You’re creating scope on-site
  • You need drawings, takeoffs, and pricing to stay perfectly in sync
  • You want to avoid rework when customers request changes

3. STACK

STACK is a strong, cloud-based takeoff and estimating solution that is praised for its ease of use.

It excels at helping you measure digital plans and is a great tool for pre-construction. Like PlanSwift and Bluebeam, it's primarily for working off of existing blueprints. It doesn't have the mobile-first, create-from-scratch CAD functionality that allows ArcSite users to capture as-built conditions or design on the fly.

4. ServiceTitan & Procore

These are heavy-duty, comprehensive management platforms. ServiceTitan is a dominant player in the residential trades, offering robust tools for scheduling, marketing, and more.

Procore is a giant in the commercial construction management space, connecting entire project teams from the field to the office.

While both have some takeoff and drawing functionalities, they are part of a much larger, more complex system. ArcSite provides a more focused, powerful, and user-friendly solution specifically for the critical tasks of site drawing, takeoffs, and proposals, which can be a more agile solution for many contractors.

When to Consider ArcSite

Your search for an "ArcSite alternative" is about finding the best tool for the job. Here’s where ArcSite shines:

• Unmatched Mobile CAD: No other platform offers the same level of precision and flexibility for creating detailed drawings on an iPad in the field.
• Integrated Workflow: Go from a detailed site drawing to a material takeoff to a professional, client-facing proposal all within one intuitive platform.
• Industry-Specific Focus: Whether you're in pest control, fencing, or construction, ArcSite provides tailored tools that make sense for your workflow.

The Right Choice for You

If your business centers around job scheduling and dispatching, an all-in-one FSM solution might be a great fit. If you are an estimator working exclusively from pre-made plans in an office, a dedicated takeoff tool could be ideal.

But if your work requires you to be in the field, to capture accurate site data, to design solutions on-site, and to quickly turn those designs into winning bids, then ArcSite is in a class of its own.

Ready to see how ArcSite can transform your workflow? Get started with a free trial today!

‍