Comparison · Decades-deep install base
Lift vs SDS2
How Lift compares to SDS2 on detection breadth, integrations, customer outcomes, and what an estimator should buy in 2026.
01 · In short
SDS2 is a steel detailing platform, not a takeoff tool. It anchors a generation of fabricators, and it now sits alongside Steel Genie inside ALLPLAN's portfolio. If you already live inside SDS2, the AI work coming from the same vendor will be on your radar. The comparison with Lift is structural, though, not feature-for-feature.
This page lays out how the two line up on detection, maturity, integrations, usability, pricing clarity, and stack independence. Then it covers where each has the real edge and where each falls short. The one-paragraph call is at the bottom. Both are real options for a steel shop. Which one fits depends on the specifics below, not on a single headline number.
02 · Head-to-head score
Editorial scoring, 0 to 100, based on public claims, product surface area, field reports, and 2026 positioning. It is not a benchmark. Neither product leads on every axis, and where SDS2 is ahead, the bar shows it.
03 · Spec comparison
| Attribute | Lift | SDS2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | SketchDeck.ai | ALLPLAN (Nemetschek) |
| Status | Generally available · paying customers since 2021 | Established · Decades-deep install base |
| Pricing | By quote · no per-month takeoff cap | Perpetual and subscription; commercial pricing on request |
| Detects | Beams, Columns, Braces, Joists, Plates | Full detailing suite: beams, columns, braces, plates, connections |
| Member attributes | Shape, Size, Length, Stud counts, Camber, Framing conditions, Moments, Copes, Holes | Not publicly itemized at this depth |
| Elevations | Yes, plans and elevations | Not applicable |
| Integrations | Tekla, Strumis, Fabtrol, E.J.E., Excel | Internal SDS2 modeling pipeline, Allplan ecosystem |
| Headline metric | 95–99% accuracy · 50–80% time savings | Not publicly quantified |
| Named results |
King Steel · 50% bid takeoff time reduction FabArc Steel · 91% time reduction per sheet Metals Fabrication · 40% more bids completed |
Not published |
04 · Where each has the edge
In Lift's favour
- Lift produces a BOM and an export package without a detailing license attached.
- Lift writes into SDS2-adjacent platforms (Tekla, Strumis, Fabtrol) rather than competing with them.
- Lift's pricing isn't gated to a per-seat detailing license.
In SDS2's favour
- Mature, deep detailing capability across the connection design surface.
- An existing user base, with training infrastructure and years of detailing-shop muscle memory.
- Strong brand recognition in the structural steel detailing world.
- Now part of the same family as Steel Genie, which gives ALLPLAN a stacked sales motion.
05 · Limitations on both sides
Lift's limitations
- Priced at the higher end of the category, and quoted rather than published, which makes it harder to weigh against a public number.
- The interface is not the fastest in head-to-head demos. Newer entrants like Ferra switch pages with less lag.
- Column workflows are still maturing. Some rivals ship a dedicated column scanner today.
- Feature pace is steady rather than flashy. Parametric assemblies and base-plate schedules are on the roadmap, not shipped.
SDS2's limitations
- Built for detailing. It does not natively produce a bid-ready takeoff from a PDF.
- Licensing cost has historically gated estimator-side adoption.
- Adding AI takeoff to the same stack means a Nemetschek-shaped roadmap, not a takeoff-shaped one.
The take
SDS2 is a detailing platform, not a takeoff tool, so this compares categories more than products. If you're already invested in SDS2 for detailing, that's a fair reason to look hard at its sibling product, Steel Genie, on the takeoff side. Lift's pitch is the inverse. Adopt a strong takeoff workflow without committing to, or paying for, a detailing platform you may not need at the estimating stage.