PlanGrid
A field-first app for viewing and marking up construction drawings on mobile devices.
Quick Answer
PlanGrid is a construction productivity app made by Autodesk (originally by PlanGrid, Inc.) for viewing, marking up, and managing drawings on mobile devices in the field. It let crews carry the current drawing set on a tablet, track versions, and log issues and photos. PlanGrid is now in maintenance mode, closed to new customers, and superseded by Autodesk Build.
The Full Picture
PlanGrid exists to solve a very specific field problem: getting the current, correct drawings into the hands of everyone on a job site without paper rolls. Before mobile drawing apps, superintendents worked from printed sets that went stale the moment a revision was issued. PlanGrid put the up-to-date set on a tablet and made sure the field always saw the latest version.
Mechanically, PlanGrid focused on fast drawing viewing, automatic version control, markups, punch lists, field reports, and photos, all synced between the field and the office and available offline. Its strength was speed and simplicity on mobile, which made it popular with field crews who needed drawings and issue tracking without a heavy platform.
Autodesk acquired PlanGrid in 2018 and has since folded its capabilities into Autodesk Build within Autodesk Construction Cloud. PlanGrid is now in maintenance mode — it still runs but receives no new features and is closed to new customers — and Autodesk directs teams to Build, which absorbed PlanGrid's core field strengths.
PlanGrid sits in the field-execution layer, the point where construction crews interact with drawings on site. Understanding it today means recognizing it as the field app whose DNA lives on in Autodesk Build, and treating references to it as pointing toward Build for any new work.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: PlanGrid is still an actively developed, standalone product.
Actually: PlanGrid is in maintenance mode — it runs but gets no new features and is closed to new customers. Autodesk has moved development into Autodesk Build, so for new projects Build is the path, and PlanGrid is legacy.
People assume: PlanGrid is a full construction management platform.
Actually: PlanGrid was a field-first drawing and productivity app — strong at viewing, versioning, and marking up drawings and logging field issues. Broader project and cost management came with its successor, Autodesk Build, on ACC's connected data.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentMeltPlan is a preconstruction AI platform, not a field drawing app, so it doesn't overlap with what PlanGrid does on site. They're complementary across phases: MeltPlan reviews the drawings and specs during preconstruction — flagging missing requirements, revision changes, and coordination issues — before those sets reach the field in PlanGrid or its successor, Autodesk Build. MeltPlan interprets the documents; PlanGrid distributes them to crews.
Catch drawing issues before they reach the field →Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes PlanGrid?
PlanGrid was created by PlanGrid, Inc., founded in 2011. Autodesk acquired the company in 2018 for about $875 million, so PlanGrid is now an Autodesk product, with its capabilities carried into Autodesk Build.
What is PlanGrid used for?
It's used in the field to view, mark up, and manage construction drawings on mobile devices — carrying the current set on a tablet, tracking versions, logging punch items and field reports, and syncing photos and issues between the field and office, including offline.
Is PlanGrid free?
No. PlanGrid was a paid subscription app. It is also now closed to new customers and in maintenance mode, so teams needing this capability move to Autodesk Build within Autodesk Construction Cloud.
What's the difference between PlanGrid and Autodesk Build?
Autodesk Build is PlanGrid's successor. Build absorbed PlanGrid's core field and drawing features and added broader project and cost management on Autodesk Construction Cloud's connected data. PlanGrid is legacy and in maintenance mode; Build is the current product.