Cubit on Mac: what it takes, and the better answer

Can't you just run Cubit on the Mac?

"The whole office has gone Mac, but the estimating's still in Cubit. Can't we just put it on the new MacBook?"

Fair question. Short answer: yes, sort of, if you're happy running Windows to do it.

Here's where we land, though. On a Mac, we reckon the better answer is software built for the browser, and that's how we built Estimator+. Your Mac is already a complete workstation. With a browser product there's no second operating system to buy, install or maintain, which is one less thing on your plate at 9pm when the tender's due in the morning.

Running Cubit on a Mac works the other way round. The Mac becomes a host for Windows, and Cubit runs inside that copy of Windows. Buildsoft, Apple and Microsoft each publish a piece of what that takes. Here's the lot.

Why Cubit wants Windows in the first place

Buildsoft says so directly: "All Buildsoft estimating software has been developed for native compatibility with PCs running Windows operating systems".

The standalone installation guide is Windows from start to finish. It installs a database to C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\16, has you run Cubit Management.exe as administrator, and sets firewall rules for Cubit.exe and postgres.exe. The guide doesn't publish any steps for a Mac.

What Buildsoft's own Mac article says

Buildsoft's article for Mac users is called Running Buildsoft Estimating Software on a Mac. It went up on 26 July 2016, and it lists Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 as the versions its standalone software runs on.

Both routes it describes start in the same spot: "You'll need to purchase and install Microsoft Windows." So step one is buying Windows, before you've opened a single drawing. Then you pick a way in: Boot Camp, which starts the Mac in either Windows or macOS, or virtual Windows, run through Parallels or VMware Fusion.

Buildsoft is upfront about what the virtual route costs you. Virtual Windows "splits your system resources so that your Windows programs get less in the way of memory and processing power". It also draws a pretty clear line around support:

"Buildsoft is only qualified to offer support for Buildsoft products. We do not offer support on the setup of operating systems and/or virtual environments through use of products such as Bootcamp, Parallels or VMWare Fusion."

Which, fair enough, is their call to make. It does mean the setup itself is yours to look after, though.

Boot Camp's off the table on a new Mac

Apple's Boot Camp page says it installs Windows 10 "on your Intel-based Mac". Its lists of supported MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models both end at 2020, and both leave out the M1 models that came out that year.

New Macs run on Apple silicon, M1 and later. So if you bought your Mac new, the Boot Camp route in Buildsoft's article is out of reach. A bit of a letdown if that was plan A.

So it's Parallels, then?

Pretty much. Microsoft lists two ways to use Windows 11 on a Mac with Apple silicon: a Windows 365 Cloud PC, or Parallels Desktop running the Arm version of Windows 11.

But Microsoft attaches two conditions. The Arm version "has limitations that can impact your ability to use various types of hardware, games, and apps". And "You need to have a separate license for Windows 11 Pro if you don't already have one."

Add it up. Cubit on a new Mac means Parallels, Windows 11 for Arm and a Windows 11 Pro licence, each one updated on its own schedule. Buildsoft doesn't support that setup. So picture it's Thursday, the addendum just landed, and something in the setup isn't behaving. Your questions go to Parallels, Microsoft or your own IT.

What about Cubit Estimating Cloud?

That's the other route, Buildsoft's hosted version. In Buildsoft's words, "Cloud hosted means that Cubit Estimating is run on virtual servers in the cloud, instead of on physical servers in your office."

The price isn't listed. The pricing page shows "Price tailored to your team size and usage", and the cloud page puts data migration and extra storage "at an additional cost". You're still paying for a Cubit edition on top, and every edition carries a minimum 12-month term.

And here's the bit we couldn't find. The cloud page doesn't publish how a Mac connects. It might be perfectly straightforward. It just isn't written down, so check with Buildsoft before you plan around it.

Your options on a new Mac, side by side

What you get with Estimator+ on a Mac

On a Mac you get all of Estimator+. Same product, nothing trimmed off for Mac users. It runs in the browser on Mac or Windows, and its database is hosted in Sydney. You sign in, open the tender and get stuck in.

A mixed office stops mattering. Say your estimator's on a MacBook and the director's on a Windows PC. They open the same live tender, and each one sees the other's changes as they're made. Nobody has to keep a Windows machine set aside just for estimating.

The AI takeoff works the same way from a Mac. You ask for it in Claude Code or Codex, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for, and we don't charge any AI credits. The AI measures every sheet into the tender, and every quantity comes off the drawing at its printed scale.

Nothing in Estimator+ needs Windows, from the drawings through to the submission PDF. If you're moving off Cubit, switching from Cubit sets out the order of work, and Estimator+ as a Cubit alternative covers the rest of the difference.

Honestly, the easiest way to see it is on your own Mac. Open the browser, bring a job you've already priced, and book a demo to watch the AI take it off.