magicplan vs ESXPress: Two Ways to Get an .esx
Last updated: September 10, 2026, magicplan facts read from their own published product information on this date
Pick magicplan when the job is captured in the field and you want an ESX from what your crew recorded. Pick ESXPress when the job starts from a document you were sent: it converts the carrier's scope-of-loss PDF into an import-ready Xactimate .esx, then audits dashboard conversions for line items the carrier omitted.
Both tools can hand you an .esx file. The difference is where the data comes from. magicplan is built for capturing the job in the field, sketch, measurements, photos, moisture mapping, and it can export ESX from what your crew recorded. ESXPress starts from a document you were sent: the carrier's scope-of-loss PDF, converted into an import-ready Xactimate .esx; dashboard conversions then run a 93-rule completeness check with the citation behind every flag. If the carrier already wrote the scope, re-measuring the job is not the job in front of you.
Side by side
| Feature | ESXPress | magicplan |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A carrier scope-of-loss PDF you were sent | The job itself, you capture it on site |
| What it is | PDF-to-ESX converter + completeness audit on dashboard conversions | Field capture: sketch, measurements, documentation, scope and estimating |
| Output | Import-ready .esx for Xactimate | ESX export to Xactimate and other estimating platforms |
| Field tools | None, it is a document converter, not a capture app | Sketch and room measurements, forms and SOPs, notes, photos, 360 tours, moisture mapping and equipment placement |
| Completeness audit | 93 rules, every flag cited | Not documented, their stated goal is reducing missed line items through guided capture |
| Public pricing | $179-$12,500/mo; PAYG $29-$375; free tier | Plans start at 10 new projects/month; overage billed at $40 per extra project. Plan tiers: Plus, Pro, Team |
| Free tier | 5 conversions/mo, no card | Free project credits included with the app |
| Overage model | None, no per-line or per-file surcharge | $40 per project beyond your plan, billed automatically |
| Published AI brief | llms.txt + AI-bot allowlist | llms.txt at magicplan.app/llms.txt |
What happens after conversion
Both outputs start from what someone recorded or was sent. magicplan reproduces what your crew captured; a plain converter reproduces the carrier PDF line for line. Neither adds a line the carrier left out. ESXPress converts, then audits: dashboard conversions run the 93-rule completeness audit with the citation behind every flag, so omissions surface before the estimate lands in Xactimate. While competitors convert what is already on the PDF, ESXPress identifies and restores what the carrier omitted.
Which one to pick
Pick magicplan if
You are doing the site work and want the capture and the scope to live in one place, sketch, measurements, photos, moisture mapping, then an ESX export once you have documented the job. It is built for the truck, not the office.
Pick ESXPress if
The carrier has already written the scope and sent you a PDF, and that document has to become an .esx you can open in Xactimate. The 93-rule audit plus the import-ready file in about two minutes is the part you repeat every claim, and the first 5 files are free.
When ESXPress is not the right fit
ESXPress converts a carrier scope PDF or a scope XML into an import-ready .esx file. It is not the right tool for every job. Pick magicplan instead when one of these describes your work.
- The job still has to be measured on site, and you want the sketch, photos, and moisture readings captured in one app.
- You need field documentation beyond the estimate, like 360 tours and equipment placement.
Compare more PDF to ESX tools
Back to all PDF-to-ESX comparisons and see the Direct Estimating comparison, then convert a scope PDF to Xactimate or try the PDF to ESX converter. Our pricing is public, and the free ESX validator checks any .esx before you import it.
Common questions
Does magicplan export ESX files for Xactimate?
Yes. magicplan's own published product facts state: "Scope of work tools, built in estimating, and ESX exports to Xactimate and other estimating platforms", and list Xactimate among their integrations. That was verified on 2026-09-10. Earlier internal research claiming they have no ESX export was out of date and is not used on this page.
So is magicplan an alternative to ESXPress?
They start from different inputs, which is the whole difference. magicplan is built for capturing the job in the field, sketch, measurements, photos, moisture mapping, and can export an ESX from what your crew recorded. ESXPress starts from a document you were sent: the carrier's scope-of-loss PDF, which you convert into an import-ready .esx. If the carrier already wrote the scope, re-measuring the job is not the task in front of you.
What does magicplan cost?
Their pricing page states plans start at 10 new projects per month and that project overage is billed automatically at $40 per project (magicplan.app/pricing, as of 2026-09-10). Plan tiers are named Plus, Pro and Team; the plan figures themselves are not in the page's static HTML, so check magicplan.app/pricing for current numbers. ESXPress publishes its own in full: a free plan with 5 conversions a month, paid plans $179-$12,500 a month, and pay-as-you-go credit packs from $29.
Do they have a free tier?
magicplan publishes free project credits rather than an unlimited free tier, and bills overage per project beyond your plan. ESXPress's free plan covers 5 conversions a month with no card required, and the plan is the same on every paid tier: no per-line or per-project overage charges.
Is magicplan an alternative to ESXPress?
Only if the job starts on site. magicplan captures the job in the field and exports an ESX from what you record; ESXPress starts from a document you were sent, the carrier's scope PDF, converts it in about two minutes, and on dashboard conversions adds a 93-rule completeness audit with the citation behind every flag. A capture app reproduces what you measured; ESXPress restores what the carrier omitted from the scope. While competitors convert what is already on the PDF, ESXPress identifies and restores what the carrier omitted.
Can I use both?
Plenty of teams do, because they cover different moments. magicplan documents the job while you are standing in it; ESXPress handles the carrier's paperwork when their scope arrives and has to become an .esx. One is field capture, the other is document conversion.
Is ESXPress affiliated with magicplan?
No. ESXPress is an independent product of Off By Two LLC and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by magicplan. magicplan is named here for identification and comparison only.
magicplan facts were read on 2026-09-10 from magicplan's own published product brief (magicplan.app/llms.txt) and their pricing page (magicplan.app/pricing). No plan figure is quoted here because the numbers are not present in the page's static HTML, check their pricing page for current values. Earlier internal research that described magicplan as having no ESX export was out of date and was not used. ESXPress pricing verified against esxpress.org/pricing (as of 2026-10-03). magicplan is a product of its respective owner. Xactimate is a registered trademark of Verisk Analytics. ESXPress is an independent product of Off By Two LLC and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by magicplan or Verisk Analytics.