We often use both Planswift and Chief for takeoff, depending upon the project and what is needed. Planswift is a fully functional digital takeoff plan that records all takeoff information so that it can be saved in report form and graphically using layers that can be color coded, hatched,etc.. These layers can be turned on/off which enables us to see what has been accounted for, or missed. We rarely put Chief plans into Planswift, but often import images/pdf's into Chief (if they can be scaled). This often is done with surveys to generate site takeoff information that is a part of a Chief design project. Certainly Chief is quite limited, but sometimes the most convenient depending upon the project.
Bob