LayeredGeo Alternative: PlanInsight Compared

A LayeredGeo alternative for teams that work many sites

If you are weighing up a LayeredGeo alternative, the main difference is how you pay. LayeredGeo sells reports and CAD exports one at a time. PlanInsight is a subscription for firms that look up sites every week and need DA tracking, BYDA enquiries and a DXF on each one. Here is how they compare, and when each one fits.

Prices and features checked September 2026 on the public websites linked below. Check their sites for current terms.

The short version

Both products turn public government data about a lot into something an engineer or planner can use. They are priced for different habits.

LayeredGeo is pay per item: a $9 property report, add-ons at checkout, a $119 geotechnical desktop study, and CAD or GIS exports from $15. It suits one-off jobs and anyone who wants a georeferenced export in several formats.
PlanInsight is a subscription built around a property page: DA history and tracking across 250+ councils, BYDA enquiries lodged from the property, hazard overlays, and a DXF with boundary and contours on every lookup. It suits firms that look up sites every week and share them across a team.

PlanInsight as a LayeredGeo alternative, side by side

	PlanInsight	LayeredGeo
One-off report	$29, PDF and DXF zipped, no account	$9; flood model or terrain add-on +$9 each, all three $25
CAD and GIS export	DXF R12 in every report and plan; local coordinates in metres	GIS / CAD Site Export: $15 single, $49 for 5, $79/mo for 10; DXF, Shapefile, GeoPackage, KMZ in GDA2020, GDA94 or WGS84
Monthly plans	$49, $149 or $349/mo with unlimited lookups and reports, 3, 12 or 30 users	Agency plans: $49/mo for 10 reports, $149/mo for 50 reports
Report states	QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, ACT	QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, ACT
Geotechnical desktop study	Not offered	$119 (QLD, NSW, VIC, SA)
Development application history and alerts	250+ councils, new-DA and status notifications	Not listed on the pricing page
BYDA enquiries	Lodged from the property page, responses collected	Not listed on the pricing page
Free 12d to DXF converter	Yes	Yes

When LayeredGeo is the better fit

If you need one report for one address, $9 is hard to beat. If your deliverable is a georeferenced GIS package, or you want a geotechnical desktop study as a finished document, LayeredGeo lists products for exactly that.

When PlanInsight is the better fit

If your week is a stream of sites, the per-item cost adds up and the missing pieces start to matter. PlanInsight keeps every property your team has looked at in one workspace, with the DA history from the council, BYDA responses and the DXF on the same page. When a new application is lodged on a bookmarked site, you hear about it without searching again.

Engineers can see the checks each discipline runs on the pages for civil, hydraulic and geotechnical engineers.

Try PlanInsight your way

Free

Boundary DXF for any address
12d to DXF converter

For a quick file, no account.

One property

$29 once

Site Report: title, zoning where published, hazards, DA history and a DXF with the boundary, buildings, contours and watercourses your state publishes, emailed as one zip. No account.

Get a Site Report

Every property

From $49 /mo

Unlimited lookups and reports, DA tracking, BYDA enquiries and full DXF files for your team.

Start free trial

Questions

Is PlanInsight cheaper than LayeredGeo?

Per single report, no: LayeredGeo lists its property report at $9 and PlanInsight's report is $29 with the DXF included. For a team that looks up many sites a month, a PlanInsight plan from $49 a month includes unlimited lookups and reports, which is where it usually works out cheaper.

Does LayeredGeo offer DXF exports?

Yes. Its pricing page lists a GIS / CAD Site Export in DXF, Shapefile, GeoPackage and KMZ, from $15 for a single export, referenced in GDA2020, GDA94 or WGS84.

What coordinate system is the PlanInsight DXF in?

Local coordinates in metres about the lot centroid, not MGA. If you need a georeferenced GIS export in several formats, LayeredGeo's export lists that option.

Does PlanInsight do a geotechnical desktop study?

No. PlanInsight provides desktop inputs such as contours, landslide and acid sulfate soils overlays, water bores and DA history, but not geology or soil mapping. LayeredGeo lists a Geotechnical Desktop Study at $119.

Can I track development applications with PlanInsight?

Yes. PlanInsight fetches DA history from 250+ councils and notifies you when a new application is lodged on a bookmarked property or a tracked application changes status.