✅ There is no legal, full-featured, perpetual free version of Candy for commercial use.
📌 Candy does not run on macOS natively – requires Parallels or Boot Camp.
STACK offers a free tier or free trials for construction takeoff and estimating. It is web-based (no download required) and is a legitimate modern alternative to legacy systems like Candy.
If you need a tool that stays free beyond a trial period, consider these alternatives that offer "forever free" tiers or open-source capabilities: Key Free Features Digital Takeoffs
Here is the breakdown of the situation regarding "Candy," "Proper Paper," and free downloads.
If you cannot afford Candy but need to create estimates, you do not need a "free download" of a specific obscure file. You should use standard tools.