Stack Software Reviews

“Quick takeoffs

Pros

Can now finish takeoffs much more quickly and in a far more organized way than with the tools I used before.

Cons

It's still a little rough around the edges and I'd really appreciate an undo function so I can easily reverse mistakes.

“Takesoffs simplified

Pros

I like how takeoffs are simple and auto-generated page IDs include clickable links.

Cons

It needs an easy method to make and track job changes while preserving the fixed estimate that I saw when it was originally priced.

“Appreciate the arc tool

Pros

Using this software feels really easy and I've come to appreciate the arc tool they added recently.

Cons

I'd really like to see a dirt takeoff feature added to Stack.

“Great for estimating jobs

Pros

It's a great tool for estimating jobs and for saving plan edits and notes

Cons

I feel the tools could be made more user-friendly and simpler to use

“Makes my job simpler

Pros

The takeoff, items and assembly features make my job simpler.

Cons

Really dislike having to click each time to add older jobs. I'd prefer being able to scroll through all of them instead.

“Not difficult to pick up

Pros

I picked up the takeoff system quickly and found it easy to put into practice.

Cons

Setting up the estimating part has been dragging for me. It's taking a long time to configure so it actually matches our Canadian, Manitoba requirements and my expectations.

“Helpful tool

Pros

Being able to convert square footage into the number of yards of material needed is something I find very helpful.

Cons

I haven't had any issues or cons with this software.

“Thousands of bugs!!...

Pros

The people behind it make everything simple for me. Their team is cooperative and I can count on them when I need help.

Cons

I keep facing thousands of unresolved bugs. In my view the system analysis is basically nonexistent. It feels like a single developer built this with no planning or clear direction. A lot of features simply don't work or behave incorrectly. I also notice it ignores the conventions used by most other software packages.

“Speeds up takeoffs

Pros

Using this tool speeds up the majority of my takeoffs and makes them simple to double-check. Whenever I need a refresher on how a particular feature works, the help center typically has a brief video that walks me step-by-step through the process.

Cons

Would be better if I could edit or remove sections of an estimate more easily.

“Not enough features

Pros

I've found this tool really helpful for estimating costs and the user interface feels high-quality and user-friendly.

Cons

For a company our size, we don't find it very useful. We rarely use it and our estimation process lacked enough features to meet our needs.

“Necessary for us

Pros

For every job I quote and ultimately take to contract, STACK is indispensable to our process. I really appreciate how quickly I can access and use the take-off tools and related features to collect and record all the essential job information.

Cons

I've asked multiple times for STACK's reporting tool to include a setting that shows quantities rounded to two decimal places (for example .01) instead of displaying extremely long decimals like .00000001 which used to be the default when I began using the software years ago. As it stands now, I'm forced to edit each line item one by one, sometimes more than a hundred entries to correct the quantity values which is tedious and time-consuming.

“Provides reliable reports

Pros

Found the product to be reliable and accurate and it provides reports that I can easily access and review.

Cons

That said, there wasn't much assistance available to help me obtain "systems" training.

“Easy to move between plans

Pros

I find it really easy to move between plans, takeoffs and reports.

Cons

I still face calculation limits and I have to convert or translate some prices before they become recordable in the software.

“friendly digital takeoff

Pros

I'm impressed with the digital takeoff, it's very easy to handle.

Cons

The estimating features feel quite limited, the calculation formulas can be inconsistent and there's very little flexibility to sort measurements and build estimates that match my company's cost structure.

“Feels effortless

Pros

I really like how effortless it is and how simple everything feels to use.

Cons

There's an odd issue with upgrades when deducting shapes that could be upgraded.

“Allows working with team

Pros

Being able to collaborate with my team on the same server from wherever I happen to be is something I really appreciate. The project list keeps everything organized for us and I like tagging projects with my name and the stage they're in so nothing gets lost. Changing the tab color makes it much easier for me to spot the projects I'm currently bidding on and those I can move to next.

Cons

The assemblies feel pretty basic to me. Even though I can code in Java and use Excel a lot, the language for creating takeoff items is different enough to be annoying. It would be great to have more solid markup features because the current options are too limited for how I like to annotate plans. I also wish I could collapse folders to focus on just one set of plans at a time and have a way to sort my open tabs more easily. Another feature I miss is opening documents in separate windows that automatically stay in sync without me having to manually refresh or sync them. Having used on-screen takeoff tools, I do find this program fairly user-friendly but after working with Bluebeam for takeoffs and document review, I feel this software still falls short in some important areas. On the plus side, I like that it's a standalone download and doesn't require internet access to use. The tools it does offer are more programmable and I can duplicate my plans to use for more than just takeoffs or markups which I appreciate.

“Simple to edit takeoffs

Pros

I really appreciate how simple it is to build and modify take-offs.

Cons

What I don't like is that they charge per user rather than per project.

“Unfinished product

Pros

When the sales and training teams can actually be reached, I really enjoyed their energy and expertise, they were fantastic. Unfortunately, aside from one support person, the rest of the support team who are pretty much only reachable by email don't deliver anything close to that same sense of connection, community, hands-on help or personal attention that the sales and trainers gave.

Cons

Honestly, what frustrates me is that every software company we looked at over the past year follows the exact same playbook, they promise the moon during the sales pitch, show us polished mockups of the finished product but then can't actually deliver the features they courted us with because they sell an unfinished project knowing we're locked in for a year. So we're supposed to be okay with that? Absolutely not. I practically promised a kidney to get the decision-maker to approve this purchase, using the projected time savings and the idea of a better product as my selling points. After we signed up, all I could really show him was a prettier interface, not the functionality I'd been sold. Do I believe this will eventually be a solid program? I want to and I think it can be but right now that belief is rooted in hope more than proof. My biggest worry is convincing him to renew next year because it will likely take me a full year to learn the system well enough to make it worthwhile. Between how much slower I am producing estimates even though they look better and how many promised, important features are either broken, not actually present or only usable with one-on-one assistance, I'm left skeptical.

“hard to learn..

Pros

It seemed like an interesting idea at first and I was excited but in practice it mostly felt like superficial window dressing.

Cons

I told my account rep in an email that I had serious reservations after I bought the software. It's hard to learn and the setup is ridiculously time-consuming. I'm honestly feeling major buyer's remorse. I haven't even opened the program in over four months because I don't have the bandwidth to tackle something this convoluted, I'm a general manager at a construction firm, not an IT specialist. I'm done with this, I won't purchase it again and I'll tell anyone who asks to steer clear. On top of all that, my concerns went unanswered and I never received a reply to the email where I explained why I regretted subscribing.

“Doesn't take much time to figure out

Pros

Using STACK makes performing takeoffs easy for me. Browsing from one page to another, adjusting scales, applying color-coding and searching through documents for a particular keyword all feel effortless with this tool. I'm comfortable annotating drawings and exporting them to hand off to our crew which really helps them quickly see where various materials are supposed to go. I've introduced a handful of new hires to STACK and every one of them picked it up fast without much trouble.

Cons

I'm happy with it as it stands. There are probably ways it could be improved but I can't personally come up with any suggestions right now.