Stack Software Reviews

“Lets me convert a takeoff into an estimate

Pros

Impressed by how simple it is to use and by the bidset overlay. I can instantly convert a takeoff into an estimate. I also have the option to transform takeoff reports into work orders. It has a lot of useful features.

Cons

One drawback I face is that it's an online-only product with no ability to work offline.

“Cooperative support staff

Pros

Their customer support team never keeps me waiting and always provides me with the best solutions.

Cons

As a customer, I'm always hunting for a better deal because the cost is a concern so any discount is always appreciated.

“Powerful set of features

Pros

I appreciate the powerful feature set and how user-friendly the interface is. Many colleagues on my team rely on it and having a cloud-based platform is essential.

Cons

The icons could be improved and I wish there were a wider variety available.

“Friendly interface

Pros

I'm really impressed by how simple and quick it is to perform takeoffs. The interface is very friendly.

Cons

I keep seeing the subscription cost climb and, as someone running a small firm, it's getting tough to afford these tools. It makes me question whether the investment still pays off.

“Support always available!!

Pros

The interface is really simple to use. I also appreciate the wonderful support. Having live help available whenever I need it is a major perk.

Cons

We don't have many integrations at the moment. We rely on STACK and RSMeans and it would be great if those two could be connected to work together.

“We use it for takeoff tasks

Pros

We depend on the takeoff module more than anything else. It's really user-friendly and simple to use so our team defaults to it every time.

Cons

I find the cost quite high if we're only using the software for takeoff tasks which makes it tough to justify on its own.

“Everything is online

Pros

One thing I really like is that everything is oline so my operations team can pull up the plans on their phones right at the jobsite and view them in real time.

Cons

I love using your software but there are two things I wish would be improved. First, when a project contains multiple uploaded pages, the plans I'm currently working on appear as a list by name in the left panel during a takeoff. It would save me a lot of time if I could simply click any of those plan names to jump directly to that page, instead of hunting through thumbnails or scrolling through the document. Second, while the built-in slope factor calculator is really useful for determining the basic roof slope and for measuring rakes and sidewalls, it doesn't handle hip and valley multipliers. That makes it difficult to get precise quantities because hip and valley slope factors are not the same as the general roof slope, they change the actual material measurements. If you could add valley and hip slope factor options to the calculator or let me input custom slope multipliers for specific conditions, my takeoffs would be much more accurate and efficient.

“Easy to train new members

Pros

I've found it's easy to manage and I can easily train new staff members to use it without much difficulty.

Cons

Sometimes the program is slow to load and I experience noticeable delays when moving between pages.

“Cool color-coding options

Pros

I'm finding it extremely user-friendly and I love how well the color-coding options work.

Cons

At times while I'm taking measurements the page will glitch out and I struggle to keep myself positioned in the correct spot.

“Simple to find stuff

Pros

Stack is so user-friendly that I can quickly locate solutions for the everyday situations I come across.

Cons

I don't really have any complaints. Having tried multiple estimating platforms, I find it to be highly useful and my only real desire is that it supported flooring in the roll-goods format.

“Offers lots of options!!

Pros

I'm finding it really easy to use, there are plenty of options available and I love that I can work online whenever I need.

Cons

That said, I've noticed a few basic features are missing and I can't remove an open surface when I try.

“feels like AutoCAD

Pros

Figuring quantities is simple with this tool. It feels a lot like AutoCAD, with layer control and easy calculations for areas, volumes, lengths and similar measures. Often I take screenshots of my measurements so the foreman can see exactly how I worked out the materials.

Cons

Coming from an AutoCAD background in landscape architecture, I find myself wanting more precise drafting tools, things like offsets, align, midpoint snaps and similar commands. My company lays a lot of artificial turf and I regularly need to set up detailed layouts. More drafting options would make takeoffs far easier. While it's excellent at area measurement, converting a landscape architect's drawing into a usable layout can still be awkward and time-consuming for me.

“Estimating simplified

Pros

I really appreciate the Takeoff feature as it makes estimating on time simple and presents results in an easy-to-read layout that anyone can understand. The interface is user-friendly so even new users can quickly locate what they need. I also like the draggable icon shortcut which speeds up access.

Cons

A dashboard-style home screen that highlights upcoming projects and shows each project's progress would be really useful to me.

“Hard to switch between plans and takeoffs

Pros

Because it's web-based, several people on my team can access it simultaneously.

Cons

I find it extremely difficult to switch between plans and takeoffs.

“Wide range of tools to perform takeoffs

Pros

We work with designers who both sell and create project plans and I really like that I can take their plan PDFs and simply drag-and-drop them into Stack. Once the files are in, it organizes everything for me and provides a wide range of tools to perform takeoffs and pull the exact numbers I need to build an accurate project estimate.

Cons

Honestly, the one thing I liked least about it is that I didn't find out about it sooner. I feel like I wasted time using less efficient methods before I discovered how much easier this makes my estimating work.

“Smooth transition

Pros

Our whole estimating crew has taken to this program, even the folks who used to insist on paper blueprints only. They made the switch without any trouble and now genuinely enjoy using the software.

Cons

We're finding it somewhat pricey. I'd like to allow more team members to access the program at the same time so we could push more projects through but the subscription cost forces us to restrict the number of users.

“Useful tutorials and uncluttered layout

Pros

Despite its simplicity, I get a lot out of this tool because it does so much with a clean interface. There are endless videos and tutorials I can turn to when I need help so learning is painless. Assembling parts and building assemblies is extremely easy for me. The collaboration tools are solid and let me see time spent on each estimate and the job costs. I genuinely like the stylish, uncluttered layout and how simple it is. It doesn't try to be overly powerful.

Cons

One drawback I've run into is that many people don't know about Stack or assume it's too expensive. I wish there was more awareness so new hires would already be familiar with Stack. It would save time on onboarding if the product were better promoted and more widely recognized because then the candidates we bring on would have practical Stack experience from the start.

“Fantastic takeoff capability

Pros

Personally, I find the takeoff capability to be the single most important part of Stack.

Cons

I'd really appreciate a takeoff feature specifically for showers, as that would be a helpful addition.

“Simple to zoom in and out

Pros

I find it really simple to zoom in and out and to mark up plans.

Cons

the tabs that show open drawings need to be smaller so I can juggle multiple drawings more easily and I've noticed it sometimes crashes when left idle.

“All in one solution for take offs, quotes and estimates

Pros

I genuinely believe this product has a bright future for producing takeoffs, creating quotes and preparing estimates since it combines all those functions in a single piece of software.

Cons

What really frustrates me is there are not many assemblies available and there's no option to subscribe only to electrical items since my subscription forces me to have all trades included along with general files for every trade.