Great product. Customer support right in app and always quick to respond.

Pros

This product is incredibly simple to use, but a very powerful tool. The calendar makes organizing projects by due date easy. You can quickly see what's coming up and space them out when a larger project takes more time. The search function to find past projects is imperative. Doing takeoffs is much easier now. I can export final dwgs and reports so that my sales rep can go back and see exactly what I quoted and where. All the work is saved so I can back and reference it or change it if plans change. The lines and symbols are easy to read and quick to set up. You can dimension the plans when needed and add call outs. The cloud tool is useful for items I have a question about. I can even copy and paste a line several times instead of having to draw it out each time. Being able to add labels to the takeoff is crucial. It makes my quotes much more powerful when I say exactly where I found each product. It also helps if there is a change to the plan later. I can easily remove one section by using the Geometric Report instead of having to dig through all the plans. The ability to use two screens is awesome! When I find a particular detail and have to match it to the plan, it is much easier to have one screen with the detail and one with the plan.

Cons

Some things are not customizable. I can't change the default dimension color or size. But once you set it, it remembers the changes for that page only. I can't rearrange the sheets with the tabs on top. I have to open them in the order I need. So if I find a detail on another sheet, I may have to close some tabs and them reopen them in the order I need. It does integrate with Excel reports, but Excel charges a monthly subscription for that. I am also waiting for the symbol search tool.

Job Cost Estimating

I have literally increased my productivity by 1,000% I am doing 10-times more bids and with much greater accurracy, no one questions my take offs.

Pros

The use of pop-ups when you "Mouse-Over" items is very effective, makes things very intuitive, lessens time-to-learn how to use the system.

Cons

Need to have more than 50 characters when naming take-off items, at least 100 characters.

First Year with Stack CT

Pros

Stack Estimating allows a very flexible approach to take offs and preparing estimates. I've been using this software for just over a year and had previously used another software with other companies. Stack is fairly streamlined, allows multiple options, and organizes your quantities in a way that is very user friendly and easy to manage.

Cons

I find myself frustrated with creating my take off library before starting a project. There are many options, but it would be nice to be able to set some defaults when creating items. For example, when creating a count item, it automatically generates a 'Medium' check mark with 'Medium' line weight. With every count item, I am changing this to 'Small' and 'Small' because the current default obstructs too much of the plan. They have a library that you can set, but every plan has different items so I can only use the library for so much.

CDpainting

Some Features are great , there is couple small thing we do prefer with planswift . Like exporting price to takeoff with doing assemblies

Pros

It is an online platform comparing to other company that are not . The way to print-to-pdf a drawing with takeoff .

Cons

Cannot put pricing on takeoff without doing assemblies

Stack

Pros

The functions and takeoff procedures has really helped speed up my takeoff process.

Cons

The web based software sometimes leads to lags/glitches when zooming in and out. If you zoom in and do your take off then zoom out to continue your takeoff it does not start your take off right away, and you have to click twice to initiate the new takeoff.

Low learning curve

We've handles jobs from a few thousand to millions and the PMs love our cost break outs

Pros

Stack allowed us to quickly make the switch from more costly and out of date software. It's platform independence means we can access our files from the field anytime. The low learning curve means I can have assistants up and running in a day or two.

Cons

Dependence on Microsoft Excel for reports

Game Changing Estimates

Stack has changed the way we estimate and instantly generates accurate material lists for every project!

Pros

The ability to customize my assemblies.

Cons

Stack is still in its infancy. Need ability to see item reports and customize accounting features.

Stack efficiency

This software has given us a competitive advantage in securing bid opportunities.

Pros

The software is intuitive and efficient.

Cons

It is cumbersome to add specificity to the measurements, such as specific brick or stone dimensions for different coursing.

Does the job but needs improvement

Your take off software needs improvement. We've waited over a year for significant updates and they haven't occurred. We have subscribed again but we won't be unless updates are made shortly as our business is growing rapidly and we need software that will keep up and OST will keep up.

Pros

It's better than a lot of other take-off software. Is in colour and is easily printable. The support is always there.

Cons

There are many things OST does that Stack does not. 1. Being able to select the dimensions of the 'count' function. ie; 2000x500mm rectangle. 2. Being able to re-assign a measurement to another measurement. ie; I measured an area for 10 minutes as turf but it was actually garden. Select the area, right click, re-assign to garden. This means you don't have to delete the item and waste more time. 3. Being able to overlay plans. ie; Your client issues a new set of plans and you need to check the difference between the old and the new. 4. Being able to calculate multiple measurements in one. ie; I want a m2 area with my measurement so I can calculate mulch however, this is in a planterbox and I also need to calculate the soil depth as well as drainage cell to walls so I really need m2, m3 and perimeter functions all engaged. 5. We're not interested in Stack Estimating as it is all Microsoft excel based, like most other programs, making it only based on rates, rather than being able to adjust accordingly for site constraints using different machinery and access requirements. 6. Your legend key needs updating. It doesn't fit correctly on the page nicely.

Stacked

I enjoy using staked

Pros

Quick Take off's good for team work and sharing

Cons

Tech. problems uploading Sometime screen blacks out and has to reloaded

Stack Implementation into Speacialty Contrctor Business

First it controls the flow of information and the non-flow of paper in the office. This is the biggest plus. Secondly for me I can estimate much quicker once I get set up. Which gives me more time to look into the smaller details and ultimately create a better more accurate proposal.

Pros

Foe years I had thought about utilizing a symbol based estimating take off software because we were moving from paper to the digital world. I randomly found this online about 9 months ago. It is everything I would have done. It makes sense because it stores all your basis of the estimate information electronically and you no lounger have to use paper. The cost of Paper alone pays for the service as I estimate in our business model that each contracts salesman was expending roughly $5,000 per year in document printing. The other benefit for us is that because it is electronically stored we no longer have to go through our offices every three months and disposed of all the paper on projects we did not get. Or God knows you deep six a project and the following week you get a call to review the project for contracting and other than your estimate spread sheet you have no visual layout to look at for reference. So you print it out again and then re lay out the devices and bulk materials.

Cons

For me it actually does everything I want it to do other than integration into actual building of estimates. I know that we have that capability but this a cost intensive project for each contractor. Obviously this is not a deal breaker though and perhaps in the future you could offer templates that are patterned after specific industries which would lower the cost of developing the complete estimating solution.

Still LeAfrning Take off portion not all PDF will scale true.

Honestly a learning experience is the best I grt now,

Pros

Just Inputting and using program to enter ships and drawings of ships in for each class of ship we are working on. once more jobs are entered would like to end up witha square foot to S data base so in futur we can ask how many sqare foot pf bilge in the AMR on a WMSL Class ship and wbhat did we charge as an average for painting by square foot. Now have Started to measure 2s square footage but have not seen or understand hoe to correlate that to job. Much less how to enter it and pull it out to make a bid I supose that will come in time. First we are verifying what we have and then there will be more data base building from old and new bids as we go , including machinery and equipment needs to use and the material required. The we should be able ask " the customer want us to paint the forward bulkead in the bosn locke dark ble using xxx paint prepared to SSPC SP10 what will the cost be for bid... hpw much profit can we make and also what is the average marie rate for that.

Cons

AS I explained above new at it and have not yet gotten to the point of being a well trained user of it. Howevr it has bothered me when i set in a PDF print use the stated scale and do noy get a known answer ...>>>>>Just Inputting and using program to enter ships and drawings of ships in for each class of ship we are working on. once more jobs are entered would like to end up witha square foot to S data base so in futur we can ask howmany sqare foot pf bilge in the AMR on a WMSL Class ship and wbhat did we charge as an average for painting by square foot. Now have Started to measure 2s square footage but have not seen or understand hoe to correlate that to job. Much less how to enter it and pull it out to make a bid I supose thst will come in time. First we are verifying what we have and then there will be more data base building from old and new bids as we go , including machinery and equipment needs to use and the material required. The we shold be able ask " the customer want us to paint the fwd bulkead in the bosn locke dark ble using xxx paint prepared to SSPC SP10 what will the cost be for bid... hpw much profit can we make and also what is the average marie rate for that.Workin the marine industry in a land familiar setting.

Simple and Easy to Use!

For very quick masonry estimates, nothing beats this software. For more advanced/detailed prints, as long as you take your time this will work just fine. I haven't seen a friendlier piece of software at an affordable price that gives you want you need without being headache to setup.

Pros

We looked for a very long time for a very simple takeoff program and this is definitely it. We have used this program for the past year and a half to get measurements on masonry and it has not failed us. Our trade does not need super advanced features so this suites us perfectly. If you have a properly scaled PDF then you can hit the ground running for your measurements. Otherwise, determining your own scale is very simple to do and I've even taken pictures of blueprints with my phone to roughly estimate one of our simpler prints in under 10 prints from the camera snapping. Amazing.

Cons

Due to this program being available online only sometimes it can be finicky if you have a poor internet connection or if there is some sort of (extremely rare) maintenance. As stated earlier, we use this for masonry so it does not need advanced features. But as with all estimating, you will still need a basic knowledge of your trade's quirks. If you can't see a wall on an elevation because it is returning into the building then you will need to approximately draw it in under your elevation based off of a foundation plan or floor plan. Not super hard but it just will not do all of the work for you.

I've tried the rest, Stack is clearly the best.

Over the last 15 years, I've been with 2 companies prior to my current and, at both, I encouraged the Owner to purchase Stack (Cloud Take-off previously). Most were hesitant due to ongoing subscriptions with other platforms but eventually I was able to get, at minimum, the take off program. I haven't tried the estimating version and would try it if I could ever get the time to sit down and populate all the different assemblies, vendor pricing etc. The other issue is purchasing something untried and untested to our company specifically tailored to how we function. I think an extended trial period for that training and tailoring to our needs might be enough to justify the upgrade.

Pros

The greatest feature is the ease of use. They kept it simple for the take-off, genius on the auto-save. Of course, the cloud-based feature. No more bringing home the laptop, cables, plans, specs. Quick uploads and tons of memory for those large jobs.

Cons

Had issues with Silverlight running on MAC in earlier versions. ( wasn't a huge deal and I believe when Stack took over they fixed the bugs). I'd like to see options when drawing a linear measurement to have various dashes or hashes for lines would be helpful. For example, on other platforms I could indicate through-wall cf with a red dotted line while below do a solid line indicating another linear measurement such as expansion joint. You would then be able to visually identify to different terminations on the same linear measurement. Just a suggestion.

Darn near perfect.

Having used Stack for the better part of two years, I can say it has greatly improved our takeoff speed and provided the ability to accomplish several time consuming tasks quickly. Stack features allow me to achieve a great degree of accuracy, and they seem to constantly improve the product with new tools like the snap feature. In the future we look forward to deploying Stack to an even greater extent to win more work, and generate more revenue!

Pros

First and foremost, I enjoy the takeoff speed and accuracy Stack affords our estimating department. Simply by clicking a link on a plan exchange site, or quickly uploading plans, we can begin a highly detailed accurate takeoff in minutes if not seconds. Likewise, we can complete our takeoff much faster than traditional methods saving valuable time to analyze our bids post takeoff.

Cons

Like any good cost hawk, I would highlight price as my least favorite aspect of Stack Software; though I will say the product represents good value for the price! I would like to see Stack offer the complete product in one package, without the present tiered pricing.

One of the best available software for estimating

Before I used stack ct, our company used an estimating system known to many; planswift. When we made the switch to stack ct about a year ago, I was suprised we hadn't switched before. The ease of use and ergonomical set up makes this cloud based system great for not only one, but many user to edit all at once. Even better, we upgraded about 2 months ago to the full Stack Pro and are now using the items and assemblies options. I can run a full job and have my estimate in under 30 minutes thanks to this awesome feature. One of the main reasons I will be staying with stack is their level of customer service, no matter what the problem is, or the time you are having the problem, the service is top level and extremely helpful. So far, I have not had one problem they haven't been able to fix. I would highly recommend this great product for any estimators looking to make their job more simple.

Pros

Constant Upgrades, high level of customer service, user friendly and very detailed reports and takeoffs.

Cons

You cannot copy an entire project. Also, you can't download all the plans at once. You are able to export marked up files but if you want to download the entire plans that you have uploaded (in case you deleted the original files) you will have to select each plan to download; very time consuming.

Uploads Plans quickly, great features and great customer service.

Pros

For me it has to be the speed at which it allows me to get through a large scale take-off. The way I can customize my labels makes it easy for me to separate areas and alternates for each individual project, and then sort them and pull information from with in those labels easily and quickly.

Cons

Not many Cons, but it would be nice to be able to use my delete key on my key board once I have takeoff highlighted versus highlighting the take off then going over to the menu bar and then taking the cursor down to the delete function. It would also be nice to hold down command/cntrl key and select multiple take offs to copy and or delete. Finally being able to highlight a takeoff area and change what that take-off is with out deleting it and re- drawing it, this would be a huge time saver for me when dealing with addendum and design team changes.

Easy to use

Stack helps us create accurate takeoffs in shorter time frames by allowing us to measure and count faster and more accurately. Since we now only have the basic we still do a lot of hand calculating, however, the measuring portion is done is a much faster more accurate time than could be done by hand.

Pros

My team loves how easy the program is to use and track projects. The measuring and estimating capabilities of this program are fantastic.

Cons

I am displeased with the fact that several years ago we subscribed when the software was in its infancy and the rates seem to continue to take drastic jumps each time we are due for renewal. Additional, we spent countless hours a few years back to put in all the formulas for the assemblies program and after spending all the time to create them, when it was time for renewal if we wanted to keep access to all of "our" formulas we had to pay an additional fee to keep the work we created.

Great Takeoff Tool!

Overall Stack is great and is saving our company time & money! It took a little bit for additional users in our office to get up to speed, but they are cruising right along now. Troy and the guys in support always get back to me promptly. I've been using Stack for about 8 years now and couldn't be happier!

Pros

Cloud Storage, Takeoff Storage, Calendar, Accumulating Units of Measurement, Customer Support, Copy/Paste, Upload Times, Legend, Highlight, Labels, Auto-load from Smartbidnet ITB's, able to view takeoffs from mobile version & able to view other user's takeoffs on our account.

Cons

Going through the plan pages seems cumbersome at times. I wish Stack could go back to the Cloud Takeoff Silverlight version, much better UI. Not being able to reorganize the plan sheet tabs by a left click and drag, have to close each one of them down and then go through the correct page sequence to display in the order you want. Chrome issue of having to multi select every item you want to quickly delete. Not being able to share a takeoff instantly, instead we have to download the plan into a PDF and send the PDF.

Fantastic! Anyone who can use a computer, can use this software to easily generate measurements.

Generating accurate takeoffs and reports as an estimator, to get accurate pricing on materials for our projects is a main role of my position

Pros

I love how easy STACK is to use. I literally can hop on my computer and generate a takeoff and reports of a pretty complex drawing within minutes. I don't have to calculate anything, as this software does the math for me. Additionally, I haven't had to ever use technical support for STACK because it's always live and working when I am, but there is always a button to talk to a representative present on the screen in case I do run into trouble. Another thing I love, is that it's online browser-based, and I never have to worry about saving anything. It automatically saves wherever I have left off on a project. Speaking of projects, STACK also allows one to organize different projects on it's calendar very easily, and things can also be edited/changed/deleted efficiently. Without STACK my job would be a lot harder, and take a lot longer. I'm not even sure that I've taken advantage of everything that STACK has to offer, but as you can see, I am thrilled for what I use it for. I am fairly new to this application, and career, but as you can see, I love it. I'm sure it has paid for itself many times over.

Cons

Sometimes STACK can lag a bit, but I'm willing to say that it has to do with some of the drawings/prints that I have had to upload there, and not necessarily the fault of the STACK application.

Easy to use. Great Product!

Pros

Stack is a great product for doing takeoffs efficiently and at a great price. The features that come with it are great, and they are constantly adding new ones. I love the fact that you get immediate attention from the developers whenever you have a question or comment. The only thing better than their product it the customer service!

Cons

It can be a little buggy when using different browsers. If I remember correctly , I was using Firefox and had problems, they told me to switch to Chrome, and when I started getting comfortable with Chrome I started having issues and they told me to switch to Firefox! I currently use Chrome, and there can occasionally be a little bug here or there (ex. trying to select one of my items to edit - hint: use the multiselect!).

Stack's ease of use and accuracy have been mains factors in our success at generating numerous takeoffs quickly, efficiently, and accurately.

We like the fact that Stack is web based, enabling us to work in an out of the office, or anywhere we have access to the internet.

Pros

We appreciate the ability of the software to quickly set up new projects and to get started working on them as soon as we receive work orders from our clients; the ability to see the underlying plan sheet on which were working is a hidden benefit - we often find ourselves using Stack as a plan review tool as well as a takeoff tool. The mobility of the view on the screen is most helpful - zooming in and out is especially useful. Our clients appreciate our ability to provide them plan sheets marked up with the takeoffs quantities visibly highlighted and in legend format.

Cons

We are civil estimators, and we frequently have the need to perform earthwork takeoffs from cross sections. Sadly, Stack does not yet have the ability to set dual scales (horizontal and vertical) that allow area takeoffs on cross sectional views. This is a feature improvement we've suggested many times when our product reps call us to check in with us periodically (which we appreciate), so we hope this becomes a new feature in the near future.

Stack has been a valuable asset to our growth in the past year.

We have had an amazing experience with stack, after what was really a short learning period do to its ease of use it allowed us to accomplish more estimates, faster, and with more accuracy. They say the one thing you may never be able to get more of is time, well perhaps software like STACK can change that.

Pros

It is easy to use this is first and foremost because we have staff with different levels of comfort with computers. Next it is still powerful and allows us to get all the information we need for an accurate and confident estimate. With the information you generate in STACK you can do a very accurate estimate versus actual job cost at the end as well to see how you are doing and what areas of your business may need work or training.

Cons

I do still wish we could have Profit and Overhead calculated and even take an estimate to its completion with an estimate writer, however I know these things are being looked at and I hope to see them soon.

Powerful, especially in the right hands!

We are younger folks in the business who are very familiar with excel and spreadsheet formulas. This program is made for those types of minds. What we have achieved with this program using custom assemblies is remarkable and powerful. This program has elevated our business and shaved thousands off the cost of estimating our projects without sacrificing the accuracy.

Pros

The program is easy to use out of the box/ The real magic is in the custom assemblies. You can create anything you're looking for. At first, these custom assemblies are cumbersome to set up. But once they are set up, taking off a project is almost automated. Add in some nifty features like different scales on the same drawing page, multipliers for different layers, multitool select for deleting and copying... We are very happy with this product for on-screen take-offs. The new excel template recently released is also great.

Cons

Honestly, there's always going to be something an end user wants but most of the things we want are things that are too difficult to apply universally. For example, we would love to see the ability to alter pricing and structure of existing assemblies but the only way to do that is to make it custom. We understand why, because all users draw from these assemblies. What would be nice is to copy groups within a stack assembly.

STACKED REVIEW

Overall my experience with this program has been fantastic. Im one for articulate writing, but there is very little bad i can say about this program on the overall. I use it sometimes 10 hours a day straight.

Pros

This software is the most user friendly software i have used. It does not matter what form the drawings are in. I can scale and take off a scanned set of drawings just as easily as i can with a downloaded set of drawings. I have a few pdf programs downloaded which i can scale to which do not require me to upload anything. However if i can afford the opportunity i always prefer to load the drawings into stacked for scaling and takeoff.

Cons

One of my least favorite features is the "Auto Name" function. This feature tends to need a bit more work. Granted there is the option to manually name each page; which is fine for small projects with just a few sheets. However the larger jobs this is just tedious and time consuming.

The new Stack is great, just missing a couple things from the old version.

I love the new Stack, it works perfectly. The only things it's missing are a couple features from the old version. First, the ability to copy a takeoff. Second, the ability to change a takeoff to something else. Those used to really come in handy, for example, when working on plans for an apartment building or hotel. Say I need the square footage of every floor. Before, I could measure the first floor, copy the measurement, paste it over the second floor, and then change it to Second Floor whatever. My favorite new feature, on the other hand, is the ability to do cutouts. If you're taking off a large area, and there's something you don't want just hanging out in the middle, you no longer have to work around it. You can just cover it, and then cut it out after.

Pros

Simplicity and ease-of-use and the various new features all work great.

Cons

The ability to copy/paste and change takeoffs is missing. That's really the only negative thing I can say.

Efficiency, Accuracy, Ease, and Value for a General Contractor.

Stack Estimating has been a great tool for our estimating efforts as a General Contractor who works extensively with subcontractors and also manages some material acquisitions internally. With Stack, our takeoffs are done quickly to gauge the responsiveness of the sub bids we receive, as well as accurately where we need the added detail and assurance that our own material quantities are correctly captured. Easy to use, our staff has caught on quickly to the intuitive interface. Stack has been responsive to update functionalities and streamline processes when requested. Overall we find the Stack team to be supportive and the software a great value.

Pros

Simple enough to work through takeoffs quickly, strong enough to handle breakdown and summaries, and customized categories and labeling.

Cons

We use Stack largely for takeoffs in conjunction with other software for preparing our final estimates. For those who may want functionality beyond takeoff and basic cost estimates that we utilize in the program, you will need to consult with the staff and evaluate that functionality for your own goals. For how we use it, it works well.

Review for STACK

Besides those 2 complaints it's a very functional tool that I spend probably 8-10+ hours on daily.

Pros

The capability to pull any plan up from anywhere as long as I have internet connection. I have used it in several impromptu meetings with clients, Gc's, and our own crew. We aren't tethered to a specific computer source. A search tool in the plans makes finding the finicky details very easy.

Cons

No overlay option for addendum's and no Arch tool which is just time consuming make a ton of little clicks.

Incredible time saver

Time saved, enhanced communication with clients, and visual PDF output to ensure accuracy.

Pros

It is so easy to use and makes visualizing our take offs 10000% easier. We can designate different colors for different materials and export to confirm install areas with our clients. Customer service is always very quick and attentive to any questions or issues and the updates have continued to vastly improve over the time we have used the software. This has changed how our business operates at every level!

Cons

In future updates, it would be nice to be able to paint over certain take off areas with patterns to demonstrate what will be installed (wood, tile, etc). This is in no way necessary, but would add tremendous value to how we communicate with our clients.

Very easy website to use, use it everyday.

The quickness of knowing the area of a floor plan. Very easy and time saving if I need to turn in a job ASAP.

Pros

I like the simplicity of the software. How Easy it is to upload jobs. How you can filter through pages. My favorite thing is how alike the tools are to other computer programs (photo shop, etc) it makes it easy to learn and teach others.

Cons

I wish it had a wider variety of tools, some actions seem unnecessary. My biggest problem is not being able to open a line again when it is closed. If by accident I double click to close a segment (which is very often) I have to restart the entire measurement instead of an easy action being there, like a back button. Also I wish I could change the scale of a certain area/page instead of having to delete and redo the entire thing, considering some of the measurements on blueprints can be wrong at times.

Great product, excellent value!

Stack takeoff has been an excellent find for our office, allowing us to do takeoffs quicker while saving money over the other options out there. The customer service is 2nd to none, I wish I could give more than 5 stars! My favorite part of using Stack is that they are constantly updating/improving features and options by listening to feedback from their customers and incorporating what they need/desire. I've never waited more than a few minutes to get a response when I have a question or idea. It is very nice to have that personal experience. I would highly recommend Stack to anybody who wants to speed up their takeoff procedures, or those who are paying more for software that does the same thing Stack is capable of!

Pros

Ease of use, constant updates/features added, value

Cons

There have been a few times (very few) that there is a feature that seems should be simple, but isn't there. They do take suggestions though, so I look forward to seeing these features added in future updates.

We use it everyday!

This software saves us so much time in our bidding. We used to order paper plans and to take-offs the old fashioned way where there is much more human error. That usually took 30-45 min. This software allows us to do the same thing in just a few minutes.

Pros

It's easy to use and it keeps all your work available to pull back up at a later date. Everything can be color coded and made as simple or as complex as needed.

Cons

I am not a fan of only being able to log one computer in at a time. There should be a business version that allows for multiple users on the same login or all have access to the same plans downloaded.

Former users of other software

Pros

We run multiple computers from multiple locations. With our old software it was desktop based and was not accessible remotely. Also our old program requiered Parallels to run on Mac. With Stack. we can access from any mobile device, laptop and desktop that has internet. It has been a real game changer for us.

Cons

The only Con is you are charged by user. If you have a single account Only one person can be logged on. So if say a guy in the field need to access a take off we did. I can not be logged on at the same time. But with that said any good program will not be cheap to own.

Awesome product, a full 5 stars!!!

As a manager of multiple Estimators, this program allows me to track progress, workflow and most important accuracy on every project. By being a cloud-based software, I can see when a job is completed from my home or office. Most importantly I can easily add or subtract necessary money to each and every project on time, every time. Without a doubt, this is the software your business needs!

Pros

Love the takeoff aspect, very quick and precise.

Cons

The menus can be a bit confusing. Report totals could be streamlined.

Great Time Saver!

W have more people doing accurate takeoffs, and less time lost in producing estimates. It is especially nice to have the whole job layout ready to go once we win the bid!

Pros

We like the ease of use for our team for doing Take-Offs for our Flooring bids. It is really nice to be able to produce great prints of the layouts for installers job sheets; and to have coordinated material sheets with clear color coding of each specific material, including square footage, and linear footage of each install area. We really like the ease of uploading jobs, and the calendar which helps us keep track of what job deadlines are coming up.

Cons

I would like a better interface for printng. It would be great if we could highlight a portion of a page and send it directly to our printer.

What a time saver!!!!

I won't work without it, and it just keeps getting better and better!!!!!

Pros

A take off that would take me 2 days before I'm now doing in 3 hours max. I only print the drawings that I will actually use on a project and I can high lite what needs to be called out to my crews. The program saves about $300.00 in printing cost alone. As an added value I can send my takeoff sheets to my GC to make sure we covered everything, and it also gives me a back up if they would come back and say oh you should have included this. I can show them exactly what I bid and what they approved. It just saved me $28,000.00 on a job.

Cons

That it's not free, haha, but it cost money to go, first class. And its a very little cost compared to the value you receive.

Overall Great Software

Pros

Stack is user friendly. From the beginning, the customer service is helpful, offering screen share to navigate and train on the functions and uses. The program is very user friendly and works with ease. You can upload any documents you need and perform several takeoffs across an array of several projects. The quantity takeoff function is very easy to use with several options in color, scales, dimension lines, legends, highlighting, call outs, and text boxes.

Cons

Sometimes the program can run a tad slow when trying to upload a large plan set or download the takeoffs to your desktop. Often, this problem resolves its self with a restart and if needed, customer service is happy and willing to help on their end as well.

Easy to use, Easy to Set-up, Flexible so easy to manipulate and change settings

I can use it anywhere and it is always updated. I can start a project at work, pick up where I left off at home, and then access it when I am on the road or at the airport

Pros

The updates have made the software even more intuitive and quick. Each update has made the software easier to use and has not brought in any unnecessary forms or functions. The uploading of drawings is super fast.

Cons

The software does not work well at all on my ipad pro. The calendar does not work well, and I it takes me more time to search the list view. I cannot really measure at all because the software does not recognize the input from the pencil. I would like to see an app or better support for the Ipad.

Excellent Takeoff Software

Stack has made our takeoff process a lot faster, smoother and more accurate. We can now complete a take off on a framing scope, for example, in a few hours. The speed is also do to the ability to have assemblies setup so we are not doing the same work twice. Set up your assemblies, do your take off, print an entire report on the quantities of the items and the materials it takes to build those items.

Pros

1) Easy to train new employees on basic use 2) Fast and accurate takeoff information 3) Excellent customer service when an issues or question arises 4) Stack is always listening to what the customers want and they try and make the upgrades and changes as soon as possible

Cons

1) There are no hot keys to make the takeoff process even faster 2) Since the updated version, the other minor issues have went away

Review of STACK Takeoff & Estimating

Love this system, would highly recommend to anyone looking for a takeoff and estimating software. You can't beat stack!

Pros

This makes estimating as easy and as efficient as it will ever get. I like how the assemblies can all be run right through the system and then be exported into an excel. I also really like how this is a cloud system so I know I can access from any device and I also can know that all my work is being saved immediately.

Cons

Our team has been experiencing glitches where the takeoff will abruptly end without having double clicked to end it. There also is no undo feature so when you make a mistake on a takeoff you have to delete it and redo the entire thing. There should be a ctrl z type undo feature.

STACK TAKEOFF SOFTWARE

I've previously used two different takeoff softwares and find Stack Construction software to be the most user friendly. Being able to be remote and have all of my takeoffs at my finger tips no matter where I am is outstanding. I've recommended two options for change to my account manager at Stacked and within three weeks those changes were made in the software and I'm now able to takeoff off my projects even quicker. Their support team have always gotten back to us right away with any questions I've had on the capabilities of the program. I haven't yet used their cost estimating software but look forward to seeing a demonstration soon so that I can fully streamline our takeoff and pricing system.

Pros

Ease of use, remote usage, support staff.

Cons

Not being able to takeoff two conditions at once. Like perimeter metal on an area at the same time.

Simply the best, Tina Turners words, not mine

The trainings as well as the constant help from the STACK team is amazing. There is always an answer to my questions, and if I have ever struggled in an area, we were able to personalize a training session to figure out the best way to make the program work for us.

Pros

I like the ease of use, paired with customizable options for every project. I can build complete packages if it is a similar job I am doing over and over. I can sit down with a 5,000 SF home, and depending on which trades I am bidding on, can be complete with takeoff and materials needing in under an hour.

Cons

I don't like that there is no IPAD PRO useability other than as a viewer. It would make running takeoff in the field amazing and eliminate some of the other programs I need in my field.

STACK truly cares about you and your opinions.

I had the opportunity to meet some of the staff out at the World of Concrete. After talking with a few of them, I have zero intentions of ever using another takeoff program. I look forward to many years to come! Thanks y'all!

Pros

I came into STACK as someone who barely knew how to print a piece of paper. They have a chat button at the bottom where you can be directly connected to one of their team members in less than 5 minutes. They have taken the time to make videos showing a step by step process on how to do ANYTHING in the program. The program is also extremely accurate. All of my quantities have been spot on.

Cons

There are absolutely zero cons. However, if i have to pick something it would be that if your plans are not in order when you download them then they will not be in order on the display. If you could rearrange the plans once they were downloaded it would be perfect.

Great software and easy to use.

Pros

It is very easy to upload plans and spec documents. We like how we can name any measurement quickly for fast take offs. The newer options for pitched area and pitched linear measurements are right in our wheelhouse. We use it daily. It keeps us up to date on bid dates instead of having to use another calendar system.

Cons

We would like to set saved measurement criteria sometimes instead of having to create them everyday for each new take off. For example... if we are doing a take off for a TPO roof we always measure flat area, perimeters, parapet cap, drip edge, various wall heights, etc. Customer support is a little slow sometimes. It seams like it's hard to get our 2nd license running right.

Beginner's Review of StackCT

We have a stucco siding company, the takeoffs on elevations is generally very straight forward, so we're thankful for that. It saves time, reduces errors, and being able to print those marked up takeoffs helps our guys on site when there's multiple materials being used on the walls. We will continue to use this product.

Pros

The ease of use initially, getting a handle on the basic controls, how simple it is to input scales, draw lines, cut things out of takeoffs, and rename items as I go. The colour coding of separate takeoffs is a real plus.

Cons

Periodic stalls, not sure if it's the program or internet related, but you measure an area and cannot complete the double click takeoff, it just sits, so you have to delete and redo. Again only sporadic, but annoying. Likely due to web based software. It would be nice to get emails sent periodically that contain tips, tricks, good ideas, links to tutorials, etc.

Great for the inhouse estimator

I love the take-off software. I can do a take off on linear or area measurements in a relatively short amount of time and print out detailed or summary reports that I can add to job files for late reference. I also like the printing function that easily prints out only those drawings that I have done a take off on and I can add other drawings if needed. I like that I can choose the colors for takeoffs so that I can uniformly use the same color and line thickness on a drawing to separate measurements like one color for exterior elevations and another color for doors and windows. I use the same colors for every project so that other people in my organization know exactly what each measurement is through its color code.

Pros

I like the way the software splits up and organizes drawings and plans so that I can easily find what drawing page I am looking for.

Cons

It freezes on occasion. I wouldn't say it freezes a lot, but I would say it freezes enough to notice it happens more than I would like.

Stack works for me

i have no reason at this point not to continue to use stack for all mof my plan based takeoff needs.

Pros

I believe that stack has increased my productivity and effectiveness during the takeoff process. the easy to use functions are helpful in listing and coloring items i need. its also very easy to download the colored takeoff drawings to hand to the field or the owner so there is no discussion on whats part of the scope of work.

Cons

i can only think of two. it doesn't work well on Firefox , you must use chrome to avoid glitches. i also wish there were scales for a dual scale takeoff such as profiles of shoulders or walls where the scales are often different between vertical and horizontal.

STACK is STACKED with uses for my company

Overall, STACK is a great product and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It has saved us valuable time and resources in our estimating and I don't know where we would be without it.

Pros

I love how easy it is to upload a pdf document and begin estimating a project. I use this software daily and make great sue out of the takeoffs I have saved in my library as well as the items and assemblies. We input most of the items we use out in the field with their coverage rates and costs and add them to each takeoff. It has saved us HOURS of estimating!

Cons

It would be easier if we could compile new items into a spreadsheet and upload it into STACK. I know it has taken. lot of time to input each item individually and I'm wondering if there's a faster way to do it. Also, I wish there was a way to upload multiple files at the same time instead of individual files.

Good product

There's no additional input section, but I'd really like to see a pdf search feature on here. Some of your competitors have that, and that's incredibly valuable in the construction world to be able to search key words and avoid missing fine details in the bidding process. Please add this feature so I don't have to go back and forth from Adobe!

Pros

SUPER user friendly! I'm relatively tech-savvy, but I had never used a take-off software that I could be proficient with in less than an hour of playing around with it by myself with no tutorial. A great selling point for you and your team.

Cons

The new patch to increase upload speed messed with the rendering process. I haven't been able to use the pdf's as soon as they're uploaded because I can't read anything when I zoom in. It does clear up in time, but that is an inconvenience I have to deal with momentarily. This wasn't initially the case when I first got this software, so I'd rather have a slower upload and ready to use right away, than have to wait some unknown time period for the rendering to finish.

Been a lifesaver

Stack has provided our company with a fast and easy way to do our takeoffs. As part of a commercial contracting company, I run a commercial cladding division and we use Stack daily. The ability to color code, quickly take off, run and export takeoff reports, has been an invaluable tool. When I perform contract/estimate reviews, I open Stack, review that our team captured the project correctly, run the reports, and can easily compare the areas with that in our estimate forms to ensure we have the right quantities, etc. The only item I wish they would include is the ability to draw an arrow. We often write on our drawings and send PDFs to our subs, etc, and to be able to draw an arrow from text to area would be a nice touch, but not having it doesn't take away from the usefulness of this tool. We will continue to expand and utilize Stack for our takeoff purposes. Thanks team for creating a great product.

Pros

Easy to use and learn. Support help is fast, friendly, and they are eager to help.

Cons

Being web based, sometimes it glitches, or runs a little slow. Log out and back in and usually problem fixed. This has happened maybe 2-3 times over the past year.