STACK reviews

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

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

Streamline our Estimating

Opmerkingen: I have zero complaints with the program or customer service.

Pluspunten:

As a fire protection estimator it is hard to find a program that allows me to do a design build electronically. I could use a Autocad style program to do the base design, but in our world of fast paced turnaround I simply do not have the time to use a program like Autocad. With StackCT I can use the linear drop function to place our sprinkler heads with proper spacing.

Minpunten:

The autocount symbol function is good, but there are times when I get only a single count instead of hundreds needed. It has gotten better, but if there was a way to edit the background noise for the selection it would be nearly perfect.

Reality vs Perception & Potential

Opmerkingen: Not any of our problems yet. Not any reason we bought it, has it created a solution for, but I still see how it can and hopefully will over time, and that is why I am still here. Well that and probably because I don't want to admit that maybe we should have waited till they had a finished product with the kinks worked out. while this may cause eye rolls... Put yourselves in our shoes. If a customer purchases up front, 100% of a roof from me because I showed them a picture of a finished roof and told them it was a complete ready to go finished roof, yet only put on 50-75% of it and then said well I will be back next year to finish the rest, sorry about the inconvenience in the mean time. Would that be ethical? No! It would not, yet that is exactly what stack ct did to us and that is what iroof did to us, and that is what roofsnap did to us, and that is what adobe does to us, and, and ,and, and it is wrong. These are not the things employees doing the work decide, it is the work of those in charge and investors. So I don't and won't blame the workers, but I do blame the rest of you. Please consider what I have taken the time to share and please be motivated intrinsically to do better!

Pluspunten:

I liked the super awesome sales and teaching staff when they can be reached. the support staff excluding 1 that are available and pretty much only by email do not in any way provide the same level of connection, community, support, or personal touch the others do.

Minpunten:

Since all the soft ware companies we reviewed over the last year follow the same pattern of, promise the moon before we buy, show us what it will look like when its finished, but cannot deliver what they promised when they were courting us, because they sell an incomplete project knowing we roped in for a year, it must be ok right? NO! IT'S NOT OK! I had to promise a kidney to get the [SENSITIVE CONTENT] to purchase this product, I showed the perceived time savings, the better product, and etc. Yet when we bought it I was able to show him anything but a prettier product. Do I think we will get there and do I think its a good program? Yes and Yes but it may be as much because I want to believe it is without the actual proof there to definitely say it is. I just hope I can Convince him to let me renew the subscription next year cause it is going to take me all of a year to learn this system well enough to make it pay. Between how much slower i am at turning out these estimates even though they are better, and how many important and promised functions are either not actually functional or they are at not user friendly without 1 on1 help if they are functional etc.

STACK is open-source software used for creating online assessments in mathematics, science, etc.

Opmerkingen: he STACK software is highly regarded for its ability to handle various mathematical expressions and provide immediate feedback to students. Its randomized question generation and compatibility with popular learning management systems are also well-received. However, some users have found the software to have a difficult learning curve and challenging setup and customization. Nonetheless, despite these potential drawbacks, the STACK software is widely recognized as a valuable tool for both educators and students in creating and grading math assessments.

Pluspunten:

STACK software has several strengths, including its ability to handle various mathematical expressions and offer randomized questions and answers. It also provides immediate feedback to students, which is crucial for them to comprehend their errors and enhance their comprehension of the subject. Furthermore, its open-source nature and compatibility with popular learning management systems make it a practical tool for educators to use when creating assessments.

Minpunten:

the STACK software has been identified as having some potential drawbacks or limitations. These may include a difficult setup process and customization, as well as compatibility issues with certain web browsers and operating systems. However, the STACK team typically responds to user feedback and provides updates and support to address these issues.

Cloud Takeoff

Opmerkingen: Stack was a significant upgrade to our takeoff process. The speed and being able to natively use it on Mac make this software great. The development team continues to add great features, some of which bring feature parity with competitors, but others are unique and now classified as "can't live without" around our office.

Pluspunten:

The ability to log in and pull up all of our project drawings on any computer. The fact that this software is web based is great and makes this platform agnostic. As we are primarily a Mac based office, this is great and does not require virtualization to run windows based software. Stack is also incredibly fast to navigate and bring up projects. Even though our older software was on computer and not web based, it required long waits to open a project and switch between projects. With stack this is almost instantaneous and it allows multiple projects to be open at once in multiple tabs or windows.

Minpunten:

It still lacks some functionality of our previous takeoff software, especially when we first started using it. Much of that functionality has been added since we started using it, and there are a few additional items they currently show as in the pipeline. Once those are released, all of the features we need will be here.

A takeoff platform that continues to improve.

Opmerkingen: We are currently seeing a 15-20% time savings on this new platform. The user interface allows us to onboard new staff much quirker.

Pluspunten:

OCR regonition makes searching drawings for keywords a breeze. Custom variables within the estimate module simplifies building an estimate.

Minpunten:

The Stack team continually publishes important Stack Updates monthly; many of the cons I've seen over the last year have been resolved. With that said the lack of an UNDO function is a continual annoyance (I am told this fix is on the roadmap).

A Comprehensive Review of the STACK Platform

Opmerkingen: Overall, I have been very pleased with STACK. It has helped me to stay organized and on track with my tasks. The user interface is easy to navigate and the notifications feature is very helpful. The only downside is that there are still a few bugs that need to be addressed.

Pluspunten:

STACK has been a great resource for me to stay organized and on track. It has a great user interface that makes it easy to keep track of tasks and assign them to different users. The ability to assign tasks to different users makes it easier to delegate and collaborate on projects. The notifications feature is also a great way to stay updated on progress and tasks.

Minpunten:

Despite its great features, one downside to STACK is that it can be difficult to navigate between different tasks and projects. Additionally, the platform is still relatively new and there are a few bugs that can be annoying.

Very good but needs more features...

Opmerkingen: Great but could be better

Pluspunten:

Easy to use. Friendly for any user. Easy to access from anywhere, no software needed in the office computers.

Minpunten:

I want to be able to duplicate jobs so I can do a new takeoff when I get new drawings without altering the previous takeoff. I also want to be able to move the order of the drawing tabs and change the order as needed.

Very Streamlined, Simple Estimating Utility

Opmerkingen: Stack is the customer service I measure all other customer service by. They are friendly, nice and helpful! They are super easy to reach as well from right inside Stack! They don't always have the answers, but if they can find them they will! Their knowledge database in stack is also pretty extensive so it's easy to find most of your easier answers in there yourself.

Pluspunten:

Stack is, hands down, one of the simplest solutions I've found for doing takeoffs. Depending on the industry, it's possible it may be too simple, however for the purposes of drywall and paint it is perfect. Building assemblies in Stack really streamlines the whole takeoff process, saving a lot of time and headache when it comes down to the little details. It's also super easy to learn due to how uncomplicated Stack's tool and interface are. You can make things much more complicated for more detailed accuracy, but you don't have to.

Minpunten:

I'd like a few more options when it comes to proposal generation, but this is still a fairly new feature within Stack. Being able to fine tune the formatting would be helpful.

Job Cost Estimating

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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

Easy Connections Academy's views

Opmerkingen: Access to Knowledge: Stack Overflow provides users with access to a large community of experienced developers, who can provide answers to technical questions and help solve programming problems.Career Development: Stack Overflow can be a valuable resource for developers looking to improve their skills and advance their careers, as they can learn from the experiences of others and showcase their expertise by answering questions.Time-Saving: By providing quick answers to technical questions, Stack Overflow can save users time and effort in their work.Networking: Stack Overflow can also be a platform for users to connect with other developers, establish professional relationships, and collaborate on projects

Pluspunten:

Stack allows users to ask questions and receive answers from the community, making it a valuable source of knowledge and information.Reputation System: Stack's reputation system rewards users for high-quality contributions and encourages them to continue participating in the community.Tagging & Categorization: Stack's tagging system allows questions to be organized and filtered, making it easier for users to find relevant information.Voting System: Stack's voting system allows users to vote on the quality of questions and answers, making it easier to identify the best content.Collaborative Editing: Stack's collaborative editing feature allows users to edit and improve questions and answers, making the platform's content more accurate and useful.In terms of user-friendliness, Stack has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for new users to get started and participate in the community. Additionally, the platform's help center and community guidelines provide guidance and support to users, making the platform accessible and welcoming to all.

Minpunten:

Question & Answer Platform: Stack allows users to ask questions and receive answers from the community, making it a valuable source of knowledge and information.Reputation System: Stack's reputation system rewards users for high-quality contributions and encourages them to continue participating in the community.Tagging & Categorization: Stack's tagging system allows questions to be organized and filtered, making it easier for users to find relevant information.Voting System: Stack's voting system allows users to vote on the quality of questions and answers, making it easier to identify the best content.Collaborative Editing: Stack's collaborative editing feature allows users to edit and improve questions and answers, making the platform's content more accurate and useful.In terms of user-friendliness, Stack has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for new users to get started and participate in the community. Additionally, the platform's help center and community guidelines provide guidance and support to users, making the platform accessible and welcoming to all.[sensitive content hidden] Disadvantages of stack soft Here are some disadvantages of Stack Overflow:Overwhelming Amount of Information: With millions of questions and answers, it can be difficult for users to find the information they need.Quality of Information: While Stack Overflow has a large community of knowledgeable users, not all information on the platform is accurate or up-

Stack Implementation into Speacialty Contrctor Business

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

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

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

Hands down best out there in support and product.

Opmerkingen: My overall experience has been amazing. This company is great to do business with.

Pluspunten:

Cloud based and customer service are the best out there. They are forward thinking and always chasing perfection. They may not catch perfection but they kick excellence in the butt.

Minpunten:

I wish I had cheaper licenses for my estimating department.

Uploads Plans quickly, great features and great customer service.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

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

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

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

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

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

Powerful, especially in the right hands!

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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.

Minpunten:

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.

Frustrating

Opmerkingen: REPORTS REPORTS REPORTS. Please work on this section. I think it could be a great selling tool for you if this was more advanced

Pluspunten:

I do somewhat like the software and will continue to use it. Autocount can be a great feature but is not worth it right now.

Minpunten:

Uploading drawings they do not stay in the order of the original pdf. Printing takeoffs they do not EVER print in a logical order and I have to spend extra time to organize the drawings. No set Library, there needs to be a set library where I can edit things without being in a project. Autocount is a cool feature but has SO many bugs that it makes it not worth it. I have had a lot of issues with how long it takes to upload drawings lately and the software seems to run slow even when I am just doing a takeoff. The way reports export in excel makes it not even worth it to use that function. I understand every company is different with how they need reports so it would be nice if like other softwares you can pick exactly what you want to export or see on the report. i.e Quickbooks does great at this. I have stopped using chat because I always get the answer that the software had an upgrade or there are large amounts of people uploading documents. Hopefully as the company grows that can get fixed. I had 2 projects in one day not ever load.

A must have

Opmerkingen: Stack is enabling us to put together bids quickly and efficiently.

Pluspunten:

Stack has made migrating to new construction a breeze. We were putting pencil to paper to measure off printed plans which was expensive and prone to errors which could make or break a winning bid. With Stack a lot of the human errors are erased from the mix.

Minpunten:

I'm still trying to figure out how to compile a bid straight out of Stack.

Was not expecting things to be difficult

Opmerkingen: It runs very slow at times, to the point that I have to shut down my browser (Google Chrome) and restart it. I know it's not my internet, as I have zero problems with other websites. Furthermore, I can not stand it when I download drawings, upload them, and then have them show "þÿ" as a plan name. Not only do I have to waste time by going through each drawing individually to rename it to the original name, but there are many times that it does not save, and is named something else. An example is I was just trying to change the "þÿ" to "overall roof plans." After making the change, and going back to the page that I thought was "overall roof plans," it was labeled elevations. Not only does this take a lot of extra time, that it shouldn't, but it is extremely frustrating. Between having to rename files, and restarting my browser when it locks up, I feel as though this is not worth the money. I also use Planswift, and I do not have these same issues. Unless things like this are resolved, I will not continue with this software once my yearly subscription expires.

Pluspunten:

I can get an answer quickly, when asked.

Minpunten:

Read the review. It locks up, and I have to keep re-naming drawings that have downloaded.

Could Use Some expanded Features.

Opmerkingen: Saves time printing cost from having printing drawings if performing manual take-off. Stack is faster than manual take-off. Estimators and project reviewers can easily SEE items that have been counted or taken off. Saves time from compiling numbers and reduces math errors since quantities are calculated for the user.

Pluspunten:

Relatively short learning curve and ease of use. Like that it is cloud based.

Minpunten:

Would like to be able to rotate drawings as sometimes we receive drawings in the incorrect viewing mode. Would also like to be able re-arrange the header drawing tabs in different order than in the sequence they are opened. Would like to see a double tiered drawing tab header instead of having to click and scroll to see additional opened drawings. Also would like to add to or modify the text within a header drawing tab to by right clicking to rename an opened drawing we reference frequently. Would like to see a separate storage area for projects we are actively bidding vs. those for which bids have already been submitted. Would like see a progress/status bar within the project name tab that a user could indicate current project and also indicate if the project bid have been complete and/or submitted.

A great program for take-offs, especially if you're new to estimating or take-off software

Opmerkingen: I'm very happy with the program and have yet to find anything that comes close to competing with their features. The price tag is a little steep compared to some other competitors, but the ease of use, pre-made items and assemblies, and features included with the software are definitely worth it.

Pluspunten:

Stack has a very simple learning curve. It's basically a point and click software that allows you to perform take-offs quickly and easily, no matter your experience level. The software also enables you to add pre-loaded or customized items and assemblies to your take-offs so you can create estimates as as you go, saving tons of time on each bid. Perhaps most importantly, their customer service is phenomenal. I have never had a problem getting ahold of a representative, and they usually answer my question or solve my issue within minutes of me reaching out.

Minpunten:

Their estimating/proposal templates could be made more customizable rather than restricting you to only detailed labor and material pricing or unit pricing options, but they offer the ability to transfer any of your reports to Xcel where you can do that yourself, so it really isn't a huge issue.

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

Opmerkingen: 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.

Pluspunten:

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

Minpunten:

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.

Stack Rocks!

Opmerkingen: Greatest tool in the market, that we have tried.

Pluspunten:

Ability to takeoff entire wall assembly by clicking the wall once.

Minpunten:

Estimates work sheets could be improved, by having the ability to separate Categories. Also ability to choose different ACT grids.