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Kreo vs STACK

Two cloud takeoff and estimating platforms that publish per-user prices. Kreo is an AI-first takeoff tool sold in four annual plans, with AI from the Pro plan up and Caddie, an agent that runs takeoffs inside the app. STACK is an established takeoff, estimating and field platform that has added AI across sheets, takeoff and estimates, offers a free version of Takeoff & Estimate, and sells STACK IQ, which connects Claude, ChatGPT and similar assistants to STACK through an MCP server. Vendor pages read Oct 21, 2026; desk research, not tested, no winner.

DESK RESEARCH, NOT TESTED. Compiled from vendors' public websites (accessed Oct 20, 2026). Vendor claims are not verified by Means & Methods Lab. No scores or rankings.

In short: Kreo (Takeoff; vendor publishes prices) vs STACK (Takeoff & estimating; vendor publishes prices). Facts last checked Oct 20, 2026. No winner declared; not tested.

Side by side

Kreo vs STACK: vendor-published facts side by side
Sheet rowKreoSTACK
CategoryTakeoffTakeoff & estimating
AI role (our label)AI-firstAI features added to established product
What it doesCloud-based AI takeoff and estimating software for PDF, CAD and image plans, whose agentic AI detects elements and turns measurements into estimates. Vendor says its agentic AI detects elements, cross-references data across sheets, generates reports, and turns measurements into cost estimates. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the pricing page lists Pro AI features as one-click area and line measurements, auto symbol counting, AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows, custom AI takeoff requests, AI scale detection and drawing naming, batch AI takeoff across sheets, the Caddie AI assistant and Reusable Skills automation; Business adds API access for projects and AI, and Enterprise a custom AI allowance and AI fine-tuning. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: the Pro AI feature list is unchanged.Cloud-based construction software covering digital takeoff, estimating and proposals, and field/project management ("Build & Operate"). The vendor now describes STACK as an AI preconstruction platform: AI that reads uploaded sheets, auto-names pages, and flags revisions; AI auto-counting of symbols and suggestions of scope that may be missed; and AI described as pressure-testing pricing and flagging risk, gaps, and pricing drift in estimates. Unlimited viewer seats. Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: the homepage announces STACK for Excel, an integration launched with partner Velixo that connects takeoff and estimating data directly in Excel. Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: the homepage still calls STACK an AI preconstruction platform (AI that reads sheets, auto-names pages and flags revisions; auto-counting and missed-scope suggestions; estimates that flag risk, gaps and pricing drift) with unlimited viewer seats, a jobsite mobile app and Try It Free and Create Free Account options. The STACK for Excel (Velixo) announcement seen Oct 19 was not on the homepage in today's read.
Who it's forAEC professionals and estimating teams.Specialty contractors, general contractors, suppliers and manufacturers, owners and developers.
Pricing (as publicly stated)Per-user subscription, billed annually. Essential $100/user/mo (listed as without AI); Pro $175/user/mo adds AI tools (Auto Measure, One-Click Area, Auto Count); Business $250/user/mo with 5 seats included (billed at $15,000 every 12 months); Enterprise custom. 7-day free trial on Essential, Pro and Business. (Pricing re-checked Oct 17, 2026; Lite and Plus tiers no longer listed.) Re-checked Oct 19, 2026: unchanged (Essential billed at $1,200 and Pro at $2,100 every 12 months; Business $15,000 every 12 months with 5 seats). Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: plan prices unchanged ($100, $175 and $250 per user per month billed annually; Business includes 5 seats and is billed at $15,000 every 12 months). The pricing page also says Pro covers up to 4 users and Business 5 to 20, and that guests who only view and comment are free. It lists paid Pilots (a 1-month Pro Pilot and a 1- to 3-month Business Pilot, with the fee credited to an annual plan if you move within 14 days; no Pilot fee shown) and API add-ons on Pro: Core Platform API $140 per user per year, Items and Assemblies API $160 per user per year, and Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch usage. Business includes all three APIs and 200 Auto Measure API launches a month, with extra launches 25% cheaper than on Pro; an Excel Add-in is in early access and currently free.Per-user subscription. Takeoff & Estimate $299/user/mo; Build & Operate $49/user/mo; full platform $348/user/mo. A free version of Takeoff & Estimate is offered; Build & Operate has a two-week free trial. (Pricing re-checked Oct 14 and Oct 19, 2026; unchanged, shown as "as low as" per user per month.) Re-checked Oct 20, 2026: unchanged (Takeoff & Estimate $299, Build & Operate $49, full platform $348 per user per month; a free account is still offered). The pricing FAQ still asks whether a free trial is available, but its answer was collapsed in our read, so the two-week Build & Operate trial was not re-confirmed.
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Vendor links
Sources

Facts last checked: Oct 20, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor page before relying on them.

Where the vendor descriptions differ

  • Takeoff AI: Kreo's Pro plan lists one-click area and line measurements, auto symbol counting, AI takeoff of rooms, walls, doors and windows, custom AI takeoff requests, AI scale detection and drawing naming, and batch AI takeoff across sheets; its pricing FAQ says Auto Measure inside Kreo is included in the plan and never billed per run. STACK's homepage says its AI reads every uploaded sheet, auto-names pages and flags revisions, auto-counts symbols and suggests scope you might miss, and that drawing versions can be overlaid to catch changes.
  • Assistants: Kreo describes Caddie as an agent inside the app that reads drawings, answers questions by text or voice using zone mapping and cross-sheet references, and can run takeoffs, edit project data and build reports, with reusable Skills that record repeatable steps. STACK describes STACK IQ as working inside the AI tools you already use: you connect the STACK MCP in Claude, ChatGPT or similar and prompt it to modify a takeoff, check an estimate or analyze project data, and the page says it can price from your past projects' cost history.
  • Estimating: Kreo lists live-linked estimates, a no-code items and assemblies database with variants, grid and spreadsheet reports with Excel and CSV import and export, and on Business IFC export and cost database import and export; an AI Database that generates items and assemblies is marked Coming Soon. STACK lists worksheet-style estimating with items and assemblies, AI it says flags risk, gaps and pricing drift before a bid goes out, regional cost data, trade-specific item and assembly libraries, proposals, ERP connectors and STACK for Excel, built with partner Velixo.
  • Beyond precon: STACK's Build & Operate product adds mobile plan viewing and markup, daily reports, configurable workflows and punch lists and issues, and STACK lists unlimited viewer seats. Kreo stays in takeoff and estimating; guests who only view and comment are free on every plan.
  • Files and APIs: Kreo lists PDF, DWG, DXF, DWF, DGN and raster files, 2D and 3D takeoff views and drawing comparison, plus APIs that are paid add-ons on Pro (Core Platform API $140 and Items and Assemblies API $160 per user a year, Auto Measure API $840 a year plus per-launch usage) and included on Business. STACK's menu lists API access and an integration partner network without prices on the pages we read.
  • Pricing (checked Oct 21, 2026): Kreo bills annually per user: Essential $100 a month (no AI), Pro $175 (1 to 4 users), Business $250 (5 to 20 users; $15,000 a year with 5 seats) and Enterprise custom, with a 7-day free trial, paid Pilots whose fee is credited to an annual plan, and a 7-day money-back guarantee after the first payment. STACK lists Takeoff & Estimate as low as $299, Build & Operate as low as $49 and the full platform as low as $348 per user per month, a free version of Takeoff & Estimate and a two-week free trial of Build & Operate.
  • Not used here: Kreo's Auto Measure 3.0 accuracy figures, review-site ratings, customer logos and quotes; STACK's revenue, win-rate and speed claims, ratings and customer quotes (vendor claims). Neither tool has been tested by Means & Methods Lab.

Paraphrased from the sources listed above. Vendor claims are reported as claims.

What users say

The facts above come from vendor websites. Whether either tool is any good for your work is something only people who use them can say. These are member reviews, all ratings shown, never edited or removed for being negative.

Used either of these? Share your take

Good or bad, an honest review from an estimator, PM or super helps the next team more than another vendor demo. You post under a handle; your email is never shown.

Questions to ask in your review

  • How Kreo's Auto Measure and STACK's auto-count compare on the same plan set
  • What STACK's as-low-as prices come to for your seat count and term
  • Whether STACK IQ needs a paid Claude or ChatGPT plan and what project data it passes to that assistant
  • How much checking Caddie's takeoffs need before quantities go into a bid
  • What did you use it for, on what kind of work and project size?
  • How long did setup and training take, and who on your team did it?

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