{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "bidvariance",
            "name": "BidVariance",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://bidvariance.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/bidvariance",
            "tagline": "Monte Carlo bid estimating for fixed-price projects in the browser",
            "summary": "BidVariance is a browser-based Monte Carlo tool for estimating fixed-price project bids. It turns effort ranges into a distribution of costs and shows the price needed for a target margin at P50, P80 or P90. Projects stay on the user's device, and the paid licenses are one-time purchases.",
            "platforms": [
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free calculators; one-time licenses from $129 (Pro), $249 and $399",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Shows the probability of losing money at a given bid",
                "Project data stays on the device, with no shared cloud workspace",
                "One-time licenses, with no subscription",
                "Free calculators can be used before buying a license"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Licenses are per user or entity, and client work needs the Consultant tier",
                "Projects live in the browser, so keeping a copy means exporting a backup",
                "Results are only as good as the effort ranges entered"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": true,
            "overview": "The user enters low, likely and high effort for each work package, plus a daily cost rate. Ranges use a Beta-PERT distribution, and the model samples many outcomes in the browser to give total cost at P50, P80 and P90. A quote can then be set to reach a chosen target margin. The site presents the probability of loss as the share of the cost curve to the right of a bid line.\n\nThe free calculators include pages for a PERT estimate, deadline confidence and a P50 versus P80 comparison. The paid licenses add the full engine, sensitivity analysis, bid and no-bid logic, and PDF decision reports. Pro is $129 for one user, Business is $249 for up to five users in one legal entity, and Consultant is $399 for client work."
        },
        {
            "slug": "stack",
            "name": "STACK",
            "kind": "web",
            "website": "https://www.stackct.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/stack",
            "tagline": "Cloud construction software for digital takeoff, estimating and bidding",
            "summary": "STACK is cloud construction software for measuring drawings, building estimates and managing bids. Its takeoff tools measure plans digitally, and its field app covers daily reports and punch lists. Paid plans are priced per user per month, and the site offers a demo.",
            "platforms": [
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "subscription",
            "price_note": "Per-user monthly plans; demo available",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Digital takeoff with cloud drawings",
                "Estimates and proposals in one product"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Per-user pricing adds up for large teams",
                "Broader than a pure takeoff tool"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "STACK is a construction platform whose takeoff and estimating tools measure drawings digitally, with the same files shared with project teams. The Field App and plan views add daily reports and punch lists, so the product covers both bidding and project delivery. The site lists subcontractors, contractors and estimators among the people it serves.\n\nSTACK suits contractors and estimators who bid on many jobs and want measurements and proposals in one cloud workspace. Its price is per user per month, which adds up for larger estimating teams. It covers more than takeoff, so a team that only needs quantity measurement may find a narrower tool such as PlanSwift quicker to learn."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "BidVariance has a free plan or free version; STACK does not.",
        "BidVariance: free plan, paid upgrades. STACK: subscription."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "bid-and-cost-estimating-software",
            "name": "Bid and cost estimating software",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/bid-and-cost-estimating-software",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "bidvariance",
                    "rank": 5,
                    "score": 78,
                    "verdict": "Monte Carlo cost simulation that shows the probability of loss at a bid, with one-time paid licenses and free calculators. It models effort ranges rather than measured quantities, so the results depend on the ranges entered.",
                    "best_for": "Fixed-price bids that need a loss probability",
                    "spec": {
                        "takeoff": false,
                        "monte_carlo": true,
                        "main_users": "Fixed-price project bids"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "stack",
                    "rank": 4,
                    "score": 83.5,
                    "verdict": "Takeoff, estimating and proposals in one cloud product, with a field app that carries bids into project delivery. Per-user pricing makes it costlier for large estimating teams than narrower takeoff tools.",
                    "best_for": "Contractors and estimators who bid and run jobs in one tool",
                    "spec": {
                        "takeoff": true,
                        "monte_carlo": false,
                        "main_users": "Contractors and subcontractors"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "stack",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/bidvariance-vs-stack",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/bidvariance-vs-stack.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}