Drywall estimating software and estimate apps, compared
Drywall bids start two ways, from a plan set or from a walkthrough, and the right drywall app depends on which one fills your week. STACK and Contractor Foreman are built around on-screen takeoff for plan-driven commercial bids, and STACK has a free plan for 1 active project a month. Staxen fits the drywall contractor who wants a priced draft from either a plan PDF or a spoken walkthrough, then a signature and deposit from a text. Prices and plans were checked on each vendor's site on October 15, 2026.
How this list was chosen
We build Staxen and this page is ours, so read it knowing that. For drywall we checked whether each app can get from plans or a walkthrough to itemized board, tape and finish lines, how change orders get approved when the GC adds a soffit, and whether the number goes out signed with a way to pay. Facts and prices come from each vendor's own pages, checked on October 15, 2026. The order is lowest published starting price first, with free plans at the top, and it is not a judgment of which app is best.
Pick by what you need
| If you need to | Look at |
|---|---|
| Measure walls, ceilings and openings on screen from a big commercial plan set | STACK |
| Get a priced draft from a plan PDF or a spoken walkthrough and send it the same day | Staxen |
| A drywall crew with nobody in the office to chase unsigned bids and late payments | Staxen |
| Track bids, submittals and daily logs as a sub under several GCs | Contractor Foreman |
| Send a signed estimate on a patch or small hang job for $10 a month | Joist |
| Price drywall inside a remodel from a written scope with your own rate catalog | Handoff |
Estimating apps for drywall contractors, compared
Listed by lowest published starting price, quote-only apps last. This is not a ranking.
STACK
Best for: Commercial drywall subs who take off large plan sets every week
Price: A free plan covers 1 active project a month. Premium is $299 per user a month billed annually, and Pro, which adds estimating and proposals, is $349. Every paid plan is a 12-month term.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on STACK pricing, takeoff, estimating, integrations.
Pros:
- A free plan covers 1 active project a month
- On-screen takeoff for area, linear, arc, pitched, count and volume measurements
- A pre-built item and assembly library and a takeoff template library
- Cloud-based, so the plan set is not stuck on one desktop
- AI Takeoffs, and native proposal generation on Pro
Cons:
- Paid plans run 12-month terms: Premium is $299 per user a month billed annually, and Pro is $349
- Estimating and proposals are on Pro, not Premium
- We found no client signing or payment step on its pricing or estimating pages, only proposal export
Joist
Best for: Patch, repair and small hang-and-finish jobs that just need a clean signed estimate
Price: Basics is $10 a month for up to 5 documents a month, Pro $17, Elite $32, and the newer Run plan, which adds scheduling, is $70 a month introductory. 14-day free trial; the free plan is gone.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Joist pricing, Joist estimates, Joist homeowner financing, Joist scheduling.
Pros:
- Basics is $10 a month, and Pro removes the document cap at $17
- Signatures, deposits and milestone payments on every plan, handy for hang, tape and finish stages
- Pro adds line items with document photos, work orders and QuickBooks sync
Cons:
- We found no takeoff or plan measuring on its pricing page, so square footage comes from your tape or your plans
- Stale bids need a manual nudge, since we found no automated follow-ups on its pricing page
- Change orders need Elite at $32 a month
Contractor Foreman
Best for: Drywall subs bidding and documenting work for several GCs at once
Price: From $49 a month billed annually for 1 user (Basic is annual only). Monthly billing starts at Standard, $139 a month for up to 3 users. 30-day free trial.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Contractor Foreman plans.
Pros:
- Upload plans, measure what you need, and ask the built-in AI to speed up the takeoff
- Bid management, submittals and daily logs keep the GC paperwork in one system
- Clients approve change orders online with an electronic signature
- Crew scheduling and time cards for hangers and tapers
Cons:
- We found no way to collect a deposit with an approved estimate on its pricing page
- We found no automated quote follow-ups on its pricing page
- Busy screens that take a few evenings to learn
Staxen (our app)
Best for: Residential and light commercial drywall contractors who bid from plans one day and walkthroughs the next
Price: $59 a month per AI employee, or $149 a month for all three. The first 7 days are free in the app.
Pros:
- Upload a plan PDF and get drafted estimate lines for board, tape and finish to check against your own count
- On a walkthrough, say the rooms, ceiling heights and finish level, and priced lines come back
- The GC or homeowner signs from a text or email link with no app, and can pay the deposit there when you take cards through Stripe
- Milestone billing for hang, tape and finish, with escalating reminders when an invoice goes overdue
- Change orders approved by text or email when the GC adds a soffit or a bulkhead
Cons:
- No on-screen measuring or assemblies like STACK, so you verify the drafted counts yourself
- No time tracking for hangers and tapers paid by the hour
- No good, better, best options to show a level 4 finish against a level 5
Handoff
Best for: Remodelers and patch contractors who price drywall from a written scope
Price: Flex is $149 a month, or $119 billed annually, for 2 users. Pro is $299 ($239 annually) on a 12-month commitment, and AI takeoffs from plans come with Scale at $899 a month.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Handoff pricing.
Pros:
- Custom pricing catalogs and AI Presets lock in your own rates, with one catalog on Flex
- AI takeoff from residential plans up to 7,000 square feet on the Scale plan
- The client pays the card fee: 3.35% on Flex and 2.85% on Pro and Scale
- iOS and Android apps for the walkthrough
Cons:
- Plan takeoff needs the Scale plan at $899 a month
- We found no automated follow-ups on unsigned estimates on its pricing page; it tracks client activity instead
- In our view, remodel-style cost data needs checking against production drywall rates
If most of your bids come off plan sets for commercial GCs, put the takeoff first with STACK or Contractor Foreman, then send the number however you like. If you split time between new-build plans and patch-and-finish walkthroughs, Staxen covers both starting points and gets the signature and deposit by text. Whatever you use, write the finish level on every estimate, because level 4 against level 5 is where drywall arguments start.
Frequently asked questions
Which drywall estimating software fits a plan-driven commercial sub?
A takeoff tool comes first. STACK measures area, linear and count items on screen with a pre-built assembly library, from a free plan for 1 active project a month up to Pro at $349 per user a month billed annually. Contractor Foreman pairs plan takeoff with bids, submittals and daily logs. Staxen drafts estimate lines from a plan PDF, which is a head start you check, not a replacement for a bid desk measuring every wall.
How much does Staxen cost for a drywall contractor?
Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee, or $149 per month for all three. Eddie the Estimator covers plan PDF drafting, spoken estimates, e-signature and deposits, and Ivy the Invoicer adds milestone billing for hang, tape and finish. It is month to month, and the first 7 days are free in the app.
Is there free drywall estimating software?
STACK is the one free option here: its free plan covers 1 active project a month, and its paid plans are 12-month terms. Joist starts at $10 a month after a 14-day trial, Contractor Foreman offers a 30-day trial, Handoff a 7-day trial, and Staxen's first 7 days are free in the app.
Do drywall contractors price per sheet or per square foot?
Both conventions are common. Our 2026 drywall calculator prices 4x8 sheets at $15 to $23 each and hang, tape and finish labor at $1.80 to $3.20 per square foot for a level 4 finish. Per-square-foot suits bids from plans; per-sheet suits small jobs where you count boards on site. Whichever you use, state the finish level (0 through 5) on the estimate, since level 5 adds $0.50 to $0.75 per square foot.
Can an app really count drywall from my plans?
Yes, as a starting point. Staxen reads an uploaded plan PDF and drafts estimate lines you check before anything goes out. STACK and Contractor Foreman let you measure on screen yourself, and Handoff offers AI takeoff from residential plans up to 7,000 square feet on its Scale plan. Whichever you use, confirm the plan scale and ceiling heights before trusting a board count.