Masonry estimating software and apps for brick and block work
Masonry jobs run from a one-day tuckpoint to a commercial block package, and no single app covers both ends well. STACK fits a mason who takes off brick and block from full plan sets, with a free plan to start, and Contractor Foreman fits a sub working under GCs. Staxen fits a residential mason with no office help who wants to describe a chimney, veneer or repointing job out loud and get it signed with a deposit before mixing mortar. Pricing for each app was checked on its own website on October 15, 2026.
How this list was chosen
We make Staxen and have a stake in how this reads, so keep that in mind. Masonry estimates ride on unit counts, wall area, mortar spec and access, so we judged each app against three common jobs: a brick veneer bid from a plan, a block retaining wall, and a chimney rebuild that needs scaffold. We looked for takeoff from plans, line items you can adjust at the wall, homeowner signatures and deposits, and staged billing. Everything said about the other apps comes from their own websites, read on October 15, 2026. The list goes by lowest published starting price, free plan first, and says nothing about which app is better.
Pick by what you need
| If you need to | Look at |
|---|---|
| Describe a chimney, veneer or repointing job out loud and send a priced estimate the same visit | Staxen |
| Get the deposit paid when the homeowner signs, before you order brick | Staxen |
| Take off brick and block from full commercial plan sets | STACK |
| Handle GC paperwork: bids, submittals, daily logs and change orders | Contractor Foreman |
| Send simple estimates with deposits and homeowner financing for $10 a month | Joist |
| Price masonry as one part of a larger remodel bid | Handoff |
Estimating apps for masons, compared
Listed by lowest published starting price, quote-only apps last. This is not a ranking.
STACK
Best for: Commercial masonry estimators taking off brick and block from plan sets
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 pre-built item and assembly library to build takeoffs from
- The free plan handles 1 active project a month before you commit
- On-screen area, linear and count measuring that runs in the cloud
- Pro adds worksheet-style estimating and its own proposal generation
Cons:
- Four-figure yearly cost per user once you leave the free plan
- Estimating sits on Pro at $349 per user a month, not Premium at $299
- We found no homeowner e-signature or deposit collection on its pricing or estimating pages
Joist
Best for: Solo masons and tuckpointers who want deposits and signatures cheap
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:
- At $10 a month, Basics is the cheapest paid plan here
- Deposit and milestone payments come on every plan, which fits staged masonry jobs
- Acorn Finance homeowner financing for a chimney rebuild or a new garden wall
- Project templates for repeat jobs like a standard repoint, from Pro
Cons:
- Brick and block counts come from you; we found no takeoff tool in its plan comparison
- Change orders only on Elite at $32 a month, which matters when old walls hide damage
- The 5-document monthly limit on Basics fills quickly in a busy season
Contractor Foreman
Best for: Masonry subs working under general contractors on commercial jobs
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:
- Bids, submittals, daily logs and change orders, the paperwork a GC asks a sub for
- Plan takeoff with a built-in AI you can talk to for faster results
- Bulk and line-item markups on estimates
- Stripe card and ACH payments plus QuickBooks Online
- Pricing does not go up as you add projects
Cons:
- Monthly billing starts at Standard, $139 for up to 3 users; the $49 plan is annual and 1 user
- We found no way to take a deposit on an estimate on its pricing page
- Dense screens that take time to learn
Staxen (our app)
Best for: Residential masons with no office staff who quote standing at the wall
Price: $59 a month per AI employee, or $149 a month for all three. The first 7 days are free in the app.
Pros:
- Say the job at the wall, unit counts, square footage and scaffold, and get priced lines to check
- Signing and the deposit happen on one link the homeowner opens from a text, when you take cards through Stripe
- Change orders approved by text or email when the wall behind the veneer is worse than it looked
- Milestone billing for staged jobs, and escalating reminders when an invoice goes overdue
- Drafts estimate lines from a plan PDF for new veneer or block work
Cons:
- No crew time tracking, so hours against the bid live in a notebook or another app
- No good, better, best options for showing repair against rebuild side by side
- No consumer financing for a homeowner facing a chimney rebuild
Handoff
Best for: Remodelers who price masonry as one part of a bigger job
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:
- Turns site voice notes or an uploaded scope into a full estimate
- Says its costs update daily for every city in the US
- Milestone invoicing to collect at each phase
- Digital signatures on every plan
Cons:
- We found no deposit collection named on its pricing page
- Flex, the entry plan, is $149 a month or $119 billed annually
- Less suited to pure repair and repointing work than to full remodels
A residential mason or tuckpointer should pick for the signature: try Staxen or Joist on the next chimney and see which gets money down faster. Commercial block crews bidding from drawings need real takeoff, which means STACK, with Contractor Foreman if the GC wants daily logs and submittals. Whichever you use, write the mortar type and the repair limits into the estimate, because scope creep on old walls is where masonry margin goes.
Frequently asked questions
How do brick and block estimating tools differ from a masonry quote app?
Brick and block estimating tools like STACK measure wall areas and counts off a plan set and build assemblies from a pre-built library. A quote app is about the homeowner: a priced estimate from the job site, a signature and a deposit. Staxen and Joist sit on that side, and Staxen can also draft lines from a plan PDF for you to check. Contractor Foreman does some of both, with plan takeoff and online client approval, though we found no deposit collection on its pricing page.
Is there free masonry estimating software?
STACK has a free plan limited to 1 active project a month, and its paid plans start at $299 per user a month billed annually on a 12-month term. Everything else here is a trial: 30 days on Contractor Foreman, 14 days on Joist, and 7 days on Handoff and Staxen. Those terms are from each vendor's site as of October 15, 2026.
How much is Staxen for a masonry business?
Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee, or $149 per month for all three. Eddie the Estimator covers estimates, signatures and deposits, and Ivy the Invoicer adds staged invoicing with card and ACH payments and QuickBooks Online sync. It is month to month, and the first 7 days are free in the app.
How do masons price brick and block work in 2026?
Our 2026 masonry pricing guide puts brick veneer on a 500 square foot front elevation at $9,000 to $20,000 installed and a 40 foot CMU retaining wall at $6,000 to $14,000, depending on height, grouting and reinforcement. Many masons still price brick labor per thousand units laid, and block per unit, then convert to square footage for the client. Scaffolding, flashing, and cleanup are the lines that get forgotten and eat the margin.
What should a repointing estimate include?
Square footage of wall to be ground and repointed (our 2026 pricing guide puts 200 square feet of tuckpointing at $1,000 to $3,000, depending on joint depth and access), the mortar specification, and a matching allowance, since Type N versus Type S versus lime mortar is a structural decision on older masonry, not a color choice. Include access costs like scaffold or lift rental as separate lines. Photograph the wall before quoting; documented existing conditions settle most repointing disputes.