STACK (formerly K-Ops) vs SubmitX: takeoff, job sites or full management for a Quebec contractor in 2026?

STACK and K-Ops: what remains in 2026 and what STACK does well

What happened to K-Ops?

According to the press release published on March 29, 2022, STACK Construction Technologies (Blue Ash, Ohio) acquired two solutions: Bid Retriever and K-Ops. K-Ops is described there as a construction project management tool connecting the office and the job site: real-time progress tracking, communication history and centralized documents. STACK then announced that its teams were working to integrate K-Ops into its platform.

On October 26, 2026, the k-ops.com address permanently redirects (code 301) to the STACK Build & Operate page. On STACK's site, we found no product still sold under the K-Ops name: the job site features are presented under the STACK brand.

What STACK does well

• Takeoff and estimating on plans: STACK presents automated digital takeoff (including AI takeoff), item and assembly libraries, an Excel link and ERP connectors.
• Mobile job site: with Build & Operate, crews view and mark up plans in the field, manage RFIs, submittals, deficiency lists and daily reports, with offline sync.
• Interface and training in French: the site exists in French (stackct.com/fr) and the Build & Operate training video library offers a "Français" option.
• A free version for takeoff: according to the pricing page FAQ, STACK offers a free version of Takeoff & Estimate, and a two-week trial of Build & Operate.
• Documented security: STACK states that it is hosted on Microsoft Azure, with encryption in transit (TLS 1.2 minimum) and at rest.

Simply put, STACK is first and foremost a preconstruction and job site tool: measuring plans, pricing, then tracking execution. It is not accounting or payroll software.

How much does STACK cost? The published prices

According to STACK's pricing page (stackct.com/pricing), viewed on October 26, 2026, plans are shown "starting at" and billed per user per month. The page shows the $ symbol without specifying the currency (USD or CAD) or the commitment period.

For comparison: SubmitX does not bill per user but by tier, with pricing on request. Free (1 user), Starter (up to 3 users), Pro (up to 25 users) and Ultra (25 users and more). Paid plans can be tried for 7 days with no credit card. Details on the Pricing page.

The math therefore depends on your team: a single estimator who mostly does takeoff will pay STACK for one seat; a 10-person team will pay STACK for every seat, while the SubmitX Pro plan covers up to 25 users at the same price.

Language, Quebec and data hosting

STACK: site in French and training videos in French for Build & Operate. According to its security page, the platform is hosted on Microsoft Azure and data is stored in data centres in the United States for Takeoff & Estimate and in Canada for Build & Operate, with replication within the same country. If Canadian residency of your plans and estimates matters (Law 25, Quebec's privacy law, or a public owner's requirements), this is a point to confirm with STACK.

SubmitX: interface in French first (English supported). The database and files are hosted in Canada (Supabase, AWS ca-central-1 region in Montreal). Some technical subprocessors are in the United States (AI, application hosting, payments, email): the full list is published. See the security FAQ.

CCQ payroll, GST/QST and SEAO tenders

On the STACK pages viewed (pricing, Build & Operate, French home page), we found no mention of the CCQ, payroll, GST/QST or SEAO (verified on October 26, 2026). Daily reports let you record the labour and equipment present on the job site, which is not payroll. STACK points to its partner network (STACK Exchange) for links with a CRM, an ERP or accounting software.

SubmitX includes CCQ payroll for construction trades, mobile timesheets, invoicing with holdbacks and GST (5%) / QST (9.975%), QuickBooks Online sync, Acomba and Sage 50 exports, and monitoring of SEAO tenders based on your trades and regions. For the 2026 rates, see our CCQ rate calculator.

STACK vs SubmitX: comparison table

"We found no mention" means absent from the pages viewed on October 26, 2026, not necessarily non-existent.

Who is it for? STACK or SubmitX

STACK is a better fit if…

• Your core business is detailed takeoff on plans and estimating (specialty subcontractor, estimator).
• You want a free version to start measuring plans.
• You work on job sites where viewing plans and tracking deficiencies on a tablet are priorities.
• Your CCQ payroll and accounting stay in another software that you do not want to change.
• You used K-Ops and want to stay in the same product family.

SubmitX is a fit if…

• You want quotes, projects, invoicing, CCQ payroll and SEAO monitoring in one tool, in French.
• You prefer pricing by tier (up to 3 or 25 users) rather than per seat.
• You want AI draft quotes that you review and approve before sending.
• You are comfortable betting on a young company (public launch in June 2026, still few independent reviews).

The two can also coexist: takeoff done in a specialized tool, then the quote, the project and payroll managed in SubmitX. Our limits are detailed on the SubmitX pros and cons page. Reminder: AI can make mistakes, which is why any AI-generated quote must be approved by the contractor before it goes out.

How to test and compare with your own projects