Stairkey

Stairkey is a workspace for contractor and real-estate operations, connecting estimates, jobs, scheduling, invoicing, and property workflows. It suits teams that want those functions together, particularly businesses working in Canada. Its broad scope is compelling, but seats, add-ons, and metered AI make the total cost worth checking against how much of the platform a team will use.

Overview

The product links sales and delivery: once a quote is approved, it can become a job with tasks, a schedule, a crew, and a materials list. That connection can spare teams from rebuilding job details after a customer accepts an estimate. Calendar scheduling, change orders, and client and subcontractor portals extend the workflow into project coordination.

Stairkey also reaches beyond contractor operations into real estate, accounting, communications, websites, storage, and administration. That breadth is its clearest advantage for businesses with overlapping needs; it may be more system than a company seeking only estimates or job scheduling needs.

Key features

Estimating and project coordination

The Takeoff Builder calculates quantities using room dimensions, openings, finishes, and formulas. Contractors who estimate from measured spaces may value that structured approach, while the approved-quote-to-job workflow carries the result into tasks, scheduling, crew assignment, and materials planning. Change orders, a calendar view, and portals for clients and subcontractors provide useful coordination tools around active work.

Real estate and accounting

Realty tools include property records, listing history, showings, open-house sign-in, listing presentations, condition templates, and deal context. This makes Stairkey a more plausible fit for businesses spanning property and contracting than a construction-only tool. Double-entry accounting is optional and covers invoices, expenses, reconciliation, and reporting, so teams that do not need books inside the workspace can avoid that add-on.

AI, security, and records

The assistant can draft quotes, tasks, expense entries, and messages; a user must approve content before it is saved or sent. It is off until enabled and charged per use, with a receipt-reading example priced at 15¢. That approval step keeps generated work under user control, but usage charges make AI less predictable than an included flat-rate feature.

Team security controls include two-factor authentication, recovery codes, active device management, and session controls. Administrators can export full tenant data for backups, migrations, or recordkeeping. The product says quotes and invoices support HST and GST, and year-end exports include T5018 and T4A summaries plus a T2125-mapped package, a useful fit for Canadian businesses handling those reporting needs.

Pricing

The first month is free with every feature unlocked and no credit card required. Stairkey has no permanent free plan, so teams should treat the trial as a chance to assess the full workflow rather than a lasting no-cost option.

• Accountant role — free: A $0/mo seat that does not count against the seat limit, with a $20 usage room; metered usage can be billed up to $20/mo. This is suited to an accountant who needs access without consuming a regular seat, though usage can still generate a charge.
• Member seat — C$10 a month: Billed at a $10/mo floor and capped at $30/mo, with $10 monthly usage included and the same features as an owner seat. It suits additional team members who need the full feature set, but usage can raise the bill beyond the floor.
• Owner seat — C$20 a month: Includes every core feature, one owner, and $20 of monthly usage; it starts at $20/mo, is capped at $100/mo, and rises with the storage plan. It is the core account for an owner, with the cap and storage-linked price rise important to budget for.
• Website add-on — C$10 a month: Adds a public website and $10 shared team usage while active; fees prorate when active. It fits teams that need a public site, but adds a recurring charge while enabled.
• Accounting add-on — C$20 a month: Adds double-entry books and $20 shared team usage while active; fees prorate when active. Choose it when built-in accounting matters, not simply to access the core contractor workflow.

The cheaper accountant role is not a substitute for a regular team seat, and the member-seat price is a floor rather than an uncapped fixed bill. Teams should account for usage, storage-dependent owner pricing, and active add-ons when comparing Stairkey with a simpler paid product.

Platforms

Stairkey is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its product page describes mobile use for quoting, checking the day, and sending invoices from a job site, which supports field work alongside office use. The contact team says it replies within one business day and can arrange a guided demo.

Who it's for

Stairkey is strongest for teams that want contractor workflows and real-estate tools in one workspace, need quotes to flow into organized jobs, or value Canadian tax support and year-end export formats. It is less suited to buyers who need a lasting free tier, only a narrow estimating tool, or a predictable bill without metered usage and optional recurring add-ons.

Pros and cons

• Pros: An approved quote can become a job with tasks, schedule, crew, and materials, reducing the gap between selling and organizing work.
• Pros: Contractor and realty workflows share a workspace, with portals, change orders, and a measurement-based Takeoff Builder supporting project work.
• Pros: Canadian tax support, security controls, and full tenant export address practical compliance, access, and recordkeeping needs.
• Cons: There is no permanent free plan; the free access lasts only the first month.
• Cons: Seat costs can rise with usage, owner storage plans, and add-ons, while AI is separately charged per use.
• Cons: Businesses needing only basic estimating may be paying for a broader set of contractor, real-estate, and administrative functions than they need.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Remodeling Contractor Software.

• Buildshop is worth considering when a free plan matters and estimates, invoices, to-do lists, contact management, messaging, project portfolios, or a bid center cover the need.
• Buildxact is an option for buyers who want a free tier with five complimentary credits, AI estimating, professional proposals, and Home Depot material ordering.
• Houzz may suit teams seeking a free plan with a 3D floor planner, estimates, and invoicing.
• Workhand offers a free plan for a small operation willing to work within limits of one active job, one teammate, three estimates, and three invoices per month.
• BuildBook is another freemium alternative for readers comparing contractor software.
• BuildTools Bidding may suit custom home builders or remodelers considering a construction management platform with guided onboarding; its starting package is $499 a month with a 12-month commitment, billed monthly.
• RenoTrack360 is another freemium option to compare for renovation project workflows.
• Clear Estimates is a paid estimating alternative with a free trial and broad platform support.

Verdict

Choose Stairkey if your team wants contractor and real-estate workflows joined to scheduling, estimating, invoicing, and portals, and can make use of its broader workspace. Its strongest case is the link from approved quote to organized job, reinforced by Canadian tax support and field-ready mobile use. Look elsewhere if a permanent free plan or narrow, predictable-cost estimating tool matters more than that breadth.