I Tested 8 Stone Quoting Tools and Most Are Solving Yesterday’s Problem
Most software sold to countertop shops is shop-management software that happens to touch quoting, not the other way around. That distinction matters a lot if your biggest bottleneck is closing jobs faster and wasting less slab, not just scheduling installs. Here is how eight options actually stack up.
1. SlabWise
Pro-tier starts at roughly $299/month. The $1 seven-day trial is real, no credit card commitment required after that.
What separates this one is the nesting engine. It batches multiple jobs onto a single slab simultaneously, accounts for vein direction, handles edge rotation, and flags book-match requirements without you touching it manually. That alone is worth evaluating. The DXF middleware layer is equally practical: it validates geometry, matches sink cutout positions, and catches file errors before they reach the CNC. Quotes pull measurements straight from those DXFs, then drop into a tiered Good/Better/Best material presentation the customer signs and pays via Stripe, all in the same flow.
SlabWise states it produces meaningful reductions in slab waste and a notably higher quote close rate using that tiered format. Those are their own figures, not independently audited, but the logic behind the format is sound.
Best for: Custom stone shops running CNC and templating gear who want quoting, nesting, and payment collection in one cloud tool.
Con: Newer to the market than Moraware or FabSuite, so the ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller.
2. CounterGo (Moraware)
Around $100 per user per month. This is the draw-and-quote tool from Moraware, the company with over 2,600 shops using its products.
You sketch the countertop layout, pick the material, and get a quote. Fast. The UI is straightforward enough that a new estimator can produce a presentable quote the same day they start. It does not do slab nesting or CNC file prep. It is a quoting tool, cleanly scoped.
Best for: Shops that need reliable, proven quoting without CNC file integration.
Con: No nesting, no DXF processing, no payment collection built in.
See also: Indoor Air Quality Improvement Projects
3. Systemize (Moraware)
Starts around $200/month and scales to $400 or more depending on modules, plus $50 per user beyond five.
This is the scheduling and job-tracking side of the Moraware stack. Many shops run CounterGo alongside Systemize. Together they cover a wide slice of the job lifecycle. The install base is large, which means real-world documentation and peer knowledge are easy to find.
*A fair caveat here: pricing and features across all these tools shift regularly, so confirm current details directly with each vendor before budgeting.*
Best for: Shops already on CounterGo who want scheduling and job tracking in the same ecosystem.
Con: You are assembling a stack from multiple products rather than working in one unified system.
4. FabSuite
A fabrication operations platform built around inventory control, production scheduling, and job tracking. Targets fabricators who need to manage stone inventory and production workflow together.
It has a longer history in the industry, which means more depth in certain areas, particularly inventory and shop-floor tracking. The quoting side is less the focus.
Best for: Mid-to-large fabricators where stone inventory control is as important as estimating.
Con: Not designed around the quote-first workflow that smaller custom shops typically need.
5. EasySTONE / EasyStoneShop
Entry pricing around $150/month. This one combines CAD/CAM with shop management, so it touches both the design and production sides.
If your shop is also doing custom edges, profiles, and detailed CAD work, having that tied to job management in one platform makes sense. It is used internationally and has broader language and unit support than most US-focused tools.
Best for: Shops doing heavy custom CAD work who want design and job management together.
Con: CAD depth can mean a steeper learning curve for staff who just need to quote and schedule.
6. SigmaNEST
CNC nesting software at the professional end of the spectrum. Not really a quoting tool at all, but shops with high-volume CNC output use it for yield optimization.
The nesting algorithms are sophisticated. This is purpose-built for material optimization across many machine types, not just stone.
Best for: High-volume fabricators where CNC yield is the primary cost driver and quoting is handled elsewhere.
Con: No quoting, no job tracking, no customer-facing workflow.
7. ActionFlow (Moraware)
A workflow and automation layer that sits on top of other Moraware products. Automates notifications, task assignments, and job status updates.
It adds real value inside an existing Moraware setup. On its own it does nothing.
Best for: Moraware shops that have outgrown manual task management.
Con: Entirely dependent on the rest of the Moraware stack.
8. Spreadsheets / QuickBooks / Whiteboards
Free or nearly free. A surprising number of shops still run quoting on spreadsheets and track jobs on a whiteboard.
The cost is time. Every quote is manual, every slab layout is eyeballed, and there is no audit trail when something goes wrong. For a shop doing five jobs a month this might be survivable. Past that, the hidden cost compounds fast.
Best for: Brand-new shops before volume justifies software spend.
Con: Everything else on this list.
The Short Version
| Tool | Primary Use | Rough Cost |
| SlabWise | Nesting + quoting + payment | ~$299/mo (Pro) |
| CounterGo | Draw and quote | ~$100/user/mo |
| Systemize | Scheduling/tracking | ~$200-400/mo |
| FabSuite | Shop management | Contact vendor |
| EasySTONE | CAD/CAM + shop | ~$150/mo entry |
| SigmaNEST | CNC nesting only | Contact vendor |
| ActionFlow | Workflow automation | Add-on to Moraware |
| Spreadsheets | Survival mode | $0 + your sanity |
Common Questions
Does SlabWise actually replace CounterGo, or do shops run both?
They overlap significantly on quoting, so most shops pick one. SlabWise adds nesting and DXF processing that CounterGo does not touch, while CounterGo has a larger install base and more peer support. If your shop runs CNC and wants quoting tied to file prep, SlabWise is the more complete single tool. CounterGo is the safer bet if you already run Moraware’s ecosystem.
Can CounterGo and Systemize handle the full job lifecycle without adding anything else?
Together they cover quoting, scheduling, and job tracking, which is most of what a mid-size shop needs day to day. What they do not cover is slab nesting, CNC file validation, or integrated customer payment. Shops hitting those gaps typically add a third tool or move to a platform that bundles them.
Is SigmaNEST worth evaluating if a shop already has nesting inside SlabWise?
Probably not for most custom countertop shops. SigmaNEST is built for high-volume, multi-machine environments and is not scoped around stone quoting at all. If your operation is cutting stone at serious industrial volume across multiple CNC machines, it earns a look. For a custom shop doing residential and light commercial work, SlabWise’s nesting engine is purpose-built for the actual workflow.
What is the real cost of staying on spreadsheets past the startup phase?
The dollar cost is near zero. The time cost is not. Every quote gets rebuilt from scratch, slab layouts are estimated by eye, and a single measurement error has no automatic check. At roughly ten or more jobs a month, the hours spent on manual quoting and rework typically exceed the monthly subscription cost of any entry-level tool on this list.
Does EasySTONE make sense for a shop that does not do heavy custom CAD work?
Probably not as a first choice. The CAD/CAM depth is the reason to choose it, and that same depth adds onboarding time for staff who only need to quote and schedule. At around $150/month entry pricing, CounterGo or SlabWise will get a quoting-focused shop productive faster, with less training overhead.
Sources
- Moraware product pages (CounterGo, Systemize, ActionFlow pricing and feature descriptions, public)
- SigmaNEST public product documentation
- EasySTONE/EasyStoneShop public pricing page
- FabSuite public product overview
- SlabWise public pricing and feature pages
