CostMate vs. Stratosphere Comparison Chart

CostMate is estimating software built for New Zealand residential builders — solo operators and two-person crews doing renovations, bathrooms, decks and additions. Labour is calculated using phase-based production rates adjusted for real site conditions (access, height, existing-building constraints, crew size) rather than a flat square-metre rate. BRANZ wastage percentages are applied to material quantities automatically. NZ Building Code requirements — external moisture, wet areas, energy efficiency, timber framing — are built into every estimate by default, not left as a checklist. A quote-checking step reviews the estimate and flags scope commonly missed on residential quotes before it's sent to the client. CostMate runs on a rules engine, not a language model — every quantity, wastage figure and code item is deterministic and reproducible, and can be traced back to why it's there. It is not a quantity surveying package, project management platform, or job scheduling tool.