Comparison · checked October 3, 2026
StageEngine vs Hutch
Both are built for home stagers. Hutch focuses on inventory and projects at one flat price with unlimited users. StageEngine adds proposals, contracts with e-signature, invoicing, card payments and monthly billing to the same job.
Who wrote this: StageEngine did, so weigh it accordingly. Hutch facts come from its homepage on October 3, 2026. If something has changed, email hello@stageengine.io and we'll fix it.
The short answer
- Choose Hutch if you only need inventory and project tracking, want unlimited team members at one price, and already handle contracts and billing elsewhere.
- Choose StageEngine if you want the contract, invoices and payments to come from the same job as the furniture, instead of separate tools.
Side by side
| StageEngine | Hutch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 / $149 / $299 per month by plan; about two months free on annual | $149/mo or $1,499/yr, up to 10,000 items |
| Trial | 14 days of Studio Pro, no card | No trial; 90-day money-back guarantee |
| Users | First assistant free on every plan; extras $49/mo | Unlimited team members |
| Tags | QR, phone camera or scan gun · RFID bulk scanning coming soon | QR (RFID "not yet") |
| What's free on a date | Yes | Shows if a piece is coming back in time |
| Warehouse locations | Yes | Not listed |
| Proposals | Yes, accepted online | Not listed |
| Contracts | Built-in e-signature, sealed PDF (e-sign on Studio Pro) | Not listed |
| Invoicing | Yes (Studio and up) | Not listed |
| Online payments | Card and bank · Stripe + 0.5% (Studio Pro) | Not listed |
| Monthly holdover billing | Yes, with autopay on Studio Pro | Not listed |
| Sell pieces online | Your own shop, one switch per piece (Studio Pro) | Not listed |
| QuickBooks Online | One-way push, hourly (Studio Pro) | Not listed |
| Your brand for clients | Name, logo, web address | Not listed |
| Data import | We load your spreadsheet, or photograph pieces | White-glove import on the annual plan |
Where Hutch is stronger
Hutch keeps it simple: one price with unlimited projects, clients and team members, a 90-day money-back guarantee, and a white-glove import of your inventory on the annual plan. Its room-at-a-time selection view is quick for pulling a house together.
Where StageEngine is stronger
Hutch's site doesn't list proposals, contracts, invoicing or payments, so you'd run those in other tools. In StageEngine the job produces the proposal, the contract your client signs on their phone, the deposit and balance invoices, and the monthly holdover bills, and clients pay by card or bank from a link with your logo. When a piece is tired, one switch puts it in your own shop for buyers. You can also start with a 14-day free trial instead of paying up front.
Switching
Send us your inventory export and we'll load it for you, or photograph pieces and StageEngine fills in the details, up to fifty photos at a time.
Questions
Is StageEngine or Hutch cheaper?
Hutch is $149/month or $1,499/year with unlimited users. StageEngine is $79, $149 or $299/month by plan. Prices checked October 3, 2026.
Does Hutch do invoices and contracts?
Proposals, contracts, invoicing and payments weren't listed on Hutch's site as of October 3, 2026. StageEngine includes all four.
Does Hutch have a free trial?
No trial was listed; Hutch offers a 90-day money-back guarantee. StageEngine has a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
Does either use RFID?
Not yet. Hutch lists RFID as "not yet"; StageEngine uses QR tags with a phone camera or scan gun, and RFID bulk scanning is coming soon.