The best estimating apps for small contractors, with what they cost
Seven apps, one honest line on who each is for, and the real price for one person. We make one of them and say so.
Most "best estimating software" lists are written by the company at the top of the list. This one is too, in a way: we make BidWriter Pro, it is in here, and we say who should not pick it. Prices are what each company's own pricing page said in September and October 2026, for one person paying month to month. They change. Check before you decide.
Square Invoices
Free. Estimates and invoices, card payments at a higher rate on the free tier, about 3.3 percent plus 30 cents, with a paid Plus tier at $49 a month. No scheduling, no quoting beyond the basics, no follow-ups. If you send a handful of simple estimates a month and already take cards through Square, it is hard to beat free. If you lose jobs to silence after sending, it does nothing about that.
Joist
From $10 a month for five documents, $17 for unlimited, $32 with change orders and license details. A line-item app: you build estimates from saved items and prices. Good at that, and it takes PayPal and Venmo. No automatic follow-ups. Right for a contractor whose bids are long parts lists priced from a catalog. The full breakdown.
Contractor+
Freedom is free and capped at 5 estimates or invoices a month and 250 clients. Pro Team is $58 a month with two users included and $20 a month per extra user, read from their pricing page on October 17, 2026. Estimating, invoicing, scheduling, a client list, and payments in one app. Right for a contractor who sends fewer than five estimates a month and wants an all-in-one for free. Contractor+ alternatives.
BidWriter Pro
$29 a month, one plan, 30 days free with no card. You type the job the way you would text it and it comes back as a clean estimate under your name. The customer signs it on their phone and pays the deposit; follow-ups go out on day 3 and day 7; the balance is requested with one tap. No scheduling, dispatch or QuickBooks sync, on purpose. Right for the contractor who writes their own bids and needs them signed and paid, not managed. Type a job and see what your customer gets, no account.
Jobber
Core is $49 a month for one person billed monthly, or $29 a month on a $348 annual plan. Follow-ups start on Connect at $139 and customer-picked options on Grow at $199. A full platform: scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, client hub, marketing add-ons. Right for a company with crews and an office. Heavy for one truck. The full breakdown.
Housecall Pro
Basic for one user is $59 a month paid annually, about $79 month to month. Estimates, scheduling, invoicing, payments, marketing, and a large community of pros. Right for an owner-operator who plans to hire. The full breakdown.
Houzz Pro
Listed at $99 a month for the Design plan and $199 for Pro on Houzz's own page, with review sites showing higher figures, on annual contracts. Built for remodelers and design-build firms: lead management from the Houzz marketplace, mood boards, 3D floor plans, estimates and invoicing. Right for a remodeler who gets work from Houzz. Expensive for estimates alone.
How to pick
- A few simple estimates a month, no follow-up problem: Square, free.
- Long line-item bids from a saved price list: Joist, $17.
- You write your own bids and lose some to silence, and want the deposit paid when they sign: BidWriter Pro, $29.
- Crews, dispatch, recurring billing, an office: Jobber or Housecall Pro, $49 to $79 and up.
- Remodels sold through Houzz: Houzz Pro, $99 and up.
A few more that show up in searches, with prices read October 17, 2026. QuoteIQ starts at $29.99 for one user, but e-signatures begin on its $99.99 plan. Markate is $49.95 a month for an owner-operator with a CRM and marketing built in. Kickserv starts at $60 a month for five users. Workiz and FieldPulse do not print a price; you request a quote. Buildertrend is for builders running full projects and starts in the hundreds a month. None of these is built for a one-truck contractor writing bids from the driveway.
Side by side: Jobber vs BidWriter Pro, Housecall Pro vs BidWriter Pro, Joist vs BidWriter Pro, and Jobber vs Housecall Pro.
Free, no account: job price calculator, markup vs margin, hourly rate, and 84 sample estimates.
All guides · How much does Jobber cost in 2026? · How much does Housecall Pro cost in 2026? · How much does Joist cost in 2026? · How to write a bid that gets signed · How much deposit should a contractor ask for? · Estimate vs quote vs proposal: which one should you send? · How to follow up on an estimate without being pushy · Why customers don't respond to your estimates · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to send an estimate by text message · Estimate vs invoice: what to send and when · How to write a change order that gets accepted the same day · How to price a job: a method you can do on your phone · Good, better, best: how to put options on an estimate · Should you charge for estimates? · How to write the warranty line on an estimate · How to ask a customer for a review without it feeling like a form letter · When a customer asks for a discount · How to get paid faster as a contractor · How to write a scope of work that stops arguments · How to write an estimate on your phone, in the driveway · Eight estimate mistakes that lose jobs