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The Best Quoting Software for Contractors in 2026

By BidlyQuotes Team

Sending quotes from your phone's notepad or a Word doc isn't cutting it anymore. Customers expect professional quotes, fast — and your competitors are delivering.

But contractor software is a crowded space. Some tools do everything (scheduling, invoicing, CRM, dispatching, quoting). Some focus on doing one thing well. Here's an honest breakdown of the best options for quoting in 2026.

What to Look For

Before comparing tools, know what actually matters for quoting:

  • **Speed** — How fast can you build and send a quote?
  • **Templates** — Can you save and reuse line items, materials, rates?
  • **Calculations** — Does it handle tax, markup, and materials math?
  • **Presentation** — Does the quote look professional to customers?
  • **Tracking** — Can you see if the customer opened/accepted the quote?
  • **Price** — Is it worth it for what you get?

    • The Contenders

    BidlyQuotes

    **Best for:** Contractors who want fast, professional quoting without the bloat.

    **What it does:** BidlyQuotes is built specifically for quoting. Not scheduling. Not dispatching. Not CRM. Just fast, accurate, professional quotes.

  • Quote in under 2 minutes with saved templates
  • Automatic tax and markup calculations
  • Customer portal with e-signatures
  • Quote tracking (know when they open it)
  • AI assistant trained on your data
  • Convert quotes to invoices in one click

    • **Pricing:**

  • Starter: $30/month (1 user)
  • Pro: $99/month (up to 5 users)
  • Business: $200/month (up to 10 users, +$50/5 additional)

    • **Best for:** Solo contractors and small teams who quote frequently and want to close faster without paying for features they don't use.

    [Try BidlyQuotes free →](https://bidlyquotes.com/auth/signup)

    Jobber

    **Best for:** Service businesses that need scheduling + quoting + invoicing in one platform.

    **What it does:** Jobber is a full field service management (FSM) tool. Quoting is one feature among many — scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, CRM, and client communication.

  • Quote builder with line items
  • Client hub for approvals
  • Scheduling and dispatching
  • Invoicing and payments
  • GPS tracking

    • **Pricing:**

  • Core: ~$49/month (1 user)
  • Connect: ~$129/month (up to 5)
  • Grow: ~$249/month (up to 15)

    • **Trade-off:** Jobber is a great all-in-one tool, but the quoting experience is just one piece. If quoting speed is your priority, you're paying for a lot of features around it.

    Housecall Pro

    **Best for:** Larger teams that need dispatching, online booking, and marketing tools alongside quoting.

    **What it does:** Housecall Pro is a heavy-duty FSM platform. It includes quoting, but also online booking, marketing automation, dispatching, and payment processing.

  • Quote and estimate builder
  • Online booking page
  • Automated marketing (email, postcards)
  • Dispatching and GPS
  • Payment processing (with their own rates)

    • **Pricing:**

  • Basic: ~$79/month (1 user)
  • Essentials: ~$189/month
  • MAX: Custom pricing

    • **Trade-off:** Powerful for big operations, but complex and expensive. The quoting features are buried inside a much larger platform. Onboarding takes time.

    Joist

    **Best for:** Budget-conscious solo contractors who need basic quoting and invoicing.

    **What it does:** Joist is a lightweight estimating and invoicing tool. Simple, affordable, and easy to learn.

  • Basic quote builder
  • Invoicing
  • Payment collection
  • Material and labor line items

    • **Pricing:**

  • Free tier available (limited)
  • Pro: ~$15/month
  • Elite: ~$32/month

    • **Trade-off:** You get what you pay for. The quoting is basic — limited templates, no AI, no customer portal. Fine for getting started, but you'll outgrow it.

    Comparison Table

    | Feature | BidlyQuotes | Jobber | Housecall Pro | Joist |

    |---------|------------|--------|---------------|-------|

    | Quote speed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |

    | Templates | ✅ Trade-specific | ✅ Basic | ✅ Basic | ✅ Limited |

    | Auto markup/tax | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Partial |

    | E-signatures | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (paid) |

    | Customer portal | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

    | AI assistant | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |

    | Scheduling | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

    | Dispatching | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

    | Starting price | $30/mo | $49/mo | $79/mo | Free |

    Which One Should You Pick?

    **Choose BidlyQuotes if:**

  • Quoting is your bottleneck
  • You want the fastest path from site visit to sent quote
  • You don't need scheduling/dispatching (or already have a solution)
  • You want a focused tool, not a Swiss Army knife

    • **Choose Jobber if:**

  • You need an all-in-one platform
  • Scheduling and dispatching are as important as quoting
  • You have 5-15 employees and need operational tools

    • **Choose Housecall Pro if:**

  • You're a larger operation with marketing needs
  • You want online booking and automated follow-ups
  • Budget isn't the primary concern

    • **Choose Joist if:**

  • You're just getting started and need something free or cheap
  • Your quoting volume is low
  • Basic is good enough for now

    • The Bottom Line

    The best quoting software is the one you'll actually use consistently. If your quotes go out faster and look more professional, you'll close more jobs. Period.

    If quoting speed and presentation are your biggest bottlenecks, [BidlyQuotes](https://bidlyquotes.com) was built for exactly that.

    [Start your free 14-day trial →](https://bidlyquotes.com/auth/signup)

    *Related reading: [How to Price a Job as a Contractor](/blog/how-to-price-a-job-contractor) | [5 Reasons You're Losing Jobs](/blog/why-contractors-lose-jobs)*

    #quoting#software#contractor tools#business growth

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