What to look for

Every app on this list makes a professional estimate a client can sign. Where they differ is where the numbers come from:

  • The measurements. Typed in by hand, taken off plans, or measured by the phone at the property: the takeoff.
  • The prices. Your own price book, a built-in database of labor and material rates, or prices worked out for the ZIP code.
  • What happens after. Invoices, deposits, e-signatures, CRM, an ESX file for insurance work.

Pick by the slowest part of your estimating today. If it’s measuring, get an app that measures. If it’s pricing, get one with prices. If it’s the paperwork after, get one that invoices.

Side by side

App Starts at, as listed Free trial or plan Built around
BluMatrix See the box above Free trial Measuring on the phone, then a line-item estimate
Joist $12 a month ($8.34 billed yearly) Estimates and invoices for solo contractors
Clear Estimates $79 a month ($59 billed yearly) 30-day free trial Remodeling estimates from a built-in rate database
Handoff $149 a month ($119 billed yearly) 7-day free trial AI estimates and proposals
Contractor+ Free; Pro Team $58 a month Free plan CRM, estimates and invoices
SimplyWise Cost Estimator Pro $29.99, as listed on the App Store An itemized estimate from a photo

Prices are from each company’s own pricing page and change; check theirs before buying.

BluMatrix

BluMatrix starts with the measuring. Rooms are scanned with LiDAR on an iPhone Pro or iPad Pro, or marked corner by corner on any phone; roofs come from an EagleView report or the satellite sketch from the address. The estimate is then written line by line from those measurements, with labor and materials at current prices for the ZIP code, and the client signs online. Photo reports, floor plan reports and ESX files for insurance work come from the same project.

Best for: contractors, roofers and restoration crews who want to walk the job and send the bid before they leave the driveway.

Joist

Joist is the low-cost way to look professional: estimates and invoices from the phone. Basics is $12 a month, or $8.34 a month billed yearly; Pro, for full-time solo contractors, is $17 a month, or $14.17 billed yearly.

Best for: solo contractors who know their prices and just need clean estimates and invoices.

Clear Estimates

Clear Estimates is built for remodelers. Its Standard plan is $79 a month, or $59 billed yearly, with unlimited estimates, e-signature and a database of more than 13,000 labor and material line items, updated quarterly. Pro is $119 a month and adds image and plan uploads and integrations. Every plan comes with a 30-day free trial.

Best for: remodelers who want a price database to build estimates from.

Handoff

Handoff is AI estimating aimed at residential remodeling and construction, with proposals and voice-to-estimate. Flex is $149 a month, or $119 billed yearly, with a 7-day free trial; Pro and Scale are larger plans on a 12-month commitment.

Best for: residential contractors bidding larger jobs who want AI-written proposals.

Contractor+

Contractor+ is a field-service suite with a free-forever plan: basic CRM for up to 250 leads and clients and up to 5 estimates or invoices a month, on web, mobile and tablet. Pro Team is $58 a month with two users included and $20 for each additional user.

Best for: small companies that want CRM and estimates in one place, starting free.

SimplyWise

SimplyWise’s cost estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate. Its App Store listing shows Cost Estimator Pro at $29.99, among several plan prices.

Best for: quick ballpark estimates from a photo.

Which one to choose

  • Measure the job on the phone and estimate from it: BluMatrix.
  • Lowest price for estimates and invoices: Joist.
  • A remodeling price database: Clear Estimates.
  • AI proposals for bigger residential jobs: Handoff.
  • A free plan with CRM: Contractor+.
  • A ballpark from a photo: SimplyWise.

Common questions

What is the best free estimating app?

Contractor+ has a free-forever plan with up to 5 estimates or invoices a month. Others offer a free trial instead: BluMatrix, Clear Estimates and Handoff.

Can an app measure the job for the estimate?

Yes. BluMatrix measures rooms with LiDAR on an iPhone Pro or by marking corners on any phone, and roofs from the address, then writes the estimate from those measurements.

Do I need Xactimate for insurance estimates?

Carriers and adjusters mostly work in Xactimate, but the contractor doesn’t have to. An app that exports ESX files sends the work into Xactimate. The list of apps that export to Xactimate compares them.

Which estimating app works on Android?

BluMatrix runs on Android as well as iPhone, iPad and the web. For the others, check the app’s Google Play listing.