One of the most critical parts of being a plumbing contractor is cost estimation. If you underquote, you run into losses. And if you overestimate, you could lose the bid for the plumbing project.
That's why many leading plumbing companies prefer using good estimating software for plumbers.
But do you know what a plumbing estimating software is? So, let's describe it real quick.
What You'll Learn
- 01How plumbing estimating software streamlines bid creation and cost calculations
- 02Top 8 plumbing estimating solutions with detailed pricing and features
- 03Key challenges in manual estimate creation and how software solves them
- 04Ways estimating software saves time, money, and reduces errors
- 05How to choose the right software based on business size and needs
Understanding Plumbing Estimating Software
A plumbing estimating software helps create professional-looking bids for each of your projects in just a few clicks. And since it automates the calculation of estimated costs with timelines, the entire bidding process becomes smoother and more streamlined.
On top of that, it takes human errors out of the picture while ensuring complete accuracy and transparency in the overall material and labor cost projections.
Sounds great! But which is the best plumbing estimating software you should get for your business?
Let's start with the list of our top 8 picks for plumbing estimating app to help you make the right choice.
Quick Comparison
At-a-Glance Comparison
| # | Software | Price | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | InvoiceOwl | $11.99/mo | 5.0 | Contractors & small businesses |
| 2 | STACK | $1,999/yr | 4.5 | Enterprises with complex needs |
| 3 | Joist | $12/mo | 4.1 | Freelancers & small teams |
| 4 | Zoho | Custom | 4.6 | Businesses needing integrations |
| 5 | Estimate Rocket | Custom | 4.9 | Mid-size to large businesses |
| 6 | FreshBooks | $6/mo | 4.5 | Freelancers & consultants |
| 7 | Invoice Simple | Custom | 4.0 | Simple estimate needs |
| 8 | Fergus | $27/mo/user | 4.6 | Job management + estimating |
InvoiceOwl: Best for Contractors, Small businesses, Mid-size businesses
InvoiceOwl
Best Plumbing Estimating Software for Contractors
As cloud-based software for estimating and invoicing, InvoiceOwl, enables you to create professional estimates in a matter of mere moments. With its dedicated estimating mobile app, you can generate and send quotations right from your smartphone, no matter where you are. What's more? You get notified whenever the clients open your quotes, saving you from those awkward follow-up calls.
The icing on the cake is how this software for plumbing contractors supports adding documents and photos to your proposals. This way, your bid easily stands out from the competition, making a strong impression on your clients. You can also accurately itemize the estimated material and labor costs of the plumbing project with InvoiceOwl. This allows your prospects to have a clearer picture of their expenditure from the very beginning.
Additionally, the features like invoice generator, purchase order generator, and receipt maker, along with financial reports and QuickBooks integration, make this app one of the best plumbing software.
Why users choose InvoiceOwl
- Easy-to-use interface with customizable templates
- Anytime, anywhere access via mobile app
- Real-time invoice tracking notifications
- Online payment support for upfront deposits & invoices
- Seamless QuickBooks integration for accounting
InvoiceOwl makes creating estimates on-the-go incredibly easy. The customizable templates and e-signature feature save me hours every week.
Pricing details:
- Monthly plan: $28.99
- Yearly plan: $99.99
- Free trial available to explore all features
STACK: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Large enterprises
STACK
Advanced Estimating with AutoCount Technology
STACK's estimating software for plumbing is meant to give your manual counting and measurement duties a break. Thanks to its powerful AutoCount feature, you can get item totals within seconds. Moreover, you can store and convert those details into a comprehensive estimate that includes multiple factors, such as labor, equipment, tax, and profit margin.
What's more interesting is that the solution can determine the number of plumbing fixtures, toilets, and sinks. It also simplifies projecting the quantities of fittings required for a particular project.
Apart from that, the software offers centralized storage for all your documents and proposals. This helps ensure your team is always aligned and using the right data for their respective work.
Pros
- Customizable, easy-to-learn software
- Remote access from any device
- Improved communication among teams
- Free support & training included
Cons
- Loading blueprints is troublesome with multiple users
- Limited features in the free plan
- Higher price point than competitors
Stack pricing:
- Start plan: $1,999 per year
- Grow plan: $4,999 per year
Joist: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses
Joist
Mobile-First Estimating for Contractors
The Joist app is specifically designed keeping in mind the estimating needs of general contractors. The software cuts down the process of creating and delivering your plumbing estimates from hours to mere minutes.
You can save and select your most in-demand services in the system's item catalog, which, in turn, simplifies and speeds up generating your future estimates. The software comes with mobile accessibility, which is simple enough to use for people with little to no tech knowledge.
To make things even smoother, Joist supports e-signature functionality. It empowers your clients to sign estimates either online or in-person hassle-freely. Besides, you can customize estimated templates your way, duplicate them, and attach contracts for a more centralized process.
Pros
- User-friendly interface for non-tech users
- Streamlined, faster estimating process
- Online and in-person client e-signatures
- Remote access across all devices
Cons
- Limited features in the starter plan
- Must upgrade to paid plans for extensive functionality
Joist pricing:
- Starter: Free
- Joist Pro: $12 per month
- Joist Pro Elite: $29 per month
Zoho: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid-size businesses, Large enterprises
Zoho
Comprehensive Estimating with Ecosystem Integration
With Zoho estimating software, sending professional quotes for your plumbing contracts becomes super smooth. There is a wide range of estimating templates to choose from. You can customize each quote according to the distinct project requirements with ease.
To make the estimates more comprehensive, Zoho allows you to include every piece of information that you find necessary, right from consumer notes to specific terms and conditions. Such attention to detail makes your estimates stand out, boosting your chance of winning the bid.
What's more? It accelerates the approval process through its e-sign capability. Moreover, you can convert your estimates into a professional invoice with a simple click. Also, you can easily revisit previous records, including your estimated history, client interactions, and discounts offered.
Pros
- Easy interface with intuitive navigation
- Client portal for better collaboration
- Ready, personalizable templates
- Seamless integration with Zoho ecosystem
Cons
- Customer support response times vary
Zoho pricing: Contact the Zoho team for custom pricing based on your business needs.
Estimate Rocket: Best for Small businesses, Mid-size businesses, Large enterprises
Estimate Rocket
Fast Estimate Builder for Detailed Quotes
The estimate builder in Estimate Rocket estimating software streamlines the process of creating easy-to-understand yet detailed estimates for you. Using this tool, developing estimates only takes a few minutes instead of the hours that go into the conventional manual process loaded with documents.
The system provides you with a variety of templates that you can tailor according to your brand. And as the system automates the complex calculations for you, your estimates become more accurate, minus the hassles.
Estimate Rocket allows you to get up and running in moments. You don't have to go through the tedious software installation process or worry about downloading the latest updates. All you need to do is log into the platform through any device of your preference and begin working since this tool is available online.
Pros
- Simple-to-navigate interface
- Excellent customer service
- Hassle-free estimate generation
- Uninterrupted access from anywhere across devices
Cons
- Tracking functionality could improve
- Learning curve varies by user experience
Estimate Rocket pricing: Contact the Estimate Rocket team for pricing details. Free 30-day trial available, or request a tailored plan.
FreshBooks: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses
FreshBooks
Professional Estimating with Email Integration
FreshBooks, through its advanced estimating software, helps keep the guessing game at bay when it comes to forecasting total project costs. All it takes are a few clicks, and the system generates a professional-looking, accurate estimate for you.
Sharing these estimates with clients is also a hassle-free process since estimates can be sent via email right from the platform. Your clients can approve and digitally sign the proposals with ease, which some of FreshBooks' competitors don't offer!
To make the entire process more streamlined and speedy, FreshBooks empowers you to monitor the estimation status. In fact, you can also review and reply to the client's requests for modifications immediately. You also get to add discounts and profit margins, as well as turn your estimates into invoices with ease. The best part? FreshBooks enables you to charge clients in the currency you prefer.
Pros
- Easy to use interface
- Responsive customer service
- Remote access with dedicated mobile app
- Rich customization & invoice conversions
Cons
- Occasional performance lags
FreshBooks pricing:
- Lite: Around $6 per month
- Plus: About $10 per month
- Premium: About $20 per month
- Select: Personalized pricing
- 30-day free trial available
Invoice Simple: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid-size businesses, Large enterprises
Invoice Simple
Simple Estimates with Automated Calculations
Generating professional estimates for your plumbing services from scratch becomes faster and smoother with the Invoice Simple estimating tool. The platform provides plumbing contractors like you with ready-to-use estimate templates. You can fully personalize these templates based on your unique brand guidelines and project requirements.
Using Invoice Simple, you can automate the complex task of calculating the sum of your material and labor costs, taxes, profit markups, and final estimate pricing.
The platform also sends you updates when your clients receive and view your estimates so that you don't keep waiting endlessly and can plan for further steps accordingly. This helps save time, resources, and effort.
Apart from that, you can easily convert these estimates into sleek invoices with a simple click, streamlining your payment operations.
Pros
- Simple to use design
- Helpful customer support
- Flexible & customizable templates
- Ability to change currencies & languages
Cons
- Limited estimate template options
Invoice Simple pricing: Contact the Invoice Simple team for pricing details. Free online trial available for estimates and invoices.
Fergus: Best for Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid-size businesses
Fergus
Job Management with Estimating Power
With the plumbing estimating software by Fergus, you can choose to generate a detailed itemized estimate or a quote with just an overview. The process of building a quote in both of these cases, however, remains simple. What's more beneficial is that the system allows you to create an invoice or a purchase order with merely a click to accelerate your payments.
The software comes with a Favorites Builder through which you can seamlessly group the labor and items you frequently use for recurring jobs. That way, you have a repeatable estimate, which further speeds up your estimating process. You can change your markups and hassle-freely upload and pull pricing from your books, reducing the need to enter all the data again.
Using this estimating and job management software also enables you to create and track multiple versions of a quotation along with its status. The tool also keeps a history of the changes requested by clients.
Pros
- Simple interface for easy navigation
- Free training & support included
- Highly customizable templates
- Seamless accounting integration
Cons
- Initial learning curve for new users
Fergus pricing:
- Free plan: Limited features
- Basic: $27 per user per month
- Professional: $40 per user per month
Challenges in Manually Creating Plumbing Estimates
Plumbing estimates are challenging because there is so much data to organize:
- The costs of labor and parts might be challenging to check on the spot because they change often.
- Lead-time and inventory fluctuate.
- Time management issues and the technicians' work schedules are also important factors.
Due to the lack of professional estimators in the majority of small businesses, the estimation procedure becomes even more difficult. This can result in issues such as:
- Miscalculations or errors in the cost estimations of labor or part cost estimations.
- Presentation that isn't very professional.
- Not knowing exactly what has to be done due to a lack of technical and operational understanding.
- It takes time and effort to repeatedly look for prices and lead times.
It is impossible to stay afloat, let alone consider expanding your business if you are unable to receive estimations priced correctly and issued quickly.
By developing better, more effective ways for project management and communicating information, you may shorten the project estimating process and help your entire business expand.
Pro Tip
Match up with plumbing marketing trends to stand ahead of your competitors while using estimating software to streamline operations.
Ways Plumbing Estimating Software Simplifies Your Life
Key Benefits of Plumbing Estimating Software
- Saves your time with customizable, pre-designed estimate templates
- Saves your money by eliminating the need for a dedicated accountant
- Eliminates human errors by reducing manual touchpoints in the estimate process
- Automates follow-ups with real-time tracking and live notifications
Streamline Your Plumbing Estimate Process
InvoiceOwl automates your plumbing estimate process to make it quick and easy. Create professional estimates, track them in real-time, and get paid faster.
Start Your FREE TrialFrequently Asked Questions
Key features of plumbing estimating software include accuracy, usability, screen takeoff and estimating software, customizable estimation templates, order change functionality, document management, and analytics and reporting. Plumbing estimating software also saves time, eliminates human error, saves resources, and automates follow-ups.
Most SaaS solutions are charged per user and range in cost from $19 to $225 monthly. For a specific number of users, one-time perpetual licensing costs range from $279 to $1,445 per user.
Choosing on-premises or cloud-based solutions will affect how much plumbing software costs. The monthly SaaS subscription for cloud-based software is different from the one-time perpetual licensing fee for on-premise solutions. Both of these options include varying levels of updates, general upkeep, and IT support.
First, determine the business's size and scope. Small businesses might not require quite as much functionality as bigger ones.
If you run a big business, the software you use should be able to manage the volume of tasks you perform.
You should also consider what kind of data the app will be tracking. For instance, if all you need to manage is the cost of supplies, you won't need as much capability as a business that also wants to keep tabs on client data, equipment utilization, and staff hours. Your budget is also a key factor to consider.
Conclusion
Estimating is a vital aspect of a plumbing contractor's work. A one seemingly minor mistake can drive the clients away from you. Therefore, it becomes a wise decision to switch to a good plumbing estimating tool that automates this critical task for you.
It's challenging to single out one software solution as the best one while evaluating 8 alternatives. Each piece of software has a distinct set of pros and cons. Your business requirements are also a prime factor to consider.
But when it comes to estimates and quote creation, InvoiceOwl would create effective proposals with the utmost accuracy. The functionalities like quick estimation and invoice creation, eSign, estimation tracking, and real-time notification are some of the unique functionalities that make InvoiceOwl one of the best plumbing estimating software.
So don't delay; begin InvoiceOwl's FREE TRIAL immediately and automate your estimating process.
