Built by someone who cares
A personal promise from founder R.L. Stephens — including a locked-in $9.99 price for early subscribers.
Read the promiseAI estimating partner for contractors & handymen
Your Free Bid Calculator
Describe the job out loud and get a priced bid with your real margin — right here.
Free calculator — no account, no card, nothing to install. Voice chat needs a free account.
Bid Buddy AI
BetaYour hands-free estimating buddy.
Hi! I'm Bid Buddy, your AI bidding assistant. I'll guide you step by step through your bid. You don't need bidding experience. Just answer a few questions and together we'll build a professional bid.
Your bid
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$
%
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Your bid is calculated as total cost ÷ (1 − margin) for a true margin.
Total job cost
$23,000.00
Recommended bid
$28,750.00
Profit
$5,750.00
Margin
20%
Free download
Get the Contractor Pricing Cheat Sheet
The one-page reference every independent contractor should have: markup vs. margin conversions, typical overhead and target margins by trade, and the five-line estimate formula. Sent straight to your inbox — no cost, unsubscribe any time.
Free estimator, alwaysNo signup to try itWorks on your phone in the truck
№ 01 / The Standard
Why contractors trust Bid Buddy
Real humans behind it
Ask the AI, or leave a message and get a real person within 1–2 business days.
Visit the help centerMath shown, not hidden
We explain markup vs. margin in plain English so you know exactly why the bid is what it is.
See the explainerMade for real trades
Trade-specific guides for roofing, painting, flooring, HVAC and more — with the calculator baked in.
Browse trades№ 03 / The Method
How it works on the job
No dropdowns. No spreadsheets. Just a conversation that ends with a real bid.
01
Step 1
Tell Bid Buddy about the job
Voice or text — describe the work like you'd tell a buddy on the phone.
02
Step 2
It asks the right questions
Scope, size, materials, margin. Bid Buddy builds line items with you as you talk.
03
Step 3
Get a real bid, send a real proposal
See total cost, bid, profit, and true margin. Upgrade to Pro to send it as a proposal.
№ 04 / Pro
What Pro adds when you're ready
The estimator stays free. Pro is for the contractor who bids every week and wants the paperwork handled too.
Current material pricing
Coming to Pro: Bid Buddy looks up what your materials actually cost near your ZIP, so your bid reflects this week's prices — not last year's.
Saved bids & templates
Every bid stored in your account, plus reusable templates for the jobs you quote over and over.
AI-written proposals
Turn any bid into a polished, itemized proposal and email it to the customer the same day.
Every future feature
Founding members keep $9.99/month and get everything we build next — no upsell, no new tier to buy.
№ 05 / Founding Member Pricing
Try Pro free for 3 days. Then $9.99/month — locked in.
Pro unlocks saved bids, a template library, and AI-written proposals your customers can sign. Cancel any time. As long as you stay subscribed during this launch window, your $9.99 price never goes up — even after we add higher tiers.
- Save & reuse bids
- Template library
- AI-written proposals
- Every future feature included
What Pro members say we do differently
"It's the first estimating tool that actually feels like it's working with me, not against me. I talk, it listens, and I walk away with a bid I trust."
— Early Bid Buddy user, remodeling contractor
№ 06 / The Comparison
How Bid Buddy fits next to the tools you already know
Most estimating tools are built for crews and offices. Bid Buddy is built for the person swinging the hammer.
| Feature | Bid Buddy | Buildertrend | Clear Estimates | Jobber / Housecall Pro | Free calculators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9.99/mo | $399+/mo | $79/mo | $69+/mo | Free |
| Setup time | Minutes | Days–weeks | Hours | Hours | Minutes |
| AI-guided estimating | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Voice input | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| True-margin math | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | No |
| Pro proposals in one flow | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Built for solo operators | Yes | No | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Locked-in pricing | Yes | No | No | No | — |
Pricing and features summarized from publicly listed information as of 2026. Names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.
№ 07 / Questions