In your truck, not your office
Mobile-first. Voice-first. Built to use one-handed on a job walk, not chained to a desktop.
Free contractor estimate app
The Contractor Estimate App Built for Independent Pros
A free AI bid calculator you can actually talk to. Get an accurate estimate, protect your true margin, and — with Pro — send a professional proposal in minutes. No spreadsheets, no training, no $400/month bill.
Free forever plan. Pro is $9.99/mo — locked in for founding subscribers.
Why an estimate app beats a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet was fine ten years ago. Today your competition is bidding from the driveway, in five minutes, on a phone.
Talk it through — no forms
Tell Bid Buddy about the job in plain English. It asks the right questions and builds the line items with you.
Real margin, not markup
Prices to the margin you actually want to keep, so a 30% target really nets you 30% — not 23%.
What you get with Bid Buddy
Every feature earns its keep on the next job — not the next quarterly review.
AI-guided bidding
Quick mode groups materials so you're done in minutes. Detailed mode itemizes every line. Your call, every job.
True-margin math
The bid = cost ÷ (1 − target margin). No more accidentally underbidding because you confused markup with margin.
Professional proposals (Pro)
Turn any bid into a customer-ready proposal — polished, itemized, ready to send today.
Reusable templates (Pro)
Save your best bids as templates. Next kitchen remodel or roof job, start from your own numbers — not zero.
How Bid Buddy fits next to the tools you already know
Bid Buddy isn't trying to replace your invoicing app or your CRM. It's the piece they all skip: an AI that actually helps you build the bid.
Joist
Great for invoicing. Not built to guide you through the bid itself.
Clear Estimates
Deep catalog for remodelers. Steeper price, steeper learning curve.
Buildertrend
Full back-office CRM for GCs with crews. Overkill for a one-truck operator.
Housecall Pro / Jobber
Field-service CRM. Handy for scheduling; the bidding tools are basic.
Want the full breakdown? See the AI estimating comparison →
Estimate any trade
Trade-specific guides with the calculator baked in.
Contractor estimate app — FAQ
The questions we hear most from independent contractors sizing up bidding software.
Try the contractor estimate app free
Open the free bid calculator, or start a 3-day Pro trial and lock in $9.99/month for life.