Quote Maker App for Contractors: 8 Apps Compared (2026)

A tradesman’s hand holding a smartphone with a dark blank screen beside an open van door in a driveway, tools visible in the van behind — A quote app has to work in the driveway: price from your rates, send from the phone, invoice when you win.

By QuoteIron TeamUpdated November 2, 202614 min read

Key takeaways

QuoteIron is free for 5 jobs a month, then $15.99 a month ($159.99 a year), with 1100+ job templates priced from your own labor rate and markup.
Joist Pro is $16.99 a month or $169.99 a year on its App Store listing; Invoice Simple Premium, its unlimited-invoice plan, is $21.99 a month.
Over a year QuoteIron Pro costs $159.99 on the annual plan or $191.88 month to month, against $203.88 for Joist Pro month to month and $263.88 for Invoice Simple Premium.
Quotation Maker lists yearly plans from $11.99 to $18.99 and Wintech is free; on the pages we read, none of the seven other apps lists a built-in library of trade jobs.
All facts read from each app’s own listing or site on November 2, 2026; we make QuoteIron, so verify on the source.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Which quote maker app should a contractor use?

Short answer: If you are one person who prices jobs from your own rates, use QuoteIron: free for 5 jobs a month, then $15.99 a month ($159.99 a year), with 1100+ job templates, a one-tap quote-to-invoice, and card payments to your own Stripe account on Pro. If you only need a plain quote and nothing else, the free Wintech app (iPhone) or Quotation Maker (yearly plans from $11.99) is cheaper. Refrens is the web option, with 15 documents free. We make QuoteIron, so check every figure on the source page.

Prices checked November 2, 2026 on each app’s own store listing or website, linked in the sections below. Where a page does not say something, the table says so instead of guessing.

What a quote app must do 8 apps compared Year-one cost App by app Who should pick what Quote in two minutes FAQ

THE TEST

What a quote maker app has to do for a contractor.

A quote on a job site is a price a customer can say yes to. Six things matter:

Price from your own rates. A library of jobs with labor hours and parts, priced from your labor rate and markup, beats typing every line fresh. On the pages we read, none of the seven other apps lists a built-in library of trade jobs; QuoteIron ships 1100+ job templates.
Line items with materials. You need quantity, unit price and a place for parts and tax. All eight apps list some form of itemized lines.
Send from the phone. Text, email or PDF while you stand in the driveway.
Convert to an invoice. Joist, Quotation Maker, EstiMate, Refrens and QuoteIron say so; Invoice Simple, Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote and Wintech do not on the pages read.
Take payment. Recording a payment is common. Card payments through the app are listed by Joist, Invoice Simple and QuoteIron (Pro, your own Stripe account); only QuoteIron states who takes a cut.
Work offline. Basements and crawlspaces have no signal. QuoteIron, Quotation Maker and Wintech say something about offline or on-phone storage; the others are silent.

EIGHT APPS SIDE BY SIDE

Quote maker apps compared, one user.

Joist and Invoice Simple are the contractor-grade names; four more are small iPhone apps from the search results for these queries; Refrens is a web tool; QuoteIron is ours. Joist and Invoice Simple prices are App Store prices, because both pricing pages were Cloudflare-blocked.

Eight quote maker apps for one user: platforms, free plan, paid price, quote to invoice, price book, card payments and best use, read November 2, 2026
App	Platforms	Free plan	Paid price	Quote to invoice	Built-in price book / templates	Card payments	Best for
QuoteIron	iPhone, iPad and Android	5 jobs a month, no card, no time limit	Pro $15.99/mo or $159.99/yr	Yes: Make Invoice, same numbers	1100+ job templates priced from your rate and markup	Pro: your own Stripe account, Stripe’s standard fees, QuoteIron takes 0%	One person pricing by the job
Joist (Joist Software Inc.)	iPhone and iPad (listing also says desktop and web)	Free to download and try; free limits not listed on the listing	App Store: Basics $9.99/mo, Pro $16.99/mo or $169.99/yr, Elite $31.99/mo	Yes: “Convert estimates into invoices”	Build your own list of items, services and materials; no trade library	Credit card and PayPal in the US and Canada; fee not stated	Contractors who want plain estimates and invoices
Invoice Simple (Zenvoice)	iPhone and iPad	Free to download, free trial; limits not listed	App Store monthly: Essentials $6.99 (3 invoices), Plus $14.99 (10), Premium $21.99 (unlimited)	Not stated	Add product info; autofill item info on Plus; no trade library	Online payments, “low rates”; rate not stated	Invoice-first small businesses
Quotation Maker (Umang Kathiyara)	iPhone and iPad	Free to download; free limits not listed	Yearly in-app plans: Quotation $11.99, Invoice & Quotation $14.99, Platinum $18.99	Yes: “convert them to invoices later”	Customizable invoice template; keeps the items you bill; no trade price list	Records payments; bank-payment QR; card not mentioned	Cheap quote and invoice on an iPhone
Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote (Huzaib Sayyed)	iPhone and iPad	Free with ads	Remove ads: $4.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly	Not listed (you can duplicate a document)	Templates; add products, services, quantities	Not mentioned	Occasional quotes with tax and multi-currency
Wintech (Umang Kathiyara)	iPhone	Free, no in-app purchases, unlimited quotations and clients	None	Not listed; quote only	Not listed	No payment processing	A plain quote PDF, nothing else
EstiMate - Quotation Partner	iPhone and iPad	Free to download; free limits not listed	In-app: Data Sharing $4.99/mo, Project Management $2.99/mo	Projects from quotes; invoices and change orders at project end	Item database you fill yourself	Tracks payments; processing not mentioned	Quotes with an item list on iPhone or iPad
Refrens	Web; its page links Android and iOS apps	15 documents free	Premium price not stated on the pages read	Yes: one click	Template library; product catalogue you fill	Collect payments; “small payment gateway fee”, rate not stated	Web quoting with a document cap

Sources, all read November 2, 2026: QuoteIron home · Joist · Invoice Simple · Quotation Maker · Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote · Wintech · EstiMate · Refrens quotation maker and Refrens pricing. For crew platforms such as Jobber and Housecall Pro see the Jobber alternative comparison.

YEAR-ONE COST, ONE USER

What twelve months costs.

Our arithmetic on the prices above, read November 2, 2026: twelve months times a monthly price, or the yearly price as listed. App-store prices exclude tax. Listings do not always say which in-app purchase unlocks which feature.

Year-one cost for one user by quote maker app, with the arithmetic
App and plan	Year one	Arithmetic
QuoteIron Pro, annual	$159.99	Listed yearly price (free for 5 jobs a month: $0)
QuoteIron Pro, monthly	$191.88	12 × $15.99
Joist Pro, annual	$169.99	Listed yearly price
Joist Pro, monthly	$203.88	12 × $16.99 (Basics: 12 × $9.99 = $119.88)
Invoice Simple Premium, monthly	$263.88	12 × $21.99 (Plus 12 × $14.99 = $179.88; Essentials 12 × $6.99 = $83.88)
Quotation Maker, Invoice & Quotation	$14.99	Listed yearly price (Quotation alone $11.99)
Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote, remove ads	$29.99	Listed yearly price; monthly route 12 × $4.99 = $59.88
EstiMate, both monthly add-ons	$95.76	12 × ($4.99 + $2.99); either alone: $59.88 or $35.88
Wintech	$0	Free, no in-app purchases
Refrens	Not stated	Premium price not on the pages read; 15 documents free

The gap, in dollars. Like for like, unlimited jobs: Joist Pro is $10.00 more than QuoteIron Pro on annual plans ($169.99 minus $159.99) and $12.00 more month to month ($203.88 minus $191.88); Invoice Simple Premium is $72.00 more month to month ($263.88 minus $191.88). The cheapest quote-only apps cost $0 to $14.99 a year but list no trade library and no stated card fee. If you send fewer than 5 jobs a month, QuoteIron’s free plan costs $0.

ONE PARAGRAPH EACH

The eight apps, one at a time.

QuoteIron. Per its home page and FAQ, read November 2, 2026: free for 5 jobs a month, Pro $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year, on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with 1100+ job templates.

Joist. Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, shows Joist Software Inc.’s app as free to download and try, with Basics at $9.99 a month, Pro at $16.99 a month or $169.99 a year and Elite at $31.99 a month. It lists converting estimates to invoices, scheduling, a list of commonly used items and materials, and credit card and PayPal payments in the US and Canada.

Invoice Simple. Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, shows Zenvoice Inc.’s app as free with a free trial and monthly plans: Essentials $6.99 (up to 3 invoices a month), Plus $14.99 (10) and Premium $21.99 (unlimited). It lists estimates, receipts and online payments with “low rates” but no rate.

Quotation Maker (Umang Kathiyara). Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, shows a free app with in-app purchases, for iPhone and iPad. It says you can convert estimates to invoices, lists Cloud and Offline Sync, and sells yearly plans from $11.99 to $44.99 (multi-user).

Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote (Huzaib Sayyed). Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, shows a free, ad-supported iPhone and iPad app whose only purchases remove ads: $4.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly. It lists templates and purchase orders; card payments and offline use are not mentioned.

Wintech (Umang Kathiyara). Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, calls it a free iPhone app with no in-app purchases that makes quotations and estimates, calculates tax and lists unlimited quotations and clients. It lists no invoicing or payment processing.

EstiMate - Quotation Partner. Its App Store listing, read November 2, 2026, shows a free app with in-app purchases for iPhone and iPad. Its version notes list an item database and projects created from quotes, with change orders and invoices generated at the end.

Refrens. Its quotation maker page and pricing page, read November 2, 2026, offer 15 free documents and one-click conversion to an invoice. The premium price is not stated, and online payments carry a “small payment gateway fee” with no rate given.

THE HONEST SPLIT

Who should pick what.

Pick by how you work, not by the length of a feature list.

Which quote maker app fits which contractor
If you are	Look at	Why
One person pricing jobs from your own rates	QuoteIron	Free for 5 jobs a month, then $15.99; 1100+ job templates priced from your rate and markup
Want the established contractor estimate-and-invoice app	Joist	Pro $16.99/mo or $169.99/yr on its App Store listing; invoices from estimates; card payments in the US and Canada
Invoice-first, a few documents a month	Invoice Simple	Essentials $6.99/mo covers 3 invoices a month; unlimited is $21.99/mo
Want the cheapest quote-and-invoice app on an iPhone	Quotation Maker	Yearly plans listed from $11.99; says it converts estimates to invoices
Need only a plain quote PDF, never an invoice	Wintech	Free, no in-app purchases, iPhone only
Quote on the web and do not mind a document cap	Refrens	15 documents free; premium price not stated
Want projects, change orders and invoices from a quote on iPad	EstiMate	$2.99 a month project management, listed; check what it unlocks
On Android	QuoteIron	QuoteIron lists Google Play on its home page; the four small apps list iPhone and iPad only; Joist and Invoice Simple were read from their App Store listings (we did not read their Play listings); Refrens is web-first
Running a crew with dispatch	A crew platform	Joist lists scheduling, but none of these eight dispatches a crew; see the Jobber alternative comparison

THE TWO-MINUTE QUOTE

How to make a quote in QuoteIron in about two minutes.

In QuoteIron: the live help page says you can build a firm price in about 90 seconds. A job counts against the free 5 when you first send it; drafting never counts.

Open the app. The book builds itself on first open, with all fourteen trades. In Settings, Pricing, set your labor rate, materials markup and service-call fee once.
Tap the round orange compose button at the right end of the tab bar and choose Estimate. Pick the client, or tap New Client.
Tap Add from Book, search, and tap the jobs you are doing. Need something the book lacks? Tap Custom Line and name your own price.
Tap Send Estimate, pick Text Message or Email under Send By, or tap Share / PDF. The first send asks you to create your free account.
The link turns Viewed when opened and Won when approved. Put up to three tiers on one quote and let the customer pick.
Won it? Open the estimate, tap Make Invoice, set a deposit if you want one, then Send Invoice. Tap Collect to log cash, check or Zelle, or, with Pro, send the card link.

Source: quoteiron.com/help, read November 2, 2026. To price the lines themselves, see how to flat-rate price a job and the flat-rate price book app comparison. For the paperwork after the quote, see receipt vs invoice.

BEFORE YOU DECIDE

Decision checklist and objections.

“A $12-a-year app is cheaper.” It is, by $147.99 a year against QuoteIron Pro annual ($159.99 minus $11.99). If you send under 5 jobs a month, QuoteIron free is also $0. The extra buys a built-in trade library and card payments to your own Stripe account.
“I need Android.” Joist, Invoice Simple and the four small apps list iPhone and iPad on their App Store pages; QuoteIron runs on iPhone, iPad and Android.
“I take cards.” With QuoteIron Pro, card payments go to your own Stripe account at Stripe’s standard fees, and QuoteIron takes 0%. Its comparison page states 2.9% + 30¢ per online card payment; see card processing fees compared. Joist and Invoice Simple list card payments but not a rate.
“I use QuickBooks.” QuoteIron Pro sends customers, invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online, one way.

New to flat-rate pricing? Start with the QuoteIron help guides.

STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Quote maker app questions.

What is the best quote maker app for contractors?

For one person who prices jobs by the job, QuoteIron: it is free for 5 jobs a month, then $15.99 a month ($159.99 a year), and it ships 1100+ job templates that price from your own labor rate and markup. If you only need a plain quote on an iPhone, the free Wintech app or Quotation Maker (listed from $11.99 a year) may be enough.

Is there a free quote maker app?

Yes, several. On the pages we read November 2, 2026: QuoteIron is free for 5 jobs a month with no card and no time limit; Wintech is free with no in-app purchases and lists unlimited quotations and clients; Refrens gives you 15 documents free. Joist, Invoice Simple, Quotation Maker, Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote and EstiMate are free to download but sell in-app purchases.

What is the difference between a quote, an estimate and an invoice?

A quote is a firm price you offer before the work, an estimate is a best guess that can move, and an invoice is the bill you send after the work or at a milestone. In QuoteIron the quote and the estimate are the same document, called Estimate, and one tap on Make Invoice turns a won estimate into an invoice with the same numbers.

Can I make a quote on my phone?

Yes. QuoteIron runs on iPhone, iPad and Android; Joist, Invoice Simple and the four small apps list iPhone and iPad on their App Store pages (Wintech lists iPhone); Refrens is a web tool. In QuoteIron you tap the compose button, choose Estimate, add jobs from your book and send it as a text, an email or a PDF.

Do quote apps include pricing?

Most do not. On the pages we read November 2, 2026, none of the seven other apps lists a built-in library of trade jobs; QuoteIron does (1100+ job templates with typical labor hours and mid-grade parts cost, priced from your own rate and markup). Joist, EstiMate and Refrens list an item or product list that you fill yourself, and the others list a place to type items and prices.

How much does a quote app cost?

Published prices for one user run from $0 to $263.88 in year one. Wintech is $0; Quotation Maker lists yearly plans from $11.99 to $18.99; Joist Pro is $16.99 a month; Invoice Simple Premium is $21.99 a month; QuoteIron Pro is $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year.

Can I make a quote with no signal?

With QuoteIron, yes: its FAQ says it keeps working in basements, crawlspaces and other dead zones. Quotation Maker lists Cloud and Offline Sync, and Joist describes itself as cloud-based. The other listings we read do not say, so check before you rely on one on a job site.

HOW WE CHECKED

Method and sources.

We searched “quote maker app”, “quotation maker app”, “quote creator app” and “quotation generator app” on November 2, 2026, dropped apps that put text on photos, added Joist and Invoice Simple as the best-known contractor apps, and read each app’s own App Store listing or site that day: Joist, Invoice Simple, Quotation Maker, Quotation Maker: Invoice Quote, Wintech, EstiMate, Refrens and Refrens pricing. QuoteIron facts come from quoteiron.com, /faq/, /help/ and /compare/jobber-alternative/, read November 2, 2026. Prices are list prices before tax. Joist and Invoice Simple web pricing pages returned Cloudflare blocks, so their App Store prices are used. We make QuoteIron. Not tax or legal advice.

Quote maker app for contractors: eight apps compared.