If you are a tradesperson looking for a free quote template, you are not alone. It is one of the most common searches tradespeople make when they realise that texting a price to a customer is costing them work. A professional-looking quote wins jobs. A scribbled number on the back of an envelope loses them.
The good news is there are plenty of free options available. The bad news is that most of them have significant limitations. In this guide, we review the most popular free quote templates for tradespeople, explain what each one does well and where it falls short, and introduce you to the AI-powered alternative that takes quoting off your plate entirely.
Why You Need a Proper Quote Template
Before we look at the options, let us be clear about why this matters. When a homeowner asks three tradespeople to quote for a job, they are comparing more than just price. They are comparing professionalism, clarity, and trustworthiness. A tradesperson who sends a branded, well-structured PDF quote will almost always beat a competitor who sends a WhatsApp message that says "kitchen extension 28k".
A good quote template should include your business details, a clear description of the work, an itemised cost breakdown, a timeline, payment terms, and your terms and conditions. If you are unsure about what to include, our guide on how to write a professional building quote covers everything in detail.
Option 1: Microsoft Word Templates
Word templates are the most widely used option. You can find dozens of free builder quote templates online — just search for "free builder quote template Word" and you will find templates from Microsoft's own gallery, Template.net, and various trade websites.
What is good
Word templates are familiar. If you already use Microsoft Office, you can open a template, fill in your details, add your logo, and save it as a PDF. There is no learning curve, and you can customise the layout to suit your brand. They are genuinely free — you just need a copy of Word (or the free online version via Office 365).
What is not good
Word templates are static. You fill in the same blanks every single time. There is no automation — every new quote means opening the template, changing the customer details, rewriting the scope of work from scratch, and manually calculating totals. If you send ten quotes a week, that is a lot of repetitive typing. They also lack any built-in way to track which quotes have been sent, viewed, or accepted.
The biggest problem is the scope of work section. A blank text box stares at you, and you have to write a clear, professional description of the work every time. Most tradespeople either skip this entirely or write a few vague lines, which makes the quote look thin compared to a competitor who takes the time to write it properly.
Option 2: Excel or Google Sheets Templates
Spreadsheet-based templates are popular with tradespeople who want built-in calculations. You enter your line items, quantities, and unit costs, and the spreadsheet automatically calculates subtotals, VAT, and the grand total. If you want to check whether your pricing is right, pair this with our free profit margin calculator.
What is good
The automatic calculations save time and reduce errors. Excel and Google Sheets are both free (Google Sheets entirely, Excel through the free online version). The structured layout forces you to itemise your costs, which builds customer trust. You can also create formulas for common calculations like material markup and labour rates.
What is not good
Spreadsheets look like spreadsheets. No matter how much formatting you apply, a quote produced in Excel never looks as polished as a properly designed PDF proposal. They are also difficult to customise for different job types without creating multiple template files. And like Word templates, there is no way to generate the written descriptions — the scope of work, timeline, and terms and conditions — automatically.
Option 3: Google Docs Templates
Google Docs offers a cloud-based alternative to Word. Several free quote templates are available in the Google Docs template gallery, and you can create your own from scratch. Everything is saved online, so you can access your quotes from any device.
What is good
Cloud storage means you never lose a quote. You can share documents with customers via a link rather than attaching a PDF. The collaborative features are useful if you work with a business partner. And it is completely free — you just need a Google account.
What is not good
Google Docs templates suffer from the same fundamental problem as Word templates: they are blank documents that you fill in manually every time. The formatting options are more limited than Word, and the templates available are generally less polished. Many customers also prefer receiving a PDF rather than a Google Docs link, which means you are adding an extra step to export the document anyway.
Option 4: Free PDF Templates
Some websites offer downloadable PDF quote templates that you can fill in using a PDF editor. These are typically well-designed and look professional, but they come with major practical limitations.
What is good
They look polished. A well-designed PDF template gives a professional first impression. Some include fillable form fields, so you can type directly into the PDF without needing separate software.
What is not good
Editing PDFs is clunky. Free PDF editors have limited functionality, and paid ones like Adobe Acrobat Pro cost money. You cannot easily customise the layout, add your own logo in the right place, or adjust sections to suit different job types. And once again, the written content — the scope of work, the timeline, the terms — is entirely on you to write from scratch every single time.
Option 5: Free Tiers of Quoting Software
Some quoting and invoicing apps offer free tiers that include basic quote templates. Tools like Invoice Ninja, Wave, and Zoho Invoice let you create quotes within their platform at no cost. For a broader comparison of trade-specific tools, see our article on the best apps for tradespeople.
What is good
These platforms combine quote creation with customer management, invoicing, and payment tracking. Everything is in one place. The templates are usually well-designed, and the software handles calculations automatically. Some even let you accept quotes digitally, with the customer clicking an "accept" button online.
What is not good
Free tiers are always limited. You typically get a small number of quotes per month, restricted branding options, or missing features. The intention is to get you hooked and then upgrade to a paid plan. These platforms also focus on the numbers — line items, totals, invoices — but still leave the writing to you. None of them write your scope of work or terms and conditions automatically.
Skip the Templates. Let AI Write Your Quotes.
QuoteSmith generates your scope of work, timeline, and terms automatically — branded PDF proposals in minutes, not hours.
Try QuoteSmith FreeThe Problem With All Free Templates
Every free template option shares the same fundamental limitation: they give you a container, but not the content. You get a layout, some boxes to fill in, and maybe some automatic calculations. But the hardest part of writing a quote — the scope of work, the professional descriptions, the terms and conditions — is still entirely your job to write from scratch every time.
This is the part that takes the most time and skill. It is also the part that makes the biggest difference to whether you win the job. A builder who sends a quote with a detailed, clear scope of work explaining exactly what will be done, in what order, with what materials, is far more likely to win the job than one who sends a list of line items with no context.
Most tradespeople know this, but they simply do not have time to write a page of professional prose for every quote. So they skip it, or they write a few lines that do not do their work justice. And they lose jobs to competitors who take the time to present their quotes properly.
The AI-Powered Alternative: QuoteSmith
This is where QuoteSmith takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than giving you a blank template to fill in, QuoteSmith uses AI to write your quotes for you.
Here is how it works. You enter your job details — the line items, costs, customer information, and basic job description. QuoteSmith's AI then generates a complete, professionally written scope of work, a realistic project timeline, and a full set of terms and conditions tailored to the job. The result is a branded PDF proposal that looks like it was written by a project manager, not a template with blanks filled in.
The difference is significant. Instead of spending 30 to 60 minutes writing each quote, you spend five minutes entering the details and the AI handles the rest. You can see examples of QuoteSmith proposals to see the quality of the output.
How QuoteSmith Compares to Free Templates
Speed: A free template takes 20 to 60 minutes to complete properly. QuoteSmith generates a full proposal in under five minutes.
Quality: Templates give you whatever you write. QuoteSmith produces professionally written descriptions, timelines, and terms that are tailored to each specific job.
Consistency: With templates, quality depends on how much time and effort you put in each time. QuoteSmith delivers the same high standard every time, whether it is your first quote of the day or your tenth.
Branding: Most free templates are generic. QuoteSmith produces branded proposals with your business name and details presented professionally.
Cost: Free templates cost nothing in money but cost you significant time. QuoteSmith offers your first proposal completely free with no credit card required, so you can see the difference before committing. Our day rate calculator can help you work out how much your quoting time is actually costing you.
Which Option is Right for You?
If you send one or two quotes a month and have the time to write detailed descriptions for each one, a free Word or Google Docs template will do the job. Keep it professional, include all the essential elements, and always send it as a PDF.
If you send quotes regularly and want to win more of the work you quote for, the time investment in a free template starts to add up fast. This is where QuoteSmith pays for itself many times over — not just in time saved, but in the quality of the proposals you send and the conversion rate you achieve.
The best way to decide is to try it. Create your first proposal free on QuoteSmith, compare it to what you have been sending, and see the difference for yourself.