Best Quoting Software for Tradespeople in 2026

If you're a tradesperson spending evenings writing up quotes in Word, on the back of an envelope, or in a text message, you're leaving money on the table. Professional quoting software can transform how you win work — and the market has matured significantly in 2026.

We've reviewed the top quoting and proposal tools available to UK tradespeople and ranked them based on ease of use, features, pricing, and value for money. Whether you're a builder, plumber, electrician, or any other trade, this guide will help you find the right tool.

What to Look for in Quoting Software

Before diving into our rankings, here's what actually matters when choosing quoting software as a tradesperson:

• Speed — Can you create a quote in under 5 minutes? Time on paperwork is time off the tools.
• Professional output — Does it produce branded PDF proposals that impress clients?
• Trade-specific — Is it built for trades, or is it generic business software?
• VAT handling — Automatic 20% VAT calculations are essential for VAT-registered businesses. Use our free VAT calculator to check figures.
• Ease of use — Can you use it on a phone from site without a manual?
• Pricing — Is it affordable and predictable? No per-quote charges.

1. QuoteSmith — Best Overall for UK Tradespeople

Price: £39/month | Free trial: 7 days | No credit card required

QuoteSmith is purpose-built for UK tradespeople and uses AI to generate complete, professional proposals in under 2 minutes. You enter your job details and line items, and the AI writes a professional scope of work, timeline, and terms tailored to your specific trade.

Key Features

• AI-generated scope of work, timeline, and T&Cs specific to your trade
• Branded PDF proposals with your logo and colours
• Automatic 20% VAT calculations on all line items
• Works for 18+ trades — builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, kitchen fitters, and more
• Unlimited proposals on a single monthly price
• Mobile-friendly — create proposals from site

Pros

• AI does the heavy lifting — no more blank page syndrome
• Proposals look incredibly professional
• 2-minute creation time is genuinely achievable
• Simple, predictable pricing — no per-quote charges
• Built specifically for UK trades with proper terminology

Cons

• Newer to market (launched 2026)
• No invoicing feature (yet) — focused purely on proposals

Best for: Any UK tradesperson who wants to send professional proposals quickly without spending hours on paperwork.

2. Tradify — Best for Job Management

Price: From £29/user/month | Free trial: 14 days

Tradify is a comprehensive job management platform from New Zealand that has gained traction in the UK market. It covers quoting, scheduling, invoicing, and timesheets in one platform.

Key Features

• Quote creation with templates
• Job scheduling and tracking
• Invoicing and payment tracking
• Timesheet management
• Xero and QuickBooks integration

Pros

• All-in-one job management solution
• Good mobile app for on-site use
• Integrates with popular accounting software

Cons

• Per-user pricing gets expensive for teams
• Quotes require manual writing — no AI assistance
• Can feel over-engineered for sole traders who just need quotes
• Originally built for New Zealand — some UK-specific features feel bolted on

Best for: Small trade businesses with 2-5 employees who need job management beyond just quoting.

3. YourTradebase — Best Budget Option

Price: From £15/month | Free trial: 30 days

YourTradebase is a UK-built quoting and invoicing tool aimed at sole traders and small trade businesses. It's straightforward and affordable.

Key Features

• Quote and invoice creation
• Online quote acceptance
• Basic CRM and client management
• Job scheduling

Pros

• Very affordable starting price
• Built in the UK for UK trades
• Simple and easy to learn
• 30-day free trial is generous

Cons

• Basic quote templates — no AI content generation
• PDF output is functional but not particularly impressive
• Limited customisation options
• Fewer features than competitors at higher price points

Best for: Budget-conscious sole traders who need basic digital quoting.

4. Powered Now — Best for Field Service

Price: From £20/month | Free trial available

Powered Now focuses on field service trades like plumbers, heating engineers, and electricians. It includes compliance certificates and forms alongside quoting.

Key Features

• Quotes, invoices, and certificates
• Gas Safe and electrical compliance forms
• Works offline on-site
• Customer signature capture

Pros

• Excellent for compliance-heavy trades
• Works offline — useful on sites with poor signal
• All-in-one for gas and electrical trades

Cons

• Quote templates are rigid and basic
• No AI content generation
• Interface feels dated compared to newer tools
• Less suited to general builders and project-based trades

Best for: Gas Safe registered plumbers and electricians who need compliance certificates alongside quotes.

5. Using Word, Excel or Google Docs

Price: Free | No trial needed

Many tradespeople still use Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or Google Docs to write quotes. While free, this approach has significant drawbacks that cost you time and work in the long run.

Pros

• Free (if you already have Office or use Google)
• Familiar tools you already know
• Complete control over formatting

Cons

• Extremely time-consuming — 30-60 minutes per quote
• Inconsistent formatting between quotes
• Easy to make calculation errors, especially with VAT
• No professional branding without significant effort
• No tracking — you don't know if clients have read your quote
• Starting from scratch every time (or copy-pasting and forgetting to update details)

Reality check: If you spend 45 minutes writing each quote and you quote 5 jobs per week, that's nearly 4 hours per week on paperwork. At a typical day rate of £250, you're losing over £100 per week — far more than any quoting software subscription.

Comparison Table

Our Verdict

For most UK tradespeople, QuoteSmith is the clear winner. The AI content generation is a genuine game-changer — it eliminates the most painful part of quoting (staring at a blank page trying to write a scope of work) and produces professional proposals in a fraction of the time.

If you need a full job management suite with scheduling and invoicing, Tradify or Powered Now may be better fits. But if your primary pain point is creating professional quotes quickly, QuoteSmith is purpose-built for exactly that.

The key question is: how much is your time worth? If you're spending even 30 minutes per quote, and you quote 3-5 jobs per week, you're losing 2-3 hours weekly on paperwork. At typical trade day rates, that's £60-100+ per week — making any of these tools pay for themselves many times over.

Want to see what QuoteSmith proposals look like? Check out our example proposals for builders, plumbers, and electricians.

Frequently Asked Questions