FREE DOCUMENT WORKSPACE
Free estimate generator
Build an estimate in a focused editor and watch the document update beside it. Download a clean PDF with no sign-up or watermark.
What the free estimate generator does
Invosmith's estimate generator makes a client-ready estimate PDF in your browser, free, with no account and no watermark.
- No sign-up, and no watermark on the PDF.
- No limit on how many estimates you make.
- Seven presets, from General to Photography.
- 20 currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD and NZD.
- Payment terms from On receipt to Net 30, or a custom date.
- Switch the same draft to an invoice when the client says yes.
- Your logo and details stay in this browser while you edit.
From blank to ready
Make the estimate in three moves
Add the business, customer and scope, check the customer view, then download the finished estimate.
- 01
Choose the starting point
Estimate is already selected. Choose General or an industry preset, then outline the proposed work.
- 02
Enter the people, dates and scope
Add your business and customer details, estimate number, issue date and valid-until date. Describe the scope on separate lines, then enter quantities and rates.
- 03
Review the scope and terms, then download
Check the customer preview, layout, estimated total, scope and terms. Download the PDF when the estimate describes the proposed work clearly.
How to write a professional estimate
A professional estimate states what you will do, what it will cost and how long the price holds, in lines the client can check one by one.
Describe the scope, then what is not included
Write each task as its own line: what you will do, where, and to what standard. Then add an exclusions note for anything you have not priced, such as damage found once work starts.
Keep labor and materials on separate lines
Show hours and rate for labor, and quantity and unit price for materials, so the client can see what each part of the total pays for.
Give the price an end date and a next step
Add a valid-until date that matches how quickly your costs change. Then say how the client accepts and what is due to book the work, such as a deposit.
Offer options when the budget is tight
Price the essential work first, then list extras as separate lines the client can add. They choose what to cut, and you don’t have to write the estimate twice.
Name the unknowns instead of padding the price
Where you can’t see the problem until work starts, such as rot behind tiles, add an allowance line with its own amount and say what it covers.
Send it while the visit is fresh
Download the PDF and email it soon after the site visit, while the details are clear for both of you.
What to include in an estimate
Every estimate needs eight parts: both parties' details, a number and dates, the scope, priced lines, tax, the total, exclusions, and how to accept.
- Your business and the client. Names, contact details, and your tax or business number if you have one.
- An estimate number and dates. The issue date and a valid-until date, so the price has a clear end.
- The scope, in plain words. What you will do, where, and to what standard. “Repaint living room walls, two coats, client’s chosen color” can be checked; “painting” can’t.
- Labor and materials on separate lines. Quantities and rates the client can check.
- Tax and any discount. Each on its own line, never folded into a rate.
- The estimated total. One clear number at the bottom.
- What is not included. Name the likely ones for your trade, such as permits, disposal, or repairs found once work starts.
- How to accept. The next step, and anything due to book the work.
Prefer a file you can fill in offline? The job estimate template has the same eight parts in Word, Excel and PDF.
Calder → Harlan Voss
Issued 8 Oct · Valid until 7 Nov
Tax (if applicable)
Excludes: repairs to damaged plaster found during prep, quoted separately.
30% deposit to book the dates. Accept by replying to this estimate.
How to price a job for a reliable estimate
A reliable estimate adds four things: labor hours times your rate, materials with a waste allowance, overhead and margin, and tax where it applies.
Labor
Break the job into tasks, estimate hours for each, and multiply by your hourly rate. Count travel, setup and cleanup as hours too.
40 h × $55 = $2,200.00
Materials
Price what the job uses at your supplier’s price, then add an allowance for offcuts, spills and returns.
$520.00
Overhead and margin
Insurance, vehicle, tools and profit have to be covered somewhere. If your hourly rate doesn’t include them, add them as their own line.
In the rate here
Tax
Add it as its own line after the subtotal, where it applies to you.
If applicable
After the job, compare the actual hours and materials with the estimate. The gap shows where the next one needs adjusting.
Estimate or quote?
An estimate is your best price for the work as you understand it now; a quote is a fixed price for clearly defined work. Use an estimate when the job could change once you start, such as repairs or renovation. Invoices come later, once the work is done: the guide to the difference between an invoice and a quote shows where each document fits.
Start from your trade
Pick the preset closest to your work and the editor adds the fields your trade uses.
Roofing jobs often turn on what you find under the shingles. The roofing estimate template lays out squares, tear-off and warranty on separate lines.
Workshops price parts and labor hours before the car comes apart. The auto repair estimate template keeps parts, labor and diagnosis apart.
Seasonal contracts need a price per visit or per season. The snow removal estimate form sets out visits, area and call-out terms.
When the scope is settled and the price is fixed, start from the quote template, with Word, Excel and PDF versions.
Choosing a free estimate tool
A free estimate tool is worth using if it gives you a clean PDF without an account, handles your trade's line items, and lets the estimate become an invoice later.
| What to check | Why it matters | Invosmith |
|---|---|---|
| Free output you can send | A watermark or sign-up wall can block the last step. | Free PDF, no watermark, no account |
| Fields for your trade | Presets add the lines your work needs, such as hours or parts. | Seven presets |
| Estimate to invoice without retyping | Otherwise every line is entered twice. | Switch this draft to invoice mode |
| Your currency | The estimate shows the currency your client pays in. | 20 currencies |
| Nothing to install | It opens on whatever device you have with you. | Runs in the browser |
When you are ready
Keep the free estimate or compare workspace plans.
The estimate generator stays free without an account. The live plan page shows the current signed-in workflow options.
Good to know
Estimate generator questions
Do I need to sign up to create an estimate?
No. You can create, preview and download an estimate without an Invosmith account or watermark.
What should an estimate include?
Include your business and client details, an estimate number, issue and valid-until dates, a clear scope, quantities and rates, any tax or discount, the estimated total, and relevant terms.
Can I download the estimate as a PDF?
Yes. Review the preview, then download the finished estimate as a PDF from your browser.
Is an estimate the same as an invoice?
No. An estimate describes proposed work and pricing before approval. An invoice requests payment for work or goods supplied.
Do I need construction estimating software or an estimate generator?
Choose by the work that happens before the document. If you need measurements from drawings, material takeoffs, supplier price comparisons or a project cost model, evaluate a specialist estimating system for those tasks. If you already have the scope, quantities and rates, an estimate generator helps present them as a document the customer can review. In the Invosmith editor, enter the work on separate lines, use your own quantities and prices, state allowances and exclusions, and add a valid-until date. Review the total and download the PDF. A formatted estimate is only as useful as the scope and cost inputs behind it. The job estimate template offers an editable file for the same document task.
How long should an estimate be valid?
Long enough for the client to decide, short enough that your costs don’t move underneath it. Set the valid-until date to match how quickly your supplier prices change.
What if the job costs more than the estimate?
Tell the client before you do the extra work, explain why, and get their agreement in writing. Add the change as its own line, so the final invoice matches what they approved.
Which currencies and presets are included?
20 currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD and NZD, and seven presets from General to Photography.
Can I reuse client details and line items?
Yes. Use Save this client to keep their details for your next estimate; saved clients stay in your Invosmith account.
Can I turn an estimate into an invoice?
Yes. Use Switch this draft to invoice mode in the editor, or start a fresh invoice in the invoice maker.