AI Estimating Software for Contractors: Handoff, SimplyWise, Clamp and Alternatives
Five tools that turn a job description into an estimate, compared on whose prices fill the lines, how you revise the draft, what AI estimates cost, and what happens after the customer says yes.
By Clamp ResearchReviewed by Emmanuel ForgePublished Oct 11, 2026✓ Reviewed Oct 2026
Direct answer: AI estimating software turns a job description into an itemized draft you check and price. Handoff ($119 to $719 a month billed annually) goes deepest on imported price catalogs and AI revisions. SimplyWise ($239.99 a year) is the lowest paid plan for one person with AI estimates every month. Contractor+ ($29 a month billed annually) pairs its Estimatic AI with a per-user business app. Buildxact adds AI to builder estimating and takeoff, from a free credit plan. Clamp ($41.67 a month billed annually for 25 AI credits) carries the draft through proposals, change orders, invoices and job cost on your phone. No product was tested against another.
Describe it
Review the draft
An AI estimate in Clamp: the job described the way you would say it, then the draft for review, with a possible subfloor repair priced apart from the total. Sample data.
At a glance
AI estimating software turns a description of a job into an itemized draft. The draft is the start of the work: you still check quantities, set your prices, revise the scope and carry the approved work into change orders and invoices. Compare the tools on those steps as well as the price.
Clamp publishes this comparison and is one of the five products in it. Every competitor price and feature comes from that vendor's own pricing, product or help pages, read October 11, 2026. No product was tested against another, so this page makes no accuracy or speed claim.
Every Clamp feature, next to each alternative
Solo includes 28 of Clamp's 44 features. In full, across their plans: Handoff 24, SimplyWise 8, Contractor+ 18, Buildxact 22.
Compare Clamp with (pick one or more)
Clamp plan
Every Clamp feature, next to each alternative
Feature
Clamp
Handoff
SimplyWise
Contractor+
Buildxact
CRM and leads
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Email remindersEmail reminders before appointments, follow-ups, and scheduled installs, deliveries, and inspections.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
Pro, $239Automatic proposal and invoice follow-ups to the client by email or SMS; no reminders before appointments or scheduled work found
Not found
PartlyOverdue invoices and estimate expiration
✓ Pro, $399Task reminders, email an hour before
Customer appointment remindersHomeowners get an email before an appointment, with confirm and reschedule built in.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
Not foundAutomatic reminders cover proposals and invoices only
Not foundNo scheduling
Not foundOn-My-Way texts only
Not foundBooking confirmations go to trades
Five-factor lead scoringA clear yes, no, or maybe on a lead before driving out.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundSales reps get a lead pipeline; no lead scoring or qualification found
Not foundClient intake form only
Not foundPipeline stages, no scoring
Not foundLead stages only
Lead reportingClose rate, revenue won, open pipeline, close rate by lead source, and lost leads by reason, on Home and the stats screen, with CSV and PDF export. Revenue by source does not exist; see _excluded.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundPro lists an AI Business Advisor with business insights; close rate and lead-source reports not found
Not found
PartlyLead status and pipeline value; no close rate
PartlyWin rate on the dashboard only
Daily briefingOverdue invoices, detected trips, follow-ups, appointments, and open proposals in one morning view.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
PartialAn on-request AI summary of the last 24 hours (assignments, approvals, payments); no morning view of overdue invoices or follow-ups
Design agreementsPaid preconstruction sits in the document chain, so planning work is paid work.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundDocuments tab drafts contracts, work orders and scope sheets; no paid design or preconstruction agreement found
Not foundNo contracts feature yet
Not foundService contracts only
Not found
Itemized estimatesAssembly-based estimates with quantities and rates the contractor can inspect line by line.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Every plan, Flex $119Line items with quantities and rates from your catalog, supplier catalogs or AI pricing
✓ Every planItemized lines with unit, quantity and price
✓ Every planFreedom capped at 5 a month
✓ Every planEstimate costings; Go lists AI estimating
Estimate templatesSave an estimate as a template for work done often.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239Templates built in Settings or drafted by the AI, reused across projects; saving an estimate as one is not described
✓ Every planSave as Template
✓ Estimate templatesPlan not stated
✓ Plan not statedFrom an estimate, Excel or scratch
Proposals with multiple package tiersGood, better, best packages in one proposal.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Scale, $719Up to 5 estimate options per proposal; the client picks one when approving. Options and add-on groups have no plan stated in their own article
NoMultiple options in one estimate not supported
Pro, $29Optional items for good, better, best
From Foundation, $199Optional upgrades in specifications
AI estimating from a plain-language job descriptionDescribe the job in plain words and get an itemized draft: assemblies, quantities, researched baseline rates, with the contractor's own saved rates taking over once set.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Every plan, Flex $119Describe the job in the AI chat or by voice; prices from your catalog first; 50 credits a month on Flex, unlimited on Pro
✓ Every planFrom a photo, voice, blueprint or room scan
✓ Pro, $29Estimatic AI; 10 credits a month per support article, no limit on pricing page
✓ Go, free; 5 creditsBlu Estimate Generator; +$99 on Foundation, included from Pro
Remodel and new-home estimatingOne estimator covers remodels and new homes and detects which one a description is. Detect is the default job type; a contractor can pick Remodel or New home per estimate, or set Kind of work to Remodeling to turn the choice off.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
PartialAI chat estimates any described job (remodel examples); AI takeoff from residential plans on Scale; no remodel vs new-home detection found
Not foundPitched at remodel, repair and service
Not foundNo job-type detection
PartlyPlan takeoffs for builds; no job-type detection
Labor hours on estimatesEstimated labor hours, shown as a range, on every labor line, with an allowance for setup, cleanup, and material runs (15% by default) the contractor can change in Settings or per estimate. A planning figure; it never appears on proposals, PDFs, or the portal.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundLabor added at a rate in the AI chat; labor hours per line, as a range or with an allowance, not described
Not foundLabor assumptions go in the description
PartlyLabor lines in hours you enter
Not foundLabor priced, hours not described
Contracts and invoicing
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Payment schedulesSplit a proposal into a deposit, milestone payments, and a final payment, then invoice each one from the signed contract.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedDeposit, milestone and final entries by percent or amount; each converts to an invoice after approval. Listed as Milestone Invoicing on the pricing page
✓ Every planPayment schedule on the invoice
✓ Deposit and milestonesPlan not stated
✓ Pro, $399Contract price claims from deposit to completion
Sales tax on documentsAdd a sales tax rate or a flat amount to invoices and other documents, with collected tax totaled by quarter and year. The contractor enters the rate; Clamp does not look rates up.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
PartialTax set per catalog rate or as a preset and applied to estimates and invoices; no collected-tax totals by quarter or year found
PartlyTax added as a line item
PartlyTax on documents, no tax report
PartlyTax profiles; no tax-collected report found
Customer credits and refundsApply a customer's credit to an open invoice, record a refund, or adjust a balance, with the history kept on the job. Recorded only; Clamp moves no money.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedCredits applied when an invoice is made; full or partial refunds of payments processed through Handoff
Not foundDiscounts as a negative line; payments marked paid
PartlyRefunds only, no credits
PartlyNegative variation on an invoice
Change orders that update the contractScope changes get written up and tied to the original contract, so verbal changes stop costing money.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedLinked to the proposal; the client approves online and project totals update
No"No change order feature yet"; duplicate the estimate
PartlyOn invoices; help says none on estimates
✓ Pro, $399Variations, signed and invoiced
Invoices tied to the contractEvery invoice belongs to the contract or change order it bills.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedConverted from the approved proposal or its payment schedule, or standalone; change-order invoicing not described
✓ Every planFrom a saved estimate
✓ Every planFreedom capped at 5 a month
✓ Pro, $399Accepted variations appear on invoices
Customer portal
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Password-free customer portalThe homeowner opens a link. No account, no password, no app to install.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239No account or password; the client enters a one-time code by phone or email at each sign-in
PartlyEstimate link to view and sign; no portal
✓ Pro Team, $58Secure link by phone or email
Client Portal, ProClient logs in at myhome.buildxact.com
Unlimited documents and photos shared to the portalShare job documents and photos to the customer portal without a count cap, subject to per-item size limits.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239Proposals, invoices, change orders, documents, files and daily logs; no count limit stated
PartlyChecked photos shared with the estimate
✓ Pro Team, $58Photos and files; limits not stated
Pro, $399Documents and images; limits not stated
E-signing on the homeowner's phoneDocuments get signed on the homeowner's own phone, no account required.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedClient types a signature on the proposal link; signed proposals carry a timestamp
✓ Every planClient signs to approve the estimate
✓ Pro, $29Automated contracts, signature pad
✓ From Foundation, $199Digital signatures on quotes and change orders
Several signers on one documentSend one document to up to five people, each signing their own line, see who has signed, and remind anyone who has not.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
PartialThe selections article refers to a first required signature and later signers; signer limit, status and reminders not documented
Not foundClient approval only
PartlyClient and contractor only
Not foundOne recipient described
Project updates and decisions in the portalPost project updates to the customer's portal and ask the customer to make a decision, which they answer from their phone.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
Pro, $239Updates feed of shared items and daily logs; approve or decline only on proposals and change orders; no decision request found
Not found
Pro Team, $58Updates; approvals on change orders only
✓ Pro, $399Timeline posts and Selections
Not delivered email handlingWhen a customer email Clamp sends bounces, the document is marked Not delivered so the contractor can fix the address and resend, or copy the link to text it.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
Not foundHelp article advises a test send, checking contact details and resending; no bounce detection described
Not foundNo open notification for invoices
Not foundNo outgoing email log
Not found
Expense tracking
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Automatic GPS mileage trackingBackground trip detection, route maps, IRS rates, trips linked to the job that caused the drive.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundMileage tracking is an open user request on Handoff's feature board
Every planMileage Tracker app: automatic drives, business or personal; not tied to a job
PartlyBeta; clock-in points per help, Start Trip per feature page
Not found
Automatic time on siteGPS geofence tracking of hours at the jobsite.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Pro, $239Crew clock in by hand; an optional geofence flags shifts started off site. Beta
Not found
PartlyGPS at manual clock-in; geofence upcoming
Not foundTimesheets entered by hand
Receipts and expenses on the jobReceipts logged against the job they belong to.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239Upload a receipt photo or PDF; AI extracts it to the project budget for review
Every planReceipt Scanner app, by expense category, not by job
PartlyReceipt photos on client expenses
✓ Receipt scanningInto purchase orders; plan not stated
Purchase ordersCommitted costs captured between the estimate and the receipt.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundAI-powered material lists on the pricing page; no purchase orders found
Not found
Not foundShopping lists only
✓ From Foundation, $199
Accounts payable and vendor billsVendor bills tracked and surfaced in the attention flows, with first-class vendor records.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Pro, $239Vendor invoices uploaded as expenses, with a vendor or contact on manual entries; no bill or payables tracking found
Not found
Not foundVendors for materials only
PartlyReceived POs and imported QuickBooks bills
Job costing and reports
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Job costingWhat the job actually cost, with a variance and catalog learning loop.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239Budget tab: estimate plus change orders against confirmed expenses and approved labor, variance by line
No"Does not try to do" job costing
✓ Pro Team, $58
✓ From Foundation, $199Estimated vs actual and committed
Accountant export packageA package of the business's records prepared for an accountant.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Flex, $119QuickBooks Online sync: estimates and invoices one way, clients both ways; no accountant package found
PartlyExpense reports in Excel or PDF; no QuickBooks
Pro Team, $58QuickBooks Online sync
QuickBooks, XeroAccounting sync; plan not stated
Time reporting with CSV exportReported labor time with a time-tracking CSV export for payroll preparation and per-person rate decomposition.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239Timesheet filtered by person, project and dates, exported as CSV or PDF; hourly rate per person. Beta
Not found
✓ Time clock reportExcel by email; plan not stated
✓ Pro, $399Timesheet report, Excel export
Jobsites and teams
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Teams: up to 5 linked accountsUp to 5 accounts, including the owner, sharing one business.
✓ TeamsTeams, $83.33 a month billed annually
✓ Flex 2 users, Pro 5Scale lists 5+; extra-seat price not stated
NoNo team plan, no added users; App Store notes list "Crew setup"
✓ Plan not statedAdmin, Project Manager, Sales Rep / Estimator, Field Crew, plus custom roles; the team article says roles depend on the plan
NoA shared login has full access
✓ Pro Team, $58Admin, Manager, Field Worker, custom
✓ Pro, $3993 roles on Pro, 8 on Master
Unlimited subcontractor linkingSubs share jobsite photos and notes into the business account without consuming a seat.
✓ TeamsTeams, $83.33 a month billed annually
✓ Scale, $719Sub & Vendor Portal: subs sign in with a code, take no seat, post daily logs and upload invoices; Pro can try it on one project
NoNo way to add users
Not foundExtra users are paid seats
✓ Pro, $399Invited crew and subs use Onsite free
Jobsites tab: jobs and schedule in one placeA Jobsites tab with Jobs and Schedule views. With Assistant each job has its own screen with its schedule, photos, and updates, and the Schedule view holds every install, delivery, inspection, appointment, and follow-up; Teams adds the crew and subs on each job, shaped by role. Subs invited to a job use it free and see their own jobs grouped by builder.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ Every plan, Flex $119Projects hold files, estimates, schedule, tasks and daily logs, with a global Schedule calendar; tasks and daily logs on Pro, free sub access on Scale
PartlyProject folders and work order tracking
✓ Pro, $29Jobs, work orders and visits
✓ Pro, $399Job Management with Onsite crew
Job scheduleSchedule installs, deliveries, and inspections on each job, with the contractor, a supplier, or nobody yet on each item, and see them all in the Jobsites tab. Putting crew or subs on an item is the Teams shared schedule.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedPhases and events such as inspections per project; AI builds it from the estimate on Pro; deliveries and suppliers not mentioned
No"Does not try to do" scheduling
✓ Pro, $29Visits and calendar
✓ Pro, $399Schedules
Shared job scheduleOne schedule for the business: installs, deliveries, and inspections visible to the team, with clash notes when dates collide.
✓ TeamsTeams, $83.33 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedGlobal Schedule calendar across projects with team members on phases; no clash warnings found
NoNo scheduling, no added users
✓ Pro Team, $58Color-coded by assignee; no clash notes
✓ Pro, $399Dashboard schedule by assignee
Punch listsThe small final items that close a job out, tracked per job and shareable as a text message or a PDF.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ Pro, $239A task list can hold a punch list; export as PDF or CSV
Not found
Pro, $29Post-inspection reports, PDF or SMS
PartlyTo-do list per job, not shared with client
Job site photosPhotos saved to the project with full-screen viewing.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
✓ No plan limit statedFiles tab per project, photos taken in the app, tap to preview
✓ Every planPhotos on each estimate
✓ Task and job photosPlan not stated
✓ Pro, $399Daily logs, up to 15 photos a post
Backup and offline
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Full job workflow, offlineLeads, design agreements, estimates, proposals, change orders, and invoices on the phone, working without a connection.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundOffline use not described; the AI chat shows a Network Unavailable error without a connection
NoInternet required to create or save estimates
Not foundOffline use not stated
NoOnsite needs an internet connection
Cloud backupBusiness data backed up to the cloud and restorable on a new device.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ Every plan, Flex $119Cloud account used on the web, iPhone and Android; no separate backup or restore described
PartlyEstimates sync across devices; settings per device
✓ Cloud software
✓ Cloud software
Business portal: read-only web viewA read-only view of the business in a browser.
✓ Assistant and TeamsAssistant, $41.67 a month billed annually
✓ Every plan, Flex $119Full web app at app.handoff.ai, not read-only
✓ Web appapp.simplywise.com; FAQ answers disagree on its scope
✓ Web appFull web app, not read-only
✓ Web app
Device backup, restore, CSV export, bulk importLocal backup and restore with CSV export and bulk import.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
PartialCSV export of tasks and timesheets, catalog import from CSV; no backup, restore or bulk client import found
PartlyCSV or PDF per estimate; no bulk export or backup
PartlyCSV or Excel import only
PartlyExcel export of estimates, client import
No account required to startThe app opens to local use; an account is needed only for server features or subscribing.
✓ Every planSolo, $12.50 a month billed annually
Not foundSign-in by phone, email, Google or Apple is the only entry described; 7-day Flex trial
Not foundAccount tied to a phone number
Not foundFree plan is an account
Not foundStarts from sign-up
Only in Handoff
Where Handoff is ahead
Price-sheet catalog import
Not in Clamp: saved rates are entered in the app, no price-sheet import
✓ PDF, Excel, CSV, Word or a photo of a price sheet; the AI prices from your catalog, then supplier catalogs, then its own rates. 1 catalog on Flex, unlimited on Pro
Revise by message with saved AI presets
Clamp revises by message too; saved AI presets are not in Clamp
✓ Follow-up messages change the draft; presets for labor rate, markups, tax and below-the-line fees apply to every estimate
AI takeoff from plans
Not in Clamp
✓ Scale: residential plans up to 7,000 sq ft, quantities measured and counted into the estimate. One article says PDF only, another accepts PDF, PNG, JPG or TIFF
Built-in card and ACH payments
Not in Clamp: add your own payment link and record what was paid
✓ Pro: card 2.85%, ACH 1% capped at $10, both covered by the client; refunds in the app
Client financing
Not in Clamp
✓ Homeowner financing through Acorn Finance. The pricing page lists it on Pro (FAQ: Pro and Custom); the Help Center overview calls it a Business feature
AI daily logs
Not in Clamp
✓ Pro: logs drafted from narration and photos in walkthrough mode, with weather, shared to the client portal
Only in SimplyWise
Where SimplyWise is ahead
Estimates from a photo or LiDAR room scan
Not in Clamp
✓ Every plan
Local material pricing from the nearest Home Depot
Not in Clamp
✓ Every plan
Before-and-after renders for the client
Not in Clamp
✓ Every plan
Receptionist app
Not in Clamp
✓ Included in the plan
Only in Contractor+
Where Contractor+ is ahead
Built-in payments and client financing
Your own payment link
✓ Card and ACH on Pro; financing offers
Business phone system and chat
Not in Clamp
✓ Pro Team
PRO website
Not in Clamp
✓ Pro
Gantt chart and recurring tasks
Not in Clamp
✓ Project management
Automated overdue invoice texts
Email reminders (Assistant)
✓ Email, SMS or both
Only in Buildxact
Where Buildxact is ahead
Digital takeoffs from plans
Not in Clamp
✓ From Foundation
Blu Takeoff Assistant and Estimate Reviewer
Not in Clamp
✓ Master, or add-ons on Pro
Home Depot material ordering and dealer catalogs
Not in Clamp
✓ Every plan
Requests for quote to trades and suppliers
Not in Clamp
✓ Subs reply free
Cost plus and retention invoicing
Not in Clamp
✓ With Job Management
Nothing here matches. Pick All or another filter.
Competitor columns from each vendor's own pricing page, feature pages and help center, checked October 14, 2026. Not found means not on those pages, not that the product can't do it another way. Partly means something narrower than the Clamp feature. No product was tested against another.
All five turn a written or spoken job description into an itemized estimate you can edit. They differ on whose prices fill the lines, how you revise the draft, what an AI estimate costs, and what happens after the customer says yes.
Whose prices: your own price list, a supplier catalog, the vendor's own pricing, or a mix. Check which one filled each line.
Revising: some tools let you ask the AI to change the draft; others have you edit lines directly.
AI allowance: monthly credits, per-account drafts or no stated limit. A credit is not always one estimate.
After approval: change orders, invoices and job cost may live in the same app or somewhere else.
An uploaded plan is context, not a measured takeoff, unless the product says it measures the plan.
Five AI estimating tools
Not a ranking. Each entry says what the product is best for, where it is stronger and where it falls short, from its own pages.
ClampBest for a residential contractor who wants the draft to carry through to change orders, invoices and job cost on a phone
Price
Assistant $49.99 a month or $499.99 a year with 25 AI credits a month, each AI estimate is 1 credit. Teams $99.99 a month or $999.99 a year with 50 AI credits a month, shared across the team of up to 5. A Teams office for 6 or more people is $15 a seat a month, billed yearly by invoice, with 50 AI credits plus 5 a month for each seat past 5. Every account gets 3 free AI credits to start. Revising an estimate with a prompt is half a credit.
Team
One account on Solo and Assistant; up to 5 on Teams and 6 or more on a Teams office, plus free sub invites who never see your prices.
Where it is stronger
The draft becomes the estimate, proposal, change orders and invoices for the same job, and job cost compares what you estimated with your receipts, mileage and hours.
Every line shows its quantity and rate at direct job cost, with your markup shown apart from it.
Your saved rates replace the baseline line by line, and My Pricing suggests rates from what your past jobs actually cost.
Possible extra work, like a subfloor that may be soft, is priced apart from the total instead of buried in it.
Revise with AI: say what to change, like 'she's keeping her vanity' or 'make the shower 5 by 8'. Clamp changes only that, keeps any number you typed by hand, and shows each change with its price before you apply it. A revision is half a credit, and a question it asks you is free.
Up to 5 people with 50 AI credits a month shared across the team, for $83.33 a month billed annually. A Teams office for 6 or more adds 5 credits a month for each seat past 5.
Cost, markup, price
Every line, by trade
After the draft: the estimate at cost with your markup on top, and every line grouped by trade. Sample data: the published 5x8 bathroom.
Where it falls short for a small residential contractor
No AI takeoff from plans and no photo input; you describe the job in words.
No price-sheet import and no saved AI instructions; you save rates in the app.
Revising doesn't do a discount or a target for the whole job, like $500 off; you add a credit line or lower the markup.
Revising works on draft, final and sent estimates, not signed work; changes to signed work go in a change order.
Payments are your own payment link, recorded in Clamp, not processed by it.
HandoffBest for a contractor who already keeps price sheets and wants the AI to price from them
Price
Flex $149 a month or $119 billed annually, 50 AI credits a month. Pro $299 or $239 billed annually, unlimited AI credits. Scale $899 or $719 billed annually, with AI takeoffs. Pro and Scale carry a 12-month commitment.
Team
2 users on Flex, 5 on Pro, 5 or more on Scale.
Where it is stronger
Price catalogs you import from PDF, Excel, CSV, Word or a photo of a price sheet, with markup, margin and tax set per rate.
Your catalog prices first, then supplier catalogs, then the AI's own pricing.
You refine the draft by sending follow-up messages, and saved presets apply to every estimate.
AI takeoff from residential plans up to 7,000 square feet on Scale.
Online card and ACH payments, budget vs actual and time tracking on Pro.
Where it falls short for a small residential contractor
The lowest plan is $119 a month billed annually, for 50 AI credits.
Pro and Scale carry a 12-month commitment.
Budget vs actual is Pro only, and AI takeoff is a Scale plan feature.
A business mileage log was not found on Handoff's official pages.
SimplyWiseBest for a solo contractor who mostly needs fast, low-cost estimates from photos or a description
Price
$29.99 a month or $239.99 a year, including the other SimplyWise apps such as receipts and mileage. SimplyWise says it runs pricing experiments, so check the price at checkout.
Team
No team plan for the Estimator; a shared login gives full access to the account.
Where it is stronger
The lowest paid plan here for one person with AI estimating: $239.99 a year.
Starts from photos, a voice description, an uploaded blueprint or a LiDAR room scan on Apple Pro devices, and asks clarifying questions.
Edit with A.I. changes the draft, and the app adjusts for region and learns from your edits.
Invoices with deposits, customer signature and a Pay Now button through Stripe.
Where it falls short for a small residential contractor
On an estimate with labor and materials, markup applies to materials only.
No change order feature yet; the workaround is to duplicate and resend the estimate.
No team plan for the Estimator, and the web version creates and edits estimates only.
Dimensions are not read from an uploaded plan; they go in the description.
Contractor+Best for a contractor who wants AI estimates inside a broader business app, priced per user
Price
Pro $49 a month or $348 a year. Pro Team $98 a month for 2 users or $696 a year, plus $29 a month or $240 a year per extra user. A free Freedom plan and a $997 lifetime Pro option are also listed.
Team
1 user on Pro; 2 on Pro Team, with extra users priced each.
Where it is stronger
Estimatic starts from a description and can take photos, blueprints, drawings or a competing quote as context.
Prices from your cost book, supplier pricing and local labor data, and every line can be overridden.
Scheduling, contracts and card and ACH payments on Pro; job costing, a client portal and QuickBooks Online on Pro Team.
Where it falls short for a small residential contractor
Its support article lists 10 AI credits a month on Pro and unlimited on Pro Team; the pricing page lists Estimatic without a limit.
Job costing starts on Pro Team.
Ten people on Pro Team is $218 a month billed annually, calculated from $58 plus 8 extra users at $20.
BuildxactBest for a builder who estimates from plans and wants AI alongside takeoff and builder estimating
Price
Go is $0 with 5 AI credits and paid top-ups. Foundation $199 a month, or $2,030 a year billed annually, plus $99 a month for Estimate Generator. Pro $399 a month or $4,070 a year includes Estimate Generator. Master $599 a month or $6,110 a year adds Takeoff Assistant and Estimate Reviewer.
Team
Unlimited users from Foundation.
Where it is stronger
Estimate Generator turns a typed or dictated description into categories, materials and labor, and can start from one of your own estimates or templates.
Asks follow-up questions, localizes pricing to the job address, and refines the result with Estimate Assistant.
Takeoff Assistant and Estimate Reviewer on Master, with unlimited users from Foundation.
A free Go plan with 5 credits to try it.
Where it falls short for a small residential contractor
Estimate Generator is a $99 a month add-on on Foundation and included from Pro, at $339 a month billed annually.
The price of Go credit top-ups was not found on official pages.
Annual billing carries a 12-month commitment.
Payment acceptance was not found on Buildxact's official pages.
What AI estimating costs
The lowest plan with AI estimate generation for each product, what it includes, and the next step up. Monthly-billing prices first; annual prices as each vendor publishes them.
What AI estimating costs
Software
Lowest plan with AI
AI included
Billed monthly
Billed annually
Clamp
Assistant, 1 account; Teams, up to 5; Teams office for 6 or more
25 credits a month; 50 shared on Teams, plus 5 for each seat past 5 on a Teams office; a revision is half a credit
$49.99; Teams $99.99
$499.99 a year; Teams $999.99
Handoff
Flex, 2 users
50 credits a month; unlimited on Pro
$149; Pro $299
$119 a month; Pro $239 a month, 12-month commitment
SimplyWise
One plan, 1 login
No limit stated on its pricing page
$29.99
$239.99 a year
Contractor+
Pro, 1 user
10 credits a month; unlimited on Pro Team (support article)
$49; Pro Team $98 for 2 users
$348 a year; Pro Team $696 for 2 users
Buildxact
Go, credits only; Pro includes Estimate Generator
5 credits on Go, then paid top-ups
$0 on Go; Pro $399
Pro $4,070 a year, 12-month commitment
From each vendor's own pricing page, October 11, 2026. A credit is not necessarily one estimate, and the plans are not equivalent: check what each includes. Every Clamp account gets 3 free AI credits to start, and Clamp's credits also cover revising an estimate with a prompt (half a credit).
How to test them on your own job
Write one description of a real job you priced last month, with its measurements, and run the same words through each trial.
Before you run it, list the scope you expect: tear-out, prep, each trade, disposal, and what is excluded.
Check each draft for missing scope, scope you did not ask for, wrong quantities, and whose prices filled each line.
Make one change, like keeping the cabinets, and see whether only the affected lines move.
Add work and remove work on the approved job, and see what the change order does to the contract and the next invoice.
Questions to ask before you subscribe
Whose prices fill the lines, and can you load or save your own?
What counts as one AI credit, and do revisions use credits?
Can you revise the draft by asking, or only line by line?
Does the phone app do everything the web version does?
Can a crew member or sub see the job without seeing your prices?
When the scope changes, does the change order update the contract and the invoice?
Can you export your estimates and customers if you leave?
Published by Clamp, which is one of the five products compared. Clamp's own facts come from its pricing page, its free estimator and its AI estimate guide.
Competitor prices and features come only from each vendor's own pricing, product and help pages, read October 11, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor's page before you buy.
Clamp's revise feature and AI credits are as built in Clamp 2.0.
Where a vendor's pages disagree, this page says so: Contractor+'s AI credits and Handoff's takeoff plan.
'Not found on official pages' means exactly that. It does not mean the product cannot do it.
No product was tested against another, and no accuracy, completeness or speed claim is made.
Questions
Can Handoff, SimplyWise or Clamp write an estimate from a job description?
Yes. Handoff, SimplyWise, Contractor+, Buildxact and Clamp all turn a written or spoken job description into an itemized estimate draft you edit. The draft still needs your review of scope, quantities and prices before it goes to a customer. No product here was tested against another, so none is claimed to be faster or more accurate.
Can I use my own labor and material prices in these estimating apps?
Yes, in all five, in different ways. Handoff prices from catalogs you import, Contractor+ uses your cost book, and Buildxact can start from your own estimate or template. SimplyWise learns from your edits, and Clamp uses your saved rate on each line in place of its baseline. Compare how each stores and applies your prices; the approaches are not the same.
Does uploading a blueprint to SimplyWise or Contractor+ produce a takeoff?
No. Uploading a blueprint to SimplyWise or Contractor+ gives the AI context; it does not mean the app measures and counts quantities from the drawing, and SimplyWise says dimensions belong in the description. Handoff's AI takeoff on Scale and Buildxact's Takeoff Assistant on Master are separate takeoff features.
How do Clamp, Handoff and SimplyWise apply markup to an estimate?
Each does it differently. Clamp drafts at direct job cost and shows your markup separately, while Handoff sets markup on each rate. SimplyWise applies markup to materials only when an estimate includes both labor and materials. Check the labor, material and markup totals before sending, because the three methods give different results.
Do Handoff and SimplyWise handle changes after the customer approves an estimate?
Handoff does, with change orders the customer approves online; SimplyWise has no change-order feature yet and suggests duplicating the estimate. Clamp has change orders on every plan, with e-signing on Assistant and Teams. Change orders were not found on the Contractor+ and Buildxact pages checked, which does not prove they lack them.
Is Handoff or SimplyWise a better fit for a solo remodeler?
It depends on the job. Handoff starts at $119 a month billed annually with two users, imported price catalogs and change orders, while SimplyWise is $239.99 a year for one login and starts from photos or a description. SimplyWise suits a lower-cost estimating need; Handoff has the documented change-order workflow. Neither was tested for speed or accuracy here.
Changes: Oct 11, 2026: Initial publication: five AI estimating tools compared from each vendor's own pages, read 2026-10-11.; Oct 14, 2026: Questions rewritten to name the products and stand on their own. The answer now says SimplyWise is the lowest paid plan with AI estimates every month, since Clamp Solo is cheaper but includes only 3 free AI credits.; Oct 14, 2026: FAQ structured data on.; Oct 25, 2026: Teams now covers up to 5 people, including the owner; 6 or more is a Teams office at $15 a seat a month billed yearly.
