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An instant quote calculator for your contractor website
Calculator builders like Calconic and ConvertCalculator cost about $5 to $40 a month, and customers pick their job from dropdowns. A custom AI quote estimator lets them describe the problem in their own words, prices it from your own price book, and costs $2,500 once, then a few dollars a month to run.
Either one beats a "call for a quote" button for people shopping at night. The difference is how much typing you ask of the customer, and who decides the number. Prices checked November 2026.
Updated November 14, 2026
Live demo, try it nowAn AI quote estimator for a heating and cooling companyType a problem like "furnace blowing cold air, two story house". The AI reads it, the owner's price book does the math, and three options come back in about 30 seconds.Open the demo
Your options, side by side
| Option | How the customer uses it | Cost | You own it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calconic | Picks options from a form you build | free plan, paid from about $5/mo | No |
| ConvertCalculator | Same, with more complex pricing logic | about $15 to $40/mo | No |
| Field service suites (Jobber, Housecall Pro) | Sends a quote request; you price it later | entry plans about $29 to $79/mo | No |
| Custom AI quote estimator | Describes the job in plain words, gets priced options right away | $2,500 once + a few $/mo | Yes |
Subscription prices are from vendor pages and independent reviews in November 2026. They change often and differ by billing term, so check with the vendor before you decide.
Why show a price at all
In a Housecall Pro survey of more than 1,000 US homeowners, 97% said they expect transparent pricing before they hire a contractor. It's a software company's survey, so read it as direction, not gospel, but it matches what anyone who shops online already knows: when one company shows a ballpark and the next says "call us", the first one gets the message at 10 PM.
A price on the page also filters. The people who reach out after seeing your range have already accepted it, so fewer calls end at "oh, that's more than I thought".
How to keep online quotes from underpricing you
- The AI never sets a price. It only works out which jobs the customer means. Every number comes from your price book, which you edit like a menu.
- Show ranges and options. Good, better, best with a clear range reads as honest and leaves room for what you find on site.
- Say the final price is confirmed on site. One plain line under the quote. Customers expect it.
- Keep big jobs as request-a-visit. Full replacements and anything you'd never price blind skip the number and book a visit instead.
- When it can't tell, it asks. A vague message gets a follow-up question or a visit, not a made-up figure.
When a calculator builder is the better buy
- You sell a handful of fixed packages. If every job is "small, medium or large", dropdowns are enough and $10 a month is hard to beat.
- You want to build it yourself this afternoon. The builders are drag and drop.
When a custom estimator wins
- Customers describe symptoms, not job codes. "Water under the water heater" or "AC runs but the house won't cool" doesn't fit a dropdown. The AI turns it into line items from your book.
- You want the quote to book the job. The demo hands the chosen option straight to booking and onto the owner dashboard.
- You want it in your brand, on your site, without a builder's logo or a per-lead fee.
What the $2,500 build includes
Half to start, half at launch. A demo every week while it's built.
Included
- Plain-words quote form on your website
- Your price book, editable by you
- Good, better, best options with ranges
- Quotes to your email or phone, or into your booking
- 30 days of free fixes, code is yours
Not included
- Online booking (see booking system cost)
- Monthly AI and hosting fees (usually a few dollars, paid to the providers)
- A new website (see website cost)
Questions
Does the AI decide my prices?
No. The AI only reads what the customer typed and works out which jobs they mean. Every dollar comes from a price book you set and can edit any time. If it can't match the job to your price book, it asks for a visit instead of guessing.
What if the real job costs more than the online quote?
Show ranges and good, better, best options, say plainly that the final price is confirmed on site, and keep jobs you can't price blind (like full system replacements) as request-a-visit. Most of the risk goes away when the quote is honest about what it is.
Can it send the quote to my CRM or inbox?
Yes. Every quote can land in your email, a text to your phone, a spreadsheet, or the field service software you already use if it accepts new leads by email or API. The demo sends quotes to its own owner dashboard.
What does it cost to run each month?
Usually a few dollars a month in AI and hosting fees, paid straight to the providers. The live demo runs on a free plan and falls back to an on-device reader if the AI is busy.
Will it work for my trade?
It works for any trade where most jobs fit a price book: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, detailing, junk removal, lawn care, handyman work. Custom one-off projects like remodels are better as a request-a-visit form.