6 Best Clear Estimates Alternatives for Contractors (2024)

Clear Estimates does one thing: it helps you build estimates. And honestly, it does that part reasonably well. The pre-built cost databases and templates make it fast to throw together a proposal.

But here’s the problem: estimating is just one piece of running a contracting business. After the estimate is signed, you still need to schedule the work, manage the project, track costs, communicate with clients, and send invoices. Clear Estimates doesn’t do any of that.

So you end up duct-taping together three or four different tools, manually re-entering data, and losing track of things between systems. There’s a better way.

This guide covers six alternatives that handle estimating and everything that comes after.

Why Contractors Leave Clear Estimates

Clear Estimates has been around for a while and it has a loyal user base, especially among remodelers and handyman services. But the same limitations keep pushing contractors to look elsewhere:

It’s estimating only. This is the big one. Clear Estimates doesn’t include project management, scheduling, invoicing, CRM, or time tracking. Once the estimate is accepted, you’re on your own.

No project management tools. After a client signs your estimate, what happens next? In Clear Estimates, nothing. You have to move to a different system to actually manage the job. That means double entry, lost information, and extra work.

No scheduling. You can’t assign crews, set job dates, or manage your calendar inside Clear Estimates. For that, you need yet another tool.

No invoicing. When the job is done, you can’t generate an invoice from your estimate. You have to recreate the line items in QuickBooks or whatever billing tool you use. That’s wasted time and a chance for errors.

Template-heavy approach can feel generic. Clear Estimates relies heavily on pre-built templates and cost databases. While that speeds things up, many contractors find the output feels cookie-cutter. Clients can tell when an estimate looks like it came from a template rather than being built for their specific project.

Limited customization on proposals. You can adjust the numbers, but formatting and branding options are limited. If you want your estimates to match your company’s look and feel, you’ll hit walls pretty quickly.

The integration gap. Clear Estimates doesn’t connect well with other tools. There’s no real-time sync with accounting software, no CRM integration, and no way to push accepted estimates into a project management workflow automatically.

If you’re tired of running your estimating in one tool and everything else in two or three others, here are your best options.

1. Projul (Best Overall Alternative)

Best for: Contractors who want estimating, project management, and invoicing in one platform

Projul gives you everything Clear Estimates does for estimating, plus all the tools you need to run the job after the estimate is signed. CRM, scheduling, job costing, and invoicing are all built in.

No more bouncing between apps. No more re-entering data. One platform from lead to final payment.

What Makes Projul Different

Estimating that wins jobs. Projul’s estimating tools let you build detailed, professional proposals. Create assemblies for common work items, set your own pricing, and send estimates that clients can review and approve online. It’s fast, flexible, and looks professional.

CRM for tracking leads and clients. With Projul’s CRM, every lead, contact, and client conversation lives in one place. Track where leads come from, follow up on estimates, and see your pipeline at a glance. Clear Estimates doesn’t touch this.

Scheduling that works in the field. Once an estimate is accepted, turn it into a scheduled project with a few clicks. Use drag-and-drop scheduling to assign crews, set dates, and manage your calendar. Your team sees their schedule on mobile and gets notified when things change.

Job costing to protect your margins. Track actual costs against your estimate as the job progresses with job costing tools. Know if you’re on budget before it’s too late. Clear Estimates tells you what you bid. Projul tells you if you’re making money.

Invoicing and online payments. When the work is done, create an invoice directly from the project. Pull in line items from the original estimate, send it to the client, and collect payment online. No re-entering numbers. No switching to a separate billing tool.

Unlimited users. Every Projul plan includes unlimited users. Add your whole team without worrying about per-seat costs eating into your margins.

Projul Pricing

• Core: $399/mo ($4,788/yr)
• Core+: $599/mo ($7,188/yr)
• Pro: $1,199/mo ($14,388/yr)

All plans include unlimited users. Visit the pricing page for full details.

Where Projul Beats Clear Estimates

The difference is clear: Clear Estimates handles one step. Projul handles all of them.

2. Buildertrend

Best for: Custom home builders and large remodelers who need full project management

Buildertrend is a well-known name in construction software. It offers estimating alongside a full suite of project management tools including scheduling, client communication, and financial tracking.

Key Features

• Estimating with cost catalogs and proposal templates
• Scheduling with Gantt charts
• Client portal for communication and selections
• Daily logs and photo documentation
• Budgeting, change orders, and invoicing
• Selections and allowances tracking

Pros

• Full project lifecycle coverage
• Strong client communication tools
• Good for complex residential projects
• Large user community and lots of training resources
• Regular feature updates

Cons

• Can be overwhelming for smaller operations
• Higher price point than most alternatives
• Takes time to configure properly
• Per-user pricing adds up
• Mobile app performance can be inconsistent
• More features than many contractors actually need

Pricing

Buildertrend starts around $499/mo with per-user pricing on top. Plans vary by feature set and team size.

Who Should Choose Buildertrend

Custom home builders and large remodeling companies running complex projects with heavy client involvement. If you’re managing selections, allowances, and detailed budgets across months-long projects, Buildertrend has the depth for it. Smaller contractors will probably find it’s more tool than they need.

3. Jobber

Best for: Service contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping)

Jobber is built for service-based trades rather than project-based construction. It handles quoting, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and client communication. If you run a service company that sends techs out on calls, Jobber fits that model perfectly.

Key Features

• Quoting and estimating
• Scheduling and dispatching
• GPS tracking for field teams
• Invoicing and online payments
• Client hub for approvals and communication
• Automated follow-ups and reminders
• CRM basics

Pros

• Very easy to learn and set up
• Excellent mobile app
• Great for route-based and service businesses
• Affordable starting price
• Strong client communication features
• Good QuickBooks and Xero integration

Cons

• Not built for complex construction projects
• Estimating is basic compared to dedicated tools
• Limited job costing
• Scheduling is better for daily dispatching than multi-week projects
• Per-user pricing on higher tiers
• Lacks features like Gantt charts and detailed production tracking

Pricing

Jobber offers plans starting around $49/mo for a single user, with higher tiers (Connect and Grow) adding features and users. Pricing scales with team size.

Who Should Choose Jobber

If you run a service trade (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, cleaning) and your work is mostly same-day or short-duration jobs, Jobber is built for exactly that. It’s fast, simple, and handles the quote-to-invoice cycle well. Not the best fit for multi-week construction projects.

4. Buildxact

Best for: Residential builders who want strong takeoff and estimating with project management

Buildxact focuses on residential construction estimating with built-in takeoff tools. If you spend a lot of time doing quantity takeoffs from plans, Buildxact speeds that up significantly.

Key Features

• Digital takeoff from uploaded plans
• Estimating with supplier price lists
• Proposal generation and e-signatures
• Basic scheduling tools
• Supplier quote requests
• Job tracking and progress monitoring

Pros

• Excellent takeoff tools for residential builders
• Connects directly to supplier pricing
• Makes estimating from plans much faster
• Good proposal formatting
• Australian origin with strong presence in US, UK, and NZ

Cons

• Focused on residential new builds, less useful for remodelers
• Project management features are basic
• No built-in CRM
• Invoicing is limited
• Not widely adopted in the US compared to alternatives
• Learning curve for the takeoff tools

Pricing

Buildxact offers tiered pricing starting around $149/mo. Higher tiers add more projects and team members.

Who Should Choose Buildxact

Residential builders who estimate from architectural plans and want to speed up their takeoff process. If you spend hours measuring plans and building quantities by hand, Buildxact will save you real time. Less useful for remodelers, service contractors, or commercial work.

5. CoConstruct

Best for: Custom builders and remodelers who want tight client collaboration

CoConstruct (now part of Buildertrend’s family) was built specifically for custom builders and remodelers. It’s known for its client-facing features, especially around selections, change orders, and communication.

Key Features

• Estimating with spec and selection management
• Client portal with selection sheets
• Scheduling and task management
• Change order tracking with automatic budget updates
• Communication logs
• Financial tracking and reporting
• Warranty management

Pros

• Excellent selection management for custom work
• Change orders automatically update budgets
• Strong client communication tools
• Built specifically for custom residential work
• Good at keeping clients informed and involved

Cons

• Now merged with Buildertrend, future direction unclear
• Higher price point
• Can be complex to configure
• Not ideal for high-volume production work
• Mobile app has had mixed reviews
• Per-user pricing

Pricing

CoConstruct pricing starts around $99/mo but scales significantly with features and users. Since the Buildertrend merger, pricing may be changing. Contact them for current rates.

Who Should Choose CoConstruct

If you build custom homes or do high-end remodeling where client selections and change orders are a daily reality, CoConstruct was designed for your workflow. The selection management and change order tools are among the best available. Just keep an eye on how the Buildertrend merger affects the product going forward.

6. Joist

Best for: Solo contractors and small crews who need simple estimates and invoicing

Joist is the simplest tool on this list. It handles estimates, invoices, and payments. That’s about it. But for solo operators and very small crews, that’s often enough.

Key Features

• Quick estimate creation on mobile
• Invoice generation from estimates
• Online payment processing
• Client signature capture
• Basic reporting
• Photo attachments

Pros

• Extremely easy to use
• Good free plan for getting started
• Fast estimate creation on your phone
• Clean, professional-looking documents
• Low price point

Cons

• Very limited features beyond estimating and invoicing
• No scheduling
• No project management
• No CRM
• No job costing
• You’ll outgrow it quickly if your business grows
• Owned by Homebase, future development uncertain

Pricing

Joist has a free tier with limited features. Paid plans start around $17/mo, making it one of the cheapest options available.

Who Should Choose Joist

Solo contractors, handyman services, and very small operations that just need to send professional-looking estimates and invoices from their phone. If you’re a one-person shop or a two-person crew and you’re currently handwriting estimates or using Word documents, Joist is a huge step up. But plan to switch to something more capable as your business grows.

How to Pick the Right Clear Estimates Alternative

The right choice depends on what kind of work you do and how big your team is. Here’s the quick version:

Choose Projul if you want estimating, CRM, scheduling, and invoicing in one platform without per-user fees. Best all-around option for most contractors.

Choose Buildertrend if you’re a larger builder running complex projects with heavy client interaction and need deep project management.

Choose Jobber if you run a service trade with daily dispatching and short-duration jobs.

Choose Buildxact if you’re a residential builder who needs fast digital takeoffs from architectural plans.

Choose CoConstruct if you build custom homes and need excellent selection management and change order tracking.

Choose Joist if you’re a solo operator who just needs quick estimates and invoices from your phone.

Switching from Clear Estimates: What to Expect

Moving away from Clear Estimates is simpler than you might think, mainly because there’s less data to migrate. Here’s the process:

1. Export your estimates. Download your existing estimates as PDFs or spreadsheets. You’ll want these for reference even if you can’t import them directly.

2. Export your contacts. Pull your client list and contact information. Most tools accept CSV imports.

3. Rebuild your templates. This is the biggest task. You’ll need to recreate your estimate templates, assemblies, and pricing in the new system. The good news: most alternatives make this easier than Clear Estimates does.

4. Set up your new workflows. Since Clear Estimates only handled estimating, you’re probably adding new capabilities (scheduling, project management, invoicing). Take time to set these up properly. It’s an investment that pays off immediately.

5. Test with a real project. Run one or two actual projects through the new system before going all-in. Make sure the estimating workflow is at least as fast as what you had before, and that the new features actually help.

6. Train your team. If you’re adding project management and scheduling tools your team hasn’t used before, budget a day or two for training. Most of the tools on this list are intuitive enough that people pick them up quickly.

The Bottom Line

Clear Estimates works fine if all you need is a basic estimating tool. But most contractors need more. They need to track leads, schedule work, manage projects, track costs, and send invoices. Doing all of that in separate tools creates extra work and increases the chance of mistakes.

The better approach is a single platform that covers the full job lifecycle. Projul gives you professional estimating plus CRM, scheduling, job costing, and invoicing, all in one place with unlimited users. No more re-entering data. No more switching between apps. Just one system that handles everything from the first lead to the final payment.