Carpentry estimating apps for decks, trim and remodel work
For carpentry, the estimating app should match the size of your jobs. A trim package or a deck rebuild needs a fast, signed number with a deposit, which Staxen and Joist both handle, while a carpenter who has grown into six-week remodels with selections and allowances is better served by Buildertrend from $499 a month. Invoice Simple is the cheapest way to bill side work at $6.99 a month. Every price was checked on the vendor's own site on October 15, 2026.
How this list was chosen
We make Staxen, so you should know where we stand. Carpentry bids get priced at the kitchen table after a day on the saw, so we looked at how much of that night work each app takes off you, whether the client can sign and pay a deposit, and how change orders get approved once the walls are open. All facts come from the vendors' own pricing and feature pages, read on October 15, 2026. The apps go from the lowest published starting price up, not from best to worst.
Pick by what you need
| If you need to | Look at |
|---|---|
| Talk through a deck or trim job after measuring and send the priced estimate that night | Staxen |
| Run long remodels with selections, allowances and a client portal | Buildertrend |
| Bill occasional side jobs for a few dollars a month | Invoice Simple |
| Send signed estimates and change orders on a small budget | Joist |
| Sub under GCs with bids, daily logs and submittals | Contractor Foreman |
| Build a remodel estimate from voice notes with local cost data | Handoff |
Estimating apps for carpenters, compared
Listed by lowest published starting price, quote-only apps last. This is not a ranking.
Invoice Simple
Best for: Carpenters who bill a few side jobs a month and want almost nothing to learn
Price: Essentials is $6.99 a month for 3 invoices a month, Plus $14.99 for 10, and Premium $21.99 for unlimited, with client signatures and deposits on Premium only.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Invoice Simple pricing, Essentials help article.
Pros:
- Essentials starts at $6.99 a month
- Turns an estimate into an invoice with one click
- Clients can pay by card, debit, PayPal or Venmo
- Autofills client and item info from the first plan up
Cons:
- Essentials covers 3 invoices a month, and the cap counts estimates too
- Client signatures and deposits are Premium only, at $21.99 a month
- We found no scheduling, QuickBooks sync or AI drafting on its pricing page
Joist
Best for: Solo carpenters and small crews who want signed estimates and change orders cheaply
Price: Basics is $10 a month for up to 5 documents a month, Pro $17, Elite $32, and the newer Run plan, which adds scheduling, is $70 a month introductory. 14-day free trial; the free plan is gone.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Joist pricing, Joist estimates, Joist homeowner financing, Joist scheduling.
Pros:
- Pro at $17 a month gives unlimited documents, project templates and QuickBooks sync
- Elite, at $32 a month, adds change orders
- Clients sign in the app and pay deposits or milestone payments on any plan
- Acorn Finance homeowner financing for bigger deck jobs
Cons:
- Material counts are yours to work out; we found no takeoff tool on its pricing page
- We found no crew time tracking on its pricing page
- Basics at $10 holds 5 documents a month, which a few deck bids and their invoices use up
Contractor Foreman
Best for: Finish and framing carpenters working as subs under GCs
Price: From $49 a month billed annually for 1 user (Basic is annual only). Monthly billing starts at Standard, $139 a month for up to 3 users. 30-day free trial.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Contractor Foreman plans.
Pros:
- Bids, change orders, daily logs and submittals for sub work in one place
- Time cards, and crew scheduling on a Gantt chart
- Line-item estimates with bulk and line-item markups, plus custom templates
- SweetPay financing that shows clients rates from up to 4 lenders
Cons:
- A fourth person on the account means moving past Standard's 3 users to the next tier, with no per-user add-on
- Monthly billing starts at $139; the $49 price is the annual Basic plan for 1 user
- More project system than a two-person trim crew needs
Staxen (our app)
Best for: Carpenters who measure during the day and want the bid out that night without typing it
Price: $59 a month per AI employee, or $149 a month for all three. The first 7 days are free in the app.
Pros:
- Read off the measurements and scope out loud, or type them, and get priced line items to adjust
- The client signs from a text or email link with no login, and can pay the deposit on that page when you take cards through Stripe
- Change orders go to the client by text or email, and the approval is on record before the extra work starts
- Photo receipts from the lumber yard file straight to the job
- One account for the whole crew with no per-user fees, on web, iPhone and Android
Cons:
- No time tracking or payroll for crew hours
- No good, better, best or optional line items to show pressure-treated against composite
- No consumer financing for a big deck or remodel
Handoff
Best for: Remodel-leaning carpenters who price from a written or spoken scope
Price: Flex is $149 a month, or $119 billed annually, for 2 users. Pro is $299 ($239 annually) on a 12-month commitment, and AI takeoffs from plans come with Scale at $899 a month.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Handoff pricing.
Pros:
- Talk through the job on site, and Handoff turns the voice notes into job details ready for estimating
- Milestone invoicing to collect at each phase of a longer job
- Estimates and payments sync both ways with QuickBooks Online on every plan
Cons:
- Time tracking and homeowner financing need Pro at $299 a month on a 12-month commitment
- Built around full remodel estimates, which is more than a one-day trim job needs
Buildertrend
Best for: Carpentry companies that now run full remodels with selections and subs
Price: Starting at $499 a month for one plan with unlimited users, 10 percent off paid annually. The final price depends on construction volume and the onboarding package.
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Buildertrend pricing, Buildertrend estimating.
Pros:
- Client selections and allowances flow into project costs, with a client portal included
- Takeoff from project plans feeds material quantities straight into the estimate
- One plan with unlimited users, and schedules shared with crews, subs and clients
- Syncs with QuickBooks, Sage, Xero and Gusto
Cons:
- Starts at $499 a month, and the final price depends on your construction volume and onboarding package
- We found no deposit collection on estimates or consumer financing on its pricing page
- We found no free trial on its pricing page
- Built for remodel firms with long schedules, which is more than a deck and trim crew uses
If your work is decks, trim, doors and built-ins, the cost is the evening spent pricing, so pick for speed to a signed number with a deposit: Staxen or Joist. If you have become the remodel contractor with selections and draws, Buildertrend fits the job even at $499 a month. If software is new to you, Invoice Simple or Joist Basics shows whether you will use it before you pay more.
Frequently asked questions
Which carpentry estimating app fits a one or two person crew?
For one-off decks, trim and repairs, pick the app that gets a signed estimate and a deposit out fastest: Staxen if you would rather talk the scope than type it, Joist if you want signatures and deposits from $10 a month. Carpenters subbing under GCs should look at Contractor Foreman, and remodel firms at Buildertrend. The prices quoted here come from each vendor's own site, read on October 15, 2026.
How much does Staxen cost for a carpentry business?
Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee, or $149 per month for all three. Eddie the Estimator covers the estimate, signature and deposit, and Josie the Job Manager handles change orders by text or email plus photo receipts on each job. It is month to month, and the first 7 days are free in the app.
Can carpentry estimating software do takeoff from plans?
Some can. Buildertrend feeds takeoff quantities from project plans into the estimate, Contractor Foreman lets you upload plans and measure, and Handoff offers AI takeoff from residential plans up to 7,000 square feet on its Scale plan. Staxen drafts estimate lines from an uploaded plan PDF for you to check. We found no takeoff on the Joist or Invoice Simple pricing pages.
What should a deck estimate cost per square foot in 2026?
Our 2026 pricing guide puts a 12 by 16 pressure-treated deck at $6,000 to $12,000 installed and the same deck in composite at $10,000 to $20,000, with framing spans, railing choice and site access moving it inside those ranges. Railings, footings, demo of an old deck and permit fees belong as separate line items, so the total reads as built up rather than made up.
How do carpenters handle change orders without eating the cost?
The rule is nothing changes without a signed number, however small. Verbal yeses evaporate when the invoice arrives. Apps make the discipline cheap: with Staxen, a change order goes to the client by text or email and their approval is recorded in writing before the work happens. On time and materials changes, cap the amount in the change order so there is no dispute about what was authorized.