Electrical estimating and quote apps, compared for 2026

By Gavin Harris, Staxen. Updated 2026-10-15.

The right electrical estimating app depends on how you quote. If you talk the job through at the panel and want it priced, signed and the deposit paid from a text, Staxen is built for that at $59 a month. If you dispatch several techs a day, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan fits better, and Joist is the cheapest way to send a professional quote at $10 a month. Every price below was checked on the vendor's own site on October 15, 2026.

How this list was chosen

We make Staxen, so read this with that in mind. We took the apps electricians ask us about and checked each one the way a one to three truck shop would: can you price a panel swap from the van, get a signature the same day, and take the deposit without chasing paper. Prices and features come from each vendor's own pricing and feature pages, checked on October 15, 2026, and the links sit under each app. The list runs from the lowest published starting price to quote only, not from best to worst.

Pick by what you need

Estimating apps for electricians, compared

Listed by lowest published starting price, quote-only apps last. This is not a ranking.

Joist

Best for: Side work and small shops that want a professional quote for the least money

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:

• Basics is $10 a month, the lowest starting price on this list
• Digital signatures, deposits and milestone payments on every plan
• Homeowner financing through Acorn Finance on every plan
• Built-in AI to draft estimates, plus saved project templates from Pro up

Cons:

• Basics allows 5 documents a month, so a busy month means Pro at $17
• QuickBooks sync starts at Pro, and scheduling only comes with the Run plan
• We found no automated quote follow-ups on its plan comparison

Jobber

Best for: Service electricians who want quoting, scheduling and a client hub in one app

Price: Core is $49 a month month to month, $39 on a one-year commitment, or $29 billed annually, for 1 user, and extra users are $29 a month each. Connect, which adds QuickBooks sync and automated quote follow-ups, starts at $139 a month month to month.

Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Jobber pricing, Jobber quotes, Jobber automations help, Jobber AI Voice help.

Pros:

• Clients approve quotes online, and you can collect a deposit right after approval
• Quote templates for repeat jobs, and Jobber AI on every plan, with hands-free voice quoting in beta on mobile
• Online booking, scheduling and route planning for the crew
• Wisetack financing right on the quote

Cons:

• QuickBooks Online sync and automated quote follow-ups start on Connect, not Core
• Optional line items for upsells are on Grow and Plus only
• Every user past the plan's included seats is $29 a month

Contractor Foreman

Best for: Electrical contractors chasing commercial and GC bid work on a budget

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:

• Bid management, change orders, daily logs and submittals in one system
• Plan takeoff built in, plus line-item estimates with bulk markups
• Clients approve estimates online, and change orders take electronic signatures
• QuickBooks Online integration and Stripe card and ACH payments

Cons:

• The $49 Basic plan is 1 user and annual only; monthly billing starts at $139 for 3 users
• Users come in tiers of 1, 3, 8 and 15, so a fourth person means the next plan
• We found no deposit collection on estimates on its plans page

Staxen (our app)

Best for: Small electrical shops with no office staff that quote by talking the job through

Price: $59 a month per AI employee, or $149 a month for all three. The first 7 days are free in the app.

Pros:

• Describe the job out loud and get a priced, line-item draft to check and send
• The client signs from a text or email link and can pay the deposit on the same page when you take cards through Stripe
• Follows up on unsigned estimates and sends escalating reminders on overdue invoices, so nobody in an office has to
• Drafts estimate lines from an uploaded plan PDF, on the web, iPhone and Android, in English and Spanish
• No per-user fees: the whole crew shares the account

Cons:

• No dispatch board, GPS tracking, time tracking or online booking
• No consumer financing on the estimate
• The newest app on this list, with the shortest track record

Housecall Pro

Best for: Service shops that book work online and dispatch a few techs a day

Price: Basic is $79 a month, or $59 billed annually, for 1 user. Essentials is $189 ($149 annually) for 5 users and Max is $329 ($299 annually) for 8. 14-day free trial.

Checked Oct 15, 2026 on Housecall Pro pricing, Housecall Pro estimating, e-signatures help, deposits help, consumer financing, card on file help, customer notifications help.

Pros:

• E-signatures and required deposits on estimates sent by text or email
• Scheduling and dispatch, online booking and a price book on the Basic plan
• Employee GPS tracking and QuickBooks Online sync from Essentials
• Wisetack financing and good, better, best options on estimates

Cons:

• Basic covers 1 user; 5 users means Essentials at $189 a month
• QuickBooks Online sync is not on Basic
• Automated estimate follow-ups come through the separate Pipeline add-on

ServiceTitan

Best for: Electrical companies with ten or more techs and a full-time dispatcher

Price: Quote only. Starter, Essentials and The Works are priced per technician, and ServiceTitan publishes no prices.

Checked Oct 15, 2026 on ServiceTitan pricing, ServiceTitan estimating.

Pros:

• Drag-and-drop dispatch board, call booking and GPS tracking for techs on the road
• A pricebook and good, better, best proposals with financing options
• Mobile estimates and payroll from the Essentials plan

Cons:

• No published prices: every plan is a sales quote, priced per technician
• Mobile estimates are not part of the Starter plan
• Built to be run by office staff, which is more system than a one-truck shop uses

If you run one to three trucks and lose jobs because bids go out late, pick for estimating speed and try Staxen or Jobber on your next panel swap. If routing techs across town is the daily problem, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan is the better shape. If you quote a handful of jobs a month, Joist at $10 is hard to argue with. Every app here except ServiceTitan has a free trial, so price one real job in two of them before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best estimating app for electricians?

It depends on how you quote. For a small shop that talks through the job at the panel and wants it signed the same day, Staxen is built for that. For dispatching several techs, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan fits better. For the lowest monthly cost, Joist starts at $10. The prices on this page were checked on each vendor's site on October 15, 2026.

Is there a free electrical estimating app?

Not among these. Joist retired its free plan and starts at $10 a month. The others charge after a trial: 14 days on Joist, Jobber and Housecall Pro, 30 days on Contractor Foreman, and 7 days on Staxen. ServiceTitan sells through a demo and a quote.

How much does Staxen cost for an electrical contractor?

Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee, or $149 per month for all three. Eddie the Estimator alone covers estimates, e-signature and deposits. It is month to month, and the first 7 days are free in the app.

Which electrical quote apps take a deposit when the client signs?

Staxen, Jobber, Housecall Pro and Joist all do it. In Staxen the client signs and pays on the same link when you take cards through Stripe. Jobber collects right after the quote is approved, Housecall Pro can require a deposit on the estimate, and Joist lists deposits on every plan.

Can an app price electrical work from a voice description?

Staxen is built around it: you describe the job and get priced lines back to check. Jobber has a hands-free voice mode in beta on its mobile app that creates and edits quotes. Whichever app drafts it, check the counts and the price before it goes out, because you are the one signing it.

Get the Staxen app: the first 7 days are free.